Cowboys-Redskins game far from a must-win
By JOHN MCCLAIN
from the Houston Chronicle
Imagine the hand-wringing and teeth-grinding going on in Big D and D.C.
Inauspicious openers by the Cowboys and Redskins, who play Sunday night at Texas Stadium, have put them in desperate situations going into the second weekend.
Barring a tie, of course, Dallas or Washington will begin the season 0-2, guaranteeing one of them a reservation in the NFC East basement.
Because this game's going coast-to-coast, it could become the T.O. show.
The 24-17 loss to Jacksonville was receiver Terrell Owens' first game since Halloween.
When the lights come on, it's amazing how good a hamstring can feel after causing a player to miss 21 practices.
Owens, who had six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars, has something special planned if he scores his first touchdown in Texas Stadium since he was Public Enemy No. 1 to Dallas fans.
One reason Jerry Jones signed Owens to that three-year, $25 million contract was to help avoid another travesty like last season.
Until last season, Bill Parcells had dominated Coach NASCAR, but then Joe Gibbs did something Redskins fans had been waiting for since the Kennedy administration — sweep the Cowboys.
Not in the script
Actually, it was the first time Washington won both games since 1995, but it seemed like the 1960s for all those Redskins diehards who were forced to endure 14 losses in the previous 15 games.
Dallas fans long for the good old days of Norv Turner and Steve Spurrier.
Ask a Cowboys fan about last season, and he'll reach for the Jack Daniels to try to dull the memory of the Dallas defense making Mark Brunell resemble a quarterback with a confirmed ticket to Canton.
Not only did Brunell throw two late touchdown passes to Santana Moss to turn the Cowboys' 13-0 lead into a 14-13 defeat, but he threw four more in the 35-7 December decimation of the doomed-day defense. That embarrassment helped catapult the Redskins into the playoffs and eliminate the Cowboys.
When Brunell sees the star, he becomes a superstar. In his career, Brunell has thrown 15 touchdown passes and three interceptions against the Cowboys. Maybe Jones should have acquired Brunell instead of Drew Bledsoe.
Yes, we know, don't get Cowboys fans started on Bledsoe, who threw three interceptions at Jacksonville and returned home with a 45.8 passer rating.
Constant questions from reporters about Bledsoe and backup Tony Romo irritated the Tuna, whose vote of confidence for his starting quarterback came with a postscript that said, "For now."
Parcells treats quarterback controversies like contagious diseases — he avoids them.
The only time he has switched quarterbacks without an injury causing him to make the change was in 1983, his first season with the Giants.
Opportunities there
Though Bledsoe has the mobility of Big Tex, he's going against a Washington defense that has been hamstrung by injuries. If you watched the Redskins' 19-16 home loss to Minnesota, you saw that Brad Johnson — the oldest starting quarterback in the league — would have thrown three touchdown passes rather than one if receiver Troy Williamson didn't have snowshoes for hands.
If Johnson makes the Redskins look inept, shouldn't Bledsoe be able to do it, too? At home, no less?
If Bledsoe doesn't play better Sunday night, it could get ugly. The fans will let him know exactly how they feel about his performance, and chants of "Ro-mo" won't be out of the question.
Now, we all know it's way too early in the season to say a team is in a must-win situation, but that's how a lot of fans of both teams see Sunday night's game.
Lots of football left
The truth is that the NFC East is so competitive and so balanced that a 10-6 record might win it, so there are a lot more games to lose.
But if you're a fan whose stomach is so upset you can't keep food down, and if you're looking for the nearest ledge in case your favorite team loses, check this out: Three of the last five Super Bowl winners started 1-1 or 0-2.
So sit back, relax and enjoy the rivalry that's still the NFL's best.
from the Houston Chronicle
Imagine the hand-wringing and teeth-grinding going on in Big D and D.C.
Inauspicious openers by the Cowboys and Redskins, who play Sunday night at Texas Stadium, have put them in desperate situations going into the second weekend.
Barring a tie, of course, Dallas or Washington will begin the season 0-2, guaranteeing one of them a reservation in the NFC East basement.
Because this game's going coast-to-coast, it could become the T.O. show.
The 24-17 loss to Jacksonville was receiver Terrell Owens' first game since Halloween.
When the lights come on, it's amazing how good a hamstring can feel after causing a player to miss 21 practices.
Owens, who had six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars, has something special planned if he scores his first touchdown in Texas Stadium since he was Public Enemy No. 1 to Dallas fans.
One reason Jerry Jones signed Owens to that three-year, $25 million contract was to help avoid another travesty like last season.
Until last season, Bill Parcells had dominated Coach NASCAR, but then Joe Gibbs did something Redskins fans had been waiting for since the Kennedy administration — sweep the Cowboys.
Not in the script
Actually, it was the first time Washington won both games since 1995, but it seemed like the 1960s for all those Redskins diehards who were forced to endure 14 losses in the previous 15 games.
Dallas fans long for the good old days of Norv Turner and Steve Spurrier.
Ask a Cowboys fan about last season, and he'll reach for the Jack Daniels to try to dull the memory of the Dallas defense making Mark Brunell resemble a quarterback with a confirmed ticket to Canton.
Not only did Brunell throw two late touchdown passes to Santana Moss to turn the Cowboys' 13-0 lead into a 14-13 defeat, but he threw four more in the 35-7 December decimation of the doomed-day defense. That embarrassment helped catapult the Redskins into the playoffs and eliminate the Cowboys.
When Brunell sees the star, he becomes a superstar. In his career, Brunell has thrown 15 touchdown passes and three interceptions against the Cowboys. Maybe Jones should have acquired Brunell instead of Drew Bledsoe.
Yes, we know, don't get Cowboys fans started on Bledsoe, who threw three interceptions at Jacksonville and returned home with a 45.8 passer rating.
Constant questions from reporters about Bledsoe and backup Tony Romo irritated the Tuna, whose vote of confidence for his starting quarterback came with a postscript that said, "For now."
Parcells treats quarterback controversies like contagious diseases — he avoids them.
The only time he has switched quarterbacks without an injury causing him to make the change was in 1983, his first season with the Giants.
Opportunities there
Though Bledsoe has the mobility of Big Tex, he's going against a Washington defense that has been hamstrung by injuries. If you watched the Redskins' 19-16 home loss to Minnesota, you saw that Brad Johnson — the oldest starting quarterback in the league — would have thrown three touchdown passes rather than one if receiver Troy Williamson didn't have snowshoes for hands.
If Johnson makes the Redskins look inept, shouldn't Bledsoe be able to do it, too? At home, no less?
If Bledsoe doesn't play better Sunday night, it could get ugly. The fans will let him know exactly how they feel about his performance, and chants of "Ro-mo" won't be out of the question.
Now, we all know it's way too early in the season to say a team is in a must-win situation, but that's how a lot of fans of both teams see Sunday night's game.
Lots of football left
The truth is that the NFC East is so competitive and so balanced that a 10-6 record might win it, so there are a lot more games to lose.
But if you're a fan whose stomach is so upset you can't keep food down, and if you're looking for the nearest ledge in case your favorite team loses, check this out: Three of the last five Super Bowl winners started 1-1 or 0-2.
So sit back, relax and enjoy the rivalry that's still the NFL's best.
posted by The Gryphon at 10:12 AM
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