When the 2007 season began, many wondered how everything was going to come together for coach Wade Phillips and the Gang. As the season began, many bandwagon fans and media “experts” annointed certain games as “statement games.” They were contests that were going to tell us exactly what this team was made of and where they were at on defense, offense, etc. Certain games took on different meanings as they got closer due to those teams becoming competitive and having good years.

First it was the NY Giants at home. Game 1 was considered pretty huge since it was against a divisional opponent who has a recent history of being a pretty good defensive football team. Dallas OC Jason Garrett had his grand opening of his new offensive scheme, and Dallas dominated despite the score 45-35.

Next was Chicago.  Sports pundits, media, and emotional fans said that this would be the true test of Dallas’ resolve as they went up against a very stout defense at Soldier Field. This was tagged as a pretty big game for The Boys. Result: Dallas 34  Chicago 10

Then, New England came to town and put on their expected display of fireworks and suffocating defense. Dallas did put up a good fight and was very close until Brady and Co. threw it into overdrive and peeled rubber down the street to victory 48-27. No big deal though. They’re in another conference, and their performance didn’t surprise anyone.

The next huge game facing them was now Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial. My theory personally was that Tony Romo had never faced the Eagles on their turf, and since Philly didn’t have a very good reputation for being friendly to opposing QB’s, this was going to be a litmus test of how Romo did in very unfriendly confines. It was the first of three straight divisional games and the concern was it was going to be loss #2. The poise and poison of Romo dominated as did the Dallas D. This speed bump was averted as Dallas rolled 38-17.

Last Sunday, to me, was the biggest game to date for Dallas. Since Game 1 vs. NY, the Giants had quietly gone 6-1 and were now looking at the distinct honor of wiping Dallas from the division perch by embarrassing them at home. This NY team was not the same squad Dallas saw at Texas Stadium nine weeks prior, but then again, this was not the same Dallas team either.

The two NFC East foes stayed neck-to-neck through the first half, but then Dallas did what it’s done all year. It came out of the second half with guns blazing, and Romo blew his way out of the jam and rode off into the sunset with another W under his belt as Dallas cruised to a 31-20 victory.

NY looked lost and bewildered following halftime. They amassed many penalties, took dumb time outs, and just simply could not escape the Dallas grip on their offense. This Giants team looked like their old selves back when the season began as they seemed lost on defense, very inconsistent of offense, and didn’t seem to be on the same page as their Dead-Man-Walking coach Tom Coughlin.

A lot can happen in the next seven games, but one thing is for sure. Dallas cannot afford to lay back and relax as they bask in the sunshine of their 8 wins. There are still two games vs. Washington and one more against Philly. Green Bay is coming to town as well and that looks to be the biggest showdown in front of them so far. I wouldn’t discount a road game to Detroit as a given either. This is a good looking team on offense and the home field advantage could pay real dividends for them. The Thanksgiving game vs. the Jets and the road game to Carolina, who hasn’t won at home yet this year, honestly do not scare me.

This squad is looking might invincible especially on the road, and a playoff berth is just over the horizon, but it is going to be imperative that they take it one step at a time.

When the 2007 season began, many critics and NFL enthusiasts were very skeptical of the Giants’ chances this year. There had been off-season bickering amongst the players and towards ex-RB Tiki Barber along with a nasty holdout by DE Michael Strahan during training camp. The chemistry appeared to be unraveling right before their eyes.

Then came Game One in Big D. The Giants immediately exposed Dallas’ secondary to take an early lead and was only down 17-16 at the half.

That was before all hell broke loose.

RB Brandon Jacobs, DE Osi Umenyiora, and QB Eli Manning all suffered injuries at different points of the game. The offense found ways to score but the defense was atrocious. While they displayed resiliency, New York seemed affected by all the turmoil that they went through the last couple of months.

Dallas meanwhile introduced Jason Garrett to the NFL by blowing open the lid on the offensive can nailed in place by Bill Parcells. They racked up 478 total yards on offense and Tony Romo shined like the North Star on a crystal clear winter night in Alaska.

