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By Tom Curran
NBCSports.com
updated 11:08 p.m. PT, Mon., Sept. 15, 2008
Tom Curran
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IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys? Well, they’re scary. Scary to opponents. Scary to themselves.
So, instead of getting caught up in all the beautiful and bizarre that occurred for both the Eagles and Cowboys during this epic Monday nighter at Texas Stadium, we’ll instead look at these facts.
The Dallas Cowboys committed 10 penalties for 108 yards — some of them drive-extenders that led to touchdowns, others that were missed. They gave the Eagles seven points on a sack/fumble/touchdown. Tony Romo got picked off in his own end of the field leading to an Eagles field goal.
Story continues below ↓
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And they STILL hang 41 on Philly — a very good team — and win, 41-37.
They talk in the NFL about “putting tape out there.” Film evidence of what a team is capable of. With the fleet of talent the Cowboys have, it’s not a leap to say that the only team capable of beating the Cowboys is the Cowboys.
“We just couldn’t find those plays to get us off the field,” said Eagles linebacker Chris Gocong who — like many Eagles defenders, should be checked for whiplash with the number of throws that zipped over their heads from Romo (21 for 30 for 312 yards, three TDs and one pick). “It hurts. We really wanted it. We knew we had the talent to win. I can’t explain what I’m feeling right now.”
How about outgunned?
Said Romo, “That’s a straight country-western (shootout). Good thing we were Clint Eastwood tonight.”
The Cowboys' complement of weapons is well documented. From Romo, to the man who runs like his has hellhounds on his trail, Marion Barber, to Jason Witten, to the often uncoverable Terrell Owens. With Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett now a bona fide offensive chess master, it’s enough to make an opposing defensive coordinator bang in sick.
They are loaded. And they are starving to score.
The mentality, according to Cowboys center Andre Gurode is, “Not confidence. It’s a sense of urgency. It’s ‘Look, we’re on the field. We need to do something positive. We need to put points on the board. Three or seven points, we need to do it, we must, we have to. It’s go time.”
Gurode is part of a Cowboys offensive line that, defensive end Greg Ellis said, gets lost in the shuffle.
“We’re not just our skill guys, a lot has to be said about the offensive line,” Ellis pointed out. “Skill guys get a lot of attention but you can’t forget the offensive line. There’s a lot of talent on this team. Our challenge is playing up to the hype everyone puts on us.”
The construction of this Dallas team invites the hype. And the style of the players means that there will be head-slapping plays. Romo trying to make something out of absolutely nothing in the first half — mishandling a snap in the end zone, scooping it and then getting sacked while trying to throw, which led to a fumble recovery for a touchdown — would be a case in point.
“You’re gonna have that sometimes when you have a team with a lot of playmakers on it,” said Ellis. “You’ll have a guy who knows what the cautious thing to do is, but if he is used to making plays and wants to make plays, he’s going to try and make a play with it. Which guy would you rather have? I think you’d rather have the guy who tries to make a play.”
Slide show
Week in Sports Pictures
A baseball no-hitter, paralympic heroes, physical football, and more.
more photos
And on this night — and most Sundays — the Cowboys will have enough to overcome the brain farts they are capable of.
“(Coming back from first-half adversity) lets you know when the chips are down, that we do have the team that can fight back and will fight back. We won’t throw the tent out,” said Ellis.
“You’re not always going to play good,” said Romo. “You’re not always going to make the right choice. I had two plays tonight that you obviously want back, but this game is about human error. You just try and let those go and try to come right back and score the next time as an offensive unit. We are always a little bit upset when we don’t score.”
ALSO ON THIS STORY
Discuss: Sound off on NFL message boards
Scoring will not be a problem for these Cowboys. Not with Garrett at the controls. But scoring often is going to be a necessity against the league’s better teams because of Dallas’ penchant for gambling.
And don’t think they’re going to be reined in at all. Not when their head coach Wade “Everything is Beautiful” Phillips is giddier than most fans at the end of it. Phillips opened his postgame remarks thusly: “All right! What a game, what a win!”
Scary good. That’s what the 2008 edition of the Dallas Cowboys are right now.
