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10:30 AM Sat, Dec 27, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Brian Davis E-mail News tips
1. All on the line
The X's and O's are always important. But this game will be the ultimate measure of the Cowboys' heart. It's a simple question, really. How bad do the Cowboys want to win and get into the playoffs? "The competitive guy inside of you really enjoys playing in these situations when you know you have to win," Tony Romo said. "You've got to go do it on the road, against a tough opponent in a difficult environment. I suspect our team will be ready to go." Make no mistake, this is a franchise-changing game. Lose, and there could be wholesale changes from the head coach on down. Win, and this team lives to play for a Super Bowl.
2. Stop Westbrook
In Week 2, the Cowboys were focused on controlling Eagles running back Brian Westbrook. Nothing's changed here in Week 17, from the Cowboys' perspective anyway. The Eagles media has grilled coach Andy Reid for his play-calling in the Commanders' loss. Reid called 16 consecutive passing plays at one point during the game. That took the ball out of Westbrook's hands. Expect Reid to go with the running game more against a Cowboys' defense that gave up 77- and 82-yard touchdown runs against the Ravens. Westbrook averages 4 yards per carry and has nine touchdowns. He also has 52 catches for 390 yards.
3. Teeth in the D?
Multiple Cowboys defensive players believe the Ravens' two long touchdown runs last week should not wipe out all the good things they've done in December. "The stuff that we're doing is working," Anthony Spencer said. "We just had a couple of breakdowns here and there. It wasn't broken, so we're definitely not going to try and fix anything." They've got to prove it against the Eagles. The pass defense will be in the spotlight. DeSean Jackson had a 60-yard catch against the Cowboys and had 110 receiving yards total. Safeties Ken Hamlin and Keith Davis can't let the Eagles to roam free over the middle.
4. Dumb mistakes
After 15 games, it's difficult to see how the Cowboys can change their tendencies now. But they've got to stop making the dumb mistakes that hurt them in critical situations. That means you can't jump offside on third-and-short. You can't get false starts. And you certainly can't have 12 men on the field. "We've had a lot of penalties, whether they're pre- or post-[snap] penalties," Terrell Owens said. "We've got to clean up everything from a mental assignment standpoint. We've got to clean up all across the board." The Cowboys have a league-high 115 penalties this season. They had 10 against the Eagles in Week 2.
Brian Davis E-mail News tips
1. All on the line
The X's and O's are always important. But this game will be the ultimate measure of the Cowboys' heart. It's a simple question, really. How bad do the Cowboys want to win and get into the playoffs? "The competitive guy inside of you really enjoys playing in these situations when you know you have to win," Tony Romo said. "You've got to go do it on the road, against a tough opponent in a difficult environment. I suspect our team will be ready to go." Make no mistake, this is a franchise-changing game. Lose, and there could be wholesale changes from the head coach on down. Win, and this team lives to play for a Super Bowl.
2. Stop Westbrook
In Week 2, the Cowboys were focused on controlling Eagles running back Brian Westbrook. Nothing's changed here in Week 17, from the Cowboys' perspective anyway. The Eagles media has grilled coach Andy Reid for his play-calling in the Commanders' loss. Reid called 16 consecutive passing plays at one point during the game. That took the ball out of Westbrook's hands. Expect Reid to go with the running game more against a Cowboys' defense that gave up 77- and 82-yard touchdown runs against the Ravens. Westbrook averages 4 yards per carry and has nine touchdowns. He also has 52 catches for 390 yards.
3. Teeth in the D?
Multiple Cowboys defensive players believe the Ravens' two long touchdown runs last week should not wipe out all the good things they've done in December. "The stuff that we're doing is working," Anthony Spencer said. "We just had a couple of breakdowns here and there. It wasn't broken, so we're definitely not going to try and fix anything." They've got to prove it against the Eagles. The pass defense will be in the spotlight. DeSean Jackson had a 60-yard catch against the Cowboys and had 110 receiving yards total. Safeties Ken Hamlin and Keith Davis can't let the Eagles to roam free over the middle.
4. Dumb mistakes
After 15 games, it's difficult to see how the Cowboys can change their tendencies now. But they've got to stop making the dumb mistakes that hurt them in critical situations. That means you can't jump offside on third-and-short. You can't get false starts. And you certainly can't have 12 men on the field. "We've had a lot of penalties, whether they're pre- or post-[snap] penalties," Terrell Owens said. "We've got to clean up everything from a mental assignment standpoint. We've got to clean up all across the board." The Cowboys have a league-high 115 penalties this season. They had 10 against the Eagles in Week 2.
