CrazyCowboy
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ARLINGTON, Texas — Another "Doomsday" Dallas defense could be in the works — "Gloomsday," perhaps, for Cowboys' opponents. Might it deliver quarterback Tony Romo and his blue star-studded friends all the way to Miami in February?
Some of the Doomsday legends think it can.
"I've been very impressed by the hustle and the enthusiasm," said Randy White, the former Cowboys mainstay at defensive tackle who played on the second installment of those famous Cowboys defenses of the late '70s and early '80s. "They look, from my perspective, to have all the qualities to be a great defense."
PHOTOS: Wild-card weekend highlights
THE HUDDLE: Wade Phillips says win was 'gorilla off my back'
The swarming, suffocating Cowboys defense is masterminded by head coach Wade Phillips, who also serves as defensive coordinator.
For the second consecutive week, the Cowboys smothered the Philadelphia Eagles' quick-strike, rhythmic passing offense Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium. They dominated the line of scrimmage and sacked quarterback Donovan McNabb four times while generating four turnovers in a 34-14 NFC wild-card victory.
The win propelled the Cowboys into a divisional playoff road game next Sunday against Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings.
The dangerous Cowboys are peaking with four consecutive victories — and so is their young, rowdy 3-4 defense. Anchored by Pro Bowl nose tackle Jay Ratliff, the Cowboys permitted their first points after back-to-back shutouts; they have allowed only four touchdowns in their last four games.
While the Eagles are a finesse team, the Vikings more resemble the Cowboys in their physical approach. Unlike Philadelphia, which deploys its passing game to set up the run, Minnesota is a legitimate threat to run the football with Adrian Peterson, thereby setting the table for Favre's play-action throws.
"Stop the run," Ratliff said of the Cowboys' top priority. "If we do that, we can make a team one-dimensional — and then we can get after the passer. They have a great running game and an all-world, Hall of Fame quarterback.
"We need to be disciplined. We can't do what we did tonight with foolish penalties (14 for 112 yards). We gave some (big) plays away. We can't do that against … Minnesota."
The Cowboys can stuff the run, rush the passer with a frenzy with DeMarcus Ware, and their secondary is a lock-down group headed by Terrence Newman. Dallas ranked No. 2 in the NFL in scoring defense. But it ranked near the bottom in generating turnovers.
Bob Lilly, who anchored "Doomsday" in the '60s and '70s, was part of the 1971 Cowboys' team that permitted only 18 points in three postseason games. He likes the personnel improvements Phillips has made to his unit.
"This year, I think they've played really good defense," said the Hall of Fame defensive tackle. "Coach (Tom) Landry used to tell us that if we held our opponents to 17 points, we'd win about 90% of our games."
The Eagles were no match for the Cowboys' version of smash-mouth football.
"What we wanted to do was get on them early — hit 'em hard, do the stingin'," said Cowboys linebacker Bradie James. "We're just playing lights-out. Our guys know their roles and are taking it to another level."
Phillips' acquisition of veteran linebacker Keith Brooking, the former Atlanta Falcons star, has made a major impact. "Players don't (usually) come in from other teams and step in and immediately become leaders — but he did," said Cowboys color analyst Babe Laufenberg. "It shows there was a leadership void."
Brooking's contagious attitude on the field, and his production has served the Cowboys well, too. So does his sense of realism.
"We can enjoy this, but not very long," he said. "We've got a great team (Vikings) staring us in the face. We're going to have to play our best game of the season to beat them."
Some of the Doomsday legends think it can.
"I've been very impressed by the hustle and the enthusiasm," said Randy White, the former Cowboys mainstay at defensive tackle who played on the second installment of those famous Cowboys defenses of the late '70s and early '80s. "They look, from my perspective, to have all the qualities to be a great defense."
PHOTOS: Wild-card weekend highlights
THE HUDDLE: Wade Phillips says win was 'gorilla off my back'
The swarming, suffocating Cowboys defense is masterminded by head coach Wade Phillips, who also serves as defensive coordinator.
For the second consecutive week, the Cowboys smothered the Philadelphia Eagles' quick-strike, rhythmic passing offense Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium. They dominated the line of scrimmage and sacked quarterback Donovan McNabb four times while generating four turnovers in a 34-14 NFC wild-card victory.
The win propelled the Cowboys into a divisional playoff road game next Sunday against Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings.
The dangerous Cowboys are peaking with four consecutive victories — and so is their young, rowdy 3-4 defense. Anchored by Pro Bowl nose tackle Jay Ratliff, the Cowboys permitted their first points after back-to-back shutouts; they have allowed only four touchdowns in their last four games.
While the Eagles are a finesse team, the Vikings more resemble the Cowboys in their physical approach. Unlike Philadelphia, which deploys its passing game to set up the run, Minnesota is a legitimate threat to run the football with Adrian Peterson, thereby setting the table for Favre's play-action throws.
"Stop the run," Ratliff said of the Cowboys' top priority. "If we do that, we can make a team one-dimensional — and then we can get after the passer. They have a great running game and an all-world, Hall of Fame quarterback.
"We need to be disciplined. We can't do what we did tonight with foolish penalties (14 for 112 yards). We gave some (big) plays away. We can't do that against … Minnesota."
The Cowboys can stuff the run, rush the passer with a frenzy with DeMarcus Ware, and their secondary is a lock-down group headed by Terrence Newman. Dallas ranked No. 2 in the NFL in scoring defense. But it ranked near the bottom in generating turnovers.
Bob Lilly, who anchored "Doomsday" in the '60s and '70s, was part of the 1971 Cowboys' team that permitted only 18 points in three postseason games. He likes the personnel improvements Phillips has made to his unit.
"This year, I think they've played really good defense," said the Hall of Fame defensive tackle. "Coach (Tom) Landry used to tell us that if we held our opponents to 17 points, we'd win about 90% of our games."
The Eagles were no match for the Cowboys' version of smash-mouth football.
"What we wanted to do was get on them early — hit 'em hard, do the stingin'," said Cowboys linebacker Bradie James. "We're just playing lights-out. Our guys know their roles and are taking it to another level."
Phillips' acquisition of veteran linebacker Keith Brooking, the former Atlanta Falcons star, has made a major impact. "Players don't (usually) come in from other teams and step in and immediately become leaders — but he did," said Cowboys color analyst Babe Laufenberg. "It shows there was a leadership void."
Brooking's contagious attitude on the field, and his production has served the Cowboys well, too. So does his sense of realism.
"We can enjoy this, but not very long," he said. "We've got a great team (Vikings) staring us in the face. We're going to have to play our best game of the season to beat them."
