What happened in the Cowboy-bear game tonight is exactly what I always say will happen when teams come out with idiotic offensive gameplans against the bears. The Cowboy coaches turned what could have been a Dallas rout into a bear rout. Of course all the Cowboy dropped passes and missed open receivers, and running the wrong pattern, greatly affected the outcome, but these would not have factored into the outcome had Dallas had a smart gameplan. Despite all this, it was only 10-7 bears at half, and the bears’ TD was due to a receiver running a wrong pattern, resulting in an interception return.
As I’ve said for decades, if you run on first down against the bears, your drives will stall, and instead of jumping out to a nice lead and putting pressure on the bears, you won’t score and will allow them to hang around and get confidence, and put yourself in a position where mistakes or injuries can help decide the game. Dallas had receivers open all game, but their playcalling made this a nonfactor.
Let’s look at Dallas’ gameplan, which clearly illustrates the above point I continue to make:
First possession: Drive stalls due to a first-down run. Dallas punts.
Second possession: Drive stalls due to a first-down run. Dallas punts.
Third possession: Drive stalls due to a first down run. Dallas punts. Dallas punted from the bear 38 on fourth-and-four! That is four-down territory, and if you get passive and punt, that increases the likelihood of the other team scoring. One team getting passive helps the opponent get more aggressive. The bears did drive for a field goal, and their first points.
Fourth possession: Dallas threw on first down, and the receiver ran the wrong route, resulting in an interception return for a touchdown.
Fifth possession: Since the Cowboys were now down 10-0 late in the half, they had to pass. They passed on all five first downs and moved easily down the field for a touchdown, even though the bears knew they would have to pass.
To recap the first half, when as I always say, the tone of games can be set (as well as in the third quarter), instead of being aggressive by passing on first down and passing a lot and probably having a big lead since receivers were open and the bears weren’t able to stop the pass, Dallas stalled their drives by running and not attempting to score until they were down by more than 7. They threw on first down 8 times and got a first down 7 times.
In the second half, the bears, again with the confidence of being in the game due to the bad Cowboy gameplan, scored a touchdown on their first drive, to go up 17-7. Since the Cowboys were down more than 7 again, they decided to pass. They easily marched to the bear 16-yardline, trying to cut the score to 17-14. The drive started at the Dallas 20, and every yard Dallas gained except one was from passing. At the bear 16, with a critical touchdown a possibility and having easily moved the ball through the air, the Cowboys ran on first down for a loss of 2. That resulted in an interception on second down when the receiver let an easy pass bounce off him to the bears, costing Dallas a probable touchdown. Another first-down run backfired. At this point, which was almost midway through the third quarter, again when the tone of a game is set, the Cowboys had thrown on 10 first downs and got a first down 9 times. It is incredible that coaches never get this.
On the ESPN postgame show, Steve Young said the Cowboys didn’t play smart offensively, and then said “their first-down rushing game is nothing. There’s nothing there.” That’s because, as I always say, the bears’ defense is designed to stop first-down runs, but they can’t stop a team when it throws on first down. Had Dallas come out throwing on first down and most downs, they probably would have scored early and often, since the bears were unable to stop these plays, making this a completely different game. This proves once again that gameplans often decide outcomes, and even when one team wins by a large margin, the game could have gone the other way by a large margin.
Okan says
I am sure that in my life time we will win once because we are the better team… But until then I am thankful to those refs and those coaches who just keep giving those wins to us….
Larry says
There are some times when the bears are a better team than their opponent, but even then, the opponent could probably win with a smart gameplan.