Brainless Cowboys lose to Redskins

The Dallas Cowboys lost the season opener in the worst way possible – by beating themselves.   The Dallas offense moved the ball well in the middle of the field, but faltered as they got in scoring position.  Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett killed the opening drive by repeatedly trying to force the ball to rookie Dez Bryant on short passes.  The Cowboys would next get hit by the penalty bug, in the name of Alex Barron.

As usual, we will examing the game in a Good, Bad, and Ugly format.

The Good

The Dallas defense only gave up 6 points.  They were able to stop the Redskins when it counted and gave the ball back to the offense.  This unit gave up some plays, but got the job done.

Miles Austin was the bright spot for the offense, maybe the only bright spot.  Austin had 10 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown.

The Bad

Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett must have slept through the off-season.  His predictable play-calling is exactly the same as in previous years.  With all the firepower in his arsenal, Garrett must find a way to mix up the plays better.   Other teams have plenty of tape to watch on the Cowboys, and the same-old pass on 1st and 10, run on 2nd and 10, swing pass on 3rd and 10 just won’t get the job done very often.

Play selection was not the only questionable decisions made by Garrett.  At the end of the 1st half, with the Cowboys facing a 1st and 20 after an Alex Barron holding penalty, Garrett rolled the dice on a pass which turned into a lateral, followed by a fumble which the Redskins picked up and scored their only touchdown – the game winner.

The Ugly

Alex Barron.  Why the Cowboys would pick to replace the 2nd most penalized player in the NFL (Flozell Adams) with the 1st is a question I can’t answer.  Barron’s penalties killed drives, then ultimately killed the Cowboys’ victory.  As the Cowboys scored a game-winning touchdown with time expiring, Barron got a blatent holding penalty and nullified the TD and guaranteed the loss.  It was his 3rd holding penalty of the game.  He should without a doubt be named the Redskins MVP.

I still do not understand why the Cowboys would replace the NFL’s 2nd most penalized player (Flozell Adams) with the number 1 most penalized player (Barron).  Even though Dallas is struggling for depth at the offensive line positions, it makes no sense to put a known problem on the team, especially at the veteran’s pay rate.  Barron alone killed 30% (3 of 10) of the Cowboys drives, in addition to costing them the game.   The General Manager should be ashamed of himself for signing this player.

We can only hope Marc Colombo will be healthy enough to play next week, and keep this imposter off the field.

 

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