The Saints managed to shoot themselves in the foot enough times to lose to the Cowboys in the 'Dome on Monday night. While Dallas returned two interceptions for TDs, the Saints settled for FGs following a pair of picks that gave the offense the ball at the Cowboy 16 & 27. Terrible officiating didn't help matters any. It's true that the game meant little to Dallas, but this still would've (and should've) been a good win for the Saints. On the third play from scrimmage, a 13 yard screen to Derek Brown on 3rd & 12 from the 24 prevented a quick punt. A three yard run by Mario Bates and a seven yard catch by Michael Haynes moved the sticks. The same combo (Bates run, Haynes catch) got the team another 1st (at the Dallas 41). On the next play, Jim Everett attempted to dump a pass to Bates in the flat. Offensive lineman Willie Williams must've blocked the QB's vision, because Chad threw the ball right to Tony Tolbert, who ran 53 yards the other way for a TD. Derrick Ned took the ensuing (short) kickoff to the 33. Everett hit Quinn Early for 11 on 3rd & 8 from the 35. Bates ran twice (for 7 & 5) to pick up another 1st. A sack and an incompletion brought up 3rd & 19. Everett threw a strike to Wesley Walls at the Dallas 30, but the TE dropped the ball when hit (he was offsides on the play anyway). Ned batted Tommy Barnhardt's punt out of the endzone to put the Cowboys only three yards away from the goal line. Aikman hit Novacek for 18 on the Cowboys' first offensive play of the game. Two Smith runs and a pass to the back gave Dallas another 1st at the 35. Aikman then hit Irvin for 5 and Novacek for 7. On 3rd & 9 from the Dallas 48, Irvin caught a pass at the NO 40. A two yard loss on a Smith swing pass and a holding penalty killed the Cowboys' momentum, and good defense by Vinnie Clark on a 3rd down pass forced a punt. The Saints tried for a block by shifting Joel Smeenge inside and bringing Tyrone Hughes up to the line, but Dallas got the kick off and downed it at the 4. Carl Smith overheard me say "slant-in to Torrance Small" to my brother on 3rd & 4 from the 10, and the play was good for a 10 yard gain (Small made a superb catch). On the next play Bates exploded through the line and ran down the sideline for a 40 yard gain (he might have broke it for a TD, but pulled his hamstring while running). The team dodged a bullet when Brown recovered his own fumble during a 7 yard run on the next play. On 4th & inches from the 30, Bates got the 1st. The team couldn't move the sticks again, though, and Morten Andersen hooked his 41 yard FG attempt wide. A 6 yard catch by Johnston and a 14 yard Smith run moved Dallas to the NO 49. On the next play Jimmy Spencer cleanly knocked down a pass, but the ref flagged him for pass interference at the 33 (a terrible call). One play later, Wayne Martin batted a pass into the arms of Darrion Conner. The LB was somehow caught by a Cowboy offensive lineman at the Dallas 16. At this point my eagle-eyed cousin Christopher saw me on TV (I was in the 'Dome). If you have the game on tape, look for the close-up of a guy wearing a Santa hat. That's not me. In the next shot, I'm in the bottom right hand corner of the screen (dark hair, black shirt) standing, clapping, and nodding my head. Back to the game. On the first post-interception play, Everett scrambled out of the pocket. Maryland shoved the QB after he was out of bounds, so the ball moved to the 7. Unfortunately, a 3 yard Bates run was sandwiched between two incompletions, so the team settled for a 22 yard FG with 3:31 to go before the half. With Dallas facing 3rd & 6 from the 28, the defense set up the O with good field position again. A Carl Lee blitz forced Aikman to throw a bad pass, which Spencer intercepted. The ref ruled that he stepped out of bounds at the 27, but in the replay the DB appeared to have stayed in until reaching the one. Everett lofted a ball to Early at the goal line on the next play. The WR was mugged, but there was no pass interference call. An 11 yard Early catch and a 2 yard Bates run followed. On 3rd down Everett hit Walls with a fine pass in the endzone, but the TE simply dropped the ball. Andersen kicked a 32 yard FG with 50 seconds left before halftime. The special teams coach tried to do something cute on the ensuing kickoff, but it didn't work. Andersen kicked the ball high and short, but Dallas returned it to their own 47. A run by Smith, a catch by Novacek, and a catch by Smith moved the ball to the NO 19. Smith