Season over.

[Larry]

the play call was bad, there's no defending it.  it wasn't like the Eagles were averaging less than 2 yards per carry or anything, they were running all over the Cowboys.  they only got 1 yard on the 1st play, and it's like Andy panicked and went to the pass.  you at least run the ball again, make them use another timeout and think about a pass on 3rd down, and even then, a safe pass like a screen.

What happened prior doesn't matter.

The Cowboys were going to sell out on the run.  This is what teams do when they're behind and they need a stop.  the chances of picking up a first running were slim.

In fact, if Reid had run the ball 3 straight times (which he did the previous drive), punted, and then the Cowboys score and win the game, everyone would be blasting him for being too conservative and not "playing to win".

If Reggie Brown makes that catch, all the Cowboy fans are yelling at Parcells for doing just this...playing not to lose.

[henchmanUK]

(in fact, I'm reading that it was he who misread the play, not Reggie Brown).

absolutely, Reggie Brown saw that Williams had come to the line of scrimmage and he went deep with single coverage.  McNabb didn't see Williams come up and thought the route was supposed to stay a hitch.

At the end of the day, don't put your players in a position where a miscommunication could cost you a touchdown, which is exactly what happened. It was second-and-7 - not even third fargin' down, we were running the ball well. Farg me, run the goddamn football.

[henchmanUK]

The Cowboys were going to sell out on the run. 

So run the ball on second down, use some time off the clock, possibly hit 'em with a play action on third down.

[PhillyFan]

LOL - this dumping on Reid's playcalling is getting so old.  It wasn't supposed to be thrown to the flat - it was a fly pattern.  McNabb missed the read and blew it.  And since when is there only one place to throw the ball?  The Eagles do send more than one receiver out don't they?  McNabb misread the play and then missed seeing Williams sitting there on it.  That's on him.   

And I'm sorry, there is little chance the Eagles would have gotten a first down if they had run three straight times there.  Dallas had everyone up to stop the run.  You all would have been screaming "why'd we just run the ball three straight times", if they hadn't gotten the first by running the ball.

Some blamed Reid earlier for not having the "balls" to go for the TD instead of a FG.  Now you blame him for having the "balls" to try to win the game by throwing to get a first down rather than just handing Dallas the ball back with plenty of time? 

[SunMo]

At the end of the day, don't put your players in a position where a miscommunication could cost you a touchdown, which is exactly what happened. It was second-and-7 - not even third fargin' down, we were running the ball well. Farg me, run the goddamn football.

that's basically what i've been saying all morning.

[SunMo]

LOL - this dumping on Reid's playcalling is getting so old.  It wasn't supposed to be thrown to the flat - it was a fly pattern.  McNabb missed the read and blew it.  And since when is there only one place to throw the ball?  The Eagles do send more than one receiver out don't they?  McNabb misread the play and then missed seeing Williams sitting there on it.  That's on him.   

yes, we know.  that's been acknowledged over and over.  but the pass play should've never been called in the 1st place.

And I'm sorry, there is little chance the Eagles would have gotten a first down if they had run three straight times there. 

glad to see you can see into the future like that. 

Some blamed Reid earlier for not having the "balls" to go for the TD instead of a FG.  Now you blame him for having the "balls" to try to win the game by throwing to get a first down rather than just handing Dallas the ball back with plenty of time? 

totally different situations.  on 4th down, the FG was the correct play.  my beef is the playcall on 3rd down, you have to run a better play than one that send Westbrook into the middle of a goal line defense.  it was nothing to do with balls.

and as far as the end of game strategy.  you need to run the ball at least on 1st and 2nd down.  even if you give them the ball back after 3 plays, it's better them to have to drive down the field with 1 or no timeouts instead of even leaving the chance of something bad happening on a pass. 

in that situation, 2 or 3 things that can happen on a pass are bad, it's either caught (good), incomplete (bad, clock stops), or intercepted (terrible).  run the ball, drip the clock, and play the defense that had them bottled up all game.

[Reidme]

It was bad play calling, they didn't stretch the field enough, blah, blah, blah. Its all true, but it comes down to one thing. The way this team is built and run, it all begins and ends with McNabb. Midway thru the 4th quarter, when you saw McNabb gimping back to the huddle, you had to get that sick feeling. He cannot effectively deliver the ball (with any consistency) when he is hurting. You either adjust to that and run, or you pull him and put McMahon in.

[bobbyinlondon]

I have to say that I, too am filled with disappointment. After supporting McNabb and Reid to the hilt, I just thought it was stupid to not run the ball when we had what, 172 yards of rushing offense, and we could have made the Cowboys use all of their timeouts. Even if we would have wound up punting, the Cowboys would have had to go 80, maybe 85 yards with NO TIMEOUTS LEFT. Nothing galled me more than watching the friggin Jones clan whooping it up in their box at the stadium after the INT return.

