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Updated: October 20, 2010, 8:04 PM
Division Math
Rob Phillips: Here's A Giant Lesson To Observe
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Email | Follow robphillips3 on Twitter
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IRVING, Texas - Quick, name the coach who made this declaration at Valley Ranch on Wednesday:
"We've had to battle ourselves. We've had weeks in which we've had a lot of penalties. We had 11 (one week), which we were not pleased with. . . . Whenever you're not successful and you do have penalties or turnovers, those are the words people want to use, the discipline."
Wade Phillips? Nope.
It was Tom Coughlin, chief of the co-NFC East leading New York Giants (4-2) who are riding a three-game win streak into Cowboys Stadium for Monday Night Football - the most important late-October game in these parts in perhaps 17 years, when the 1993 champion Cowboys sat 3-2 following an 0-2 start with the contending 3-2 San Francisco 49ers in town.
That game, a 26-17 Cowboys victory, altered the race for home-field advantage. Monday night, the playoffs alone are essentially at stake for the 2010 Cowboys. Since the NFL adopted a 12-team format in 1990, only five teams have rebounded from 1-4 to reach the postseason.
The odds get perilously slimmer at 1-5. It's as must-win as it gets with mathematical wiggle room.
The Cowboys are mostly blaming themselves for this predicament, and the Giants are proof that, to quote the greatest rock band of all-time, there's still time to change the road they're on.
Just three weeks ago, the Giants were 1-2 and fans were calling for Coughlin's job - again - amid whispers that the players had begun tuning out their heavy-handed coach. In a 38-14 defeat to the Colts, Eli Manning lost two fumbles on sacks, the Giants lost the overall turnover battle 3-1 and Brandon Jacobs lost his helmet by flinging it into the stands - a release of pent-up frustration over his reduced role on offense.
For the most part, Indy simply whipped them. But the following week against Tennessee was an exercise in self-destruction. The Giants committed three turnovers and 11 penalties, including six personal fouls. Six. Undisciplined indeed.
"Our thought was we were just finding ways to lose games - having turnovers at costly times, penalties at costly times that were making it tough to win games," Manning said. "We just had to get back to playing better football, working on certain things and being conscious of what we're doing and trying to play smarter football."
Sound familiar?
The Giants, for the moment, are basically playing winning football. Their defense has stiffened up, allowing only 33 points during this winning streak. Jacobs has begun to thrive as a complementary runner to Ahmad Bradshaw. And although they've committed six turnovers during this three-game stretch, they've also forced eight, to go along with only 17 penalties.
They haven't been perfect, but they've done less to beat themselves. The Cowboys must follow that road now, or there's really no looking back.
Think about it: they've lost all four games by seven points or less. Of the 90 regular-season games played to date, just over half (46) have been decided by that margin. The little stuff gets you beat in a league with no clear favorite.
The Cowboys are top-four in total offense and defense, but yardage doesn't always equate to wins. They're talented, but not talented enough to beat respectable teams when making those Giant mistakes.
Attribute their struggles to bad karma if you wish. Several of Tony Romo's eight interceptions have resulted from deflections. Those post-touchdown celebration rules are ludicrously subjective. (Unsportsmanlike conduct for dual Hook 'Em Horns - seriously?)
But as Phillips acknowledged Wednesday, teams also make their own luck.
Romo's first interception last Sunday did bounce off a Vikings helmet, but Doug Free, who's having a terrific season overall, stayed in his stance too long and allowed Pro Bowl rusher Jared Allen to hurry Romo's delivery.
The Cowboys have more offensive penalties, in part, because they're forced to travel longer distances; their average drive start is the 25.4-yard line, ranked 19th. Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis has been trying to establish a more explosive kickoff return game to make their job easier.
And granted, they aren't getting the benefit of the doubt on some of these 50-50 penalty calls, like Miles Austin's push-off or Mike Jenkins' pass interference on that critical late third down. It's not a conspiracy theory; maybe the officials subconsciously have a quicker whistle because the Cowboys got sloppy in previous games. Who knows.
The point is, we may never find out how good these 2010 Cowboys really are until they find consistent execution - and it's got to happen Monday night.
The Giants have lately, and that's the thin line between first and last place in the division.