This Sunday, you are going to see two teams that are not the same squads that faced each other in Week 1. Both teams are healthy and this is especially true for Dallas who did not have Greg Ellis, Terence Newman, or Tank Johnson on the field. The Giants went on a six-game win streak starting with Game 3 while Dallas continued to roll despite a flat tire vs. the unconscious Patriots. Each team has a ton of momentum going into this Meadowlands showdown.

The Dallas O-line is also playing extremely well compared to the beginning of the season but the NY D-line has been making headlines with its physical play and getting to the QB. This trench warfare will be excellent to watch and will be vital to determine the winner.

A win by NY is critical if it wants to stay in the NFC East race as a loss will put them two games behind Dallas and give them two losses to Dallas this year so that is almost like being four games behind. The Cowboys meanwhile must find a way to win for it to get back home next week to face the Redskins and wrap up this extremely critical three-game stretch against divisional foes.

This is not the same Giants team (especially on defense) that Dallas faced early on, but this is not the same Cowboys team either. I see Dallas struggling a little early on as they find their footing, and then watch Jason Garrett take out his can opener.

Other notes and observations entering Game 10: 

• In the first two games of the season, NY surrendered 80 points. In the last six games, they given up 79.
• NT Tank Johnson will play in his first NFL game since last year’s Super Bowl loss to Indy as a member of the Bears following his 8-game suspension by The Commish.
• There was a Fan Value Experience poll taken on all 32 NFL stadiums, and Texas Stadium ranked 26th. You can read about what determined the ranking by going to http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/11/01/fvi.intro/index.html?eref=T1
• Dallas 31  NY Giants 19

Boy, did I nail this one wrong!

My theory going in to this NFC East showdown with the much-hated Eagles was that every great QB has to have a bad game in Philly. Tony Romo has, in fact, only started a season-full of games and while he is enjoying some early success and seems to be on a freight train to greatness, the fact remained that he hadn’t started or played in Philly yet.

The Eagles were at home on national TV and they were not happy how things had been going for them. Coach Andy Reid was suffering through some personal family issues with this sons so the team felt the need to rally around him.

All the ingredients were there for a pounding by Philly. Instead, Dallas grilled Philly much like a cheese steak. There was cutting, slicing, and grilling of Eagle meat on the Lincoln Financial Field frying pan, and Romo looked as much in control as I’ve ever seen him. The Philly fanatics did not phase him a bit which especially got easy when the crowd starting leaving early in the 3rd quarter.

And, you know what I think precipitated this onslaught? Romo continued his allegiance to having fun while playing football. What?! But, NFL football has become a cutthroat business and things are serious when you step onto that field, right? Don’t tell Romo that or the Cowboys season will be lost.

When he throws an interception, he’s smiling. When his offensive lineman gets called for holding bringing back a 22-yard run to get into the red zone, he slaps him on the helmet smiling and laughing. If T.O. drops a pass, Romo is looking at him shaking his head and at least smirking. When he’s on the sidelines, he brightens up that whole team. His personality and charisma is contagious and stifling.

I’ve only seen him truly down and not smiling twice: After the disastrous muffed snap in Seattle and the five-INT debacle in Buffalo. Both times, his teammates came over to console him because they knew that he was their leader, and it just killed them to see him not happy. And, let it be noted that the leader of the pack to uplift Romo in both instances was T.O.

So, don’t tell me that Romo’s passion to have fun isn’t contagious.

The whole team in general is finding a balance of having fun and playing with a fire in their guts that would make Lombardi himself proud.

The next time you see Brady or Manning mess up or watch their teammates screw up, watch their face.

There’s an excellent chance that you will see the look of a businessman.

Goodbye, Minnesota.

Hello, Bye week!

I’m out of town on business in the City of the Winless Rams. My flight boarded just before Romo found T.O. in the end zone for the game’s first score. By the time I landed, the game was part of NFL history and the Vikings were smarting from the 24-14 loss.

In watching the highlights and listening to post-game interviews, I was so relieved to see how this game was decided.

Yeah, I know Minnesota was 2-3 (now 2-4) and are basically a one-dimensional team with Adrian Peterson, but I was so glad to see that a certain part of their game woke up.

Defense and special teams.

After getting blistered by the Patriots the week before, the Cowboys D was limping. This was an excellent way to bounce back from that by stopping A.P. and getting their confidence back entering the bye week as they prepare to face Philadelphia and New York when they return.

