Smoot Lays the Smack Down (Redskins at Cowboys)

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

haslett's call let romo know he was going to have to scramble back to get time though imo. romo knew he was going to have to buy time to deliver the ball before it was snapped. im so pissed about that

steve young made a salient point about the last play. as a qb in that situation you cant scramble to the side that would leave the hand holding the ball to the inside of the field and not know whats behind you. seems like alot to ask of a qb in that situaiton but i guess thats why he is in the HOF and rex is rex

Yeah, it did, but that's more of a Romo ability than a Haslett inability. It's a little of both though, I've already said that a zero-blitz in 3rd and 21 generally doesn't make a lot of sense given the risk-reward.

Rex knew that Spencer was closing, I think he just assumed he wasn't on top of him. And if J. Brown got in front of him even for a second, he wouldn't have been.

Rex is a turnover machine though. He got lucky on the sack-fumble forced by Ware that ESPN replays didn't show a clear Dallas recovery. That's the only reason that Garrett didn't challenge and win.

[mooby]

Originally Posted by Game Recap;Espn.com

NEXT LEVEL: The Cowboys sent only three pass rushers on five of Rex Grossman's 41 dropbacks, but they made those rushes count. Grossman was just 1 of 4 for three yards, his lone interception and was also sacked on the game ending play against the Cowboys' three-man rush.

How weird/bad is it that when they blitzed, Grossman was effective, but when they sent 3 rushers is when they made it count? Come on man.

[skinsfan69]

As much as Hall is a show boating, running at the mouth punk ass bitch, I can't blame him on the 3 and for ever. Haslett is a ****ing idot. You simply have to know your personel there and know that Hall simply can't man cover Dez Bryant one on one. He can't do it. If I know it then why doesn't Haslett? ..who see's him get burned one on one week after week? Total 100% fail by Jim Haslett.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

As much as Hall is a show boating, running at the mouth punk ass bitch, I can't blame him on the 3 and for ever. Haslett is a ****ing idot. You simply have to know your personel there and know that Hall simply can't man cover Dez Bryant one on one. He can't do it. If I know it then why doesn't Haslett? ..who see's him get burned one on one week after week? Total 100% fail by Jim Haslett.

There's not a whole lot of guys in the league Hall can cover, but I don't think there was any reason to fear Dez Bryant. He couldn't get off the ball most of the game.

Now, Larry Fitzgerald? That was ridiculous.

The Dallas receivers were dreadful tonight. I wouldn't have worried about being beaten by them in a critical moment.

[NM Redskin]

I thought Kerrigan took a step back, even with that Witten mismatch aside.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

There's not a whole lot of guys in the league Hall can cover, but I don't think there was any reason to fear Dez Bryant. He couldn't get off the ball most of the game.

Now, Larry Fitzgerald? That was ridiculous.

The Dallas receivers were dreadful tonight. I wouldn't have worried about being beaten by them in a critical moment.

But still. Bryant's playing hurt... who's the one guy on their offense that can make a play on 3rd and 21. Dez Bryant. Right? So why leave a below average cover corner out there one on one agaisnt the guy that can make a play. Sorry but Haslett just totally blew it there.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by skinsfaninok

It happens 44, hey we are a better team than last year just chill. 3-1 at the bye would really ease the pain. Rex is what he is that's y most of us wanted Beck but gotta stick w him

Let's wait and see. Not going to be an easy game for us. Short work week for a road game isn't going to be easy.

[mooby]

Originally Posted by NM Redskin

I thought Kerrigan took a step back, even with that Witten mismatch aside.

He's a rookie, I don't expect him to be Clay Matthews Lite every game. He still had a good game pass rushing tonight, even though he didn't collect a sack (unless that busted snap Romo fell on counts as a sack.)

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

But still. Bryant's playing hurt... who's the one guy on their offense that can make a play on 3rd and 21. Dez Bryant. Right? So why leave a below average cover corner out there one on one agaisnt the guy that can make a play. Sorry but Haslett just totally blew it there.

If you had asked me before that play on 3rd and 21, generally, "can he make a play to beat us here?" my answer is, unequivocally, no.

