For the winning team, the Cowboys sure complained a lot

By Rich Tandler

Usually the team that wins the game has little to complain about. Winners normally let the scoreboard do the talking.

Not the Dallas Cowboys.

There were two major areas of complaint that the Cowboys had after their 18-16 win over the Redskins on Monday night.

One was a claim that the Redskins defensive line was imitating the snap count. On several occasions center Phil Costa snapped the ball before it looked like quarterback Tony Romo was ready. According to Romo, the Redskins were trying to fool Costa.

“Costa said the D-line kept calling out the snap count,” said Romo. “We’ll get that worked out. We’ll tell the league and see if that’s something that can be fixed because you’re not supposed to be able to do that. So we’ll see.”

Coach Jason Garrett echoed what Romo said. “They were making noise on the other side of the ball,” he said. “It was pretty obvious Tony wasn’t even close to being ready, and they were saying some things that sounded a lot like our cadence.”

We don’t know if this really happened or not. The ESPN microphones did not pick up anything but that is not definitive. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that a team tried to trick a first-year center.

But as the old saying goes, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. At some point, doesn’t Costa figure out that the snap count is coming from in front of him and not behind him? At some point shouldn’t Garrett or Romo or somebody talk to the referee about the situation?

And DeMarcus Ware had some issues with the way that he was being blocked. "If you had guys with some hands that could snatch me down, pull me down, that's what they did,” he said.

There is no doubt that the Redskins sometime resorted to tactics outside of the rules to try to keep Ware away from Rex Grossman. Trent Williams did indeed tackle Ware on one play and no flag was thrown.

But Ware clearly was offside on a play where the Cowboys intercepted a Grossman pass. And Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan were restrained with choke holds on a few occasions themselves. It was a poorly-officiated game and the bad calls and non-calls went both ways.

Maybe I’m old fashioned because I think that the winning team should just celebrate and then go home. Or maybe I’m normal and the Cowboys have a higher-than-normal number of complainers on their team.

You decide and let me know in the comments.

 

Comments

[Roy]

ESPN objective? About the Cowboys? That's like thinking a junkie can be objective about his drug habit.

[caio gomes]

Haha, can we stop getting Troy Aikman to broadcast our games...

[Scott]

Rich,
I think you're dead on. They won. They don't like the fact that they didn't hand the Redskins their asses. Snap count? Really?! If Goodell does anything to justify this complaint, he really is A's bad A's bloggers say he is. It's football, quit whining and play.

[Chuck D]

If Demarcus Ware's dumb u know what wasn't offsides every expletive play, then he wouldnt be close to the sacks that he has... I guess its ok for him to do it cause hes a cowgirl! They do a lot to be "America's Team".... Expletive Ware!!!! Go cry some more you big expletive BIOTCH!!!! HTTR!!!!!

[Chuck D]

Ware wouldn't be Shite without being offsides!!!! But I guess the refs cant call offsides every play so they dont call it at all! 3 Blind mice!!!!

[joey o]

it is why i hate the cowboys. their holier than thou attitude starts at the very top with jerry jones. also i seemd like i was watching and listening to a cowboy's broadcast.

[Chris]

Demarcus Ware is crying about non calls. Trent Williams owned you the whole night and you're crying like a baby? YOU WON THE GAME, take the win and shut the f___ up. F_____ typical ass Cowgirls, still trying to hold on to the "America's Team" title when you're nothing but America's least favorite past time. Bottom line, the Skins MUST close the door on their opponents and FINISH the game. This is whats keeping them from being an elite team and as long as they continue to let leads slip away, lose focus at critical times in the game, and NOT SCORE TOUCHDOWNS, then this is what we're going to continue to see, a great team with great players who have great chemistry, but cannot close the door on their opponents.

[Villain]

You girls keep worrying about the Cowboys and watch every other team in the league sneak up and beat your butts too. Heaven help you if The 'Boys get healthy. You have no one that can cover both Austin and Bryant on the field at the same time. OK, double cover both and watch Witten and the run game destroy your dreams. Go eat your sour grapes ladies.

[Chip F]

Here's the thing I cannot figure out - if the Skins were truly simulating the snap count, particularly using a defensive end (i.e., Bowen - not over the center), why didn't anyone else on the Cowboys offensive line false start during that second half? Why weren't they fooled? Costa is at least a second year player. They have 2 rookies on that line, and they didn't so much as move, never mind snap the ball early 4 times from a guy that's been around Romo for over a year.

And here's the other thing. The umpire now sits in the backfield with the referee. The Skins are facing both of those officials, so their voices are going to project TOWARDS those officials. It would seem to me that it would be harder to mask that kind of yelling and still be effective when you're facing the officials, rather than having the umpire behind you.

BTW, I don't doubt the vocalization happened at times during the game. It happens a lot, in probably every game. But getting the center to not just flinch but snap the ball 4 times is a bit much to blame on the Skins.

[jahwriter]

1. Rich, correct me if I'm wrong but from shotgun how can you have a snap count? Isn't the count done from a movement by the quarterback. Secondly, how can Bowen, a guy who plays in a 3-4 DE position that is between guard and tackle cause disruption for the Center? And third, how come no one else on the line moved what so ever, if the defense caused disruption how come no one else seemed to have heard it. Also on a side note, Costa had the same issue in the New York Jets game...so did the Jets do it as well? Costa needs to man up and stop making excuses for his consistent failures.

2. I'm a loyal Redskins fan, so I guess in some weird way I shouldn't mind this but...despite the supposed discipline this team was suppose to have received under Garrett, this team still reminds me of the Wade team of a few season ago, undisciplined (they average 7 penalties a game, which is a large amount) and sloppy (they have 12 fumbles this year which is also ridiculously high.). Which has been simply lucky to have there terrible play only really hurt them in one game this year because the ball bounced there way in the other games. But overall, the Cowboys are a very talented team but not a very good one and in the long run of this season I see this game not meaning much, after the turnovers start costing them enough games down the road for them to have an unsuccessful season.

[true religion outlet]

I am feeling a bit dazed by the turn my life has taken in the past month. I was essentially alone in NYC, with little support. And LOD and I were both so stretched by the physical and circumstantial limitations of living there that it felt like a big house of cards. Here, I have much more ease and leeway in everything.