its funny to see all the espn cowboy fanboys talk about how dallas "gave" tennessee the game...LOL..cowboys were playing catch up the whole game....if anything the titans "gave" the cowboys a chance by playing soft zone prevent for the whole 2nd half untill the cowboys got close again..
Just read this article. it says it all. they are beating themselves. the better team didnt win.
"Through four games of the season, the Cowboys are outgaining their opponents by an average of 421 yards to just 304. The Cowboys are completing 68 percent of their passes to just 60 percent for opposing quarterbacks. The Cowboys are also averaging 23.3 first downs per game, and an average time of possession of 34:12, which leads the NFL.
In fact, all four of those statistical categories - first downs per game - average yards per game, time of possession and completion percentage - rank in the top three in the NFL.
Yet, the Cowboys have lost three of four games"
IRVING, Texas - Linebacker Keith Brooking has been doing this for 13 years, and he doesn't have the answers.
Safety Gerald Sensabaugh stood around a group of reporters with a sheepish look on his face and in a three-minute span, said the phrase "I don't know" at least seven times.
The guys that actually stood up and faced the music, as off key as it might be right now, still don't have the answers to the tough questions that surfaced here at Valley Ranch on Monday, a day after the 34-27 loss to the Titans, which dropped this high-expectations team to 1-3.
"I wish I knew what the deal was ... other than we're just not playing well," defensive end Marcus Spears said. "We just have to execute. We're not doing that. We're not making the right plays at the right time. I wish I had the answers for you. But I know we have to fix whatever the problem is."
And with a quick glance, it's not too difficult to find some problem areas, starting with penalties. With 12 more for a whopping 133 yards, that's a big start in figuring out why the Titans can get outgained by 190 yards on offense and still win the game.
Penalties have plagued this team for a while, and it's resurfacing once again.
"We just make too many mistakes at the worst time," Brooking said. "And it's a lot of guys. All of us are to blame. We just haven't been a complete team, and put together a complete game. That's what is frustrating more than anything. I think we've got a good football team, but we don't look like a good team at 1-3."
On paper, which has never won a football game at any level, the Cowboys appear to be much better than this dismal record suggests. A few statistics that are usually rather telling in a final outcome haven't been the case for this team so far.
Through four games of the season, the Cowboys are outgaining their opponents by an average of 421 yards to just 304. The Cowboys are completing 68 percent of their passes to just 60 percent for opposing quarterbacks. The Cowboys are also averaging 23.3 first downs per game, and an average time of possession of 34:12, which leads the NFL.
In fact, all four of those statistical categories - first downs per game - average yards per game, time of possession and completion percentage - rank in the top three in the NFL.
Yet, the Cowboys have lost three of four games.
Sure, you can always find a few positive stats to make a point. But those are categories where it usually determines how well a team is playing. If they're moving the ball, sustaining drives, racking up yards, keeping the defense off the field and completing the throws to do all of that, there should be more points on one end, and fewer on the other.
But that's just not the way it has gone to date.
Still, four games into the year, can it be turned around?
"I think we can," Phillips said. "I know it's wins and losses, but you have to consider what's going on. I think we can because of the way we're playing. I think we're playing tough on defense. I think our quarterback is throwing the ball well and the way we're moving it offensively. We're doing enough positive things for me to think it's going to be turned around."
For the players, they kept going back to execution.
"We just need to make the play when it's there," Sensabaugh said. "That's what we need to do. We have a lot of opportunities to make plays, and for one reason or another, it's just not happening. I don't know ... I don't know why it hasn't worked out for us. But I know we need to fix it."
What Phillips seemed to know on Monday was that his team won't roll over. And with the rest of the NFC teams seemingly beating each other, there's no reason to do anything else right now.
"Well, certainly, it's not where you want to be," Phillips said. "But I'm looking at the football part and what we have to do now, and we have to go forward. We're not going to quit. We're not to going to give up. We're going to keep fighting. And we're going to play better. I really believe that."