excessive celebration and forced to kick off from their own 15. And of all things, the Titans Marc Mariani returns the kick 73 yards to the Cowboys five, leading to what turned out to be Tennessee's walk-in, game-winning touchdown with 3:28 remaining. Go figure.
Fast-forward to Game 11. Wade Phillips no longer is the excuse. He had been fired after going 1-7 the first half of the season. A revitalization had occurred in Garrett's first two games, the Cowboys beating the Giants in New York and returning home to knockoff Detroit. And here they were, leading the defending world champion New Orleans Saints, 27-23, with 3:20 left when Jon Kitna, now starting for the long-gone Tony Romo, hits Roy Williams on a slant pattern, Roy streaking down the middle of the field as if he's going to put the game away until Saints safety Malcom Jenkins takes the ball away from him at the Saints 10, of all things, setting up New Orleans for a game-winning 89-yard touchdown drive. Go figure.
Enough for one season. Ha. There were more passes to be dropped or batted into interceptions. More kicks to be blocked. More plays causing you to beat your forehead in incredulously.
And you only had to wait two games for yet another you're-kidding-me play to decide the Eagles' 30-27 victory at Cowboys Stadium. You remember, right? The game is tied 20-20, 11:43 left and Cowboys Pro Bowl punter Mat McBriar had just pinned the Eagles down at their own 11. But for some unknown reason, going against all common sense, on the first play, a Michael Vick short, maybe six-yard out to DeSean Jackson, Cowboys corner Michael Jenkins gambles on undercutting the route for a possible interception. Uh, busted, he doesn't get to the ball, Jackson going 91 incredible yards for what essentially turned into the winning touchdown. Go figure.
And alas on Christmas night in Arizona, as if the Cowboys hadn't wrapped up enough opponent gifts all season long, they came with a sack more, incredibly - or is that incredulously again? - had two catchable passes bounce off their own receivers' hands (Miles Austin and Roy Williams) into Arizona picks that were returned for touchdowns. Both, in one game. But no, that wasn't enough. How about this doozey? With the Cowboys leading 26-24, and only by two since Buehler banged the extra point after the go-ahead touchdown off the left uprights with 1:41 left (continue to go figure), the Cowboys allowed a struggling Arizona offense under the jurisdiction of rookie quarterback John Skelton, who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn all game, to complete a 26-yard pass on fourth-and-15 from his own 19, leaving the Cards all of 49 seconds to drive the rest of the way for the game-winning field goal. Go figure.
See what I'm saying. You can't even make stuff up like this, any or all shaming *
