Packerlifer
Cheesehead
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2008
- Messages
- 1,782
- Reaction score
- 118
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201001170min.htm[url]http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/2009.htm[/URL]
This Dallas team is different. These Cowboys are for real. This team could be really scary in the playoffs. All the lines being spewed for the past month about the Dallas Cowboys sounded vaguely familiar and then I remembered where I heard this before.
It was five years ago, as the Cowboys were then also preparing for a road divisional round playoff game against the number two " seed" in the NFC. The 2009 Cowboys were 11-5 winners of the NFC East and came into the playoffs on a roll. They had just beaten the Eagles in consecutive weeks; 24-0 in the season finale to clinch the division title and then 34-14 in the Wild Card playoff round.
Wade Phillips was the head coach then; Jason Garrett was the offensive coordinator and "coach-in-waiting."
They didn't have Dez Bryant or DeMarco Murray but their offense was still loaded with weapons. Tony Romo made the Pro Bowl on a career season: 4,483 yds. passing, 63.1% completion, 26 td's, only 9 ints.
They had a "3-headed monster" backfield of Marion "the Barbarian" Barber (932 yds.), Felix Jones ( 5.9 ypd), and Tashard Choice (5.5 ypc.)
Vet Jason Witten and young Martellus Bennett were the tight ends. The wideouts were fast and explosive. Miles Austin scored 11 td's and averaged 16.3 ypc. Roy Williams added 7 td catches with his 15.7 ypc average. Patrick Crayton was 16.8 ypc.
And, oh yes, people talked about their offensive line: Center Andre Gurode (6-4,314), guards Leonard Davis (6-6,375) & Kyle Kosier ( 6-5,305) and tackles Flozell Adams (5-7,335) & Marc Columbo ( 6-7,320) were a unit of bulldozers.
The Dallas offense that season ranked second in the league in yardage. The defense then was even better than now. It was a top ten unit that stood second in scoring defense, yielding just 15.6 ppg.
(Then) Jay Ratliff at nose tackle, DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer rushing from the outside lb spots, Keith Brookings and Bradie James inside, and corner Mike Jenkins and Terrance Newman were at the Dallas defensive core and among the 8 Cowboys players selected to the Pro Bowl that season.
After their dominating home playoff performance against Philadelphia the Cowboys went for the divisional round to face a team and a quarterback with a history of playoff chokes. The Minnesota Vikings, led by ex-Packer arch-traitor Bert Farber ( forget the name), held the number two seed that season. Playing at the Metrodome, though, did not seem like such a difficult challenge for the Cowboys. It was a dome stadium with an artificial turf to which the Cowboys were designed and experienced from their own home dome field.
And then, as in this past season, the Cowboys had done the seemingly impossible: beaten a Super Bowl championship team on its home field. They had gone to New Orleans when the Saints were 13-0 and handed them their first loss of the season in a game the Saints weren't laying down for.
But the expected competitive game quickly became a 34-3 rout. Against the NFL's all-time career interception leader, with a particular history of throwing them in playoff games, the Cowboys failed to register even one. Favre torched them with a 15 of 24 performance with 4 td passes. Sidney Rice did most of the damage, catching 3 on plays of 47, 45 and 16 yds.
Romo was only 22 of 35, was sacked 6 times and picked once. The Vikings forced 4 fumbles and recovered two giving Dallas 3 turnovers for the game.
Late in the game the Vikes rubbed the Cowboys noses in it by passing for another td in the final two minutes with a 27-3 lead. Dallas actually ran four more plays and had a 1:08 time of possession advantage but still lost by 31. It was the lowest scoring game ever for a Dallas team in a playoff. The previous low scoring mark had been 5 points against Detroit in 1970- but Dallas won that game.
That was the last time the Cowboys made the playoff and reached the divisional round. This Dallas team is different. These Cowboys are for real. This team could be really scary in the playoffs. Hum a few bars and I think the tune will come to you.
This Dallas team is different. These Cowboys are for real. This team could be really scary in the playoffs. All the lines being spewed for the past month about the Dallas Cowboys sounded vaguely familiar and then I remembered where I heard this before.
It was five years ago, as the Cowboys were then also preparing for a road divisional round playoff game against the number two " seed" in the NFC. The 2009 Cowboys were 11-5 winners of the NFC East and came into the playoffs on a roll. They had just beaten the Eagles in consecutive weeks; 24-0 in the season finale to clinch the division title and then 34-14 in the Wild Card playoff round.
Wade Phillips was the head coach then; Jason Garrett was the offensive coordinator and "coach-in-waiting."
They didn't have Dez Bryant or DeMarco Murray but their offense was still loaded with weapons. Tony Romo made the Pro Bowl on a career season: 4,483 yds. passing, 63.1% completion, 26 td's, only 9 ints.
They had a "3-headed monster" backfield of Marion "the Barbarian" Barber (932 yds.), Felix Jones ( 5.9 ypd), and Tashard Choice (5.5 ypc.)
Vet Jason Witten and young Martellus Bennett were the tight ends. The wideouts were fast and explosive. Miles Austin scored 11 td's and averaged 16.3 ypc. Roy Williams added 7 td catches with his 15.7 ypc average. Patrick Crayton was 16.8 ypc.
And, oh yes, people talked about their offensive line: Center Andre Gurode (6-4,314), guards Leonard Davis (6-6,375) & Kyle Kosier ( 6-5,305) and tackles Flozell Adams (5-7,335) & Marc Columbo ( 6-7,320) were a unit of bulldozers.
The Dallas offense that season ranked second in the league in yardage. The defense then was even better than now. It was a top ten unit that stood second in scoring defense, yielding just 15.6 ppg.
(Then) Jay Ratliff at nose tackle, DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer rushing from the outside lb spots, Keith Brookings and Bradie James inside, and corner Mike Jenkins and Terrance Newman were at the Dallas defensive core and among the 8 Cowboys players selected to the Pro Bowl that season.
After their dominating home playoff performance against Philadelphia the Cowboys went for the divisional round to face a team and a quarterback with a history of playoff chokes. The Minnesota Vikings, led by ex-Packer arch-traitor Bert Farber ( forget the name), held the number two seed that season. Playing at the Metrodome, though, did not seem like such a difficult challenge for the Cowboys. It was a dome stadium with an artificial turf to which the Cowboys were designed and experienced from their own home dome field.
And then, as in this past season, the Cowboys had done the seemingly impossible: beaten a Super Bowl championship team on its home field. They had gone to New Orleans when the Saints were 13-0 and handed them their first loss of the season in a game the Saints weren't laying down for.
But the expected competitive game quickly became a 34-3 rout. Against the NFL's all-time career interception leader, with a particular history of throwing them in playoff games, the Cowboys failed to register even one. Favre torched them with a 15 of 24 performance with 4 td passes. Sidney Rice did most of the damage, catching 3 on plays of 47, 45 and 16 yds.
Romo was only 22 of 35, was sacked 6 times and picked once. The Vikings forced 4 fumbles and recovered two giving Dallas 3 turnovers for the game.
Late in the game the Vikes rubbed the Cowboys noses in it by passing for another td in the final two minutes with a 27-3 lead. Dallas actually ran four more plays and had a 1:08 time of possession advantage but still lost by 31. It was the lowest scoring game ever for a Dallas team in a playoff. The previous low scoring mark had been 5 points against Detroit in 1970- but Dallas won that game.
That was the last time the Cowboys made the playoff and reached the divisional round. This Dallas team is different. These Cowboys are for real. This team could be really scary in the playoffs. Hum a few bars and I think the tune will come to you.
Last edited: