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SuperBowl

Before I talk about the Steelers and the Packers, I have a question. Who delivered the best SuperBowl performance of all-time?

My vote is for Emmitt Smith in SuperBowl 28 (I know that I’m supposed to use Roman Numerals but they are truly getting out of hand). Troy Aikman was recovering from a concussion received against the 49ers. He was okay, but not his great self. The Cowboys were down 13 – 6 at halftime. The Cowboys forced a fumble on the Bills’ opening drive and returned the ball for a touchdown. The Bills had a three and out. The Cowboys got the ball with the momentum. The Cowboys went on an eight-play, 64-yard touchdown drive in which Emmitt Smith carried the ball seven times. From then on, the game belonged to the Cowboys. Emmitt carried the ball 19 times for 92 yards in the second half. He was the MVP of the game. (James Washington, who was one of those other guys that Jimmy Johnson would pick up, had an outstanding game. He forced a fumble, had an interception and had 11 tackles. He gets an honorable mention.)

So, who do you think had the best SuperBowl performance?

By ecthompsonmd|2011-02-02T18:03:03-04:00February 2nd, 2011|Sports|Comments Off

NFC Playoffs

Let me start off by saying that the Cowboys and the Packers are playing the best football in the NFC right now. Six weeks ago, no doubt the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings were playing the best football. Things have changed. I think both the Saints and the Vikings have to figure out what’s wrong with their offensive lines. Neither group is playing particularly well heading into the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Eagles can be any team at any time. They had more of an up-and-down year than most NFL teams. Heck, they went into Oakland and laid a huge egg. As a matter fact, in the last game against Dallas, the Eagles didn’t play particularly well either. If the Eagles want to go to the Super Bowl, they’re going to have to start playing better on both sides of the ball, today.

When I compare the Arizona Cardinals of this year to the Arizona Cardinals last year, their defense is the biggest change. Somewhere around the 13 to 14, their defense started to gel. The offense stopped turning the ball over. They simply started playing better on both sides of the ball. We haven’t seen that this year. As a matter of fact, the last good game the Arizona Cardinals played was up in the Meadowlands against the New York Giants. What was that, week 11 or 12? Unless something amazing happens like two Packer turnovers leading to touchdowns within the first five minutes of the game, I don’t think the Cardinals have a chance at this one. The Cardinals will have to do some soul-searching in the off-season. They need to fix their offense and defense. They need to figure out who’s going to be their quarterback since Kurt Warner only has one or two seasons left in him.

I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. I’ve been so disappointed in the Cowboys over the past four or five years and have refused to let myself get drawn into the hype. But, I have seen some signs… some signs that the Cowboys are serious about playing football. I’ve seen fewer missed assignments on defense. I see defensive players playing together for the first time in years. I see a secondary coming together for the first time in almost a decade. At the beginning of the season, both Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin stated publicly that Tony Romo didn’t get it. At the beginning of the season, I think they were right. We saw the same old Tony Romo. Something happened midway through the season. He seemed to be more focused. He seemed to be more in tune to all aspects of the game. I have no idea what happened. Clearly playing the best football is played as a Cowboy. Felix Jones and Marion Barber are both healthy. It looks as if Roy Williams is being downgraded from number one to number two or three. I think he would be okay as a third receiver. Patrick Crayton is playing better. Miles Austin is the Cowboys’ most valuable player at this point. We were struggling in the middle of the season to try to find somebody could make big plays. Austin is the guy. In order for the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Philadelphia Eagles for the third time this year, they’re going to have to limit penalties, protect the football and be ready for the Eagles to pull out all the stops. If the Cowboys can do all of this, they will win their first playoff game in over a decade.

By ecthompsonmd|2010-01-09T16:19:42-04:00January 9th, 2010|Sports|Comments Off

Cowboys Have Too Much Barber/Jones For the Packers

The Dallas Cowboys have never won on Lambeau Field. They are 0-5. This is not very surprising since three of those games took place in the 1960s and one was the famous Ice Bowl game. As I recall, the last time the Cowboys played the Packers in Lambeau, it was in the late 1990s. The Cowboys were on their decline. (I forgot a game in 2004 which was a very forgettable season.) The Packers were still playing championship ball. They destroyed the Cowboys.

These are two different teams. Both teams like to push the ball down the field. Both teams have relatively young quarterbacks. On paper, the game looks fairly even.

The game was even in the first quarter. Neither the Cowboys nor the Packers got into the end zone. Both teams made mistakes and traded field goals. Then the Cowboys handed the ball off to Marion Barber. He carried the ball 28 times for 142 yards and one touchdown. He destroyed the Pack. Felix Jones, the Cowboy rookie running back, broke the game open with a 60 yard run that featured Terrell Owens blocking not one but two players down field. Jason Witten made a key block that sealed the end and allowed Felix Jones to get into the open field. Simply a great play. He is turning out to be something very special. Jason Witten continues to be a significant force for both blocking and catching the ball. He had seven catches for 67 yards. Terrell Owens had a subpar game but because he was drawing double coverage, we were able to run the ball against a seven man front.

The biggest surprise of the evening, in my opinion, was the Dallas defense’s ability to control the Packers vaunted offense. The Cowboys had five sacks. Many of those were coverage sacks as Aaron Rodgers could not find anyone open. Also, Miles Austin stepped up with two big catches.

Biggest disappointment: Patrick Clayton can’t seem to consistently get open and be a down field target for Tony Romo. He dropped an easy pass over the middle.

A look ahead: With the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants being the only two remaining undefeated teams, people are already talking about playoffs. There is plenty of football between now and then. The Cowboys need to stay healthy. We still had a couple blown coverages in the secondary. I am surprised and pleased by the play of Zach Thomas, who is playing like a young man.

Next week, the Washington Redskins come into town. Jason Campbell continues to improve. Clinton Portis continues to be a force at running back. Santana Moss has personally killed the Cowboys on several occasions. Dallas has to be mentally and physically ready to play football. Romo must eliminate mistakes.

By ecthompsonmd|2008-09-22T06:45:43-04:00September 22nd, 2008|Sports|Comments Off