BigDFan5
Cowboys Make me Drink
- Messages
- 15,109
- Reaction score
- 546
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sharedc...wboys/stories/092407dnspocowlede.3491e6d.html
[SIZE=-1]2:24 AM CDT on Monday, September 24, 2007
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
tarcher@***BANNED-URL***
[/SIZE] CHICAGO – The Cowboys came to Chicago ready to prove they were among the NFC's elite. They left making the Bears look worse than Britney Spears at MTV's Video Music Awards.
Tony Romo, who made an appearance this off-season at the Country Music Awards courtesy of Carrie Underwood, was the star of the Cowboys' convincing 34-10 win against Chicago.
Playing roughly 90 minutes from his hometown in Burlington, Wisc., and three hours from Eastern Illinois, where he played collegiately, Romo completed 22 of 35 passes for 329 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and he left Soldier Field high-fiving Cowboys fans as he made his way to the locker room.
"The journey we've been on has been pretty fun," Romo said moments before he was able to share time with his parents, who made the trip from Wisconsin. "I think it's going to be pretty exciting for the rest of the year."
The Cowboys are 3-0 for the first time since 1999, and the previous 13 times they won their first three games, they have made the playoffs. Nine times they reached a conference championship game; four times they made a Super Bowl; and three times they won a Vince Lombardi Trophy.
But those are discussions for another day.
"It is a big deal, I don't want to say it isn't," tight end Jason Witten said. "But it's still early. You don't want to get ahead of yourself."
Sunday's win wasn't just Romo, of course.
The defense intercepted Rex Grossman three times and sacked him three more, and his passer rating was a putrid 27.5. It wasn't just the pressure on Grossman and the play of the secondary. The run defense limited Chicago to 75 yards on 23 carries.
Cornerback Anthony Henry capped the defensive effort with a 28-yard interception return for a score in the fourth quarter.
Henry's touchdown after his second pick of the game made the score, 27-10, but Romo did his part earlier. He did it thanks to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett attacking a defense that tried to intimidate early but finished decimated because of injuries.
"You have to manage the game, but in managing the game you have to make plays," Garrett said. "Managing the game doesn't mean playing under wraps."
Garrett put the ball in Romo's hands in the second half. He called for a pass on 15 of the first 20 plays of the third quarter, which was gutsy after a first half in which Romo was intercepted once, sacked twice and left with a 56.0 passer rating.
But by the end of the 20-play barrage, Romo had touchdown passes to Jason Witten (3 yards) and Marion Barber (10 yards), and the Cowboys had a 17-10 lead with 1:18 left in the third quarter.
Romo completed 11 of 14 passes for 166 yards during the span. Seven of those completions went to Terrell Owens for 105 yards, but Owens' consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass ended at six.
"You do whatever you do to get the ball in the end zone," Romo said. "Jay's got a great feel. We're an attacking type team."
Through three games, the Cowboys have been getting the ball in the end zone on near-record pace. Their 116 points are the third most in team history through three games. That number could have been higher if Patrick Crayton did not drop a sure touchdown pass in the second quarter.
With 329 yards, Romo joined St. Louis' Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to throw for more than 3,500 yards in their first 13 starts.
Things were so good that Brad Johnson was able to see his first action with Romo's night complete.
"It's only three games," coach Wade Phillips said, "but it's a nice place to be for us."
[SIZE=-1]2:24 AM CDT on Monday, September 24, 2007
[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]By TODD ARCHER / The Dallas Morning News
tarcher@***BANNED-URL***
[/SIZE] CHICAGO – The Cowboys came to Chicago ready to prove they were among the NFC's elite. They left making the Bears look worse than Britney Spears at MTV's Video Music Awards.
Tony Romo, who made an appearance this off-season at the Country Music Awards courtesy of Carrie Underwood, was the star of the Cowboys' convincing 34-10 win against Chicago.
Playing roughly 90 minutes from his hometown in Burlington, Wisc., and three hours from Eastern Illinois, where he played collegiately, Romo completed 22 of 35 passes for 329 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and he left Soldier Field high-fiving Cowboys fans as he made his way to the locker room.
"The journey we've been on has been pretty fun," Romo said moments before he was able to share time with his parents, who made the trip from Wisconsin. "I think it's going to be pretty exciting for the rest of the year."
The Cowboys are 3-0 for the first time since 1999, and the previous 13 times they won their first three games, they have made the playoffs. Nine times they reached a conference championship game; four times they made a Super Bowl; and three times they won a Vince Lombardi Trophy.
But those are discussions for another day.
"It is a big deal, I don't want to say it isn't," tight end Jason Witten said. "But it's still early. You don't want to get ahead of yourself."
Sunday's win wasn't just Romo, of course.
The defense intercepted Rex Grossman three times and sacked him three more, and his passer rating was a putrid 27.5. It wasn't just the pressure on Grossman and the play of the secondary. The run defense limited Chicago to 75 yards on 23 carries.
Cornerback Anthony Henry capped the defensive effort with a 28-yard interception return for a score in the fourth quarter.
Henry's touchdown after his second pick of the game made the score, 27-10, but Romo did his part earlier. He did it thanks to offensive coordinator Jason Garrett attacking a defense that tried to intimidate early but finished decimated because of injuries.
"You have to manage the game, but in managing the game you have to make plays," Garrett said. "Managing the game doesn't mean playing under wraps."
Garrett put the ball in Romo's hands in the second half. He called for a pass on 15 of the first 20 plays of the third quarter, which was gutsy after a first half in which Romo was intercepted once, sacked twice and left with a 56.0 passer rating.
But by the end of the 20-play barrage, Romo had touchdown passes to Jason Witten (3 yards) and Marion Barber (10 yards), and the Cowboys had a 17-10 lead with 1:18 left in the third quarter.
Romo completed 11 of 14 passes for 166 yards during the span. Seven of those completions went to Terrell Owens for 105 yards, but Owens' consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass ended at six.
"You do whatever you do to get the ball in the end zone," Romo said. "Jay's got a great feel. We're an attacking type team."
Through three games, the Cowboys have been getting the ball in the end zone on near-record pace. Their 116 points are the third most in team history through three games. That number could have been higher if Patrick Crayton did not drop a sure touchdown pass in the second quarter.
With 329 yards, Romo joined St. Louis' Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to throw for more than 3,500 yards in their first 13 starts.
Things were so good that Brad Johnson was able to see his first action with Romo's night complete.
"It's only three games," coach Wade Phillips said, "but it's a nice place to be for us."