Picture is worth a million words There are a billion reasons why the NFL is so popular. One of those is the structure of the season. Just 16 games, every week is important. Yet, it's still relatively wide open to a certain degree.
There's not a lot of time to make up ground, but ground can still be made up in a very quickly amount of time. Whereas you might have only 10 games, say, to make up three games, two straight wins (considering the abbreviated structure of the season) puts you right there, unlike baseball or basketball where you need to string together possibly six or eight wins to make up major ground.
The beauty of the NFL is that you are as familiar with game No. 1 as you are with game No. 16. Each is memorable. Each has moments that define you has a team. Here are those for the 2010 Dallas Cowboys.
Washington 13, Dallas 7
Dallas drops season opener on the road to the Redskins. Most thought the Cowboys should roll. I thought Washington was improved. We were both wrong.
Key Player: Miles Austin had 10 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown.
Key Play: Ending the first half, down 3-0, Tony Romo hits Tashard Choice on a checkdown. DeAngelo Hall strips Choice of the ball and runs it back for a touchdown. Redskins fail to tally another touchdown.
Chicago 27, Dallas 20
Dallas starts 0-2 for the first time since 2001. Everyone starts freaking out. In hindsight, not the worst of losses. Our first sign that the Cowboys' secondary was awful as Jay Cutler looked like Joe Montana. Cowboys left a lot of points on the field as David Beuhler missed a field goal and Tony Romo threw two interceptions.
Key Player: Again, Miles Austin with a steady 10 catches and 142 yards.
Key Play: Down 3-0 and the offense sputtering, rookie wideout Dez Bryant returns a punt 62 yadrs to paydirt. It was our first glimpse into Bryant's greatness.
Dallas 27, Houston 10
Tease, tease, tease. At the time, Houston was 2-0 and looking really good with a win over Indianapolis. Dallas defense gets three turnovers and four sacks. This was what Dallas needed. Right?
Key Player: You might look at Roy Williams' day and consider him. But I think that 63-yard touchdown skewed his otherwise ordinary stats. Instead, I look to DeMarcus Ware's three sacks and his general harrassment of the lethal Matt Schaub all day.
Key Play: OK, I'll give Williams some love. His 63-yard catch and run put the final nail in the coffin.
Tennessee 34, Dallas 27
I feared the Titans. They were 2-2 and the Cowboys were coming off the bye, riding high after the Houston win. But Chris Johnson was a beast the Cowboys hadn't seen. He carves them up for 131 yards and two touchdowns. It didn't help that the Cowboys had to come back from a 17-3 deficit and that the Titans started two fourth-quarter drives within the Cowboys' five-yard-line. Both resulted in touchdowns. Tony Romo was harrassed all game resulting in three interceptions and six sacks. Game.
Key Player: Austin goes for nine catches and 166 yards. Sixty-nine came on a touchdown pass.
Key Play: Ah, the 2010 Cowboys. After Jason Witten's game-tying fourth-quarter touchdown pass, he does the hip bump with the giant Marc Columbo. Goofy Columbo collapses to the ground and is called for a 15-yard excessive celebration penalty. With the short kick, returner Marc Mariani returns it 73 yards to the Cowboys' five-yard-line. Awesome.
Minnesota 24, Dallas 21
Ranking "The Ones That Got Away," this is top three. The Cowboys kind of dominated this game except in three very glaring areas: Penalties, special teams and turnovers. The intangibles that we know matter more than any other area or stat. Romo had another two interceptions. The Cowboys also committed a gut-wrenching 11 penalties totaling 91 yards.
Key Player: Despite the two interceptions, Romo probably had his most even game. He went 24-32 for 220 yards, no sacks and three touchdowns. He played good enough to win ...
Key Play: ...but Percy Harvin's third-quarter punt return for a touchdown sealed it for the Vikings. By my count, the Cowboys have lost games thanks to a turnover/penalty) (Washington), special teams (Minnesota) and penalty (Tennessee).
