COWBOYS
Dallas lost in a win-the-NFC-East-or-miss-the-playoffs game for the second straight year Sunday when it fell to Washington, 28-18. Tony Romo again came up small in a big game. He completed 20 of 37 passes for 218 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions, one of which was the dagger that finished the Cowboys' loss. Despite the Cowboys not playing well throughout the game, they got the ball back with about three minutes left, down 21-18 and with a chance to put together a game-winning touchdown drive. Romo completed a 14-yard pass to Jason Witten on first down to get to the Dallas 29-yard line. On the very next play, however, Romo threw a rainbow of a flare pass to DeMarco Murray and Redskins linebacker Rob Jackson was there to make the pick. On the ensuing drive, Dallas almost held Washington on third down, which would've meant a Washington field goal and one last chance for Dallas to mount a game-winning touchdown drive with about 2:30 left. Instead, Jason Hatcher hit Robert Griffin III in the head and an unsportsmanlike penalty was called and the Redskins eventually scored a touchdown on an Alfred Morris one-yard run.
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| Redskins RB Alfred Morris |
The Dallas defense had an OK game, but failed to contain one the Redskins' dynamic rookies and it wasn't Griffin. Rather, it was Morris who rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns while setting the Redskins record for rushing yards in a single season with 1,613. Griffin completed just 9 of 18 passes for 100 yards and no touchdowns. However, he also didn't throw an interception and the Redskins didn't have any turnovers. Griffin ran the ball some, but did not look great doing it although he still did pick up 63 yards on six carries. Griffin did not have the same burst as he was obviously still bothered by a knee sprain suffered against the Ravens a few weeks ago. On several occasions, he seemed to dive for the ground rather than take a hit.
Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said on Wednesday that things will be uncomfortable around Valley Ranch during the offseason and wouldn't say if coach Jason Garrett would be stripped of playcalling duties (Garrett has said he won't give them up) or if Rob Ryan would be back as defensive coordinator, though Garrett gave him a vote of confidence after the game.
I am fine with keeping Rob Ryan around, though the defense does need to create more turnovers. It played well in stretches this year, but it was not dominant. Dallas was tied for last in the NFL in interceptions, disappointing given the expectations with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne at cornerback, though the Cowboys did have some safety injuries which could've hurt the effectiveness of the entire secondary. The defense might've forced more turnovers if it could've stayed healthy. I know lots of teams have injuries but it is amazing to me how often Cowboy players seem to go down with injuries. I have no idea if they have more injuries than other teams but I think read five starters and two backups on defense went out at various times this season. It was clear that DeMarcus Ware was not himself the past couple games with a bum shoulder and elbow. Hopefully the Dallas defense, with another year in Ryan's system and with maybe a full complement of players, could improve next season.
I am also fine with keeping Romo around. He might never get over the hump but I don't think it is quite time to give up on him. Let's get him a few more weapons and some protection on the offensive line. I think at this point, though, his big-game failures might be getting to him. It is like a self-fulfilling prophecy, meaning that what everyone says about him he is starting to believe and it has affected his ability to perform in big games. While he certainly was one of the reasons that Dallas won a few games this season, he was also a reason the Cowboys lost some games, mainly this last Redskins game, the second Giants game, and the Bears game (although some will say that Bryant was not running precise routes and this caused some of Romo's throws to be off). Perhaps Romo should consider seeing a sports psychologist if he isn't already. He is stuck in a rut for sure and talked cool at many points this season but you have to think that the pressure has been getting to him. A psychologist wouldn't hurt, why not try it?
Romo just started getting on the same page with Bryant during the middle portion of this season. I hope that the offensive line can be upgraded once again so that he isn't always running for his life. A big backup running back that can take a pounding, unlike Felix Jones, could help the offense, as could another receiving target to complement Bryant. Austin seems to be hurt a lot and might be unreliable and Kevin Ogletree, despite being a former UVa player and having a great opening game against the Giants, was inconsistent. I'm not sure Cole Beasley is ready for the big-time or ever will be, but he is just a rookie so we will see. Dwayne Harris really came on during the final part of the season and could be a good weapon for both the offense and special teams.
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UVA BASKETBALL
Everyone and their brother is beating Old Dominion right now. The Monarchs are 2-12 after a three-point loss to James Madison on Wednesday. Virginia lost to ODU in Richmond on Dec. 22 but bounced back with one of its best performances of the season this past Sunday with a 74-39 win over a Wofford team that has played well this season. Go figure. The usual suspects, Akil Mitchell and Joe Harris, scored 15 points each but they weren't the players of the game or the leading scorers. That honor would belong to Mike Tobey, the 6-foot-11 freshman forward/center. He shot 9 of 10 from the field and racked up career highs in points (19) and rebounds (6). As a team, UVa shot an incredible 63.8 percent of the field, including eight 3-pointers on 53.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Hopefully, Virginia did not use up all its good plays and made shots in one game as the Cavaliers open ACC play by hosting North Carolina on Sunday and they will certainly need all the points they can get. Virginia was swept by the Tar Heels last year, losing 70-52 at Chapel Hill in a game that was closer than the score, and 54-51 in Charlottesville in a controversial game where every call seemed to go against the Wahoos.
