Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
Bah. The NFL has often been like this. You have 11 players vs. 11 players. If there are any mismatches or exploits discovered early in the game and the coaching staff can't analyze the failed plays, make adjustments on the field, and prevent new attempts, you're going to have problems.
So the game was a huge blowout because McNabb was on target the whole game, Romo was slightly off, Witten was suffering from sore ribs and a sprained ankle, and because after the lead was slightly extend the Cowboys were trying to make bigger plays...which just tends to encourage more pass rush and tighter man coverage with the safest. Witten only had 50 yards on the night and he's Romo's favorite receiver. That alone would give ANY other team a slight advantage... The Eagles rush defense is 4th in the NFL....their defense stopped Choice and Barber consistantly and left Romo with a lot of 3rd and longs situations. As long as they keep the pressure on Romo and keep tight coverage down-field, Romo wasn't able to find anyone open. He's almost as bad as Roethlisberger for holding onto the ball too long. Romo is still young and needs to learn when to roll out of the pocket and simply throw the ball away.
Don't worry about the Cowboys. They have the personnel. Jerry Jones is probably pissed that it ended like this, but it goes to show that it takes a lot more to make a team gel than high paychecks and good individual stats. The Cowboys haven't been the same since Romo was out for his thumb injury. Wade Phillips is a good coach, but I agree there may be a better option out there...I just don't know who or whether or not it's worth trading him out and taking more chances on getting a bad one.
