# Another sportsmanship thread: Cowboys - Vikings playoffs



## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

I'm sure you've all seen it by now - just a couple minutes left in the game, Vikings up big, Cowboys out of timeouts, and Favre & company score again. Keith Brooking mouths off at the Vikings sideline, and later, calls the move "classless".

So.... classless or no?

I admit that generally I fall on the side of "don't run up the score". Up big, I'd like to see coaches getting their 2nd string into the game. No necessarily because it's "nice", but because I think it's smart football. Why leave your starters there and expose them to any more risk of injury than you need to when the game is clearly in your favor. Obviously football is a physical game, and every play you run the risk of injury.... so, protect your players where you can.

HOWEVER. This is the playoffs, not regular season. This isn't posturing for the 'second season', it IS the second season. At this point in the game, I don't think you can afford to take your foot off the gas. You go all out, 100% for every second of every game that you're fortunate enough to play and hope that your efforts carry you to the super bowl and beyond.

Oh... and I like seeing the cowboys embarrassed too, so that's good.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

I'll quote Aikman, "If you don't like it, then stop them."

I'd never coach kids to do it, but these are grown men paid to win.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

If this was school age kids, even college to a degree, then yes, once the game is in controll pull the 1st stringers and get the 2nd & 3rd string some play time. You gain nothing by embarrassing the other team.

Now at the pro level, these guys are getting paid a good chunk of change to win games. Even more so in the playoffs. You bring your A game, or your season is over.


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## njblackberry (Dec 29, 2007)

Maybe Brooking and his fellow "defenders" on the Cowboys (who didn't defend ANYTHING today) should consider playing a better game next time and not get destroyed by a 40 year old QB. 

Talk less; do more should the new mantra for "America's Team".


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## ebaltz (Nov 23, 2004)

Agreed. There is no such thing in running up the score in professional sports. These men are paid to play. If you don't want the other team to keep scoring, stop them. Play like a man and stop them. The whiney little girls that play for Dallas can't take having their asses beat down, so they have to cry about it. Kind of like the Packers crying to mommy about the mean Cardinals and their facemask penalties. Boo hoo.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I don't have a problem with it... but consider my other sportsmanship thread.

I would argue that IF the Vikings are a team who would rest players in a "meaningless" regular season game to get ready for the playoffs without risking injury... that the same would hold true when leading 27-3 late in the game... that you should apply that same philosophy and pull your starters.

I'd have a hard time with a team running up the score and risking injury to starters when that same team would tank a regular season game because it meant nothing.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> I'll quote Aikman, "If you don't like it, then stop them."


I love it!

Seriously, the whining in the NFL needs to stop. These men get paid more than anyone else on the planet to do what they do. Sportsmanship? !rolling


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## mystic7 (Dec 9, 2007)

Another reason why I prefer baseball. In baseball, the game isn't over until the last out. You don't see the benches empty onto the field just because there are two outs and two strikes on a lousy batter. Until that last out is recorded, the outcome is up in the air.

In football a team that clinched the playoffs will tank their remaining games, as is admitted to in this thread, while in baseball, two last place teams will play 16 innings on the last day of the season rather than just give up a homerun and go home for the year.

I know that nobody asked me for a treatise on football vs. baseball, but tough!!!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

This is bound to happen when 2 teams with no class in their coaches meet up. Not surprised at all. Too bad both of them couldn't lose.


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## RasputinAXP (Jan 23, 2008)

As a Giants fan, yesterday couldn't have gone better. The Cowboys got destroyed, they whined about it and look like children, and Philip Rivers lost to the Jets.


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## Fab55 (Jul 25, 2008)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> This is bound to happen when 2 teams with no class in their coaches meet up. Not surprised at all. Too bad both of them couldn't lose.


Wait, a coach with no class? I didn't realize Brett Favre had no class. Now, Childress, on the other hand......


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## lflorack (Dec 16, 2006)

He was just whining and should have just shut up and stopped them if he didn't like getting scored on. He was the classless one -- letting his frustration of getting beat up get the better of him.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Fab55 said:


> Wait, a coach with no class? I didn't realize Brett Favre had no class. Now, Childress, on the other hand......


I referred to the coaches specifically...neither has any class.


