Thank You, Dallas Cowboys
by 5Blings on Jan 5, 2009 3:26 PM CST
55 comments
Dear Dallas Cowboys,
If you watched the games played this weekend, you'd see that none of the teams that played these 'Win or Go Home' games laid an egg on national television. None of the teams played so poorly that their fans would say they played well below expectations.
Each team seemed well prepared and understood the urgency of their respective situation at each point in the game. The head coaches and coordinators generally had their collective acts together. All of the games were hard-hitting, fundamentally sound football games that any football fan (or egotistical, underperforming, oft-injured, lazy NFL player, aw-shucks Jed Clampett hillbilly coach or overly meddling owner/GM who hires coordinators) sitting at home could enjoy.
So I thought it appropriate to thank you, my Dallas Cowboys, who I root for unconditionally, for not interfering with a great weekend of first round playoff football.
It was refreshing not to have to get all amped up for a game only to see my team fail to exploit a Pete Hunter starting at CB for the opposing team. It was a new experience watching offensive lines that could actually pick up a blitz and have a RB run through the resulting hole for a big gain. I really enjoyed seeing Offensive Coordinators make the right calls for each situation and have their team demonstrate the hard work and practice time that they had put into ensuring proper execution.
It was fascinating to watch pasionate play from big name, on-the-field leaders, and how they elevated the play of their teammates. It was thrilling to watch backups and role players step up and play like stars (no pun intended) in crucial moments.I loved the way QB's made the proper calls and checkdowns instead of forcing balls early in games for turnovers, which allowed their defenses to keep the games competitive well into the 4th quarter and give their teams a chance to win. It was entertaining to hear the post-game comments from players about how the teams had a singular goal to play together as a team and were accountable for their play.
Most of all, it was inspirational to see how each team delivered on their implicit agreement with their fans, whose hard-earned dollars go into ticket sales, logo gear purchases and viewership, to play up to the level of talent, experience and hard work of the players on their rosters.
This weekend made me remember why I love football.
So thank you again, Dallas cowboys, I am one thankful fan indeed.
Sincerely,
5Blings
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I thought the same thing yesterday
I am just glad to not have been let down. Sad to say that this is the expectation when it come to the Boys, at least for me anyway.
by WestTxHornFan on Jan 5, 2009 3:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Wow
Did we really lose 44-6? Embrassing!!
"Protect the Romo, Save the Cowboys!!"
by Wmillion on Jan 5, 2009 3:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
you should have been there...
I was at the 45 yard line 16 rows above the eagles bench (in a rome jersey hah)… it was way worse at the game than it was on tv… i saw maybe a total of 15 cowboys fans all night, at least those wearing cowboys colors… it was loud and crazy, and every time the eagles made a play the fans just punched the cowboys in the face with their cheers and jeers… i was embarassed, for the first time, to be a cowboys fan
by CowboysFan4Life on Jan 5, 2009 3:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i was there too!
way farther up in the endzone. I saw tons and tons of cowboy fans, maybe they were all up in the nosebleed section with me. that game was an embarrasment.
I sat and watched the Eagles/Vikings game and thought of all the ways we would have screwed it up had we gotten in instead of philly. We’d have had tons of penalties that kept their drives going, a turnover or two in the redzone, you name it, and they are all coming back next year…..yay
by stephen1 on Jan 5, 2009 4:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Barber
That fumble as he was going in the end zone was almost comical..
"Protect the Romo, Save the Cowboys!!"
by Wmillion on Jan 5, 2009 4:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
No...it wasn't
I threw my remote into the center of my big screen and now I have to replace both of them.
Comical? No.
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 5, 2009 5:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I was so mad
All I could do is laugh..
"Protect the Romo, Save the Cowboys!!"
by Wmillion on Jan 5, 2009 6:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah Me Too
It got so preposterous in the second quarter we were just giggling uncontrollably, the “how bad can these guys quit” laugh. We were way over being angry.
by kindablue on Jan 5, 2009 8:19 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
lol
i didn’t even watch the return of that fumble… i had to just start chugging my beer bc i was hearing it from all the iggle fans… damn that game
by CowboysFan4Life on Jan 5, 2009 6:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
can you say anger management? LOL
In Romo we Trust
by Terry on Jan 5, 2009 7:37 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
you obviously didn't watch Pennington then
No way Romo could have played worse or forced more turnovers.
In Romo we Trust
by Terry on Jan 5, 2009 4:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Okay, now you just seem like an angry little man
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 5, 2009 4:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I have to agree
"Ask Philly was it hard tryin' a stop TO, he da main reason that the fans would come fo'."
by aussie_cowboy on Jan 6, 2009 3:18 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
No...it's really not
Romo may have only thrown 3 INT’s in a game like this, but you forget that he would have had 4 fumbles as well.
After that performance, you would then blame the offensive line, the receivers and the backs for not doing what they were supposed to do. If that failed, you would blame Jason Garrett. And in one final blowout, with no more options left, you would probably attribute Romo’s seven turnovers to Roger Goodell.
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 6, 2009 10:10 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
But...
I still love your undying commitment to Romo and only wish our players had the same commitment to doing what it takes to win.
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 6, 2009 6:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I know he's the franchise
without him in top form, we have no chance despite what other misguided fans think.
I’m extremely confident he’ll go back to his fortress of solitude this off season, regroup and come back much better next season.
In Romo we Trust
by Terry on Jan 6, 2009 8:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
haha
compared to pennington
romo had a better game against the ravens lol
Superbowl or Bust?
by MrMinority on Jan 5, 2009 4:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Terry, it's not always about Romo.
Calm down dude.
Pimpin' ain't easy and neither is being a Sixers fan. I manage to do both. Join me at Liberty Ballers, the SBNation 76ers blog. Don't make fun of the name either. It has nothing to do with the New York Liberty of the WNBA.
by jsams on Jan 5, 2009 6:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
on this site it seems like it is
I only defend him after he gets constantly bashed as if he’s the main reason we lost.
In Romo we Trust
by Terry on Jan 5, 2009 7:40 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
that simply is not true at all
the only game we lost because of Romo’s poor play was Pittsburgh. We would have still lost the Balt and Philly games if Romo didn’t turn the ball over.
In Romo we Trust
by Terry on Jan 6, 2009 9:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Get used to it 5blings
because if Jerry is really stupid enough to stick with our current coaches, you will see the same clueless, heartless, crappy play all next season. I can’t even get up the stomach to discuss football or the draft or anything like that because I am so in shock that heads are not rolling at valley ranch. Wade is a D-coordinator in way over his head, Redball is an ex-backup QB in way over his head and stewart is the smartest man in Dallas because he is getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to hold Wade’s clipboard and pump his fist when Dware makes a play.
If no changes are made for next year, expect more of the same, only worse.
by Billito on Jan 5, 2009 5:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Wade said he can change..
40 years as a coach and he is going change this off-season.. :)
"Protect the Romo, Save the Cowboys!!"
by Wmillion on Jan 5, 2009 6:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
as much as i don't see it happening...
i do see it happening… i give wade a 50/50 chance of changing… why? hes a professional who has been in the game for 40 years and if he wants to earn the reputation of a good head coach and not just a good coordinator, than he better change… if not, lets just hire shanahan anddemote wade to defensive coordinator… i would love that…. but i def would give him the opportunity to change since it has finally been requested that he do so
by CowboysFan4Life on Jan 5, 2009 6:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i can see your point
But, hasn’t had the same knock on him every time he has been an HC?
"Protect the Romo, Save the Cowboys!!"
by Wmillion on Jan 5, 2009 7:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
i don't know about that...
correct me if im wrong…. but i don’t think any of his other teams were as unfocused and seemingly committed to committing penalties as our cowboys?
by CowboysFan4Life on Jan 5, 2009 7:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
they either missed the playoffs or never won a playoff game.
So, I am sure the unfocused and soft topics came up..
Don’t have time to research the penalties, but this team has been plagued by penalties for years now.
"Protect the Romo, Save the Cowboys!!"
by Wmillion on Jan 5, 2009 7:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Yes
Wade wasn’t hired to be the Head Coach. He was hired to make the defense more aggressive while Garrett kept the 2007 offense humming into 2008. When the offense started to fizzle out and Stewart was revealed to be an idiot, Wade finally took on the role he was meant to take.
Jerry just miscalculated…again. Anyone CAN’T coach this team to a Super Bowl.
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 6, 2009 12:01 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
you said it...
and everyone i wanted to win lost this weekend too…. the only team that could of beat the colts was the chargers.. lucky them now i have to hope the eagles dont make it any where near the superbowl but because i want that to happen so bad theyll end up winning it im sure
What the French?! Toast!
by thebigham on Jan 5, 2009 7:22 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Agree That Losing
to the Eagles was just as well. Maybe even better. If we’d won, Minnesota would have beaten us like 31-14 and Wade and Jerry would have been making excuses. When a team gets utterly crushed by a division rival, there’s nothing to hide behind any more.
Get the misery over with as soon as possible, and let the autopsy begin.
by kindablue on Jan 5, 2009 8:23 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
-1
"Ask Philly was it hard tryin' a stop TO, he da main reason that the fans would come fo'."
by aussie_cowboy on Jan 6, 2009 3:19 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Thank you Dallas Cowboys
For the two most embarrassing back-to-back games I’ve ever suffered. Like others here, I turned off the Eagles game in the third quarter.
Never did that before.
At least it is over.
As Romo we go
by wasmarcus on Jan 5, 2009 8:56 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
I could never turn off a Cowboys game...just couldn't do it
no matter how ugly it got.
In Romo we Trust
by Terry on Jan 5, 2009 9:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Neither could I
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 5, 2009 11:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
It sure was painful.......NYG game 1, Pitts, Baltimore, and Philly....
probably 4 of the worst games i’ve ever encountered as a Dallas Cowboys fan in my 33 years of watching them…..To have them all happen in the same season we were supposed to be SB bound is absolutely mind boggling…
A true diehard Cowboys fan since 1975.
