Cowboys Lose: Where Did FishTips Go Wrong?
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ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - It's become a weekly Cowboys exercise, as enjoyable for me as the weekly Cowboys victories have been for you. It's FishTips, the game we play on 105.3 The Fan in which I detail the team's gameplan notes, statistical trends and heads-ups that folks inside Valley Ranch hope will lead to a win on gameday.
But Dallas' 20-17 OT loss to Washington means no enjoyment this week, the entire game a pain in the back for fans nearly on the same level as it was for Tony Romo, who needed an injection to allow him to survive it.
The FishTips worth reviewing... to see how they failed come true:
FishTip 1: The Cowboys' record on Monday/Sunday nights on ESPN coming into this week? A stunningly bad 6-16. With this year's team? Coach Jason Garrett has often stated about a variety of guys on his team that "the stage doesn't seem too big for them.'' Garrett and staff thinks there are qualities of the individuals on this club that cause it to rise to occasions and shine in the spotlight.
team? No stage seems too big.
Result: The cliche about a team "coming out flat''? The one about a poor opponent creating a "trap game''? The one about a 10-point underdog playing like it "has nothing to lose''? The Cowboys looked like victims to all the cliches, with even some of their positive plays -- like an impressive long-distance tough-guy run by DeMarco Murray ending in a fumble -- turning sour.
FishTip 2: So much has been made of the Cowboys running game, and understandably so, But the difference inside the difference might just be red zone play-calling and red-zone execution. In the three seasons previous to this one, DeMarco Murray totaled 15 rushing TDs. He entered Monday on pace for 16 TDs this year alone.
Result: With Brandon Weeden temporarily subbing for Romo, Dallas was in the shadow of the goalline late. Dallas opted to rely on Weeden's arm rather than Murray's legs. The strategy failed, forcing the Cowboys to settle for three and a 10-10 tie to end the third.
FishTip 3: The Cowboys defense spent its week of preparation gaining great awareness of the Redskins penchant for rollouts, bootlegs and waggles featuring QB Colt McCoy, in for the injured Robert Griffin III. McCoy will be on wheels, and Dallas front must move with that moving pocket.
Result: Dallas never solved McCoy, the UT product and Washington's third-stringer, who used his mobility to set up 299 yards in the air plus a rushing TD.
FishTip 4: The Cowboys, for all they've done right on defense, are on pace for a franchise-low 16 sacks. Coordinator Rod Marinelli planned to move D-linemen like chess pieces in search of matchup victories and resulting sacks.
Result: Dallas did get its sacks. Henry Melton got a pair, Jeremy Mincey recorded an important one on third down, and Tyrone Crawford was again a playmaker. Deep inside this FishTip, Dallas can find a positive.
FishTip 5: After Week 1, in which a rusty Tony Romo played poorly in a loss to the Niners, the Dallas QB has 1,508 passing yards with 13 TDs and only three picks while posting a QB rating of 113.8. Not asking him to perform like Houdini is freeing Romo to perform at a statistical level that is exceeded only by Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.
Result: Forget Romo's numbers here. This was about an effort that was heroic and a disaster that was avoided. "You feel like you dodged one,'' said Romo, who absorbed a knee to the back so violent it nearly shook the foundation of AT&T Stadium.
FishTip 6: The Cowboys crush this so-called "rivalry.'' The Redskins have lost eight of the last 11 in the series and 24 of the last 33. Furthermore, historically, when Dallas has a three-game-win margin over Washington in the standings, Dallas is 18-5 in this game. The Cowboys are aware of their chance to essentially eliminate Washington here, in every meaningful way.
Result: The rivalry is back on. And so, with a poorly-executed gameplan from Dallas, is the race for supremacy in the NFC East.
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