New York 41, Dallas 35
My vote for weirdest feeling game. Dallas was 1-4 and the Giants were on a three-game win streak and 4-2. But Dallas was at home, a division game, not too late ... throw the records out? Dallas responds going up 20-7 until Romo is driven into the JerryWorld turf and breaks his collarbone. Eli Manning and Co. quit playing with their food, unleash Hakeem Nicks and score 31 unanswered. Dez Bryant shines with a punt return for a touchdown, two receiving touchdowns and a handful of remarkable catches. Also, this was the great "Quit" game.
Key Player: Dez. With the most exciting four catches and 54 yards in Cowboys' history.
Key Play: Romo. Screaming. In. Pain.
Jacksonville 35, Dallas 17
The Jags scored 28 unanswered in the first half. The Cowboys never recovered. David Garrard threw for four touchdowns and no interceptions as he simply carved the Cowboys secondary to pieces. Teeny, tiny pieces. This was Jon Kitna's first go-round and he countered Garrard's four touchdowns with four interceptions as he played from behind all game.
Key Player: The best of the worst was Jason Witten with 10 catches and a score.
Key Play: Cowboys fan gets lap dance from a frisky piece of ass.
Green Bay 45, Dallas 7
Ah. Yes. The 28-point second quarter that got Wade Phillips fired. Everyone knew the Cowboys were going to be killed. That's the one thing I remember the most. Another "Quit" game. So many phantom tackles including Mike Jenkins' season-defining tackle attempt.
Key Player: Dez, again, with nine catches, 86 yards and a touchdown -- his fourth overall in two weeks.
Key Play: Down 21-0 with the two-minute warning looming in the first half, Dallas' Bryan McCann (our first real glimpse at him) takes a kickoff and his tackled. He fumbles and its returned for the Packers' fourth touchdown of the quarter. Kicker is that McCann is clearly down before he loses the ball. Officials blow it. Unfortunately, so did Phillips, who had used up the teams' two replay challenges, one on a ball spot at the Cowboys' one-yard-line. Idiocy.
Dallas 33, New York 20
The Cowboys looked like lambs going to the slaughter on the road against a 6-3 Giants team. We all underestimated the power of Jason Garrett. In his debut, he leads the Cowboys to a desisive win for the team and Jerry Jones, who probably felt pretty good when the lights went out at the new Meadowlands.
Key Player: Felix Jones had 17 touches for 136 yards and a touchdown.
Key Play: Potentially about to go up 10-9, Eli Manning rockets a ball to Hakeem Nicks on a goalline slant. Nicks zigged and Manning's pass zagged. Rookie Bryan McCann was there and returned it 101 yards for a touchdown and a 14-point swing.
Dallas 35, Detroit 19
This game turned the tables on the Cowboys. Not unlike the Minnesota game, it was Detroit that played relatively well throughout except for the 10 penalties, special teams miscue and two turnovers. Simplistically, two of Detroit's penalties derailed two of their drives and a third helped the Cowboys (if you remember Ndamukong Suh's faux horse collar). A Detroit fumble gave the Cowboys insanely good field position and special teams mistake all resulted in about a potential 35-point swing.
Key Player: Jon Kitna was insanely good. Going 18-24 and 147 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored on a 29-yards naked bootleg. When things go right, they go right.
Key Play: For the second straight week, Bryan McCann makes a heady decision knowing that a punt can not be turned over once an opposing player touches it, he awkwardly picks up a punt and returns it 97 yards for a touchdown. That SMU education did not go to waste.
New Orleans 30, Dallas 27
Thanksgiving Day, Dallas digs a 17-point hole to the defending champs. In a gutty performance, the Cowboys claw their way back going up 27-23 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Crowd's going nuts. Then it happened.
Key Player: There were lots of singular plays (Sensabaugh's interception, the two Dallas fumble recoveries, Buehler's late miss), but no dominant players. I'll go with Miles Austin, who'd been quiet for a while and whose 60-yard run in the third quarter kickstarted the Dallas comeback.
