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Fraley: Forget Romo, Cowboys' defense a 'historic embarrassment'
01:56 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 26, 2010
ARLINGTON – For the Cowboys, the moment screamed for a stout performance by coach Wade Phillips' pride and joy: the defense.
Gerry Fraley
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The Cowboys did not lose Monday night's game against the New York Giants when quarterback Tony Romo went out because of a shoulder injury. The Cowboys lost because the defense came apart into so many tiny pieces during an awful stretch in the second and third quarters.
The defense came up small. Very small.
Remember: The Cowboys led, 13-7, in the second quarter when Romo was injured. The lead swelled to 20-7 on Dez Bryant's 93-yard punt return. The Cowboys asked the defense to protect the lead while they tried to milk the game clock with a conservative offense.
Other teams with a No. 2 quarterback in the game have made this strategy work.
By the time the Cowboys scored again, on another play by Bryant, the Giants had scored 31 consecutive points. The Cowboys walked away with their biggest blown lead since Sept. 19, 2005, when they gave away a 13-point advantage in a loss to Washington.
"We took a blow with Romo," safety Gerald Sensabaugh said. "We just went flat. They were able to make plays, and we weren't able to get them off the field."
Maybe the uncharacteristic spike in takeaways made the defense lose focus.
In the first 18 minutes, the defense had three takeaways – on interceptions by cornerback Terence Newman and Sensabaugh and a forced fumble by linebacker Bradie James – that led to 13 points. The Cowboys finished with five takeaways. They began play with a league-low four in their first five games.
"We got more turnovers, and it still didn't work out," James said. "We've got to find a way to make it work."
Or maybe New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has Phillips' number.
In these teams' second meeting last season, the Giants wiped out a 10-point second-quarter deficit. The Giants have a three-game winning streak against the Cowboys and have scored more than 30 points in each game.
From the moment the Cowboys led by 13, the defense could not even serve as a decent speed bump. Cowboys defenders barely got in the way as the Giants scored on each of the next five possessions, going up 38-20. In that frenzy, the Giants had 279 yards on 27 plays. They faced third down only four times. Every aspect of the Cowboys' defense failed.
The offense, with backup Jon Kitna at quarterback, did put the defense at a disadvantage. As the Giants scored on five consecutive possessions, the Cowboys failed to get a first down on four consecutive possessions. The defense was drained.
"We stayed on the field a lot," James said. "Those three-and-outs kind of hurt us a little bit. When your starting quarterback gets knocked out, that's why they make the big bucks. That kind of took us for a ride."
The defense could not stop the run. The Giants' tandem of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 96 yards on 12 carries during the five-possession burst.
The Cowboys could not cover anyone. Quarterback Eli Manning completed 14 of 15 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns during that stretch.
Manning went after everyone in the secondary, with cornerback Orlando Scandrick bearing the brunt of the onslaught. He was beaten on touchdown throws of 8 yards to Hakeem Nicks and 14 yards to Steve Smith in the second quarter.
The Cowboys went to the playoffs last season with a high-quality defense. When they needed that same type of defensive play Monday, no one responded.
• • •
01:56 AM CDT on Tuesday, October 26, 2010
ARLINGTON – For the Cowboys, the moment screamed for a stout performance by coach Wade Phillips' pride and joy: the defense.
Gerry Fraley
Archive | Bio | E-mail
The Cowboys did not lose Monday night's game against the New York Giants when quarterback Tony Romo went out because of a shoulder injury. The Cowboys lost because the defense came apart into so many tiny pieces during an awful stretch in the second and third quarters.
The defense came up small. Very small.
Remember: The Cowboys led, 13-7, in the second quarter when Romo was injured. The lead swelled to 20-7 on Dez Bryant's 93-yard punt return. The Cowboys asked the defense to protect the lead while they tried to milk the game clock with a conservative offense.
Other teams with a No. 2 quarterback in the game have made this strategy work.
By the time the Cowboys scored again, on another play by Bryant, the Giants had scored 31 consecutive points. The Cowboys walked away with their biggest blown lead since Sept. 19, 2005, when they gave away a 13-point advantage in a loss to Washington.
"We took a blow with Romo," safety Gerald Sensabaugh said. "We just went flat. They were able to make plays, and we weren't able to get them off the field."
Maybe the uncharacteristic spike in takeaways made the defense lose focus.
In the first 18 minutes, the defense had three takeaways – on interceptions by cornerback Terence Newman and Sensabaugh and a forced fumble by linebacker Bradie James – that led to 13 points. The Cowboys finished with five takeaways. They began play with a league-low four in their first five games.
"We got more turnovers, and it still didn't work out," James said. "We've got to find a way to make it work."
Or maybe New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has Phillips' number.
In these teams' second meeting last season, the Giants wiped out a 10-point second-quarter deficit. The Giants have a three-game winning streak against the Cowboys and have scored more than 30 points in each game.
From the moment the Cowboys led by 13, the defense could not even serve as a decent speed bump. Cowboys defenders barely got in the way as the Giants scored on each of the next five possessions, going up 38-20. In that frenzy, the Giants had 279 yards on 27 plays. They faced third down only four times. Every aspect of the Cowboys' defense failed.
The offense, with backup Jon Kitna at quarterback, did put the defense at a disadvantage. As the Giants scored on five consecutive possessions, the Cowboys failed to get a first down on four consecutive possessions. The defense was drained.
"We stayed on the field a lot," James said. "Those three-and-outs kind of hurt us a little bit. When your starting quarterback gets knocked out, that's why they make the big bucks. That kind of took us for a ride."
The defense could not stop the run. The Giants' tandem of Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs combined for 96 yards on 12 carries during the five-possession burst.
The Cowboys could not cover anyone. Quarterback Eli Manning completed 14 of 15 passes for 183 yards and three touchdowns during that stretch.
Manning went after everyone in the secondary, with cornerback Orlando Scandrick bearing the brunt of the onslaught. He was beaten on touchdown throws of 8 yards to Hakeem Nicks and 14 yards to Steve Smith in the second quarter.
The Cowboys went to the playoffs last season with a high-quality defense. When they needed that same type of defensive play Monday, no one responded.
• • •