Posted: Sunday, December 21, 2008, 9:33 AM | 2 comments |
 

Cowboys' loss ramifications
options
 
For the Cowboys and their fans, their Saturday night loss to the Baltimore was devastating.

For the Eagles and their fans, it was not quite the reverse. It was a fine evening's entertainment, yes, but it doesn't change the reality: that the Eagles still need to win out to stay ahead of the Cowboys and keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Cowboys controlled their destiny until Saturday night -- no longer. They are like the Eagles now, reliant upon the kindness of strangers. But the Eagles-Cowboys imperative has not changed -- the winner has a chance if the strangers are kind and the losers do not.

The Cowboys must be devastated today. (And wasn't that a fun post-game ceremony closing Texas Stadium?) They also are injured in key spots. If you watched quarterback Tony Romo, you can tell his back is killing him. If you watched tight end Jason Witten, you wonder how he was even walking at the end. But here's the thing: if Atlanta or Tampa Bay loses today, they will have the same set of incentives that the Eagles have for the final game.

If the Eagles win out, they will be10-5-1 and the Cowboys will  be 9-7.

If the Cowboys win the last week, they will be 10-6 and the Eagles will be 9-5-1.

Provided the Eagles take care of the Redskins, it still comes down to Dallas.
Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 9:33 AM  Permalink | 2 comments
2
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:22 AM, 12/21/2008
    The only thing better than watching LeRon McClain end the Cowboys season was watching Jerrah Jones' reaction to it. Absolutely hilarious.
    — Romes
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:20 PM, 12/21/2008
    Seeing the Cowboys from start to finish--and I don't really care about Romo's midseason injury--it leads me to believe the loss by the Igs to Dallas in Week 2 was completely avoidable and that, in fact, they were the better team. And as I look at the article today about "the case for Reid," I think quite the opposite is true, and I've been as big a defender of him as there is. I think Reid needs to go, and Donovan needs to stay. The Eagles will, quite simply, never overcome Reid's tactical deficiencies to win a Super Bowl. I hate to say it, because I don't like to think in these terms, but neither Donovan nor Reid handle in-game pressure very well, and the two feed off of each other in very destructive ways. I'm a big believer in Bill Parcell's quote, "You are what your record says you are," but really and truly? This team should be no worse than 10-4 right now. I think Reid is burned out, he has faced grueling personal problems that no one should have to face, and--if winning the Super Bowl is really the goal at NovaCare--it would be better for the team and for him if he went elsewhere.
    — andrewfrombrooklyn


2 comments
About Rich Hofmann
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com

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