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

Sharkie_Fan said:


> HOWEVER. This is the playoffs, not regular season. This isn't posturing for the 'second season', it IS the second season. At this point in the game, I don't think you can afford to take your foot off the gas. You go all out, 100% for every second of every game that you're fortunate enough to play and hope that your efforts carry you to the super bowl and beyond.
> 
> Oh... and I like seeing the cowboys embarrassed too, so that's good.


You take your foot off the gas and you end up with a 51-45 game.



njblackberry said:


> Maybe Brooking and his fellow "defenders" on the Cowboys (who didn't defend ANYTHING today) should consider playing a better game next time and not get destroyed by a 40 year old QB.
> 
> Talk less; do more should the new mantra for "America's Team".


 I for one am tired of hearing Tony Romo every time I tune to ESPN.

At least my Cards manages to score two TD's in their 31 point loss to the "Who Dat!" nation. To my knowledge, no whining from any Cards players


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

machavez00 said:


> At least my Cards manages to score two TD's in their 31 point loss to the "Who Dat!" nation. To my knowledge, no whining from any Cards players


True...and we have heard no complaints about the 90 points they gave up in their 2 playoff games either...

Kudos.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

Mike and Mike had Mike Ditka on this morning as I was getting ready for work, and they asked him about the game.

His response:
If you're beating me that bad, do whatever you want to me. If I'm getting beat that badly, I've earned the right to get beat even worse.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

At that point and time in the game (4th and 3ish), the Vikings had a couple of options. Get a first down and run out the clock or score and make it certain.

While 24 points in 2 minutes is basically impossible, 21 points in that time can be done. (Barely.) In fact, an intercepted pass is the best way to see it can happen. Favre should be all too aware of that.

Yet he has been protecting the ball this season. He might have been primed to throw it away this time. 

To me, a 31 point lead is a blowout, yet just barely reaches a level of piling on points. Had it been first down, I would have completely agreed, points were unnecessary. Take the victory stance.

Cheers,
Tom


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## cheryl10 (Dec 15, 2009)

I thought the last TD was uncalled for. Minnesota should have just taken a knee and let the Cowboys run out of the clock. Dallas was not going to put Romo subject to more hard hits. Dallas was clearly beat down and there was no reason for Minnesota to rub it in their face.
But having said that, there is still no excuse for Keith Brooking to act like he had Roid Rage.


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## coldsteel (Mar 29, 2007)

To hell with taking a knee. I think that's the stupidest thing ever. You're paid idiotic amounts of money to play a 60-minute or more football game. I applaud Minnesota for continuing to play instead of wuss out. If you have a problem with them continuing to compete, go watch Frisbee Golf or something.


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## Fluthy (Feb 9, 2008)

Skol Vikings!!


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## lflorack (Dec 16, 2006)

cheryl10 said:


> I thought the last TD was uncalled for. Minnesota should have just taken a knee and let the Cowboys run out of the clock. Dallas was not going to put Romo subject to more hard hits. Dallas was clearly beat down and there was no reason for Minnesota to rub it in their face.
> But having said that, there is still no excuse for Keith Brooking to act like he had Roid Rage.


Since Dallas was still calling timeouts, they had not given up yet. Why should Minnesota? Ya can't have it both ways.

In my opnion, Dallas did the right thing by calling the time outs and continuing to try. Likewise, the Vikings should continue to score when possible because 24 Points -- although difficult -- isn't an _impossible_ gap to make up and both they and Dallas knew it. It's the Playoffs!

Brookings made himself look like an idiot. He should be embarrassed.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

Tom Robertson said:


> At that point and time in the game (4th and 3ish), the Vikings had a couple of options. Get a first down and run out the clock or score and make it certain.
> 
> While 24 points in 2 minutes is basically impossible, 21 points in that time can be done. (Barely.) In fact, an intercepted pass is the best way to see it can happen. Favre should be all too aware of that.
> 
> ...


Tom -

You've touched on one of the big points for me. It's 4th down, in a place on the field where you can't punt the ball away, so you have only a few options.

They can't run out the clock there by taking a knee. Can't punt. So, you run a play or kick a FG. In my mind, taking a knee on 4th down to turn the ball over isn't a real option. If you kick a FG, you're going to be accused of running up the score. So, you run a play. A safe one - protect the ball - but give the defense a chance to get the ball back (or not).

