The Season That Almost Was

The Season That Almost Was dan skognes motivation blogger speakerI think there was a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth yesterday as the Cowboys season came to an end.  Fumbles during the game and at the end of the game cost us dearly.  I was pretty upset over the refs reversing the catch by Dez Bryant. How can someone catch the ball, take three steps, reach for the end zone and that NOT be considered a football move?  That was ridiculous.  But, having said that, we need to learn some lessons from the game:

  • Aaron Rodgers was a hobbled quarterback that could have been rushed more aggressively.  Why did the Cowboys continue to rush only 3 people when he obviously had time to throw?
  • Fumbles by Tony, Demarco, and Dez all cost us and any one of them could have changed the game in our favor.  Just goes to show the power of a turnover.
  • Tony was swarmed all day by the Packer defense.  He rarely had enough time to set up and throw.  Two things came to mind, one was he needed to get rid of the ball quicker. He tends to hold onto the ball too long waiting for the play to develop, and secondly, he needed better protection.  He got sacked way too many times.
  • The dumb call at the end of the game was just the icing on the cake.  If the rule is such that a catch like the one Dez made is not a catch…then the rule needs to be changed.  Everyone recognized it was a catch…except the refs who were following the letter of the law.

We will never know the outcome of how the game might have turned out had the fumbles not taken place or the dumb call not been made.  It is all water under the bridge and now we will be relinquished to sitting on the sidelines with the rest of America watching the Super Bowl.

Nobody thought the Cowboys would do as well as they did this year.  I suspect even they were surprised they got as far as they did, but I think some positive things came out of the season regardless:

  • Romo established himself as a leader and a winner.  He has had a bad rap for some time now and deserves to be put up near the top in the quarterback rankings.
  • Murray established himself as an incredible runner and will be central to the Cowboy offense for years to come, assuming he remains healthy.
  • Dez established himself as a leader.  We all knew he was a great receiver, but he elevated to a new level in leading his teammates.
  • The Cowboy’s offensive line did a great job and opened the hole for Murray while protecting Tony (most of the time).
  • The Cowboys team played as a unit…cohesively.

I hope that they change the ruling that was reversed on Dez for the sake of all teams, and I hope the Cowboys don’t lose heart over their loss to Green Bay.  There is no reason Dallas can’t go all the way this coming season.  We have the talent and the motivation now.  Let’s finish what we began in 2014.

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

One Response to “The Season That Almost Was”

  1. SalesViking says:

    As a fellow Cowboy’s fan, Infeel your pain and agree with it 100%. Now we can talk about “next year” with some actual hope.