A Dallas Cowboys' collapse would rival Mavericks' failure

A Dallas Cowboys' collapse would rival Mavericks' failure

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02:58 AM CST on Thursday, January 3, 2008
Tim Cowlishaw

I am not suggesting the Cowboys should lose their first playoff game,
a defeat that would preserve Wade Phillips' failed history as a head
coach in the postseason.

I don't think they will and, if things fall right this weekend, I
don't think they will be seriously tested before the NFC Championship
Game.

But what if the same disaster that befell the No. 1-seeded Mavericks
visited the top NFC seed in Texas Stadium next weekend? Which defeat
would be regarded as the greater collapse?

I realize the Cowboys have more fans than the Mavericks so a Cowboys
collapse would affect more people. That's not what I'm talking about.

But nationally and locally, would a loss by a No. 1 seed to a wild
card be mentioned in the same breath as the NBA's first No. 1 seed to
lose to a No. 8 in a best-of-seven series?

I think the two are very comparable.

The Mavericks set a team record with 67 victories. The Cowboys tied
the team record and, had the last game mattered, would have made a
more determined effort to be the first Dallas team to finish 14-2.

The Mavericks had the league MVP in Dirk Nowitzki. Quarterback Tony
Romo has had a special season, leading the NFC in touchdown passes and
passer rating, not to mention leading Dallas to the best record.

The Mavericks played a No. 8 seed that was far better than its record.
Had Golden State had Stephen Jackson all season and a healthy Baron
Davis for more of it, the Warriors would have had better than a 42-40
record.

The Washington Redskins, who are the only wild-card team with any
chance to beat the Cowboys, also are only two games over .500 (9-7),
but they are playing at a far higher level since Todd Collins took
over and led them to victories in the last four games.

If Washington loses to Seattle on Saturday, I don't think we have any
issues with Dallas advancing. The Giants have too many injuries, and
Tampa Bay's offense simply isn't dynamic enough to keep pace with the
Cowboys.

That's the Cowboys with a healthy Terrell Owens, by the way. His
uncertain status is the thing that makes defeat even thinkable.
Regardless of what kind of effort the team gave in Washington, the
offense has scored only four field goals in six quarters without him.

And after the thoroughness with which the Redskins defeated the
Cowboys on Sunday, I think they could carry the same swagger into
Texas Stadium that the Warriors brought to American Airlines Center
after going 3-0 against the Mavericks during the regular season.

Before Wednesday's game at AAC, Warriors forward Matt Barnes said the
confidence they brought to the series was enhanced by their upset win
in Game 1.

"After that, we just focused on one game at a time," Barnes said. "We
didn't think about the magnitude of what we were doing until it was
over."

Barnes said he went on vacation in Maui and people everywhere were
talking about the upset of Dallas. That's when he realized the
Warriors had done something historic.

"I have a friend who plays soccer in South Africa, and he told me
people down there were talking about it," Barnes said. "During the
series, we just didn't think about that; We focused on doing our
job."

The Redskins displayed considerable focus in winning their last four
games. They weren't easy games. They had to beat defending NFC
champion Chicago. They had to finish with wins over the playoff-bound
Giants and Cowboys.

Coach Joe Gibbs said they, too, just looked at the task at hand each
week and didn't worry about how hard it was to do what they were
trying to accomplish.

A team that can run the ball effectively against Dallas has a chance
to limit the number of plays that Romo gets. Clinton Portis was the
only back all season to rush for 100 yards against Dallas.

Again, I expect a better defensive effort and more imagination from
the Cowboys in the playoffs than they showed Sunday. That should be
enough to beat any opponent next weekend.

But one team has an outside chance of pulling a Golden State on the
Cowboys. And that would be as devastating an ending to what at 11-1
had the potential to be the team's best season ever as what the
Warriors did to the Mavericks last April.