The defense couldn't make a stop, Vikings score, Brooking throws a tantrum, and we all have something to talk about while we wait for this weekends games.  If the Cowboys had made a play there, none of us would be sitting around debating whether the Vikings were running up the score and piling on...


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## cheryl10 (Dec 15, 2009)

lflorack said:


> Since Dallas was still calling timeouts, they had not given up yet. Why should Minnesota? Ya can't have it both ways.
> 
> In my opnion, Dallas did the right thing by calling the time outs and continuing to try. Likewise, the Vikings should continue to score when possible because 24 Points -- although difficult -- isn't an _impossible_ gap to make up and both they and Dallas knew it. It's the Playoffs!
> 
> Brookings made himself look like an idiot. He should be embarrassed.


Dallas was out of timeouts then.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I never have a problem with running up the score, especially in professional sports.

You can always stop the other team from scoring, if you are able, to prevent it from happening.


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## cheryl10 (Dec 15, 2009)

Stewart Vernon said:


> I never have a problem with running up the score, especially in professional sports.
> 
> You can always stop the other team from scoring, if you are able, to prevent it from happening.


what about showing good sportsmanship?


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## coldsteel (Mar 29, 2007)

cheryl10 said:


> what about showing good sportsmanship?


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAAA!!! :lol::lol::lol:

Please. If this was a Pee-Wee game, sure. A professional sporting event? Hell no. Those guys do not get paid too much money to be 'good sports'. They get paid to *WIN*.


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## lflorack (Dec 16, 2006)

cheryl10 said:


> Dallas was out of timeouts then.


By then, maybe. But right before that, they were not -- and Dallas was still using them to stay in the game. If they wanted the Vikes to stop trying they needed to stop using their time outs too. Personally, I don't think either of them should stop trying. It IS the playoffs.

The only one who was wrong was Brookings. He was whining.


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## ziggy29 (Nov 18, 2004)

IMO there is no such thing as running up the score in the NFL. These are all highly paid professionals and adults with much more parity than found at lower levels of the sport.

I wouldn't run it up in high school or in youth football, but in the NFL? If they want to do it, do it. The Cowboys in this case can do two things: (1) try to stop it (they are fairly evenly matched on 'any given Sunday'), and (2) get revenge the next time (by beating them, I mean, not by taking cheap shots).


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

cheryl10 said:


> what about showing good sportsmanship?


I personally find yanking players and saying "your team sucks so bad that we can beat you with random guys off the street" to be poorer sportsmanship.

"We can play you with 1 hand tied behind our backs" kind of thinking just makes people on the other side angrier than running up the score does.

Again, we aren't talking about young kids playing... we are talking about paid professionals.

If Coke gets too big of a lead in soft drink sales, should they stop trying so that Pepsi won't feel bad?

Should Ford stop trying to be profitable so that GM doesn't feel bad?

If you are doing better work than a co-worker, should you take it easy so your co-worker doesn't get an inferiority complex?


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## cheryl10 (Dec 15, 2009)

Stewart, I understand your point. But how would Vikings fans feel if Favre got injured on that play?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

cheryl10 said:


> Stewart, I understand your point. But how would Vikings fans feel if Favre got injured on that play?


I know where you're coming from, and fans (plus the news jockeys) go nuts when that stuff happens... but he could get hurt on the play before that too... or early in the game... or on his way home from practice the next week... or any number of things could happen. He could injure himself doing a rendition of "Pants on the Ground" in the locker room celebrating (Remember Gus Frerote dislocating his shoulder after a TD celebration years ago?)...

I think a lot of the 2nd-guessing armchair-QB stuff needs to be taken less seriously sometimes than it is.


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## Mustang Dave (Oct 13, 2006)

Professionalism exists even in _Professional_ Football. The game was won already and the Vikings should have kicked the field goal and gotten off the field. By attempting a pass into the end zone on 4th and 3 with the game status as it was the Vikings coaching staff showed me their inexperience and also lack of common sense by risking injury to their key offensive players on a meaningless touchdown. If that had happened everyone would be calling Childress an idiot and rightfully so.


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