Our special teams also had been having some real messy games allowing two returns for scores in two weeks and watching our return average slowly drop over the last few weeks. The unit came up big by blocking a field goal and returning it for a TD for the first time since September 25th, 1983 vs. New Orleans when Too Tall blocked it and Ron Fellows returned it 62 yards for the score! Wade Phillips was the Saints defensive coordinator in that game.

Getting both of these squads out of their cob webs were essential in bringing this team some much needed wholeness and balance heading into these two crucial divisional wars. Five of Dallas’ last nine games are against NFC East rivals not to mention some opponents like Green Bay,  Detroit, and Carolina sprinkled in for flavor.

Now, the real fun begins!

By now, everyone has heard of the historic day that Adrian Peterson had last week against the so-called Monsters of the Midway in the Windy City. That moniker no longer exists thanks to the rings of fire that A.P. created as he ran like a cheetah with his tail on fire in and out of the Bears defense.

The Palestine, TX native arrives in Texas Stadium very ecstatic to put on a show, but it won’t be like Chicago. Dallas has the league’s 6th-ranked rush defense and when you combine Minnesota’s 28th-ranked passing and receiving offense, then you get a fairly easy game plan it would seem. Dallas will be able to stack the box to contain Peterson and dare a pitiful Tarvaris Jackson to try and exploit a Dallas secondary ranked 26th in pass coverage.

This could actually turn out to be a very exciting game for Peterson and Cowboys fans. I expect Dallas to try and contain Peterson as much as they can, but this guy is so good that I can see Dallas letting A.P. have his time in the spotlight which could lead to shorter drives by the Vikings offense and allow Tony Romo and Co. to get on the field and have more opportunities to sustain drives, control the clock, and score.

Which leads to Romo.

Last week’s shellacking by the Patriot’s defense a week after having his worse day as a QB in Buffalo is the best thing that could have happened to Romo. In order to become a star QB in this league for many years, you have to go through those kinds of games in order to mature and grow.

Romo has now started in 16 regular-season NFL games equal to one season. His numbers compared to other Cowboys QB’s after one season puts him in some pretty good company. He has 510 attempts which is third behind Danny White and Troy Aikman. His 323 completions is second behind Danny White who had 334 in 1983. Romo has passed for 4,348 yards in these sixteen games and that is #1 when you look at Danny White’s 3,980 and Drew Bledsoe’s 3,639. His 31 TD passes hovers over White’s 29 in ‘83 as well.

Expect Romo to bounce back from last week’s lesson and return to his old form despite what Adrian Peterson does.

Other notes and observations entering Game 7

• Dallas is allowing an average of 3.4 yards per carry. Adrian Peterson is averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
• Only Kurt Warner has more passing yards (4,353) in his first 16 games as a starting NFL quarterback than Romo since the Super Bowl era began.
• NT Tank Johnson was allowed to practice and attend meetings with the team but still cannot return to playing in NFL games until November 11th vs. the Giants in New York. Commissioner Roger Goodell is looking over Johnson’s request to have his suspension reduced to 7 games which means he could play in Philadelphia on Nov. 4 following the bye week.
• CB Anthony Henry is out this week which is good news because that means he’ll be ready to come back against NY and Philly following the bye week.
• Adrian Peterson is very mature as a rookie and it can probably be traced back to his tragic childhood. When he was 7, he watched a drunk driver kill his older brother. At 13, his father was sent to prison for laundering drug money (he has since been released.) This past February the day before the NFL Combine, Peterson’s half-brother was shot and killed in Houston. He went on to run a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash the next day.
• My thoughts and prayers are with the Ron Springs family as they wait to see if his time to go to “the other side” is now.
• Dallas 40   Minnesota 17

12 penalties.

It’s hard to beat the Miami Dolphins or Rutgers when you have 12 penalties much less the New England Patriots.  I’m not saying that Dallas would have won if they had zero penalties, but I guarantee you it would have been a closer game.

The pass interference call on Patrick Watkins in the end zone and the late hit by Jason Hatcher after the reversed TD call to Randy Moss didn’t rattle me as much as it did other people. I didn’t like them because it showed me that Dallas wasn’t concentrating and didn’t have that mental edge they so desperately needed. The one that just tore me up was the holding call on Kyle Kosier on fourth and inches from the Dallas 47 after Marion Barber exploded for a first down (as he’s done all year.) This forced them to punt and it just killed that drive and the momentum.

