my nfldb column

jterrell

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The Dallas Cowboys were sitting in the third quarter with a lead and the Pats looked like just another Dallas opponent. Dallas started slowly, fell behind early on but had gotten stronger with each drive and after a wonderful end to the first half took the lead in the third quarter. 24-21.

Ben Watson, who was supposed to eat Roy Williams alive, was sent off to the locker room after a Roy Williams tackle. The Pats were feeling the heat from the physical Cowboys.

Too bad the game didn't end there.

The Patriots knew they were in a ball game with a heck of a football team. But to their credit they shrugged all that off and made Dallas just another opponent they blow past. The Pat passing game is simply unstoppable right now. Moss, Welker and Stallworth is by far the best receiving tandem Brady has ever had at his disposal. Add in a phenomenal job blocking with three and four guys going out into patterns and that is the best offense I have seen in a good while. Pats 48, Dallas 27 was hardly the blow out is ended up but it definitely showed who could finish.

One of the more prescient Dallas media members suggested the Pats would go no huddle all day. I knew that was errant and the Pats showed why. It is far more effective to win the time of possession battle handily. Especially against the bigger, more physical football team with the better running game. The smaller, quicker Pats did that and as the game wore on simply picked and chose who got to score the touchdowns as the tired defense could not get off the field.

Its a tactic the last dynasty used so I recognized it. The Pats do not have Emmitt Smith to pound the ball with but use short passing to accomplish the same thing. Long drives that result in touchdowns. If you want to stop the short stuff, good luck to you. Stallworth, Moss and Welker are extremely hard to defend from behind.

Dallas did not play poorly. They simply got beat by a better team with a better game plan who could pick and choose options because they have talent galore.

Wes Welker and Donte Stallworth would have been nice off-season pick-ups for the Cowboys. Dallas really should have looked at guys like that but we can still hope Terry Glenn gets back this year. Glenn is better than either guy. He has Stallworth speed and Welker quickness. But he's older than either.

One more thing the game should have cemented beyond Dallas being a ways behind the Pats is that they need to use early picks next year at CB and WR.

What about McFadden?
The best running backs in the league are LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and Adrian Peterson. Those teams are average. Good teams pass the ball.
 

Oh_Canada

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jterrell;1710789 said:
What about McFadden?
The best running backs in the league are LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and Adrian Peterson. Those teams are average. Good teams pass the ball.

Amen brother!!
 
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