Now if you also told me Romo would be able to escape the pocket playside and Hall would have no help? The magic 8 ball doesn't like how things are looking there. But still, 21 is a lot of yards to get, even after things go wrong at the beginning of the play.

I'm not sure a single high safety changes a thing on that play though. We would have needed to be playing a non-pressure defense to have enough guys back to defend a non-threat on a broken play. A lot of things had to go wrong for it to be Bryant v Hall fighting for a first down.

[GTripp0012]

I am worried about two things in 3rd and 21: Jason Witten down the seam, and screen game. The danger with the zero blitz is that they run screen behind it.

[BigHairedAristocrat]

If Carlos Rogers was on the team and covering Bryant instead of hall, we win the game.

[Swarley]

I hope to god you aren't serious

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by BigHairedAristocrat

If Carlos Rogers was on the team and covering Bryant instead of hall, we win the game.

Well, there's still a good chance of it being a manageable 4th and short. That's assuming a completion and no run after catch, the most probable outcome when talking about Rogers.

[mooby]

Felt like I had to share this, as this blog post on the DC Sports Bog cheered me up. It's a nice compilation of all the quotes about all the love Tony Romo is getting right now, mostly actual love from ESPN and people mocking the MNF crew on Twitter.

Originally Posted by DC Sports Bog

This isn’t journalism right here; rather, this is just a place for all football fans to gather ‘round and join the ESPN broadcast crew in lauding Tony Romo for being so awesome and amazing and studly and cool and unflappable and brave and winnable just so dang wonderful.

I wish I had the Gruden and Jaworski quotes handy, but if you were watching, you probably have some sense of what they were saying. Actually, they may have been singing Hosannas rather than strictly speaking. Or just kneeling and weeping.

Oh wait! Here’s one Jaws passage, via KSK:

“Mike, Tony Romo has DONE! HIS! JOB ! What a MEMORABLE evening by Tony Romo. He’s been getting hit all night, he’s had bad snaps all night, he’s got rookie wide receivers making mistakes, all kinds of errors on the offensive line, with a broken rib, fourth quarter, he takes his team DOWN the field, converts a third-and-21 on an electrifying play, moving around, allowing Dez Bryant to open up. Romo, WOW, so far.”
Yup. Eighteen memorable points. Six memorable field goals. One memorable floating interception. Several memorable mean faces at his teammates for screwing up.

Oh wait! Here’s Ed Werder with Romo:

Tony, you overcame a lot of unique challenges tonight. Physically, how difficult was it to just play the game and get through the hits?...How did you overcome all the bad snaps, all the wrong routes? You were doing a lot of coaching on the field
A bunch of football fans already were pointing out how amazingly memorable Romo was on Twitter, so I’ll give you a head start.

@videnieks: Tony Romo brokered middle east peace and invented pretty girls.

@LoudGoat: Tony Romo sealed the hole in the ozone layer with his heavy sighs after each incompletion.

@sixZEROnine: If Romo played in Carolina sunday. He would have walked on that water.

@thebrowncoat: I'm so glad the Second Coming has arrived in the person of Tony Romo.

@chimpanzeerage: It’s amazing how Romo marches his team down the field every time and fails to score a TD...that takes a special talent

@ChadDukes: I'm a [bleepin] REDSKINS FAN. I dont hide it. I SAY IT ON AIR. So SAY IT, Jaws! Say it Gruden!! Be a man! Say “I LOVE ROMO.” I’d respect that!

@jtannenwald: And at long last, Tony Romo does something to show that he is the greatest football player in the history of creation.

@TannerCooley: Ed Werder — “Hey Tony, what can I do to see the inside of your pants?”

@macg_og: “One of Great victories in Tony Romo's career?” no TDs and 6 FGs? ESPN so wants the Cowboys to be a good team, it’s sickening.

@matt_terl: Seriously, Jaws: how are you trying to spin this as an amazing game for Tony Romo?

@jdprose: Will Romo at least give Jaws cab money home tonight? Good God.

@branballs: How come ESPN wasn’t there when I had rib pain and still did my Haftorah at my Bar Mitzvah? Gruden’s gift would’ve been amazing.

I enjoyed that.

[InsanePianist]

I'm still baffled about the 3rd and 22 call. What was Haslett thinking?