12 penalties, though? That’s embarrassing especially on such a big stage.

But, let’s put those yellow flags aside. Yes, coach Phillips probably should have gone for the touchdown instead of the field goal in the fourth quarter with ten minutes left and down by 14 points, but he didn’t.

Yes, they probably should have tried to attack downfield more with deep passes to stay in the “Big Play” race, but they didn’t.

And, yes, coach Bill “I Need Respect” Belichick could have decided to not score one more time with 20 seconds to play since it was extremely unnecessary and made Tom Landry roll in this grave, but he needed his warm fuzzies, so he didn’t.

Forget all that.

Cowboys fans, New England is just flat out mind-blowing! I have never seen a team operate like the Patriots did Sunday and have all season so far. They were crisp, impetuous, and lethal. Nothing fazed them and that is the one thing that just amazes me about Tom Brady. He does not crack under pressure and if he ever has, he does an exemplery job of not showing it so that his teammates don’t sense it.

Dallas is not there yet and has a little ways to go. The pieces are there but I think it’s just going to take time and few more trial-by-fires like we witnessed last Sunday before they can be considered a member of that echelon.

So, it is now time to pick up the pads, helmets, emotions, and shattered egos and move on. There’s a Minnesota team coming to town this Sunday that has a rookie RB who has the potential of pulling off another performance like he did last week vs. Chicago and making the designers at the Hall of Fame begin mock-ups of the Adrian Peterson wing in about 2027.

Is this just another game on the NFL schedule as Tom Brady and many others have alluded to or is it as collosal and massive as media and fans claim?

This is not the easy way out, but —- it’s both.

On one hand, this game doesn’t mean anything when you look at the bigger picture which is always playoffs. These teams are in different conferences so home-field advantage is not an issue. A loss by Dallas and a Washington win in Green Bay will make the NFC East early race a tight one. Both teams still have to play each other twice. If the Skins lose, which is very possible, and Dallas is defeated, then Dallas is tied with Green Bay for the conference’s best record leading to an even bigger showdown November 29th when the Pack visit Texas Stadium.

A New England win or loss still doesn’t change anything for them. They are still atop their division no matter what they do and if everyone else wins Sunday. By the way, that is a huge IF. A loss will give the edge to Indy (5-0) in the AFC but they will both still be considered the top two forces in the conference and they face each other November 4th.

For Dallas, it’s a bigger game for them as this can be seen as a fantastic barometer to see how well Tony Romo has actually developed. This New England defense will be the best he’s ever faced, but then again, that’s what they said when he faced Chicago and we all know how that turned out. But, in all honesty, this will be different. Coach Bill Belichick is a genius when it comes with creating unique defensive schemes to thwart a QB. Everyone else has tried to demoralize Romo (just ask Buffalo) so let’s see what the Pats can do.

For New England, and this is going to sound insane, but we will know exactly how good they are as they take on the best defense they’ve seen so far this year. Brady has the most lethal arsenal he’s ever had, and the very weak defenses that he’s faced so far this year have been easy targets for Randy Moss and Co. Interesting side note: Randy Moss has only averaged 67.4 yards per game where he’s faced a Wade Phillips defense. If Dallas can take away the “Moss” factor, it will be huge in giving them the advantage.

You can spend an eternity breaking down this game to the nuts and bolts. You can bring up every stat in the book and dissect every player match-up to see who is going to win this game, but the deciding factor in this game comes down to two things.

Zeal and dedication.

Don’t get me wrong. This is going to be an all-out war. I expect this to be a high-scoring affair and I truly believe that NFL fans who see this game will be very entertained. But, the winner of this contest will have had the better effort and have been the most loyal to the things that got them here.

New England has manufactured a high-quality product on the field for about the last six to seven years but this year has been different as their talent level has increased mightily but has not distrupted the chemistry of this well-oiled machine that Belichick and Brady have spent many years building.