President - Garrett MUST GO campaign -
by BoyzRback on Jan 6, 2009 1:26 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
And I'm glad
I couldn’t get the Rams game here.
by illcowboy on Jan 6, 2009 7:27 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I didn't get to watch the Rams game...
Arizona was a crusher, but it did go to OT against a formidable foe…the loss was bad….but nowhere near as crushing as the 4 mentioned..
A true diehard Cowboys fan since 1975.
President - Garrett MUST GO campaign -
by BoyzRback on Jan 7, 2009 1:24 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Never did before either
The thought never crossed my mind until that debacle.
What I have to decide now is to turn on the next Cowboys game. I’ve already paid for my tickets for next year and I’m not going to ask for a refund since as well as a half a dozen friends that want to see the new stadium, I want to see the new statdium. We’ll see if I can stomach a full season like the last game at TS. What a sad memory that one is.
Away games are a different story all together. A friend of mine has the right idea, I think. While working in the yard, he recorded the Eagles mess on his DVR and asked if I would call him at the end of the game and tell him if it was worth watching or if he should just delete it. Again, in 45+ years of being Cowboys fans, we’ve never considered such a thing before. If anybody had ever suggested anything similar to “not watching the Cowboy game”, all would have considered you insane. Not any more.
Anyway, I called him in the third quarter and told him to go ahead and hit delete. He said “That bad?”. I said “Yeah, it’s that bad.” He said “Thanks” and we have not mentioned the Cowboys since.
As Romo we go
by wasmarcus on Jan 6, 2009 4:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Last year's game vs. Buffalo was one for the ages
How many people turned that one off early?
:-)
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 7, 2009 12:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Glad I didnt
"Ask Philly was it hard tryin' a stop TO, he da main reason that the fans would come fo'."
by aussie_cowboy on Jan 7, 2009 1:55 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Well
Unfortunately this isn’t the first time I’ve witnessed a meltdown by the Pokes. I guess the worst thing about it was the circumstances and the amount riding on the game. I had a bad feeling before this game as I was watching the scores of the in-progress games and all the dominoes fell perfectly in place. I knew it was going to go badly, just not as bad as it turned out. The bad luck snowballed early and the team gave up in the second quarter. This is what leaves such a bad taste in our mouths and what gives all the haters out there the ammunition they continually shoot at us all season long. I hope to god Wade or Red Jesus figures this out cuz I can’t handle another complete letdown like this next season.
by Benthere on Jan 6, 2009 12:10 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
But was it really the Philly game?
I think this team underachieved all season. I didn’t expect them to sweep Philly. Do you know how many times since Andy Reid got there, that we have swept Philly in a season? Other than Cleveland and GB, who did we beat handily all year?
I mean, really, were we all just delusional thinking they would do something they had shown no propensity to do all year and that is to go into a hostile stadium and play great offensive, defensive and special teams football?
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 6, 2009 10:14 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
They underachieved from game 1. Plenty of us saw this coming. Few saw it way back then. Fewer still thought it would be as bad as it was. Sad to say but nobody is ridiculing Tex anymore.
Attending the Ravens game was a complete heartbreaker. All those old guys there that I recall from the Cotton Bowl, the awe as I watched the construction of TS on a daily basis, eagerly anticipated and then attended the opening game of TS, the players in the Ring of Honor, on and on and on, so many wonderful memories and now they are all associated with defeat and disgust. I felt ashamed because I took my dad to see such a disgrace. He felt bad because it was a father-son thing. He took me to the TS opener and it was a blast. Not so for the TS closer.
The delusional ones kept hoping that the flashes of brilliance that we had occasionally seen would become the norm when there was nothing, no trend, no stats, nothing to indicate that it was happening.
The team and season of 1971 was what we expected 2008 to be. It could have been, even should have been, but ultimately simply was not.
Sad.
As Romo we go
by wasmarcus on Jan 6, 2009 4:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I always have hope
because when these guys click as a team I don’t think anyone can stop them. But they stopped themselves quite often this past season. Which plays in to the “underachieved” category. I guess my hope does make me delusional for the most part..
by Benthere on Jan 6, 2009 10:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
good write up.....felt the same way....great games this past weekend..
A true diehard Cowboys fan since 1975.
President - Garrett MUST GO campaign -
by BoyzRback on Jan 6, 2009 1:16 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Thanks
And I watched Pennington closely. The thing about it was that Baltimore played the best defense anyone has played against him all year. I really credit Rex Ryan with coming up with a great game plan. I also believe thet Ed Reed should have won the Defensive POY. That guy is amazing, and it proves that having a great safety can cover up mistakes in both the secondary and the front 7.
Anyway, I know someone in the Cowboys organization is responsible for monitoring the blogosphere so that they understand fan base reaction and I hope people use this as a lightning rod to vent about the way the season went.
We need to keep this discussion going until SOMETHING of consequence changes.
"Well, we didn't block real good but we made up for it by not tackling."
- John McKay, the first coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
by 5Blings on Jan 6, 2009 10:06 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
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