Game Day Thoughts

Today, we broke down the game based on the two halfs, as it was, after all, a tale of two halves. The first was ugly and unproductive for both sides; the second was ugly yet productive for both sides. The summary every analyst will give this week: "The Cowboys will not make the Super Bowl this season--way too inconsistent of a team." The motto of this season is quickly becoming "Prove the naysayers wrong" rather than "Easy access to the Super Bowl."

Some thoughts:

1st Half:

--Great kick return coverage. I guess the idea was to spot the Cards seven points so we can test our team against adversity.

--What on earth has happened to the offensive line? Barber can't do anything, and it's due to the awfully ineffective line.

--I know this has been a problem in the past, but it's now beyond ridiculous. Tony Romo, HOLD ON TO THE FOOTBALL. He was very lucky the first fumble wasn't able to be challenged, and even luckier that the NFL has that stupid tuck rule, but it is still inexcusable. Protect the ball for goodness sake, Tony. This is unbelievable. Most fumbled quarterback in history I'm sure.

--Great block by Barbie Carpenter. Oh wait, it was illegal. Was he trying to prove he isn't the soft player everyone knows he is? Yup.

--On Romo's fumble that was actually ruled a fumble, Andre Gurode just stood and watched the ball roll towards him. In his defense, he must not have seen it, so it should go down as unlucky, but wow, it seemed oh so obvious.

--At least the Cardinals fumble and throw interceptions as much as the 'Boys.

--The incessant penalties have returned after a two game absence. Lucky us.

--On a brighter note, the defense is playing very solidly. The D-Line is more than effective--Jay Ratliff has improved leaps and bounds and should be a Pro Bowl candidate.

--One (1) passing yard in the first quarter. Unbelievable.

--Finally, a great play. The touchdown by Crayton completely changed the momentum. Great kickoff by Nick Folk, too. I wish I could say the same about his field goal attempt. He's still Mr. Automatic to me, though. The confidence in victory has returned, I believe. Hopefully the second half will be more of the blowout fashion.

--Best part of the half: Terrell Owens throwing a nice block for Crayton on the touchdown AND running down the field with his arms up in celebration. This shows me that he truly does care about winning and a team effort, regardless (kind of...)of his personal performance.

2nd Half:

--This first drive seems like a return to the normal Cowboys' football. A great catch by T.O, a nice run by Felix Jones, a big third down conversion with Witten, and a great TD catch by Austin really set the tone for this half. Austin's catch also made Martellus Bennett's dreadful drop a little more forgivable. As well, don't be too quick to judge Bennett by his occasional butterfingers--there's a reason he is the heir to Jason Witten.

--The missed field goal by Folk must have gotten to his head. The kickoff out of bounds did not make any coaches happy.

--The TD to Fitzgerald was quite a buzz kill. Pacman is too short to be defending fades.

--Tashard Choice is a loose ball recovering wizard. The kickoff in the first half and the sneaky onside in the second. Hey, if you can't get the touches on offense, why not succeed somewhere else?

--The RomoFingers (Romo and Butterfingers spliced together) continue...

--As soon as Dallas gets momentum, the Cardinals respond and raise it another level. Two easy touchdowns after Dallas scored on their first drive. Is Anthony Henry performing at the same level he was at last year? Newman needs to get healthy, fast.

--Just as it seems the game is over and nothing good can happen, Barber explodes for an amazing touchdown. Simply amazing. Only words to describe it. All those check downs finally paid off.

--After that Leonard Davis celebration penalty, I think it's a great time to mention how ridiculous the NFL is to penalize someone for celebrating with a spike. Really?!

--Defensive play of the year by DaMarcus Ware with the 3rd down sack of Kurt Warner. Wow.

--Nick Folk has redeemed himself ten times over. What another clutch field goal! Overtime bound!Repeat of Buffalo (we hope)!

Overtime:

--Again another fumble by Romo. Is he serious? He's all too lucky it fell right into him. Terrible first series.

--And an even worse punt. Blocked for a touchdown, what a dagger. That's all I can say.

After a dramatic, 10-point, two minute comeback, Dallas blows it. Hopefully no one with cardiac problems viewed this game. The Cowboys have many, many problems to address, and this is becoming more and more obvious every week, yet there are seemingly no improvements. What a frustrating time to be a Cowboys fan.

--PD