On Jan 3, 11:23 am, "Fred Goodwin, CMA" <fgood....TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote:
> A Dallas Cowboys' collapse would rival Mavericks' failure
>
> <http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/tcowlishaw/
> stories/010308dnspocowlishaw.2dad5b5.html>http://tinyurl.com/34xgfn
>
> 02:58 AM CST on Thursday, January 3, 2008
> Tim Cowlishaw
>
> I am not suggesting the Cowboys should lose their first playoff game,
> a defeat that would preserve Wade Phillips' failed history as a head
> coach in the postseason.
>
> I don't think they will and, if things fall right this weekend, I
> don't think they will be seriously tested before the NFC Championship
> Game.
>
> But what if the same disaster that befell the No. 1-seeded Mavericks
> visited the top NFC seed in Texas Stadium next weekend? Which defeat
> would be regarded as the greater collapse?
>
> I realize the Cowboys have more fans than the Mavericks so a Cowboys
> collapse would affect more people. That's not what I'm talking about.
>
> But nationally and locally, would a loss by a No. 1 seed to a wild
> card be mentioned in the same breath as the NBA's first No. 1 seed to
> lose to a No. 8 in a best-of-seven series?
>
> I think the two are very comparable.
>
> The Mavericks set a team record with 67 victories. The Cowboys tied
> the team record and, had the last game mattered, would have made a
> more determined effort to be the first Dallas team to finish 14-2.
>
> The Mavericks had the league MVP in Dirk Nowitzki. Quarterback Tony
> Romo has had a special season, leading the NFC in touchdown passes and
> passer rating, not to mention leading Dallas to the best record.
>
> The Mavericks played a No. 8 seed that was far better than its record.
> Had Golden State had Stephen Jackson all season and a healthy Baron
> Davis for more of it, the Warriors would have had better than a 42-40
> record.
>
> The Washington Redskins, who are the only wild-card team with any
> chance to beat the Cowboys, also are only two games over .500 (9-7),
> but they are playing at a far higher level since Todd Collins took
> over and led them to victories in the last four games.
>
> If Washington loses to Seattle on Saturday, I don't think we have any
> issues with Dallas advancing. The Giants have too many injuries, and
> Tampa Bay's offense simply isn't dynamic enough to keep pace with the
> Cowboys.
>
> That's the Cowboys with a healthy Terrell Owens, by the way. His
> uncertain status is the thing that makes defeat even thinkable.
> Regardless of what kind of effort the team gave in Washington, the
> offense has scored only four field goals in six quarters without him.
>
> And after the thoroughness with which the Redskins defeated the
> Cowboys on Sunday, I think they could carry the same swagger into
> Texas Stadium that the Warriors brought to American Airlines Center
> after going 3-0 against the Mavericks during the regular season.
>
> Before Wednesday's game at AAC, Warriors forward Matt Barnes said the
> confidence they brought to the series was enhanced by their upset win
> in Game 1.
>
> "After that, we just focused on one game at a time," Barnes said. "We
> didn't think about the magnitude of what we were doing until it was
> over."
>
> Barnes said he went on vacation in Maui and people everywhere were
> talking about the upset of Dallas. That's when he realized the
> Warriors had done something historic.
>
> "I have a friend who plays soccer in South Africa, and he told me
> people down there were talking about it," Barnes said. "During the
> series, we just didn't think about that; We focused on doing our
> job."
>
> The Redskins displayed considerable focus in winning their last four
> games. They weren't easy games. They had to beat defending NFC
> champion Chicago. They had to finish with wins over the playoff-bound
> Giants and Cowboys.
>
> Coach Joe Gibbs said they, too, just looked at the task at hand each
> week and didn't worry about how hard it was to do what they were
> trying to accomplish.
>
> A team that can run the ball effectively against Dallas has a chance
> to limit the number of plays that Romo gets. Clinton Portis was the
> only back all season to rush for 100 yards against Dallas.
>
> Again, I expect a better defensive effort and more imagination from
> the Cowboys in the playoffs than they showed Sunday. That should be
> enough to beat any opponent next weekend.
>
> But one team has an outside chance of pulling a Golden State on the
> Cowboys. And that would be as devastating an ending to what at 11-1
> had the potential to be the team's best season ever as what the
> Warriors did to the Mavericks last April.

This is such bullshit