Star-Telegram: Cowboys having another nightmare before Christmas

[tr1]

How'd he miss mentioning the refs?

By Gil LeBreton
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
http://www.star-telegram.com/332/story/375621.html


CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The falling leaves. The falling wide receivers.

The nip in the air. And -- a-hem -- the annual tightening of the throats.

Ho-ho-ho. It's another Cowboys December.

One post-Thanksgiving, last-minute escape in Detroit could have been written off as an aberration, an inevitable banana peel on the Cowboys' merry path to the NFC title game.

Add last weekend's Jessica Bowl and losing to Philadelphia, and, well, two Sundays could have been just a coincidence.

But after a third consecutive struggle Saturday night, this time a scant 20-13 win over a Carolina team that had "Beat me by 30" written all over it, a familiar trend has emerged.

It's December, and the Cowboys are showing their holiday warts again.

In the 10 seasons before this one, the Cowboys compiled a 16-33 record in games played after Thanksgiving. In the same span, the franchise went through four head coaches, 13 starting quarterbacks, and won no playoff games.

But this season's team rode into December on a full gallop. This season's team has Tony Romo, the alleged cure for any December cough. This team scores touchdowns. This team has 11 Pro Bowl players.

Let the Packers and the Giants wheeze into the NFL postseason. This Cowboys team, we were convinced, was immune to the December flu.

Did somebody say gesundheit?

On a night when the Cowboys ran 79 plays to the Panthers' 47, and when they gained 405 yards to Carolina's 216, Romo's team was still nervously watching the clock, squeezing down the final seconds, at this game's end.

Worse, there were injuries, including one that could hang a dark cloud over the weekends ahead. Wide receiver Terrell Owens left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury, and he later left the stadium using crutches.

Crutches. Three weeks ago, after pounding Green Bay, the Cowboys were strutting. Now they're on crutches, and a more appropriate metaphor could not be found.

Yes, Wade Phillips, the fifth head coach dating to 1997, has a 13-2 record and his team stands one victory away from clinching home-field advantage for the entire NFC playoffs.

But the Cowboys are looking like a team that peaked in November.

That team routed the Eagles in Philadelphia by 21. It beat the New York Giants twice. It knocked Brett Favre from the game and outscored the Packers by 10.

Now, the Cowboys can't seem to make anyone cry uncle.

The Owens injury won't help things. He was back in his groove, looking good, scoring his 15th touchdown of the season as the Panthers' defense watched in apparent awe.

Write this down: Good defense starts with your defenders lining up in the same zip code as the pass receivers.

Once Owens was escorted back to the locker room, however, the Carolina defense crowded the line of scrimmage and appeared to focus on tight end Jason Witten. Patrick Crayton and backups Sam Hurd and Miles Austin all caught passes, but drives kept stalling and third downs kept falling short.

What smelled like a looming rout became, instead, another anxious December night. The end result was that Phillips, even if he had wanted to, couldn't remove Romo from the game and let him rest his mending thumb. He couldn't rest starters -- period.

It's too late now.

The Cowboys' regular-season finale next weekend against the playoff-hungry Washington Redskins could end up being an uncomfortable postseason sendoff.

Yes, it's December, the Cowboys' coldest month.

Bad karma for the Cowboys abounded throughout Saturday night. Bank of America Stadium was the scene of the unofficial dethroning of the Cowboys' most recent run of Super Bowl teams. Terence Newman and Jay Ratliff also limped off the field Saturday with injuries, although they were able to return.

"It's not a big concern," linebacker Bradie James said of Owens' injury. "We've got one more game, then a bye, so that gives him three weeks to come back from his injury.

"I would rather rest him, anyway."

First things first, though. There's another December date in Washington next weekend, and the site of this season's NFC Championship Game could be on the line.

Two victories in three December weeks, all things considered, equal a fortunate consolation prize.

But there's bad karma in the air. December karma.

And you surely assumed that Tony Romo was the antidote for that old chill.
glebreton@star-telegram.com

[DWinzit]

How'd he miss mentioning the refs?

I missed the game, how bad were the refs this time?

[THEHEREAFTER]

Ahhh the refs were paid off by Jerry is why the Cowboys won card? Either the Cowboys lose and you rejoice proclaiming doom and gloom, or the Cowboys win and you say the refs cheated or THE OTHER TEAM was missing key players. I think I have the ATN formula down. You'd think that Dallas would have atleast won one game because they were simply better than the other team but here all 13 wins have been passed off as luck, cheating, and injuries to the other team. Amazing!

[DWinzit]

Ahhh the refs were paid off by Jerry is why the Cowboys won card?

Were they really that bad?

That would help explain why the game was a squeeker once TO left. I mean 11 Pro Bowlers led by Romo versus Matt Moore.....

[CowboysSaintsFan]

Were they really that bad?

That would help explain why the game was a squeeker once TO left. I mean 11 Pro Bowlers led by Romo versus Matt Moore.....

They were bad on BOTH sides. An early Dallas drive was killed b/c they missed a PI call on Owens. Corey Procter was called for holding when it was Jenkins who pushed him to the ground, killing another drive. Tank was called for helmet-helmet when it clearly showed he didn't.

