Green Bay Packers 26, Dallas Cowboys 21
Wow! Sorry, but what a botched call!
I mean, don't get me wrong. I am not a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, or anything. In fact, being a Giants fan, I feel a bit worn down by many loud people who consider themselves Cowboys fans, each with a false sense of entitlement. I was pulling for the Packers in this game.
Yet, the Cowboys got robbed. I mean, that was a catch by Dez Bryant. Not a touchdown catch, no. But it would have brought Dallas to within feet of the end zone and, presumably, they would have gotten a touchdown. I was watching the game with one of those loud Dallas fans, and was discussing what the Packers should do next. To me, it seemed best that they simply allow the Cowboys to get the touchdown immediately, and get the ball back in the hands of Rodgers with as much time as possible.
Then came the reversal. We were both shocked.
He was livid.
And let's be real: he caught it. Even if you were pulling against the Cowboys. Even if you were a Packers fan. He made the catch, then came down with the ball with both feet inbounds.
That makes it a catch in my book. And yours most likely, too.
Don't agree? Well, I bet you would if that same call had gone against the Packers, then.
And that is the problem with the call: it was subjective. There was enough evidence there that Packers fans and anyone who was against Dallas today will feel necessarily justified to take heart in the call, which was instrumental in preserving a Green Bay win. Of course, the flip side of that is that there is also enough evidence for Cowboys fans to feel justified in feeling that their team was cheated.
It would have been the same had that somehow happened in the opposite direction. If the Packers had a play like that in a similar situation, on their last offensive play of the game, and it was a completed pass where he caught it and came down with it with both feet inbounds for a first down, right by the goal line.
Then, it was reversed.
Imagine how you would feel. Would you accept the officials in the NFL speaking legalese, explaining how, technically, that play cannot be considered a catch, because it was not a "football action?" What in the hell is a "football action," anyway? Would you really be convinced that the Packers had lost the game legitimately, and the Cowboys (and their obnoxious fans) justified in celebrating, because it was thoroughly explained to you that what you saw with your own two eyes was not what you saw with your own two eyes?
Chances are, you would take a cold comfort that, in reality, your team was robbed, and should have won. The same comfort that the Cowboys and their fans are taking right now, because the officials, and not the players, ultimately decided the game.
That, to me, is the real shame in all of this. It had been a good game, a close contest. Both teams had their moments, both had played well. Both had a shot to win the game at the time of the controversial call.
It should have been decided by the players. There should have been a better ending than that.
Maybe the Packers let the Cowboys score, and Dallas gets the touchdown, and goes for two (which they might or might not have made). Maybe Green Bay prevents them from the touchdown. Maybe after a Dallas touchdown, the Packers go on offense (they looked good in that last drive, moving the ball well), and move the ball down the field, with plenty of time to work with, and get in scoring range. Maybe a field goal is enough for the win if the two-point conversion is no good. Or, maybe they can fall back on that for the tie, but look for opportunities at a game winning touchdown with last minute heroics. Or, maybe the Cowboys do something on defense, getting a turnover, or stopping them on downs. Maybe it goes into overtime, and it is decided there.
Whichever way it would have went, however, I suspect that it would have had a better ending then the one this game had. An ending that would have likely left some people with a bad taste in their mouths, but because their team lost, and not because of some ridiculous call.
Instead, a playoff contest ended, essentially, with one team strongly benefiting from another team getting cheated. That is the second straight week that the Cowboys found themselves mired in controversy over such a strange call with the game potentially hanging in the balance. That time, of course, the Cowboys did benefit from another call that left a bad taste in people's mouths. To be more precise, it actually was not a bad call, but a very bad non-call that decided the game, most likely. It was in Dallas, and the Cowboys benefited. This latest was in Green Bay, and so it went against the Cowboys.
We will find out next week if the Packers can beat the Seahawks in Seattle. But after the game, Dallas head coach Jason Garrett suggested that his team had actually proven to be tougher than the Packers, and he may have a point. The Cowboys will not advance, but I honestly think that they would have had a better chance in Seattle than the Packers. Now, we will never know what would have happened.
Of course, there was the rest of the game, and the Cowboys made some good plays and decisions, as well as some poor ones. Just before halftime, the Cowboys were in field goal position, but had a 3rd and 1, to try and keep the possibility of a touchdown alive. At the very least, they would likely have kept the ball until halftime itself, and avoided allowing the Packers a chance to get back on offense. But instead of giving it to Murray, who was running well, they went in shotgun formation for a pass. It was incomplete. Then they missed the field goal. Then the Packers got it, and drove down the field for a field goal themselves. That as a six point swing, and the Cowboys lost by five points.
