Doomsday101
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Since the quarterback is one of just two players that touch the ball on every play (the other one being the center), it stands to reason that he, more than any other player, affects the way a defensive coaching staff game plans against his team.
And since the Dallas Cowboys have changed quarterbacks this week, replacing the veteran Drew Bledsoe with the younger, more mobile Tony Romo, it might also stand to reason that this is cause for concern at Bank of America Stadium this week, right?
Not really.
“We've seen them both (Bledsoe and Romo) on tape,” said Carolina head coach John Fox. “We've played two games this year where the starter went out of the game and the backup came in. Each week we have to prepare for all quarterbacks on the other team’s roster. We look at everybody.
“We always evaluate the back-up quarterback and find out what his strengths and weaknesses are. If (the starter and the backup) are different OR if they're the same, either way we have to gameplan that way and we do that every week.
At least the Panthers know going in who is going to start. Dallas’ opponent last week got Bledsoe for one half and Romo for the other. They beat the Cowboys anyway, 36-22.
Linebacker Chris Draft doesn’t expect the Cowboys to look exactly like the team that Carolina played just 10 months ago at Bank of America Stadium, but he’s expecting many of the same tendencies the team has shown all of this season.
“There will be a few different routes maybe, but at the end of the day, the offensive coordinator hasn’t changed, just the quarterback,” said Draft. “All we can do is study for what we have.
“Romo’s a guy who can move around a little more than Drew. That’s the general on the field, so he’s definitely your guy. If we worry about him too much, though, we’re going to overlook the other guys.”
Defensive end Mike Rucker says playing in the same division as Atlanta’s Michael Vick kind of softens the blow of facing any other mobile quarterbacks in the League.
“We face, I would say, the fastest quarterback in the League twice a year and have for the last five or six years,” said Rucker. “So going against a mobile quarterback is not going to be an issue with us.”
Safety Mike Minter concurs.
“Our most important thing is to make sure we know what we’re doing on defense, and to make sure that we’re okay,” he said. “If we’re okay, then it doesn’t matter who’s starting for them.”
And since the Dallas Cowboys have changed quarterbacks this week, replacing the veteran Drew Bledsoe with the younger, more mobile Tony Romo, it might also stand to reason that this is cause for concern at Bank of America Stadium this week, right?
Not really.
“We've seen them both (Bledsoe and Romo) on tape,” said Carolina head coach John Fox. “We've played two games this year where the starter went out of the game and the backup came in. Each week we have to prepare for all quarterbacks on the other team’s roster. We look at everybody.
“We always evaluate the back-up quarterback and find out what his strengths and weaknesses are. If (the starter and the backup) are different OR if they're the same, either way we have to gameplan that way and we do that every week.
At least the Panthers know going in who is going to start. Dallas’ opponent last week got Bledsoe for one half and Romo for the other. They beat the Cowboys anyway, 36-22.
Linebacker Chris Draft doesn’t expect the Cowboys to look exactly like the team that Carolina played just 10 months ago at Bank of America Stadium, but he’s expecting many of the same tendencies the team has shown all of this season.
“There will be a few different routes maybe, but at the end of the day, the offensive coordinator hasn’t changed, just the quarterback,” said Draft. “All we can do is study for what we have.
“Romo’s a guy who can move around a little more than Drew. That’s the general on the field, so he’s definitely your guy. If we worry about him too much, though, we’re going to overlook the other guys.”
Defensive end Mike Rucker says playing in the same division as Atlanta’s Michael Vick kind of softens the blow of facing any other mobile quarterbacks in the League.
“We face, I would say, the fastest quarterback in the League twice a year and have for the last five or six years,” said Rucker. “So going against a mobile quarterback is not going to be an issue with us.”
Safety Mike Minter concurs.
“Our most important thing is to make sure we know what we’re doing on defense, and to make sure that we’re okay,” he said. “If we’re okay, then it doesn’t matter who’s starting for them.”
bledsoe+T.O.=superbowl 
you!