All in all, it made up for a PI not called on Jacques Reeves, etc.

And IMHO-that Romo INT was Crayton's fault, killing another drive.

[THEHEREAFTER]

Were they really that bad?

That would help explain why the game was a squeeker once TO left. I mean 11 Pro Bowlers led by Romo versus Matt Moore.....

I was at the game. Dallas did not win the game because of the refs. Funny that you're speculating without, by your own words, having not watched the game? Dallas has 11 Pro-Bowlers but two didn't play due to injury. Top two receivers out, Pro-Bowl Center out, Starting SS out, Backup FS out, QB playing with sore thumb, starting NT out, ... NO PROBLEM.

[DWinzit]

They were bad on BOTH sides. An early Dallas drive was killed b/c they missed a PI call on Owens. Corey Procter was called for holding when it was Jenkins who pushed him to the ground, killing another drive. Tank was called for helmet-helmet when it clearly showed he didn't.

All in all, it made up for a PI not called on Jacques Reeves, etc.

And IMHO-that Romo INT was Crayton's fault, killing another drive.

I do not recall a season with so many poor or questionable calls.

[DWinzit]

I was at the game. Dallas did not win the game because of the refs. Funny that you're speculating without, by your own words, having not watched the game? Dallas has 11 Pro-Bowlers but two didn't play due to injury. Top two receivers out, Pro-Bowl Center out, Starting SS out, Backup FS out, QB playing with sore thumb, starting NT out, ... NO PROBLEM.

I know the outcome was joyful for you. Was it a good game to watch or were you on edge?

The speculation as you call it would have at least explained why the game was so close. I have been reading how dominating the Cowboys are and how all 11 were so deserving to be named to the PB, if a couple are out the rest should easily be capable of picking up the slack. Heck didn't the 6 win Panthers have their top defender out this game and their top offensive player leave injured?

In reading the game summary it sounded like the Dallas offense did little once TO went out and fortunately Carolina has very inexperienced QB which allowed the D to take advantage of. Was this a correct assessment?

[CowboysSaintsFan]

I know the outcome was joyful for you. Was it a good game to watch or were you on edge?

The speculation as you call it would have at least explained why the game was so close. I have been reading how dominating the Cowboys are and how all 11 were so deserving to be named to the PB, if a couple are out the rest should easily be capable of picking up the slack. Heck didn't the 6 win Panthers have their top defender out this game and their top offensive player leave injured?

In reading the game summary it sounded like the Dallas offense did little once TO went out and fortunately Carolina has very inexperienced QB which allowed the D to take advantage of. Was this a correct assessment?

Honestly? I don't care-especially after last week's pathetic performance against the lowly Eagles at home, a cause for concern raised a ref flag for this team. I was VERY nervous about this game going in b/c of that.

With that being said, I was happy we escaped with a win. No-I'm not the one to gripe about injuries. When we played your team last month, wasn't 1/2 of your secondary out(otherwise, I'm not so sure we would have had that 2nd half explosion, honestly)? So like I said-it would be hypocritical of me to whine and cry about my team's injuries.

[Monte51Coleman]

Ahhh the refs were paid off by Jerry is why the Cowboys won card? Either the Cowboys lose and you rejoice proclaiming doom and gloom, or the Cowboys win and you say the refs cheated or THE OTHER TEAM was missing key players. I think I have the ATN formula down. You'd think that Dallas would have atleast won one game because they were simply better than the other team but here all 13 wins have been passed off as luck, cheating, and injuries to the other team. Amazing!

Since you so obviously seek and desperately need validation for the team you root for, what in the world makes you think that you are going to find it here?

You are equally as adept at overlooking things that are obvious to us as we are at overplaying them.

[bubba9497]

My favorite

was the granted Poke T.O.after the botched snap Carolina recovered

[tr1]

Since you so obviously seek and desperately need validation for the team you root for, what in the world makes you think that you are going to find it here?

You are equally as adept at overlooking things that are obvious to us as we are at overplaying them.

Monte51Coleman is a smart man.

Puke fans should re-read this post....and try to understand.

[tr1]

My favorite

was the granted Poke T.O.after the botched snap Carolina recovered

I particularly liked the bomb where the mugging took place.

As the announcers were quick to point out (and continually dwelled on), it was a 'game changer'. Carolina was down by seven and had mo on their side...but the pukes had the refs on their side.



Oh, BTW, Romo is now under 100 in qb rating for the year...and next week he faces us...uh, oh.

[THEHEREAFTER]

My favorite

was the granted Poke T.O.after the botched snap Carolina recovered

Botched snap. Romo called a time out and was already on his way to the sidelines. Give it up grumpy!

[tr1]

I missed the game, how bad were the refs this time?

There were so many group huddles by the refs that I though I was at an intervention...



At least Carolina's coach had enough to get them all together and tell them to try to get their collective heads out of their arses...but, alas, the bad/non-calls continued on in the pukes collective favor.

It was astoundingly bad.