Key Play: Up four with four to play, Roy Williams catches a pass and goes 47 yards when Malcolm Jenkins comes on Williams' left and strips the ball. The play, as we would learn, completely changed the Saints' season as it kind of did the Cowboys'. At the time, the Cowboys were still 3-7 and working a two-game win streak. We considered this season split in two: With Wade and Without Wade. Cowboys were 2-0 Without Wade. A win on Thanksgiving made them 3-0. If Williams had immediately been tackled (as I think he had the first down with the catch) or if he just slipped or fell down, the Cowboys, most likely, win. A game of fucking inches.
Dallas 38, Indianapolis 35
It was projected that Dallas might lose this game before the season started. As things went along, it looked like a sure-fire loss. Instead, Dallas took advantage of a slumping Peyton Manning and without a 21-point third quarter, Indy's not even in the same building. As for Dallas, it was a different team altogther. They ran for 217 yards, committed just five penalties and grabbed four turnovers. And they beat a playoff team on the road in overtime!
Key Player: Sean Lee. Buried for whatever reason by Phillips, the rookie linebacker had two inteceptions. One of which he returned for a touchdown.
Key Play: I realize this went to overtime, but I thought Tashard Choice's sweet 20-yard touchdown run to start the scoring was vital. It set the tone for the entire game and it allowed Dallas the first punch.
Philadelphia 30, Dallas 27
For the first time in Garrett's tenure, we started to seriously question the defense. I realize they they weren't great before, but they were winning before. Down three late and needing the ball, the Dallas defense was gashed by LeSean McCoy on four first-down carries totaling 50 yards.
Key Player: DeSean Jackson. Four catches. 210 yards.
Key Play: Tied at 20, the Cowboys pinned the Eagles at their own nine-yard-line. No matter. Jackson catches and out and makes the Cowboys' defense look silly on a 91-yard score.
Dallas 33, Washington 30
In the battle of who could care less, the Cowboys defense allow the near-impossible as Rex Grossman makes his much ballyhooed debut in lieu of Donovan McNabb and throws for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and two two-point conversions to tie it at 30.
Key Player: David Buehler. His fourth field goal won it from 39 yards out with less than a minute to play.
Key Play: Three-and-a-half-minutes left and Washington has the ball on their own 25. Orlando Scandrick and Vic Butler sack Grossman to Washington's 15-yard-line. Washington punts and Dallas gets the ball at midfield giving Dallas a short field for Buehler's game-winner.
Arizona 27, Dallas 26
I seriously feel the Cowboys let four games go (Washington, Minnesota, New Orleans) including this one. Consider if Jon Kitna throws two incompletions there to start the game, they probably win.
Key Player: Stephen McGee. Moved the ball enough to get points and keep the Cardinals off the field.
Key Play: Buehler missed the extra point. But let's not forget that the Cowboys allowed the Cardinals to go down the field -- which included the successful conversion of a fourth-and-15 -- and kick the game-winning field goal.
Dallas 14, Philadephia 13
No expectations. Philly rested everyone. Dallas rested no one, but went in with the third-string quarterback.
Key Player: McGee. His stats were awful. But if you watched the game, you realize how much he willed them to win.
Key Play: Down 7-0, Anthony Spencer hit the ball out of Kevin Kolb's hand. DeMarcus Ware picks it up and runs it into the end zone. The Cowboys were bound to score six or seven points offensively. The last thing Philly needed was to allow a defensive score.
My Conclusion
There is little doubt that the Dallas Cowboys are a 6-10 team because they made certain decisions and executed so poorly to deserve that distinction.
However, they were a made extra point (David Buehler), a dumb penalty (Marc Columbo), one falling down (Roy Williams), two tackles (DeSean Jackson and Percy Harvin) and one major injury (Romo) from having a three-game swing. Doesn't Dallas compete better with Romo? If Williams falls down, that's a win. If they tackle Harvin or Jackson, those are very, very winnable.
I realize this is all bullshit and hindsight. But the Cowboys lost 10 games and only two were by more than 10 points (Green Bay, Jacksonville). Most of the time, they looked like crap despite their coaches, general manager and owner. Other times, the game was right there.
Needless to say, the next eight months will be fascinating.