ran for 7 more, but the Cowboys were slow in calling their final timeout and had time only for a 30 yard FG, which they made. Dallas launched an impressive TD drive on the first possession of the second half. On 3rd & 6 from the 29, Aikman hit Williams for 11. On 3rd & 7 from the 43, Aikman hit Irvin for 9. On 3rd & 1 from the NO 39, Smith ran for 3. A 12 yard pass to Irvin and a 10 yard throw to Novacek gave Dallas a 1st at the 14. On 3rd & 2 from the 6, Aikman scrambled for 4. On the next play Smith scored on a 2 yard TD run. Hughes took the ensuing kickoff to the 34. Bates lost 7 on a 1st down run, but a 9 yard throw to the Master and 12 yard pass to Early moved the chains and kept the Cowboy offense off the field (an important accomplishment). More Dallas penetration created a 3 yard Bates loss, but Everett hit Haynes for 13 and a 1st on the next play. The QB went deep to Early on the next play, and this time the refs made the interference call, giving the Saints the ball at the Dallas 13. Unfortunately, the team once again failed to convert in the red zone when Everett was sacked while out of the pocket on 3rd & 3 from the 6. Andersen booted a 30 yard FG. On the first play of Dallas' next drive, Smith went down with a pulled hamstring during a 7 yard gain (he didn't return). A one yard run by Johnston and a 3 yard Thomas run gave the 'Boys a 1st. A Williams reverse and a Thomas run moved Dallas to midfield. Two passes in a row to Irvin put the Cowboys at the NO 16. On 3rd & 10, Hughes was flagged for holding Novacek (I couldn't tell if it was a good call or not, there was no replay in the stadium or on TV). On 3rd & 2 from the three yard line, the D limited Thomas to one yard. Joe Johnson blocked Boniol's 20 yard FG attempt. The lift provided by the blocked FG didn't last long. On the next play, Everett tried to throw a short pass to Brown. Lett forced the QB to throw a bit too far to the right, and the RB deflected the ball into the hands of Darrin Smith, who returned it for a TD. With 9:17 remaining, the Saints were down by 15. Hughes returned the ensuing kickoff to the 36. The Saints moved quickly into Cowboy territory with an 11 yard catch by Early and a 13 yard catch by Haynes. On 4th & 1 from the Cowboy 31, Brown ran for 4. One play later, Small took a pass down to the 8. One play later Brown ran for a 4 yard TD. Mora made the correct call for the post-TD try- a successful kick. Good kick coverage and a holding penalty forced Dallas to start at their own 6. Three short passes didn't get the Cowboys a first down, so the Saints got the ball back (Hughes took the punt to the NO 45). Everett hit Haynes right away for a 12 yard gain, but two incompletions followed. On third down the QB tried to hit a well-covered Walls on a post at the 21, and Darrin Smith picked off his second pass in a 7 minute span. The home crowd was very disappointing. Most had already left after the first Smith interception, and the majority of the remaining fans headed for the exits after the second pick. There was 2:52 left, and the Saints had all of their timeouts (and the two-minute warning) to stop the Cowboys and drive for a game-tying score. A loud crowd might've helped the defense get a stop and force a punt, but the 'Dome was nearly silent. Johnston ran for 3 on first down. On second down most of the defensive line jumped offside. Thomas ran for 1, and on 3rd & 1 Agee ran for 3. There was still a chance to give Hughes a shot at a big punt return by preventing another first down. Following a 4 yard Johnston run, the Saints jumped offside again. Johnston picked up the 1st on the next play, and the Cowboys were able to run out the clock and eliminate the Saints from playoff contention. The Cowboys didn't play up to their potential, but a 3/4 strength Dallas team is still a worthy opponent. Without all the mistakes, this would've been a nice win. A fine defensive performance by Sam Mills was wasted. The season ends next Saturday with a trip to Mile High Stadium to play the Broncos. stats- rushing passing Bates 17 68 1 10 Brown 6 19 TD 2 15 Neal 1 2 Haynes 7 59 Early 4 44 Small 3 32 Muster 1 2 ................................................ Everett 18-32-162 3 INT Dallas: Aikman 21-28-175, 2 INT Smith 19-74, TD rushing; 5-21 receiving Irvin 6-71 receiving Novacek 5-50 receiving ******************************************************************************* Frank Serpas III serpas@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu