The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles 14-13 in a game that had a third string quarterback leading the Cowboys against a mostly second-string Eagles team.
Quarterback Stephen McGee got his first start, and played pretty much like you'd expect from a player without much playing time. He didn't make any really bad plays, but he didn't make many good ones either. He wasn't bad as a runner, though, gaining more than 50 yards and getting a first down or two.
Even against the second team Eagles, the Cowboys were outplayed—on both sides of the ball. For the most part, the Eagles moved the ball easier than they should have, and made moving it for the Cowboys hard enough that they didn't do much of it.
While all kinds of media reported that Jason Garrett was the likely permanent coach of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones said in a pre-game interview with Tony Siragusa that those reports were "way ahead" of where he was in the hiring process.
I hope Jones really will take another look at the performance of Garrett before handing the team over to him permanently. The Cowboys had great momentum and a stunning victory over the Giants when Garrett first took over, but a 4-3 record coming into this final game, and mediocre play during this game ought to give Jones pause, just as it did me.
Fox 4 sports reporter Mike Doocy said after the game, "Jerry Jones has wanted Jason Garrett to be his head coach for a long time…I think he's done enough to earn the head coaching job."
Not the kind of ringing endorsement I'd like for the next Cowboys coach. Jason Garrett may be a coach Jerry Jones can work with, but is he a coach to take the Dallas Cowboys to the Super Bowl?
The Cowboys' first touchdown didn't come from the offense, and was one of only a few good defensive plays, others being the sacks by DeMarcus Ware, and interceptions by Terence Newman. Against a team made up predominantly of back ups, this can't be considered a good game for the Cowboys, even with the final score in their favor.
My reaction to this game is that it was more of the same for the Dallas Cowboys. Too many big plays given up, penalties, dropped passes, and missed kicks. And why do they wait until the end of the game to put a good drive together?
The drive for the winning touchdown looked pretty good. I held my breath as Buehler prepared to kick the extra point, and gave a big sigh of relief when he made it, only to have to hold it again waiting to hear what the penalty was. If he had to re-kick could he score the winning point again?
After nearly an entire game of blah, the final couple minutes of this game were pretty exciting, with Terence Newman's second interception guaranteeing the Cowboys victory.
Tampa, Florida, fan Darren Smith said "The Eagles sat out all of their top players…the Cowboys went with mostly starters, including players who were fighting for their lives to even be asked back next year, and we beat them in the last 50 seconds of the game.
"All I can say is what I've been saying all year. Thank God for D-Ware. Also thank God the 2010 season is over."
And this horrible—or dismal, as Mike Doocy called it—season is over for the Dallas Cowboys, who either played so far below their potential, or were so totally overrated, that the final result, 6-10, is devastatingly disappointing.
Source:
Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles broadcast, KDFW Fox4, January 2, 2011
Fox 4 News at 9 broadcast, KDFW Fox 4, January 2, 2011
More from this author:
A Fan's Top Five Dallas Cowboys Moments from 2010
Five of the Worst Dallas Cowboys Moments in 2010
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