Injuries are once again a concern for UVa. It is unclear if senior point guard Jontel Evans will be able to go Sunday and Darion Atkins has a shin problem that caused him problems against Old Dominion and Wofford. Some of the best stretches Virginia has had this year have been with Evans on the floor so hopefully he can play against the Heels and be effective.
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FIESTA BOWL
No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 5 Kansas State
These two teams were on track to face each other in the BCS national championship until upsets derailed both their seasons Nov. 17 when Kansas State couldn't stop Baylor on the way to a 52-24 loss and Oregon's offense was stymied in a 17-14 loss to Stanford. Each team finished 11-1 on the season and both recovered from their losses with wins in the final game of the regular season.
This should be a high-scoring affair but both teams also bring pretty solid defenses into the contest. Oregon and Kansas State rank 26th and 24th nationally, respectively, in points allowed per game.
Oregon 37, Kansas State 32
Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said on Wednesday that things will be uncomfortable around Valley Ranch during the offseason and wouldn't say if coach Jason Garrett would be stripped of playcalling duties (Garrett has said he won't give them up) or if Rob Ryan would be back as defensive coordinator, though Garrett gave him a vote of confidence after the game.
I am fine with keeping Rob Ryan around, though the defense does need to create more turnovers. It played well in stretches this year, but it was not dominant. Dallas was tied for last in the NFL in interceptions, disappointing given the expectations with Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne at cornerback, though the Cowboys did have some safety injuries which could've hurt the effectiveness of the entire secondary. The defense might've forced more turnovers if it could've stayed healthy. I know lots of teams have injuries but it is amazing to me how often Cowboy players seem to go down with injuries. I have no idea if they have more injuries than other teams but I think read five starters and two backups on defense went out at various times this season. It was clear that DeMarcus Ware was not himself the past couple games with a bum shoulder and elbow. Hopefully the Dallas defense, with another year in Ryan's system and with maybe a full complement of players, could improve next season.
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| Cowboys QB Tony Romo |
Romo just started getting on the same page with Bryant during the middle portion of this season. I hope that the offensive line can be upgraded once again so that he isn't always running for his life. A big backup running back that can take a pounding, unlike Felix Jones, could help the offense, as could another receiving target to complement Bryant. Austin seems to be hurt a lot and might be unreliable and Kevin Ogletree, despite being a former UVa player and having a great opening game against the Giants, was inconsistent. I'm not sure Cole Beasley is ready for the big-time or ever will be, but he is just a rookie so we will see. Dwayne Harris really came on during the final part of the season and could be a good weapon for both the offense and special teams.
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UVA BASKETBALL
Everyone and their brother is beating Old Dominion right now. The Monarchs are 2-12 after a three-point loss to James Madison on Wednesday. Virginia lost to ODU in Richmond on Dec. 22 but bounced back with one of its best performances of the season this past Sunday with a 74-39 win over a Wofford team that has played well this season. Go figure. The usual suspects, Akil Mitchell and Joe Harris, scored 15 points each but they weren't the players of the game or the leading scorers. That honor would belong to Mike Tobey, the 6-foot-11 freshman forward/center. He shot 9 of 10 from the field and racked up career highs in points (19) and rebounds (6). As a team, UVa shot an incredible 63.8 percent of the field, including eight 3-pointers on 53.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Hopefully, Virginia did not use up all its good plays and made shots in one game as the Cavaliers open ACC play by hosting North Carolina on Sunday and they will certainly need all the points they can get. Virginia was swept by the Tar Heels last year, losing 70-52 at Chapel Hill in a game that was closer than the score, and 54-51 in Charlottesville in a controversial game where every call seemed to go against the Wahoos.
Injuries are once again a concern for UVa. It is unclear if senior point guard Jontel Evans will be able to go Sunday and Darion Atkins has a shin problem that caused him problems against Old Dominion and Wofford. Some of the best stretches Virginia has had this year have been with Evans on the floor so hopefully he can play against the Heels and be effective.
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FIESTA BOWL
No. 4 Oregon vs. No. 5 Kansas State
These two teams were on track to face each other in the BCS national championship until upsets derailed both their seasons Nov. 17 when Kansas State couldn't stop Baylor on the way to a 52-24 loss and Oregon's offense was stymied in a 17-14 loss to Stanford. Each team finished 11-1 on the season and both recovered from their losses with wins in the final game of the regular season.
This should be a high-scoring affair but both teams also bring pretty solid defenses into the contest. Oregon and Kansas State rank 26th and 24th nationally, respectively, in points allowed per game.
Oregon 37, Kansas State 32
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