We're 4-5, would have to run the table to get into the playoffs. If I was Reid, I'd be FORCEFUL and tell McNabb he's going on IR and lean on the running game and the defense that's given up what, 142 yards rushing the last two weeks.

I'd also make a change at CB--Sheppard isn't getting the job done. If you have to shake him up by putting Hood or Ware into that spot, then do it. He gets caught TOO OFTEN looking into the backfield, which he did YET AGAIN, and tries to depend on closing speed to catch up to the reciever.

Luckily, I had to go to work right after the game, but I've had plenty of time to stew over it.

[Wingspan]

If McNabb didn't make a zesty decision by throwing right to Roy Williams and if Lito actually could cover anyone 1-on-1 this year, then you'd praise the coaches for being brilliant.

I think Reid, especially, called a very good game.  Johnson got us burned by blitzing at the wrong time, but he also got the big play on a blitz too.

The bottom line is that if McNabb doesn't throw that ridiculously ill-advised pass, we're complaining after a win instead of searching for answers after a loss.  That play was AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL.

the play was awful...but could it have been the WR that misread the play as well?

[henchmanUK]

If McNabb didn't make a zesty decision by throwing right to Roy Williams and if Lito actually could cover anyone 1-on-1 this year, then you'd praise the coaches for being brilliant.

I think Reid, especially, called a very good game.  Johnson got us burned by blitzing at the wrong time, but he also got the big play on a blitz too.

The bottom line is that if McNabb doesn't throw that ridiculously ill-advised pass, we're complaining after a win instead of searching for answers after a loss.  That play was AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL.

the play was awful...but could it have been the WR that misread the play as well?

Part of my point. If there's a risk where either the QB or WR could misread the play, in that situation it was a disastrous call.

[Larry]

I have to say that I, too am filled with disappointment. After supporting McNabb and Reid to the hilt, I just thought it was stupid to not run the ball when we had what, 172 yards of rushing offense, and we could have made the Cowboys use all of their timeouts. Even if we would have wound up punting, the Cowboys would have had to go 80, maybe 85 yards with NO TIMEOUTS LEFT.

On their previous scoring drive, the Cowboys drove 70 yards in under a minute.

[Diomedes]

the play was awful...but could it have been the WR that misread the play as well?

I'm no football genius, but on that particular play, I think not.  The reciever's job when he saw the safety come up was to get down field so IF the QB threw the ball, it would be over the safetie's play, and the WR has just a 1 on 1 coverage.

[SunMo]

I have to say that I, too am filled with disappointment. After supporting McNabb and Reid to the hilt, I just thought it was stupid to not run the ball when we had what, 172 yards of rushing offense, and we could have made the Cowboys use all of their timeouts. Even if we would have wound up punting, the Cowboys would have had to go 80, maybe 85 yards with NO TIMEOUTS LEFT.

On their previous scoring drive, the Cowboys drove 70 yards in under a minute.

yeah, because of a bad blitz call by JJ, i'm willing to bet that they would've gone back to playing the way they played all game.

[henchmanUK]

I have to say that I, too am filled with disappointment. After supporting McNabb and Reid to the hilt, I just thought it was stupid to not run the ball when we had what, 172 yards of rushing offense, and we could have made the Cowboys use all of their timeouts. Even if we would have wound up punting, the Cowboys would have had to go 80, maybe 85 yards with NO TIMEOUTS LEFT.

On their previous scoring drive, the Cowboys drove 70 yards in under a minute.

Yeah, and in the previous 56 minutes they'd scored seven points and punted eight times.

[Wingspan]

If McNabb didn't make a zesty decision by throwing right to Roy Williams and if Lito actually could cover anyone 1-on-1 this year, then you'd praise the coaches for being brilliant.

I think Reid, especially, called a very good game.  Johnson got us burned by blitzing at the wrong time, but he also got the big play on a blitz too.

The bottom line is that if McNabb doesn't throw that ridiculously ill-advised pass, we're complaining after a win instead of searching for answers after a loss.  That play was AWFUL, AWFUL, AWFUL.

the play was awful...but could it have been the WR that misread the play as well?

Part of my point. If there's a risk where either the QB or WR could misread the play, in that situation it was a disastrous call.

well thats not my point at all.

it wasnt a disasterous call. it was disasterous execution. christ, how many people have gone on about vermiel and gruden the past few weeks for "going for the win"...this is the same thing.

someone grossly misread the play, either the WR or the QB, and the truth is as fans, we will never know who actually misread the play so badly, hell it could have been both. but we will never know, despite all the armchair caoches we seem to have.