It's a team game, but one Cowboys player contributed most to Dallas' defeat

AlwaysWrite

Addicted Member
But for one player's ineptitude, it could well be the Dallas Cowboys -- rather than the Green Bay Packers -- advancing to Sunday's NFC title game.

Green Bay is certainly well deserving of its advancement, and the Packers made some key clutch plays when it mattered most, but even though they were eliminated from Super Bowl contention, the Cowboys played at a championship level -- except for important mistakes by one player.

Dallas certainly got first-class performances from key players, including: quarterback Dak Prescott, who passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns, while posting a better quarterback rating (103.2 to 96.7) than Aaron Rodgers; Ezekiel Elliott, who rushed for 125 yards in 22 carries; and Dez Bryant, who caught nine passes (two for touchdowns) for 132 yards. And the Cowboys accumulated more total yardage (429-414) than the Packers.

But then, there was Dallas receiver Brice Butler, whose "unsportsmanlike" action put an abrupt halt to Cowboys' momentum after the Packers had taken a 7-3 lead midway through the opening period. And a crippling penalty against Butler produced a massive shift in field position and helped provide impetus for Green Bay to move to a 21-3 advantage.

After Green Bay's first TD, the Cowboys launched a quick, effective drive, but Butler's penalty erased a completed pass into the red zone and moved the Cowboys back into their own territory. The rarely called 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty came when Butler went into the offensive huddle and then left the field without participating in the play. So instead of a golden scoring opportunity, the Cowboys were forced to punt, and momentum immediately shifted to the Packers.

In addition to that huge infraction, Butler contributed nothing to the Dallas offense. He was targeted on three pass attempts by Prescott, and he dropped all three, including a would-be touchdown in the end zone.

Dallas was also plagued by several other key penalties, and they also had major problems with regard to player substitutions and clock management that forced the team to waste all three of its timeouts, so the Cowboys were helpless to stop the clock after intercepting a Rodgers pass with plenty of time to mount a potential scoring drive had they not been out of timeouts.

The Packers had many players who contributed to their victory, but they also got a big "contribution" from Dallas receiver Brice Butler.
 
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WAMO

Spanking His Monkey
I DONT THINK PLAYERS JUST RUN ON THE FEILD WITHOUT BEING TOLD TO. COACH CALLED HIM BACK AFTER HE WAS ALREADY OUT THERE. COACHES SHOULD KNOW THE RULES. I CANT EVEN FIND WHERE THAT RULE WAS CALLED AT ANY OTHER GAME THIS YEAR. AND IF THEY THRU TO BUTLER 10 TIMES, MAYBE HE SCORES TWICE. SEAN LEE COVERING A TIGHT END WHO IS A FOOT TALLER AND FASTER THAN HIM. AGAIN, COACHING ISSUE. SEAN LEE'S STRENGTH IS UP THE MIDDLE, NOT COVERING TIGHT ENDS DEEP. COWBOYS 3RD DOWN AND 2 AND TRY A 20 YARD PASS WITH ELLIOTT IN THE BACKFEILD. ANOTHER COACHING ISSUE. I HAVE MORE, BUT I THINK THATS GOOD ENOUGH.
 

AlwaysWrite

Addicted Member
I DONT THINK PLAYERS JUST RUN ON THE FEILD WITHOUT BEING TOLD TO. COACH CALLED HIM BACK AFTER HE WAS ALREADY OUT THERE. COACHES SHOULD KNOW THE RULES. I CANT EVEN FIND WHERE THAT RULE WAS CALLED AT ANY OTHER GAME THIS YEAR. AND IF THEY THRU TO BUTLER 10 TIMES, MAYBE HE SCORES TWICE. SEAN LEE COVERING A TIGHT END WHO IS A FOOT TALLER AND FASTER THAN HIM. AGAIN, COACHING ISSUE. SEAN LEE'S STRENGTH IS UP THE MIDDLE, NOT COVERING TIGHT ENDS DEEP. COWBOYS 3RD DOWN AND 2 AND TRY A 20 YARD PASS WITH ELLIOTT IN THE BACKFEILD. ANOTHER COACHING ISSUE. I HAVE MORE, BUT I THINK THATS GOOD ENOUGH.
Dear WAMO:

I did make mention that there were other key penalties, in addition to the crucial one on Butler, and no doubt, the Cowboys -- and yes, the coaching staff -- had major problems regarding player substitutions and clock management. As I also noted, problems with substitutions forced Dallas to waste all three of its first-half timeouts, leaving the Cowboys helpless to stop the clock after intercepting a Rodgers pass with ample time to potentially put more points on the scoreboard.

Having said that, I stand by my comments -- and my editorial right to do so -- regarding Brice Butler.
 

WAMO

Spanking His Monkey
YES SIR, YOU HAVE AN OPINION AND I HAVE A DIFFERING OPINION. AND I TOO STAND BY MINE. COACHING MISTAKES OVER 1 PLAYERS MISHAPS CAUSED THAT LOSS.
 

AlwaysWrite

Addicted Member
YES SIR, YOU HAVE AN OPINION AND I HAVE A DIFFERING OPINION. AND I TOO STAND BY MINE. COACHING MISTAKES OVER 1 PLAYERS MISHAPS CAUSED THAT LOSS.
... but of course, a problem with one key momentum-switching penalty involved the coaches (time management and substitutions) AND one player.
 

WAMO

Spanking His Monkey
AND ONE PLAYER HAD AN INTERFERENCE CALL AGAINST HIM WHEN HE DID NOT HAVE TO. NEGATING AN INTERCEPTION THAT WOULD HAVE STOPPED A GB TD.
 

AlwaysWrite

Addicted Member
AND ONE PLAYER HAD AN INTERFERENCE CALL AGAINST HIM WHEN HE DID NOT HAVE TO. NEGATING AN INTERCEPTION THAT WOULD HAVE STOPPED A GB TD.
Dear WAMO:

True ... but again, one player (Brice Butler) had more to do with the Dallas defeat than any other individual player. There were other mistakes and miscues (mental and physical) to go around, but I feel that my opinions are valid, whether you tend to agree with them or not.
 

WAMO

Spanking His Monkey
AND YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY WITH YOUR OPINION. AS MY OPINION IS VALID AND I AM HAPPY WITH MINE. THANKS.
 

WAMO

Spanking His Monkey
MUCH LIKE THE CATCH NO CATCH. FOR PLAYOFF GAMES THERE SHOULD BE SOMEONE ON HAND TO MAKE THE RIGHT CALL. ITS OVER AND DONE NOW.
 
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