NBCSports.com
updated 11:08 p.m. PT, Mon., Sept. 15, 2008
Tom Curran
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys? Well, they’re scary. Scary to opponents. Scary to themselves.
So, instead of getting caught up in all the beautiful and bizarre that occurred for both the Eagles and Cowboys during this epic Monday nighter at Texas Stadium, we’ll instead look at these facts.
The Dallas Cowboys committed 10 penalties for 108 yards — some of them drive-extenders that led to touchdowns, others that were missed. They gave the Eagles seven points on a sack/fumble/touchdown. Tony Romo got picked off in his own end of the field leading to an Eagles field goal.
Story continues below ↓
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And they STILL hang 41 on Philly — a very good team — and win, 41-37.
They talk in the NFL about “putting tape out there.” Film evidence of what a team is capable of. With the fleet of talent the Cowboys have, it’s not a leap to say that the only team capable of beating the Cowboys is the Cowboys.
“We just couldn’t find those plays to get us off the field,” said Eagles linebacker Chris Gocong who — like many Eagles defenders, should be checked for whiplash with the number of throws that zipped over their heads from Romo (21 for 30 for 312 yards, three TDs and one pick). “It hurts. We really wanted it. We knew we had the talent to win. I can’t explain what I’m feeling right now.”
How about outgunned?
Said Romo, “That’s a straight country-western (shootout). Good thing we were Clint Eastwood tonight.”
The Cowboys' complement of weapons is well documented. From Romo, to the man who runs like his has hellhounds on his trail, Marion Barber, to Jason Witten, to the often uncoverable Terrell Owens. With Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett now a bona fide offensive chess master, it’s enough to make an opposing defensive coordinator bang in sick.
They are loaded. And they are starving to score.
The mentality, according to Cowboys center Andre Gurode is, “Not confidence. It’s a sense of urgency. It’s ‘Look, we’re on the field. We need to do something positive. We need to put points on the board. Three or seven points, we need to do it, we must, we have to. It’s go time.”
Gurode is part of a Cowboys offensive line that, defensive end Greg Ellis said, gets lost in the shuffle.
“We’re not just our skill guys, a lot has to be said about the offensive line,” Ellis pointed out. “Skill guys get a lot of attention but you can’t forget the offensive line. There’s a lot of talent on this team. Our challenge is playing up to the hype everyone puts on us.”
The construction of this Dallas team invites the hype. And the style of the players means that there will be head-slapping plays. Romo trying to make something out of absolutely nothing in the first half — mishandling a snap in the end zone, scooping it and then getting sacked while trying to throw, which led to a fumble recovery for a touchdown — would be a case in point.
“You’re gonna have that sometimes when you have a team with a lot of playmakers on it,” said Ellis. “You’ll have a guy who knows what the cautious thing to do is, but if he is used to making plays and wants to make plays, he’s going to try and make a play with it. Which guy would you rather have? I think you’d rather have the guy who tries to make a play.”
Slide show
Week in Sports Pictures
A baseball no-hitter, paralympic heroes, physical football, and more.
more photos
And on this night — and most Sundays — the Cowboys will have enough to overcome the brain farts they are capable of.
“(Coming back from first-half adversity) lets you know when the chips are down, that we do have the team that can fight back and will fight back. We won’t throw the tent out,” said Ellis.
“You’re not always going to play good,” said Romo. “You’re not always going to make the right choice. I had two plays tonight that you obviously want back, but this game is about human error. You just try and let those go and try to come right back and score the next time as an offensive unit. We are always a little bit upset when we don’t score.”
ALSO ON THIS STORY
Discuss: Sound off on NFL message boards
Scoring will not be a problem for these Cowboys. Not with Garrett at the controls. But scoring often is going to be a necessity against the league’s better teams because of Dallas’ penchant for gambling.
And don’t think they’re going to be reined in at all. Not when their head coach Wade “Everything is Beautiful” Phillips is giddier than most fans at the end of it. Phillips opened his postgame remarks thusly: “All right! What a game, what a win!”
Scary good. That’s what the 2008 edition of the Dallas Cowboys are right now.
