From: gordons@netcom.com (Gordon Storga)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Subject: Re: Playoffs/the final answer/the Cowboys.
Date: 28 Dec 92 23:30:25 GMT
Organization: Gizmonic Institute - Home of the "Big G Burger"

<1992Dec28.181727.1278@pbhyg.PacBell.COM> dggok@PacBell.COM (David G. Gok) :
><1992Dec28.094901.4751@admin1.memst.edu> jasmith@admin1.memst.edu (John) :
...
>>                             1ST ROUND GAMES
>>
>>          Philadelphia     24                 Houston          16
>>       at San Francisco    28              at Pittsburgh       23
>>
>>
>>          Minnesota        17                 Kansas City      35
>>       at Dallas           34              at Miami            17
>>
>>       It's a big game and it hard for me to go against Philly since they lost
>>       the last game between Philly-SF but Philly looks like they might just
>>       going back into the slump.  Bad time to go into a slump, San Francisco 
>>       is just too much for a slumping Philadelphia team.  Minnesota just
>>       doesn't have enough offensive to score with the Cowboys.  The Cowboys
>>       who by no doubt have the strongest offensive in the NFL this year.  
>
>Excuse me.  By what yardstick?  49ers - #1 in points scored.  49ers - #1
>in yardage gained?  Where are the Cowboys?  Remember, Dallas didn't have
>to play the best defense in the NFL - New Orleans - TWICE.  (And for
>those that disagree that NO is the best defense, read on below.)

I read.  Let's see now:  SF got to rack up 97 points against whimpy Atlanta
yet you don't put an asterisk next to their #1 scoring record.  Yet, you
want us to take New Orleans opponents into account when considering them
the #1 defense.  Yeah, seems fair, uh huh, right.

>>       San Francisco has the best passing offensive, but the Cowboys are a 
>>       well balanced attack unlike the 49ers.  And the Cowboys statisically own
>
>Well, Waters will gain his 1000+ yards tonight, after having missed most of
>4 games.  

Watters missed 2 complete games and parts of two others.  Supposedly he
could have played the entire game against the awesome Buccaneers.  He
carried 7 times for an incredible 13 yards, and even managed to lose his
thousand on his last carry.  In another post I commented on what 1000
yard running backs mean in a 16 game season.

>          Well balanced attack?  For most of the year the 49ers have been
>the #1 RUSHING team in the NFL and the #3 passing team.  Gee, where is
>Dallas???

Since you like to look beyond the mere statistics of teams, take away
400 of Young's 540 yards rushing and the 9ers rushing rank falls to 7th
or 8th. (I took 400 away because in the NFC the QBs appear to average
about 140 yards rushing)  Anyone who knows football knows that a QB's
rushing yardage is gained against a passing defense (You know, where
the LB's and defensive backs are all 15 yards deep), hardly indicative of
a "rushing attack".
...
>>       Dallas who has been prone to give up points thru the air will give up 
>>       four score in the air.  But San Francisco who has not faced an
>>       offensive attack like the Cowboys will understand what real offensive
>
>Excuse me.  "...has not faced an offensive attack like the Cowboys"?  I
>don't have the final season's numbers in front of me, only the ones as of
>12/9/92 (after 13 games played).  However, the 49ers have the #1 offensive,
>whether measured by POINTS (Cowboys tied for 3rd) or YARDS (Cowboys 5th).
>Who do you think the 49er defense practices against?  

I bet it's not the starting offense at full speed.

>                                                      Anyway, we already
>played Buffalo (gave up 34 points early in season) and Miami (gave up 3
>points late in season), both ranked ahead of Dallas

The Buffalo game was so long ago as to be meaningless and Miami, while
having the #2 passing game in terms of yardage, has the #24 running game
in terms of yardage.  Hardly a balanced offense.  Dallas is #6 in rushing,
and #5 in passing.