They got cheated, sure. But they also cheated themselves with stupid decisions that made it as close as it was to begin with.
Also, let's look at the bright side of things: it sure pissed off our beloved governor, and wanna be President (someday, he may actually attain that office, sadly) here in New Jersey!
Here is one link to show how sad Christie can look:
Look inside Jerry Jones' box when Dez Bryant's catch was overturned by James Dator, January 11, 2015:
http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/1/11/7529083/chris-christie-cowboys-loss-packers
Prior to this game, I was thinking of the rich history between these two franchises, which got a bit richer, as well as more controversial, with this game.
Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers
That is one of the great rivalries in football history, right? Probably one of the top ten storied rivalries in the NFL, particularly in the playoffs.
They met, of course, a couple of times in the sixties, including the famous Ice Bowl meeting, which went down to the wire, but which the Packers ultimately won. Barely.
That Packers team won the last of their Super Bowl championships from the dynasty days of the sixties, and the Cowboys would soon rise to the level of dynasty themselves. In the seventies, Dallas went to five Super Bowls and won two of them. The three that they lost were all close, and they lose those by a combined 11 points! That was a damn good Cowboys team, with legendary names like Tom Landy, Roger Staubach, Randy White, Thomas Henderson, and Mike Ditka.
Of course, the Cowboys would rise again in the nineties, with new names like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Jerry Jones, and Jimmy Johnson. A great and intimidating offensive line that protected the offensive talent and opened up the field, and a fast and strong defense. A team loaded with talent that won three Super Bowls in four seasons, the first team to do that. Rarely do any teams qualify for that many Super Bowls in such a short time span.
The Packers would be the team that finally would succeed the Cowboys (although the 49ers broke through for a Super Bowl title during the one-year break in the Cowboys dominance). They had been getting closer and closer, losing to Dallas in three successive playoff meetings. The first two were in the divisional round, with the Packers losing 27-17 in the 1993 season, then 35-9 following the 1994 season.
But Green Bay was getting better behind emerging star quarterback Brett Favre and head coach Mike Holmgren, and a talented and physical defense. They had finished with 9-7 records to qualify for the playoffs both of those seasons in 1993 and 1994. But in 1995, they began to really emerge, finishing with an impressive 11-5 record, and convincing some people that they were the second best team in the NFL, surpassing the San Francisco 49ers in that capacity, and ending the tag-team dominance of the greatest rivalry of the time between the Cowboys and Niners. When the Packers upset the 49ers in San Francisco in the NFC playoffs to qualify for the NFC Championship Game, there was no more questions left. The Green Bay Packers had passed the 49ers, and went to Dallas to try and knock out the Cowboys.
Green Bay played very well against Dallas as well, and were winning for much of the game. They led in the fourth quarter, 27-24. But that was when the Cowboys truly came alive, scoring two touchdowns to clinch the win and their third NFC Championship in four seasons. They would follow that with their final Super Bowl title over the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks later, 27-17.
But the Packers were clearly getting better, and they emerged in 1996 as one of the favorite heading into the season. They raced out to an 8-1 start, before dropping two in a row, including a Monday Night Football showdown in Dallas. They had looked dominant all season, but some were wondering why they could never beat the Cowboys. But the Packers won out in the rest of their regular season games, then knocked off the 49ers again in the playoffs, 35-14. Carolina did Green Bay the favor of knocking out the Cowboys, although that also deprived the Packers of the chance to show they could beat Dallas. They beat the Panthers instead, 30-13, and then won Super Bowl XXXI against the New England Patriots, 35-21.
Green Bay had finally done it, breaking a 29-year title drought by winning the Super Bowl, and were now considered the powerhouse team in the NFL. When Dallas rolled into town in the 1997 season, the Packers were once again enjoying a strong season, although they had just suffered a shocking upset against the previously winless Colts, 41-38. Some believed they had overlooked Indianapolis, and were looking ahead to the Cowboys game. Dallas and Green Bay played an even game for a while, and they were tied 10-10 at the half. But the Packers scored 35 points in the second half to leave Dallas in their dust, and their biggest albatross was finally conquered. The Cowboys finished 6-10 that season, their dynasty clearly over.
But Green Bay's dynasty seemed to be just beginning. They finished 13-3 for a second consecutive season, got past Tampa Bay 21-7 in the divisional round, then dominated the 49ers in San Francisco in the NFC Championship, earning their second straight Super Bowl appearance. Favre and some other Packers had talked at times of the emerging Green Bay dynasty, but they were about to learn a lesson in humility, and see their dominant dynasty's reign end at one championship. They were heavily favored against Denver, but suffered a shocking loss to Elway and the Broncos, 31-24. The Packers under Favre and Holmgren never recovered. They remained competitive for a while, but never reached the Super Bowl again, until many years later, when both men were long gone.
The Cowboys, rather famously, were knocked off their perch of supremacy as well. Despite being the "Team of the Decade" in the nineties, they never returned to the Super Bowl following that Super Bowl XXX triumph, and in fact, they would only win one playoff game total from 1997 until this season. In the meantime, the Packers would return to greatness under Aaron Rodgers, Favre's replacement. He led the Packers to a 10-6 record in 2010, but really caught fire in the playoffs, beating the Eagles, Falcons, and Bears, all on the road, to reach the Super Bowl. Then, they outlasted the Steelers, 31-25, to clinch their first Super Bowl title in 14 seasons.
They have enjoyed considerable success since, but never reached the Super Bowl, or even the NFC Championship Game since then, until their big win against the Cowboys yesterday, which earned them a trip back to the NFC Championship at Seattle. Let's see what happens there. And let's hope for future classic battles between the Cowboys and Packers!
Indianapolis Colts 24, Denver Broncos 13
A lot less to say about this one, admittedly. Pretty straightforward win for the Colts, but it was a surprise. Particularly surprising was how they won. I do not remember Peyton Manning ever playing so poorly before. He looked a bit dazed and rattled yesterday, and just did not look like he normally did. I know he has a checkered history in the playoffs, and he looked bad last year against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. But this was not that Seattle defense that they were playing, and he overthrew quite a few receivers, under-threw one or two others, and just did not look sharp. Also, the play selection for Denver's offense really looked unimaginative and uninspired, and the Colts just wore down the Broncos, who exit far sooner in these playoffs then expected, yet again.
It did not start out that way, though. The Broncos got off to a hot start with an early touchdown drive that saw them take a 7-0 lead. They then stopped Indianapolis, and got the ball back. I was half expecting them to expand on the lead, possibly to 14-0.
But then the Colts stepped up, and you know the rest. The Colts outscored Denver 24-6 the rest of the way, and their dominance was greater than the score indicated, frankly.
Now, it seems that there is uncertainty as to whether or not Manning will be back to play another season for the Broncos in 2015! Again, he looked shaken yesterday, and said he would weigh his options and wrap his head around what happened this time around. It would be good to see him again, particularly since it would be such a shame to see his career end in this way.
The New England Patriots:
Also, just thought I would throw this out there. Yes, I know a lot of people do not like the Patriots, particularly Belichick and Brady. I am a Giants fan, and know a lot of fellow G-Men fans, in particular, do not seem to like them. Also, being in the area with a high concentration of Jets fans, that hatred runs double.
But I never understood the hatred, truth be told. New England was hardly a storied franchise prior to this era. And neither Brady nor Belichick ever really seemed arrogant or full of themselves to me. They do things that get under people's skin, but mostly, I think that is because they keep winning. A few years ago, Brady "won" a poll as most hated quarterback in the NFL. This, in a league with Roethlisberger, who is a multiple offender of rape, and Michael Vick, the dog killer! That just seems so ridiculous to me.
Truth be told, I admire the Patriots on some level. They have continued to find ways to win consistently every season now for over a decade, in the era of free agency. That is saying something, and the link to this article below might be revealing as to why. They just do some things that some might consider sneaky, but they keep finding ways to get the job done and win, like no other team in recent years. Give it up to them, and let's see if they have something similar up their sleeves for next Sunday's AFC Championship Game - their fourth straight AFC title game appearance in a row!
Time to praise Bill Belichick, who badly outfoxed the Ravens By Mark Cannizzaro, January 12, 2015:
http://nypost.com/2015/01/12/time-to-praise-bill-belichick-who-badly-outfoxed-the-ravens/
Federer Wins 1,000th Career Match!
So, yes, Roger Federer did it! He defeated Milos Rainic, the up and coming Canadian tennis star, in the final for the Brisbane International. It was the 83rd title that Federer has amassed in his storied career.
Only Jimmy Connors with 1,253, and Ivan Lendl with 1,071, have more career wins among men.
Federer's list of achievements and distinctions in tennis really are topped by none. In fact, no one even really comes close. That list would be too long to recite here, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to admire and congratulate King Federer for yet another enormous accomplishment in a career that just keeps getting more and more impressive!
http://news.yahoo.com/federer-notches-1-000th-match-win-claims-brisbane-113210289.html
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