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http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Dudski/2007/09/10/Romo_and_ManningNo_More_Questions_Please
By Dudski
One of our great national pastimes is second guessing quarterbacks. Good isn't good enough, and there is no approved learning curve. Which is why we spent the off season wondering if Tony Romo was for real and debating what sort of leader Eli Manning is.
Let's start with Manning. With no apologies to Tiki Barber (note-Tabasco Sauce is good for masking the taste of shoe leather) there should be no question after last night's 45-35 shootout loss to Dallas as to the content of Manning's on field character.
The bottom line-4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 312 yards on 28 of 41.
Time and again Manning rallied the Giants against a defense which knew he had to pass. With running back Brandon Jacobs on the sidelines, Manning burned the name of Plexico Burress into the memory of the Dallas secondary with strike after strike. If Sam Hurd hadn't turned a routine play into a 51 yard touchdown he might have brought the Giants back.
Against a Wade Phillips defense which was supposed to strike fear in NFC East hearts Manning looked as calm as a man reading the paper waiting for a bus to show up. No happy feet in the pocket, no locking in on a single receiver, no forced throws. Even granting that the Cowboy defense didn't show up it was impressive.
Romo came into the game with questions as to whether he was the All-Pro from early last season, or the quarterback who consistently misfired down the stretch.
4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 345 yards on 15 of 24.
More importantly, if you discard the last clock killing drive, Romo lead Dallas to points on the board in seven of the ten times Dallas took the field, including six touchdowns. To Cowboy fans with memories of the Drew Bledsoe era, Romo's performance was a veritable feast.
Is Romo too small or too uncontrolled to lead an NFL offense? He didn't look to have any problem seeing the passing lanes last night. There was one interception, but you can mark that down to going to the well once too often over the middle after hitting Jason Witten repeatedly there. And on two occasions, one a touchdown run, he held the ball in situations where he might have thrown it a year ago.
What will be the reaction of doubters of Romo and Manning to last night's game? There was no defense. There was no tackling. Let's see how they do against the Commanders defense.
Valid points. The Giants and Cowboys defenses seldom got pressure on the passer. The secondaries played the game of fox and hound all night, scurrying off to catch receivers who always seemed a step faster.
But these were NFL defenses, not the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Touchdowns are touchdowns, and if they hadn't converted scoring opportunities we would be writing blogs this morning about how the two young quarterbacks were over rated. The nature of the game.
Manning ended the night with a bruised shoulder after Cowboy rookie Anthony Spencer grabbed his jersey on an attempted sack. He should be OK and spare Giant fans any more appearances by Jared Lorenzen. And Season 4 should be a positive one for Manning.
As for Romo, the great expectations game is played with intensity in Dallas. What will linger with Cowboy fans is the offensive explosion and not the possibly season ending injury to nose tackle Jason Ferguson, the continued foot woes of Terence Newman, or the lack of a pass rush. If the Cowboy defense doesn't come together, more performances like last night's won't be just desirable but a necessity.
For this one day, however, none of it matters. Tony Romo and Eli Manning are now proven NFL starting quarterbacks and certified gun slingers.
No more questions please.
By Dudski
One of our great national pastimes is second guessing quarterbacks. Good isn't good enough, and there is no approved learning curve. Which is why we spent the off season wondering if Tony Romo was for real and debating what sort of leader Eli Manning is.
Let's start with Manning. With no apologies to Tiki Barber (note-Tabasco Sauce is good for masking the taste of shoe leather) there should be no question after last night's 45-35 shootout loss to Dallas as to the content of Manning's on field character.
The bottom line-4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 312 yards on 28 of 41.
Time and again Manning rallied the Giants against a defense which knew he had to pass. With running back Brandon Jacobs on the sidelines, Manning burned the name of Plexico Burress into the memory of the Dallas secondary with strike after strike. If Sam Hurd hadn't turned a routine play into a 51 yard touchdown he might have brought the Giants back.
Against a Wade Phillips defense which was supposed to strike fear in NFC East hearts Manning looked as calm as a man reading the paper waiting for a bus to show up. No happy feet in the pocket, no locking in on a single receiver, no forced throws. Even granting that the Cowboy defense didn't show up it was impressive.
Romo came into the game with questions as to whether he was the All-Pro from early last season, or the quarterback who consistently misfired down the stretch.
4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 345 yards on 15 of 24.
More importantly, if you discard the last clock killing drive, Romo lead Dallas to points on the board in seven of the ten times Dallas took the field, including six touchdowns. To Cowboy fans with memories of the Drew Bledsoe era, Romo's performance was a veritable feast.
Is Romo too small or too uncontrolled to lead an NFL offense? He didn't look to have any problem seeing the passing lanes last night. There was one interception, but you can mark that down to going to the well once too often over the middle after hitting Jason Witten repeatedly there. And on two occasions, one a touchdown run, he held the ball in situations where he might have thrown it a year ago.
What will be the reaction of doubters of Romo and Manning to last night's game? There was no defense. There was no tackling. Let's see how they do against the Commanders defense.
Valid points. The Giants and Cowboys defenses seldom got pressure on the passer. The secondaries played the game of fox and hound all night, scurrying off to catch receivers who always seemed a step faster.
But these were NFL defenses, not the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Touchdowns are touchdowns, and if they hadn't converted scoring opportunities we would be writing blogs this morning about how the two young quarterbacks were over rated. The nature of the game.
Manning ended the night with a bruised shoulder after Cowboy rookie Anthony Spencer grabbed his jersey on an attempted sack. He should be OK and spare Giant fans any more appearances by Jared Lorenzen. And Season 4 should be a positive one for Manning.
As for Romo, the great expectations game is played with intensity in Dallas. What will linger with Cowboy fans is the offensive explosion and not the possibly season ending injury to nose tackle Jason Ferguson, the continued foot woes of Terence Newman, or the lack of a pass rush. If the Cowboy defense doesn't come together, more performances like last night's won't be just desirable but a necessity.
For this one day, however, none of it matters. Tony Romo and Eli Manning are now proven NFL starting quarterbacks and certified gun slingers.
No more questions please.