Dropped passes silence Crayton

Jan 14, 2008 - 6:32 PM By Scott Serrano PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

Patrick Crayton's hands let him down Sunday, rendering the normally loquacious wide receiver's mouth virtually silent following the Dallas Cowboys' stunning 21-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.

Earlier this season, Crayton boastfully declared that his Cowboys would face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII if the undefeated team from Foxborough managed to get there. This, of course, came after the Patriots easily trampled Dallas, 48-27, in Week Six.

Instead, Crayton played a key role in the end of the Cowboys' season, which fell two games short of his guarantee.

"That's what happens with people like that," Giants linebacker Kawika Mitchell said. "They stick their foot in their mouth and they end up going home early. We're still in the dance and we'll be having some fun, while they'll be watching us on TV."

Against the Giants in the NFC divisional playoff game, Crayton finished with a mere three catches for 27 yards. However, it was the passes he didn't catch that might have turned the game around.

On a 3rd-and-13 play from the Dallas 17 late in the third quarter, Crayton bobbled a pass from quarterback Tony Romo on a crossing pattern and dropped it. If he had caught the pass, Crayton may have turned the play into a long gain - perhaps even a game-clinching touchdown.

Instead, the Cowboys were forced to punt and seven plays later the Giants scored to take the lead for good, 21-17.

In total, the wide receiver, who had stirred up a war of words with the Giants leading up to the game, finished with a pair of huge drops and muffed a punt.

"The Cowboys are a great football team," said New York running back Brandon Jacobs, one of the key targets of Crayton's pregame trash talk. "They might have had a chance to win if Patrick Crayton didn't drop the two key passes."

Crayton did have a 16-yard reception on Dallas' first possession of the fourth quarter, but not before dropping a pass three plays earlier.

On the Cowboys' final possession, Romo threw in Crayton's direction but the pass fell incomplete. Dallas was also forced to burn its final timeout with 26 seconds left because of Crayton.

"Patrick was tired and wasn't getting set, so I had to call a timeout," Romo admitted.

After the game, Crayton refused to answer any questions.

"Hey, I'm not talking," Crayton said as reporters approached him. "Good luck to New York. That's it."

Quite the stark contrast to his comments prior to Sunday's game, when he accused the Giants of trash-talking, insinuating that the Giants lack confidence.

"Either they're scared or they're trying to talk themselves into thinking they can (beat us)," Crayton said.

Unfortunately for Crayton, Jacobs and the Giants got the last word.

"There was a lot of talk, but it's over with," Jacobs said. "We won the game. They're chillin' and we're going to Green Bay next week."