Cal's Take from FEDEX Field

Ugh, here's my firsthand report, if any of you want to relive this fiasco....

We arrived 2 hours early for some great tailgating - there was a Cowboys tailgate for every 7 Redskins tailgaters....I can't complain - some Redskin co-workers had a nice setup with brauts and burgers and plenty of drinks to warm up with - the treated us well, as did most skin fans. The weather was fantastic, not the crisp autumn, but a mild comfortable sunny day, with a little hint of a breeze.

When we came into the stadium (which didn't fill up until the mid-first quarter - It always amazes me that people will spend hundreds of dollars to go to a game and then show up late), you could feel the definitive Cowboy fan presence. I estimate about 10-15,000 out of the 90,000 in the stadium were wearing Dallas colors.  What I though was a good omen turned out not be....Four USAF F-22 Raptors did a smooth and impressive flyover after the National Anthem. I was hoping it was their way to honor Emmitt Smith's number (22).

The game started off as well as possible considering the circumstances.  The Defensive stand really let the air out of the stadium - they recognized that if they spent all that time in the redzone and could only get 5 points, then they were in for a long day.  Unfortunately, we didn't capitalize.

The mood of the stadium softened as Romo led the drive for the first TD, followed by a nice drive for 3.  The Portis TD (which looked to me like a real hold on the left WR/CB) got the hometown riled up again.  Even fans behind me were having their 8 year olds chant "Dallas Sucks, Dallas Sucks" - I commented to them that was a great thing to teach their children! ( I also hope we don't teach our Cowboy kids to cheer like that at Texas Stadium?) That seems to be the only thing the Skins fans can conjure up against us - whatever.

The last 3 pointer before the half really subdued the crowd. I'm convinced that when you end the half on a point, and begin the second half on a score, you really should win the game.  The second half started off eerily quiet. The Cowboys got the ball and just came right down and scored - not only were people still getting beer and dogs, the fan base wasn't engaged, and we seemed to really be on the march.  If TO catches that TD pass later in the 3rd, the crowd goes home, and the skins lose - I'm sure of it.

The 4th was a disaster. We couldn't stop the over the middle passes, and we couldn't seem to get the running game going again.  Of course, Romo looked great and that pass/catch to Witten was beautiful.  As we lined up to kick, the fans were lining up in the aisles. Then all hell broke loose - how can you lose the game with time up? and the facemask for 15? C'mon!

Going home, I was in a state of shock, as most of us Cowboy fans were dazed going back to our cars - there we were, moving the chains and putting ourselves into position to destroy the Skins season, earn bragging rights in DC the entire year, and it goes away in 3 seconds flat. The Skins fans were going crazy as we left the stadium, as they were just handed a "miracle" according to Gibbs.

3 Big issues that I saw cost us the game:
(1) Pressure - no pressure on Brunell meant that he could find the middle receiver slipping between the linebackers and the safety.

(2) Penalties - Crowd noise was most definitely a factor from the first play to the last. Even up in the nosebleeds it was deafening.  The guys on the field must have really struggled to get used to Romo's voice in that noise.

(3) Position - From the start of the game, when V-jak bounced the kickoff, we seemed to be going uphill the entire time. The wind wasn't bad at all, so there shouldn't have been any reason why we couldn't kick off, punt off (safety) or punt better than we did. We also didn't have ANY return game - no holes for Skyler.

Bummer of a way to lose. We need to keep the positive vibes going here, guys, if we want to have some fun for the rest of the year. This one hurts, but we can still make it.

Lastly, it should be noted that during half-time, two heroes from Iraq were awarded the Purple Heart - to a standing ovation. Great to see!