Division Math
Rob Phillips: Here's A Giant Lesson To Observe
Rob Phillips
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Email | Follow robphillips3 on Twitter
EmailPrintFacebookShareThis
IRVING, Texas - Quick, name the coach who made this declaration at Valley Ranch on Wednesday:
"We've had to battle ourselves. We've had weeks in which we've had a lot of penalties. We had 11 (one week), which we were not pleased with. . . . Whenever you're not successful and you do have penalties or turnovers, those are the words people want to use, the discipline."
Wade Phillips? Nope.
It was Tom Coughlin, chief of the co-NFC East leading New York Giants (4-2) who are riding a three-game win streak into Cowboys Stadium for Monday Night Football - the most important late-October game in these parts in perhaps 17 years, when the 1993 champion Cowboys sat 3-2 following an 0-2 start with the contending 3-2 San Francisco 49ers in town.
That game, a 26-17 Cowboys victory, altered the race for home-field advantage. Monday night, the playoffs alone are essentially at stake for the 2010 Cowboys. Since the NFL adopted a 12-team format in 1990, only five teams have rebounded from 1-4 to reach the postseason.
The odds get perilously slimmer at 1-5. It's as must-win as it gets with mathematical wiggle room.
The Cowboys are mostly blaming themselves for this predicament, and the Giants are proof that, to quote the greatest rock band of all-time, there's still time to change the road they're on.
Just three weeks ago, the Giants were 1-2 and fans were calling for Coughlin's job - again - amid whispers that the players had begun tuning out their heavy-handed coach. In a 38-14 defeat to the Colts, Eli Manning lost two fumbles on sacks, the Giants lost the overall turnover battle 3-1 and Brandon Jacobs lost his helmet by flinging it into the stands - a release of pent-up frustration over his reduced role on offense.
For the most part, Indy simply whipped them. But the following week against Tennessee was an exercise in self-destruction. The Giants committed three turnovers and 11 penalties, including six personal fouls. Six. Undisciplined indeed.
"Our thought was we were just finding ways to lose games - having turnovers at costly times, penalties at costly times that were making it tough to win games," Manning said. "We just had to get back to playing better football, working on certain things and being conscious of what we're doing and trying to play smarter football."
Sound familiar?
The Giants, for the moment, are basically playing winning football. Their defense has stiffened up, allowing only 33 points during this winning streak. Jacobs has begun to thrive as a complementary runner to Ahmad Bradshaw. And although they've committed six turnovers during this three-game stretch, they've also forced eight, to go along with only 17 penalties.
They haven't been perfect, but they've done less to beat themselves. The Cowboys must follow that road now, or there's really no looking back.
Think about it: they've lost all four games by seven points or less. Of the 90 regular-season games played to date, just over half (46) have been decided by that margin. The little stuff gets you beat in a league with no clear favorite.
The Cowboys are top-four in total offense and defense, but yardage doesn't always equate to wins. They're talented, but not talented enough to beat respectable teams when making those Giant mistakes.
Attribute their struggles to bad karma if you wish. Several of Tony Romo's eight interceptions have resulted from deflections. Those post-touchdown celebration rules are ludicrously subjective. (Unsportsmanlike conduct for dual Hook 'Em Horns - seriously?)
But as Phillips acknowledged Wednesday, teams also make their own luck.
Romo's first interception last Sunday did bounce off a Vikings helmet, but Doug Free, who's having a terrific season overall, stayed in his stance too long and allowed Pro Bowl rusher Jared Allen to hurry Romo's delivery.
The Cowboys have more offensive penalties, in part, because they're forced to travel longer distances; their average drive start is the 25.4-yard line, ranked 19th. Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis has been trying to establish a more explosive kickoff return game to make their job easier.
And granted, they aren't getting the benefit of the doubt on some of these 50-50 penalty calls, like Miles Austin's push-off or Mike Jenkins' pass interference on that critical late third down. It's not a conspiracy theory; maybe the officials subconsciously have a quicker whistle because the Cowboys got sloppy in previous games. Who knows.
The point is, we may never find out how good these 2010 Cowboys really are until they find consistent execution - and it's got to happen Monday night.
The Giants have lately, and that's the thin line between first and last place in the division.