Archer: Giants' win can't fool Jerry Jones, Cowboys

[Midswat]

January, 16, 2012

By Todd Archer

IRVING, Texas -- Cowboys’ fans had better hope Jerry Jones was not watching the New York Giants beat Green Bay on Sunday to advance to the NFC Championship Game.

If he was, then they better hope he didn’t watch that game and come away with the feeling that he owns and general manages is close being in the same spot as the Giants.

Ever the optimist, it’s difficult to not hear Jones say to anybody, “We had a 12-point lead on these guys with 5:41 in the fourth quarter at our place, we’re right there.”

It’s that sort of validation that has doomed the Cowboys here in recent years.

After losing to the Giants in the 2007 divisional round, the Cowboys looked at that as a one-time issue because they shut it down late in the regular season when they clinched homefield advantage.

In 2008 they missed the playoffs by a game and they pointed to Tony Romo’s three-game absence because of a broken pinky finger.

In 2009 all was well with the playoff win against Philadelphia and the 34-3 defeat at Minnesota was merely part of the process the team has to take to advance in the postseason.

In 2010 it all came crashing down, costing Wade Phillips his job after a 1-7 start. But Jason Garrett righted the ship and took them to a 5-3 finish and the three losses were by a combined seven points.

Jones put the failings of the defense on Phillips and believed Rob Ryan would turn things around in 2011. The defense was better in part because it could not be worse.

If two coaches of different 3-4 defenses could not make it work well enough, then it’s the personnel.

At least that's how Jones should approach this offseason, which brings us back to the New York win Sunday at Lambeau Field.

The Cowboys had a chance to be in the position of their NFC East rivals but could not beat the Giants at Cowboys Stadium on Dec. 11, 2011 or at MetLife Stadium on Jan. 1.

Undoubtedly Jones – and those who will believe the Cowboys are “this close” to being a true contender – will point to the missed connection between Romo and Miles Austin in the first meeting and the 44-yard catch by Victor Cruz in the second meeting on third-and-7 after the Cowboys cut a 21-0 deficit to 21-14 as the only parts that separate the Cowboys from the Giants.

Or he might look at the Oct. 16 game against New England as positive reinforcement. The Cowboys had the Patriots, who will play in the AFC title game against Baltimore, on the ropes, but saw Tom Brady deliver a late game-winning touchdown drive in a 20-16 affair.

Jones can’t be fooled again.

 

[superpunk]

The Giants have a philosophy especially on defense and they stick to it - they can never have enough guys who can create pressure because they know that can help them mask any shortcomings on the back end. They can evaluate DEs and they keep drafting them, Osi Tuck Kiwi and now JPP. We struck gold with Ware but can't find anyone to help him. That's the biggest difference between us.

 

[Theebs]

The Giants have a philosophy especially on defense and they stick to it - they can never have enough guys who can create pressure because they know that can help them mask any shortcomings on the back end. They can evaluate DEs and they keep drafting them, Osi Tuck Kiwi and now JPP. We struck gold with Ware but can't find anyone to help him. That's the biggest difference between us.

thats part of it.

they always use free agency wisely also, they have had huge impact players from free agency. They seemingly since coughlin has been there have not settled for not having good personnel. They have drafted and spent money in the secondary just like the defensive line.

they have found good tight ends, wr and running backs also. They constantly have good return games..

its a fundamenal difference that we lost years ago.

the day wade showed up and him and jerry took cracks at parcells way of doing things the process ended.

right back to pacman's, tank johnsons, bennetts and bryants.

There front office is good, our front office is bad.

Our roster has suffered tremendously.

Tony Romo has kept this thing afloat but the history of this league shows us even great qbs can not over come having a poor roster.

this year the coaching looked very poor to me to go along with the bad front office and the poor roster.

its depressing. Its more depressing that isnt the first time it has happened and that it probably wont be the last.

 

[Midswat]

Going 13-3 in 2007 might've been the worst thing to happen to this franchise.

 

[Theebs]

Going 13-3 in 2007 might've been the worst thing to happen to this franchise.

no, losing to the giants was!

the season was going well. We were healthy and ready to shake the monkey.

Losing that game just sucked. Who knows what would have happened.

that was a team that had been built fundamentally and was coming along nicely.

Changing it all up after that loss in the offseason was the second issue.

 

[Midswat]

no, losing to the giants was!

the season was going well. We were healthy and ready to shake the monkey.

Losing that game just sucked. Who knows what would have happened.

that was a team that had been built fundamentally and was coming along nicely.

Changing it all up after that loss in the offseason was the second issue.

What I meant was, that year, Jerry saw the team go 13-3 with largely the same roster that Parcells could only get 9-7 out of.

So he probably convinced himself that Parcells ways weren't effective, and that we were just a few "names" away (hence Pacman and Tank additions, and later RW11).

 

[Theebs]

What I meant was, that year, Jerry saw the team go 13-3 with largely the same roster that Parcells could only get 9-7 out of.

So he probably convinced himself that Parcells ways weren't effective, and that we were just a few "names" away (hence Pacman and Tank additions, and later RW11).

yep that is about right.

the thing is had parcells stayed on I bet we would have had some changes, we definitely would have after 07 if he were here.

parcells always made huge changes after his teams had big losses like that. In 89 he had what looked like a superbowl team and lost to the rams at home in the divisional round and went and made a bunch of tweaks. Same thing in new england.

anyway. It is what it is.

the front office has failed. Nothing fans can do about it.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Like theebs has said and I'll reinforce it here, is that our struggles can all be pinpointed to our FO and scouting department, or lack thereof. We've been saying this for years, that the good teams are always able to find a philosophy that works, stick with it, and use their scouting departments to constantly replenish their rosters for their way of doing things.

We simply can not. And even when we do find a philosophy and stick to it, such as our commitment to the 3-4 D (one of the wisest things Jerry has ever said was back in '07 before he hired Wade, that the 3-4 was not just an expirament). Our front office can't ever find the players to fit it.

 

[Clutch88]

Owners whose franchises consistently win do 3 things.

1. Handle the business side so the franchise can write the necessary checks.
2. Hire the best GM available and put in place an organizational model that works (i.e. clear chain of command and accountability).
3. Hold the organization accountable for success (particularly the GM).

Jerry only does #1. He's among the worst owners in the league. Even Al Davis got his team to the Super Bowl within the last decade, that's how bad Jerry is.

 

[buckup]

The Giants have a philosophy especially on defense and they stick to it - they can never have enough guys who can create pressure because they know that can help them mask any shortcomings on the back end. They can evaluate DEs and they keep drafting them, Osi Tuck Kiwi and now JPP. We struck gold with Ware but can't find anyone to help him. That's the biggest difference between us.

Giants look for DE that can Pass Rush and OL that can Run Block. So half the year they're being torn apart by fans but all of a sudden when they knuckle down and beat up on other QBs and keep the run game going Coughlin is a genius.