Dallas entered the season with high hopes having Wade Phillips as the general and Tony Romo as their field commander. With the addition of a brand new philosophy on offense and an upgrade on their 3-4 defensive style founded by Bill Parcells, the Cowboys were seen as a serious candidate to rise to the top of the NFC. It’s just that no one expected them to arrive to the party this early. Their enthusiasm, resiliency, and unity has quickly meshed into a battalion that, so far, has mastered every attack that they’ve experienced.

The team that sticks to their guns and wants it the most will rise victoriously.

Other notes and observations entering Game 6:

• Patriots coach Bill Belichick is Croatian.
• New England was Dallas’ very first opponent in Texas Stadium on October 24, 1971 and lost 44-21….and hasn’t won in Dallas since.
• Jerry Jones turns 65 Sunday and had dinner with New England owner Robert Kraft who is one of Jones’ closest friends.
• Tony Romo’s father has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Romo heard about it a couple of days after the victory over the Bears two weeks ago. Ramiro Romo will be at the game Sunday.
• The last time T.O. faced the Patriots, he caught 9 passes for 121 yards in Super Bowl XXXIX as a member of the Eagles.
• If Tom Brady wins Sunday, he’ll be 76-24 after his first 100 starts as an NFL quarterback. A record that he’ll share with Roger Staubach.
• Has anyone else thought about the fact that “Spygate” is all New England needed to provide a rallying point and motivating factor to turn up the gas for this season?
• CB Anthony Henry is out.
• QB Tom Brady has been on the injured list as “probable” with a shoulder injury for every game for the last four years as part of Belichick’s way to dispute the NFL’s policy on injury reports.
• Dallas 27   New England 24

Bold, explosive, spicy, and sweet.

The Buffalo Bills tasted an upset and were thoroughly enjoying the zesty flavor of handing the Cowboys their first defeat in front of their frenzied and frantic fans on Monday Night Football for the first time in 13 years.

Buffalo was flying high with a ton of momentum after creating six turnovers including two INT’s for a TD, returning a kickoff for a touchdown, and watching their rookie QB Trent Edwards have an outstanding debut. 

Then the full moon came out, Romo woke up, a confident rookie K nailed two 53-yarders as time expired. Suddenly, the Bills’ wings were set ablaze and they came crashing to earth in a smoldering heap as Dallas flew to 5-0 for the year.

Tony Romo was sitting on an orange cooler after throwing his fourth interception looking dejected and hanging on by a thread. I hadn’t seen this look since he walked off the field in Seattle last January. This was just simply not his night. Besides the INT’s, he lost a fumble, and overthrew his receivers. He found Jason Witten earlier in the game and did make some key throws to keep Dallas within striking distance, but he suddenly found himself on the cooler wondering what the hell went wrong.

Then, his family showed up.

Witten jogged by slapped the side of his butt. Terence Newman came over and put his arm around Romo and whispered something in his ear. Five other players, including T.O., came over and forced him to look them in the eye as they encouraged him that the game was not over. Receivers coach Ray Sherman came over to get a drink and chatted. Right before Dallas’ final TD drive, coach Wade Phillips leaned over to Romo and said, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we won this game?”

Britney Spears meeting with the Pope and gas prices falling to $1/gallon would happen before you’d hear Bill Parcells say that to his quarterback or see this kind of familial unity on a Big Bill team. This type of affinity that appears to strengthen weekly just might rival anything ever seen on a Cowboys team.

When you consider all these factors, in addition to the fact that these Cowboys are truly having fun playing (and coaching) with enthusiasm, it makes you think that Dallas can beat anybody this season.

Welcome, New England.

On the night of December 10, 2006, the Cowboys were riding a 4-game win streak heading into a home game vs. New Orleans on national TV.  They were 8-4, and Bill Parcells’ protege’ Sean Payton was facing his mentor for the first time. No former Parcells assistant had ever beaten Big Bill in their first meeting. Everything pointed in the Cowboys favor.

New Orleans 42…Dallas 17.

Embarrassed and confidence-shattering is a start. You could feel the aftershocks from your car on the way to work the following day. I drove past Valley Ranch on my way to a job the next morning and had to struggle to keep my truck on the road.

Dallas went on to lose 2 of their next 3 games and barely landed the final playoff spot only to get humiliated again in Seattle, but it all started with that Sunday night vs. the Saints.