>                                                      Unlike Dallas,
>both of those teams have playoff tested quarterbacks.  We didn't play
>Houston, who is also ranked ahead of Dallas offensively.

Dallas didn't play many high-powered offenses, true.

>Dallas hasn't come close to 49 points this season.  Best was 41 (?)
>against the Falcons.  Do you recall the 49er scores against Atlanta?
>How about 56-17 and 41-3?  Who do you think you are, the 1986 Giants :-).

Do you recall when the starters came out of those games for SF?  Try Rice
running a reverse with a 35 point lead against second stringers.  Can you
say running up the score against a whimp team?

>>       fire power is all about.  A pass defensive that is rank amoung the worse
>>       in the NFL and rushing defensive that has not been test by the top
>>       rusher in the league.  E.Smith will have a field day, so will Aikman and
>
>Actually, I happen to believe that Thomas and Sanders are both better than
>Smith (but obviously this is very subjective).  

Not really.  But then at least you didn't claim Watters was better than
Smith. :-)

>                                                Thomas caused the niners
>fits early in the season.  

You mean the 9er defense has trouble with quality running backs? Gosh!

>                           We will find out about Sanders tonight.  BTW,
>if the Dallas and Pittsburgh games had been reversed, with Dallas playing
>first and Pittsburgh playing last you would have seen Foster win
>the rushing championship!  It all depended on who had already finished
>rushing for the day.  Do you think Johnson would have left Smith in
>to up his yards total in a meaningless (in playoff standings) game without
>knowing what Foster was going to do?  If so, you think less of Johnson's
>coaching abilities than I do :-).

Seeing as how the game was in doubt until the third quarter, and Johnson
said he wanted to go into the playoffs on a winning note, I think Johnson
would have played Smith pretty much the same way.

...
>>       OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE, COWBOYS.  That's the story.  The Cowboys have done
>
>I also believe that the Cowboys' defense is overrated!  Have they played the
>NFL's best offense - the 49ers?  Have they played the second best - the
>Bills?  Have they played the third best - the Oilers?  Have they played the
>fourth best - the Dolphins?  NO. NO. NO. NO.  (And by the way, NO (as in
>NEW ORLEANS) has played these teams four times!!!!)  My stats (remember,
>I only have through the first 13 games) show NO 2nd to Dallas.

New Orleans is third as of December 27.

>                                                                Change the
>teams they play.  Make Dallas play a GOOD offense.  Then come back and
>say that Dallas is a dominate defensive team.  

Well, we'll just jump in our time-machine and do that.  Sheesh! Blame the
Cowboys for scheduling.  At least they don't get to run up their stats
against Atlanta and the Rams twice a year.

>                                               Actually, I hope you
>play NO in round 2.  THEN you will find out if you have an offense.
>Buffalo and San Francisco managed to beat them, can Dallas?

This head-to-head stuff is tough to work with.  Let's see the Rams beat
Dallas once by 4 points, and the 9ers beat the Rams twice, by 4 and by
17.  Therefore the 9ers are better than Dallas.  But wait, The Cards
beat the 9ers by 10 points, and Dallas beat the Cards twice, by 11 and by
6.  So that means that Dallas is better...  but...

The only head to head matchup that will satisfy you will come in the
Championship game.

>By the way, this is NOT a knock against Dallas.  

Could have fooled me.

>                                                 The Cowboys have had
>a great season and could well represent the NFC in the SB.  However,
>there are 5 other teams that will have a say in that.  Besides, the
>AFC representative could be stronger than any of us NFC bigots believe.

Yes, we are all just guessing about the playoffs.  But the AFC reps do not
appear to be stronger as a whole than the NFC reps.  Injuries may dictate
the SB winner.


Gordon
-- 
The opinions expressed are my own, and not the beliefs or opinions
of whatever company you think I work for.  So there, thhhbbbt!
Message to Kodak:  Freedom for Dan Bredy.
Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro