I'd rather we look bad early than look bad late

by VAfan on Sep 25, 2009 12:35 PM CDT

We all know the issues the Cowboys need to improve on.

1. Romo's INTs. Romo has said he's going to cut down on his turnovers. And so far, he's at least looking better at handling the ball and cutting down on fumbles. But he laid an egg against the Giants and needs to do much better.

2. Pass coverage. This is the other reason we lost the Giants' game. Newman, Scandrick, and Jenkins didn't get it done against the G-men. And they were fairly well torched the previous game against Tampa too.

3. Forcing turnovers. I'd say this is even more important than generating sacks. It probably won't come, however, until the coverage is better and the pressure improves.

4. Generating pressure. No sacks in 2 games after leading the league. Wade's got to figure this one out.

5. Stopping the run. Very bad against Tampa. Very good against the Giants.

6. Catching the ball. The WRs were wide open against Tampa, but gained nothing against the Giants. More consistency is needed.

7. Running the ball. Tremendous game against the Giants. OK game against Tampa. Could use more consistency if teams start stacking the box.

The point I want to make in this post is that I think all of these problems are correctable over the course of the season with the players we currently have on the team. And I thnk it may be a good thing to get a wake-up game like the one against the Giants early to keep the team from getting complacent and thinking they've got if figured out. This is a team that to be successful is going to have to improve every week.

No one should care where we rank on offense or defense over the course of the season. The only thing that should matter is how we play each game, and have we improved.

We've got young guys in the secondary who are likely to get better. We've got a prideful veteran CB who knows how to step up his game. We have an experienced DC at head coach who knows how to make adjustments to get pressure on QBs. We've got a QB who has played plenty of great games, and has more often than not won them.

There's no guarantees that this team will come together and get stronger as the season goes on, unlike the Cowboys teams of recent vintage. But I think some early adversity could be better than getting off to a start where the team thinks it has already arrived, only to find out in December that the teams that keep improving are now better than us.

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Comments

u sure...

how do u know we care going to look great at the end?…there is no guarantee we are going to play strong at the end of the season…Win games you are suppose to win, including last Sunday give away…

by LiLGiT on Sep 25, 2009 1:30 PM CDT reply actions

I am not sure...

I am not sure I would classify last week’s game as one we were “supposed to win.” The Gnats are many people’s favorite to win the NFC East and represent the NFC in the superbowl. In hindsight, it is a game we could have won…and could have won fairly convincingly based on our ability to control the line of scrimmage and keep the Giants out of the endzone (at least when we didn’t give them prime field position with turnovers).

In my pre-season predictions, I had us losing twice to the GNats, splitting with the Eagles, and sweeping the Redskins. I still see us as a 9-7 or 10-6 team with the ability to be dangerous if we can cut down on the mistakes and improve (even if it is just the slightest improvement) on defense.

Beware D-Ware

by WittenRocks on Sep 25, 2009 2:24 PM CDT up reply actions

Did you read my last paragraph?

I said there are no guarantees. Sure I would have liked for us to beat the Giants. I’m just saying this team has rested on early season success in the past when it needs to keep fighting like heck to get better every week.

by VAfan on Sep 25, 2009 2:09 PM CDT reply actions

Albert Breer's column

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2009-09-24/reconstructed-cowboys-take-blame-instead-aim

He’s over at the Sporting News now, but he knows the Cowboys pretty well from his time at the DMN last year. His point about the team accepting responsibility and being accountable instead of pointing fingers suggests the team has a chance to learn from mistakes and continue to improve. That’s what I’m hoping for, at least.

by VAfan on Sep 25, 2009 3:03 PM CDT reply actions

I think we DID improve...

Like the man said, we controlled the game from first to last, and except for the T/O would have won this handily…Sure their WO beat our safeties and corners, but except for a tipped ball, and a very very lucky pass that Manningham was able to fumble and bobble into his grasp into the end-zone the yardage was pretty much useless without the T/O…I still think we can split with the Ginas, and the Beagles, and sweep the Skins..And if we continue to work on and improve this team can and will compete with all comers…we proved that very handily against the Ginas…But God being on their side, and Lady Luck was just to much competition to over come…along with the T/O…JMO…FEAR THE STAR

by Hawgz, Bugz, and FilthyFowl Hater on Sep 25, 2009 3:22 PM CDT reply actions

beating ourselves

I’d rather be in position of losing a game we could have won due to correctable mistakes (and a few unlucky bounces), than losing a game after playing at a high level and avoiding mistakes but just being outmatched. we weren’t at all outmatched by the giants overall, and we have the foundation to beat any team in the league if we can managed to avoid beating ourselves.

by scottmaui on Sep 25, 2009 3:30 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

+1

Couldn’t say it better

by BarbersQuad on Sep 25, 2009 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions

+1

Yes, the loss sucked, but the Cowboys beat themselves that game. Eli played great, but if Romo is just OK that game, the Boys win. If they keep giving away games like that, then it’s time to worry.

Sugar ... water .... and, of course, purple.

by Dub_TC on Sep 25, 2009 5:22 PM CDT up reply actions

Amen

This loss could have a silver lining. Nearly won a game we had no business winning(turnovers, poor defense vs. the pass, etc.). Showed a bit of resilience. The Giants couldn’t put us away until the final drive of the game. We managed to compete with a team many expect to be excellent despite shooting ourselves in the foot. It came in week 2, and not in week 16 or 17, so we have plenty of time rebound and improve.

Had we BEATEN the Giants, the team might have the misconception that we can continue to play carefree football and win on talent alone. I think the loss teaches a lot of the younger players on the team a valuable lesson, and reaffirms those lessons to some vets like Romo and company.

Epic Fail since 1985

by the red scare on Sep 26, 2009 4:22 AM CDT up reply actions

I hope the coaches and players don't think this way

Picking whether you suck early or late isn’t a line of thinking I bet most championship caliber organizations spend even 1 second thinking about. For that matter, even mediocre ones, I have a hard time picturing Mike Singletary debating this one with himself.

by StillHateTheGiants on Sep 28, 2009 10:32 AM CDT reply actions

the point he's making

is that it’s better to play well late than early and peak too soon. That’s what happened in 2007, we peaked in November, whereas you want to be play your best football at the end of the season heading into the playoffs.

Even the eventual SB champs have peaks and valleys and you would prefer to have your valleys now.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Sep 28, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions

Singletary echoed my sentiment after yesterday's SF loss

The statement they kept running on Sportscenter was of Singletary saying he’d rather have yesterday’s loss early than late. Allows his team to chew on it and mull it over. The implication being that painful early losses can motivate a team to improve so it won’t lose later on.

Dallas has in the last several years thought itself to be better than how the team has performed on the field at crucial junctures. I think the guys now realize that the only definition of being a good team is winning on the field.

by VAfan on Sep 28, 2009 2:33 PM CDT reply actions