After the game, Bill Parcells said, “I will be worried about our confidence a little bit, I’m sure,…so we’ll see what we can do.” LB Brady James said, “I’d like to apologize to everybody. We had stars on our helmets, but we didn’t show up.”

Dallas better show up in Buffalo this Monday night, because on any given Sunday if you aren’t focused and don’t possess a raging fire in your belly, then any team can beat you no matter what you’ve accomplished up to that point. The Bills have a young rookie QB who played well last week, a rookie RB in Marshawn Lynch who will be Dallas’ toughest assignment yet, and a dangerous receiver in Lee Evans. Yet, their defense is ravaged by injuries and is ranked last in the league.

The Bills will also be at home on national TV welcoming back their old coach, Wade Phillips, who guided them to a 29-19 record in three seasons including two trips to the playoffs. His reputation was tarnished forever in the minds of Bills fans when he lost to the Titans in the 1999 playoffs in the Motor City Miracle in Nashville, TN. This came on the heels of having benched Doug Flutie before the last game of the regular season and going with Rob Johnson for the playoff run. Phillips was fired after the 2000 season after an 8-8 campaign which, ironically, has only been bettered by the 2004 team that finished 9-7.

As you can see, the elements are there and the stage is set for an environment ripe for a stunning Dallas loss. They cannot take this team for granted and look ahead to the monster game vs. New England, and I don’t think they will. All they have to do is what they’ve been doing the first 25% of the season which is play aggressively, stay sharp and crisp, and gain the mental edge. They also need to improve getting out of the gate early and not keeping the game so close for the first half. This will eventually bite them in the ass…

Which can happen any given Sunday.

Other notes and observations going into Game 5:

• Marion Barber has played in 32 career games (two seasons), and has scored 26 career touchdowns. In comparison, Emmitt Smith had 21 TDs after his first 31 games.
• The list of sports jerseys that got the most search hits on Yahoo! was topped by David Beckham. Who would you guess was #2? Would you believe Marion “The Barbarian” Barber! Tony Romo was ranked 3rd.
• Wade Phillips was fired from the Bills after the 2000 season for not firing special teams coach Ronnie Jones who owner Ralph Wilson called “incompetent.” Phillips found out he had been fired by reading it in the newspaper. Don’t tell me that this game doesn’t mean anything to Coach Wade.
• Terence Newman is back full strength and will replace Anthony Henry who is out with a high ankle sprain.
• Dallas 30  Buffalo 17

Things aren’t going well for the Rams, and the Dallas Cowboys exploited that demise with a 35-7 thrashing that was worse than the score indicated. Both teams got off to a slow start and were a bit rusty in the first half, but then they went in opposite directions after half time.

The Cowboys still have some rattling noises and leaks to address, but overall they are turning into a smooth-running machine that is becoming lethal to opponents. The Rams provided a much-needed honing time for the offense and defense as they prepare for a tougher part of the schedule coming up with an away game in Buffalo on Monday night, New England, Minnesota, and then divisional match-ups on the road vs. Philly and NY.

Tony Romo continued his ascension to being part of Cowboys lore with another outstanding performance. His electrifying 33-yard run from behind the line of scrimmage after a botched snap reminded many of Roger the Dodger. Yes, he may not have been able to do that against New England…..but they weren’t playing New England. In all honesty, Romo still has experiences to accomplish before being considered in the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks, but he’s on the fast track.

The Dallas defense was facing a battered and inexperienced O-line along with a hurting QB in Marc Bulger, but they also improved and matured as they began to look like the unit that Phillips was brought in to construct. This makes 3 out of 4 QB’s in the first four weeks of the season that the Dallas defense has played a role in inflicting some serious pain or sent them to the bench the following week.

NY’s Eli Manning was slammed to the turf and separated his shoulder and somehow has found a way to play since then to post a 2-1 record the last three games, but I think the jury is still out on how he overcomes everything that he’s experiencing there in the Big Apple. Chicago benched Rex Grossman after week 3 and is now trying the Brian Griese Experiment while Marc Bulger got benched this past week in favor of the much-traveled and often-forgotten Gus Frerotte despite the fact that much of this move was due to his broken ribs.

This Dallas team is looking very good and just keeps getting better but, as Coach Phillips brought up, you have to be careful and not let over-confidence and looking ahead creep in and play with your minds.