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发表于 2010-1-1 21:01
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本帖最后由 直布罗陀岩石 于 2010-1-2 17:00 编辑
Story Of A Decade
These 10 Games Defined The 2000s For The Cowboys |
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| Josh Ellis - Email
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
December 31, 2009 4:54 PM |
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| | R.W. McQuarters intercepts Romo's desperation throw to give the Giants a 21-17 win over the Cowboys. |
IRVING, Texas - How's this for irony, or symmetry, or both: In what was the most considerable dry spell in team history, an entire decade without a single playoff win, the Cowboys actually qualified for the playoffs in their first game of the 2000s, and the last. In the first, Chan Gailey's 1999 Cowboys secured an 8-8 season and Wild Card berth by beating the New York Giants 26-18 at Texas Stadium on Jan. 2, 2000. In the last, Wade Phillips' team extended its future by at least one more week, shutting out Washington 17-0 on Sunday. This is the story of everything that happened in between, in chronological order, for better or worse, the 10 games that made the decade for America's Team. The End of an Era - Dec. 10, 2000 - Washington 32, Dallas 13 The Cowboys had been the team of the '90s, but the aughts didn't begin so well, with the first of three 5-11 seasons under head coach Dave Campo. Campo's hands were tied from the beginning, as franchise quarterback and future Hall of Famer Troy Aikman battled a back injury and repeated concussions throughout the year. A third-and-one from the Washington one-yard line proved to be the final snap of Aikman's career, Redskins rookie linebacker LaVar Arrington dealing him a 10th career concussion as he rolled toward the right sideline. A Gleam of Hope - Aug. 4, 2001 - Oakland 21, Dallas 14 The Cowboys had been roundly criticized for picking Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft, but decided to hand him the franchise after an impressive preseason debut in Oakland. The Cowboys released veteran journeyman Tony Banks 11 days after Carter had 167 yards on 9-of-15 passing in not quite a quarter and a half of action against Raiders backups, connecting for touchdowns to Chris Brazzell and Bahsir Yamini. The decision to place the team in Carter's young hands helped destine the Cowboys for instability at the quarterback position for much of the decade. Make a Place for Emmitt - Oct. 27, 2002 - Seattle 17, Dallas 14 Mired in that three-season run of 5-11 purgatory, the Cowboys franchise did have one shining moment, Emmitt Smith's ascension to the top of the NFL's all-time rushing list. Taking a handoff from rookie quarterback Chad Hutchinson, Smith followed Robert Thomas' lead block for a gain of 11 off left tackle, giving him 16,728 career rushing yards. The 2002 campaign would be Smith's last with the Cowboys, who later inducted him into their Ring of Honor alongside Aikman and Michael Irvin on Sept. 19, 2005. See Change - Oct. 12, 2003 - Dallas 23, Philadelphia 21 The Eagles had begun the 2000 season with a surprise onside kick against the Cowboys, the first strike in a 41-14 pickle-juice aided humiliation of the home team at Texas Stadium. Leading into this Week 6 meeting for the NFC East lead, the Eagles had beaten the Cowboys in six straight games. First-year Cowboys coach Bill Parcells had his team prepared for its first big game in three seasons, which was evident from the start, as reserve wide receiver Randal Williams returned a less-surprising onside attempt 37 yards for a touchdown. The Cowboys held off Donovan McNabb's last minute comeback attempt, ushering in a brighter period for the franchise, which would make the playoffs and go on to have five winning seasons in six years to close the decade. Biscuit's Big Play - Nov. 14, 2005 - Dallas 21, Philadelphia 20 Though the Eagles were the class of the NFC East over the last 10 years, the Cowboys became much more competitive against them as the years wore on. One of the wildest nights in team history came at Lincoln Financial Field, when the Cowboys came back from a 13-point deficit in the last 3:04 of game time, taking the lead on an ill-advised Donovan McNabb throw that safety Roy Williams returned for a 46-yard touchdown. After that six-game losing streak to begin the 2000s, the Cowboys were more competitive in the following years, going 6-7 against Sunday's opponent to close out the decade. Tony, Tony, Tony! - Nov. 19, 2006 - Dallas 21, Indianapolis 14 The Cowboys had muddled through the post-Aikman era with less-than stellar play at the most important position on the field. Carter, Hutchinson, Anthony Wright, Clint Stoerner, Ryan Leaf, Vinny Testaverde, Drew Henson and Drew Bledsoe all started games for the team after Aikman retired, but fourth-year undrafted free agent Tony Romo took over the job midway through the '06 season and hasn't looked back. When the Cowboys knocked off the previously undefeated Colts and Peyton Manning in Week 11, it became clear Romo was the franchise quarterback the team had been missing. Tony, Tony, Tony . . . - Jan. 6, 2007 - Seattle 21, Dallas 20 This list is about memorable games, and unfortunately the Wild Card playoff loss at Seattle is the one the Cowboys and their fans would most like to forget. After the Seahawks failed to convert a two-point conversion with 4:24 to play, the Cowboys needed only a field goal to advance in the playoffs. Romo drove the offense down to the Seattle two-yard line, but they couldn't get the ball in the end zone. Romo, who remained the holder for field goals after ascending to the starting job, let the potential-game winning three-point try slip through his fingers, and couldn't turn the bobbled snap into a touchdown while trying to scramble around the left end, allowing Seattle to take over possession and close out the win. "The Better Team Lost" - Jan. 13, 2008 - New York Giants 21, Dallas 17 After rolling over the NFC in Wade Phillips' first season as head coach and earning homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with a 13-3 regular season record, the Cowboys couldn't translate their success to the postseason. After beating the Giants twice during the regular season, the Cowboys came up short in the Divisional round when Romo's desperation throw to Terry Glenn in the end zone was intercepted by R.W. McQuarters. Tough criticism of Phillips (the decade's winningest Cowboys coach) ratcheted up the next day, when he said he believed the better team had lost. New York went on to beat the previously-undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. 44-6 - Dec. 27, 2008 - Philadelphia 44, Dallas 6 Anyone who had managed to repress the toughest losses in franchise history is likely still working on this one, when the Cowboys fell flat on their face in a pre-playoff playoff game. Facing a win-and-you're-in scenario, the Cowboys turned the ball over five times as the Eagles coasted to an easy victory at The Linc. The loss only compounded frustrations from the week prior, when the Cowboys closed Texas Stadium with a heartbreaking loss to Baltimore, and brought about a tumultuous off-season in which the team let go of a couple of its best players of the decade, Williams and wide receiver Terrell Owens, who were both released on March 5. Big Win in the Big Easy - Dec. 19, 2009 - Dallas 24, New Orleans 17
The "December Swoon" fervor was almost as deafening as the Louisiana Superdome crowd. After losing the first two games of the month to put their playoff future on the ropes and raise questions about Phillips' job security, the Cowboys faced their most daunting test of the season, playing at the 13-0 Saints in a frenzied road environment. It remains to be seen how the season will play out, but this big win will still go down as one of the Cowboys' greatest in 50 years of existence. They jumped out to an early lead, then held off a high-powered New Orleans offense with heavy pressure from DeMarcus Ware, who had been strapped to a back board and carted off the field in a scary moment just six days earlier.
原文地址:http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=E6F488CC-AAE1-6B74-11C433C34BDC46C3 |
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