Stakes, not T.O. hype, main attraction Oct. 8
By JAIME ARON / Associated Press
It's no secret that Terrell Owens has been looking forward to the Oct. 8 Cowboys-Eagles game in Philadelphia since the schedule was released.
The logical assumption has been that T.O.'s eagerness is all about getting revenge on his former team for all the things he feels went wrong during his stormy 1 1/2 seasons in Philly.
But maybe we were selling him short. Perhaps he realized months ago the game would be an early season clash between division favorites, with the winner getting the inside track in the NFC East race, especially if it's the Cowboys who walk away winners.
OK, maybe not.
Still, the closer the game gets, the more that Owens' return looks like a mere sideshow and the game itself looks like a good one. Or, at least, an important one.
(Yes, Dallas plays Tennessee this upcoming Sunday, but the Titans are 0-3 and the only thing worse than their offense is their defense. So let Bill Parcells fret about taking 'em one game at a time and not looking ahead. We're not bound by that. And with no game to rehash and no controversies over quarterbacks, kickers or T.O., the Philadelphia game is an even juicier target.)
After only three weekends, the New York Giants and Washington Redskins are struggling and the Cowboys and Eagles already are starting to pull away. A head-to-head victory would provide a bump between the top two.
Dallas has slightly more to gain in the clash with Philadelphia because the Cowboys already won their only division game. The Eagles lost their first one, to the Giants, by blowing what seemed like a sure win after three quarters.
New York gets kudos for that plucky comeback. But the momentum and confidence supposedly generated by it was short-lived.
The Giants were thumped so soundly in the first quarter against Seattle on Sunday that it was as if they were knocking themselves down to see if they could rally again. That's no way to build a contender, something Jacksonville is likely to prove to them again this weekend.
The Cowboys have seen firsthand what the Redskins are like. That impression means more than the clinic Mark Brunell put on Sunday against the Houston Texans. (Note to Drew Bledsoe: You'll get to pad your stats against that same defense soon, too. The week after playing the Eagles, in fact.)
Washington's five-game winning streak to close last season is reason enough not to count out Joe Gibbs' team yet. But it's fair to put them on alert.
Then there's Philadelphia.
The Eagles have played so well in all but the fourth quarter against New York that they must be considered more like the team that went to four straight NFC title games than the club that went 6-10 while ruined by injuries and infighting last season.
Donovan McNabb has thrown for the most yards in the NFL and has the top rating in the NFC. Stats can be out of whack this early in the season, but these numbers scream that McNabb has overcome his physical woes of last season and whatever questions about his ability and character were raised by his ordeal with Owens.
Philadelphia's biggest flaw is defense. It didn't show Sunday against San Francisco, but the recent loss of Jevon Kearse is likely to be a problem down the road.
What about the Cowboys?
Answers are hard to come by after only eight quarters. The only common problem between the loss in Jacksonville and the win at home against Washington was penalties, and that should be fixable since many involve mental lapses.
A benefit of the early bye is that coach Bill Parcells was able to work on the things that bothered him most. He also was able to spend extra time on the plays and schemes Dallas likely will use in the coming weeks — specifically Oct. 8 against Philadelphia, Oct. 23 against the New York Giants and maybe even Nov. 5 at Washington.
After that second game against the Redskins, the Cowboys will be halfway through with their season and four-sixths of the way through their division schedule.
We'll know a lot more about their playoff chances then.
But we'll have a pretty good idea after seeing how things go Oct. 8.
It's no secret that Terrell Owens has been looking forward to the Oct. 8 Cowboys-Eagles game in Philadelphia since the schedule was released.
The logical assumption has been that T.O.'s eagerness is all about getting revenge on his former team for all the things he feels went wrong during his stormy 1 1/2 seasons in Philly.
But maybe we were selling him short. Perhaps he realized months ago the game would be an early season clash between division favorites, with the winner getting the inside track in the NFC East race, especially if it's the Cowboys who walk away winners.
OK, maybe not.
Still, the closer the game gets, the more that Owens' return looks like a mere sideshow and the game itself looks like a good one. Or, at least, an important one.
(Yes, Dallas plays Tennessee this upcoming Sunday, but the Titans are 0-3 and the only thing worse than their offense is their defense. So let Bill Parcells fret about taking 'em one game at a time and not looking ahead. We're not bound by that. And with no game to rehash and no controversies over quarterbacks, kickers or T.O., the Philadelphia game is an even juicier target.)
After only three weekends, the New York Giants and Washington Redskins are struggling and the Cowboys and Eagles already are starting to pull away. A head-to-head victory would provide a bump between the top two.
Dallas has slightly more to gain in the clash with Philadelphia because the Cowboys already won their only division game. The Eagles lost their first one, to the Giants, by blowing what seemed like a sure win after three quarters.
New York gets kudos for that plucky comeback. But the momentum and confidence supposedly generated by it was short-lived.
The Giants were thumped so soundly in the first quarter against Seattle on Sunday that it was as if they were knocking themselves down to see if they could rally again. That's no way to build a contender, something Jacksonville is likely to prove to them again this weekend.
The Cowboys have seen firsthand what the Redskins are like. That impression means more than the clinic Mark Brunell put on Sunday against the Houston Texans. (Note to Drew Bledsoe: You'll get to pad your stats against that same defense soon, too. The week after playing the Eagles, in fact.)
Washington's five-game winning streak to close last season is reason enough not to count out Joe Gibbs' team yet. But it's fair to put them on alert.
Then there's Philadelphia.
The Eagles have played so well in all but the fourth quarter against New York that they must be considered more like the team that went to four straight NFC title games than the club that went 6-10 while ruined by injuries and infighting last season.
Donovan McNabb has thrown for the most yards in the NFL and has the top rating in the NFC. Stats can be out of whack this early in the season, but these numbers scream that McNabb has overcome his physical woes of last season and whatever questions about his ability and character were raised by his ordeal with Owens.
Philadelphia's biggest flaw is defense. It didn't show Sunday against San Francisco, but the recent loss of Jevon Kearse is likely to be a problem down the road.
What about the Cowboys?
Answers are hard to come by after only eight quarters. The only common problem between the loss in Jacksonville and the win at home against Washington was penalties, and that should be fixable since many involve mental lapses.
A benefit of the early bye is that coach Bill Parcells was able to work on the things that bothered him most. He also was able to spend extra time on the plays and schemes Dallas likely will use in the coming weeks — specifically Oct. 8 against Philadelphia, Oct. 23 against the New York Giants and maybe even Nov. 5 at Washington.
After that second game against the Redskins, the Cowboys will be halfway through with their season and four-sixths of the way through their division schedule.
We'll know a lot more about their playoff chances then.
But we'll have a pretty good idea after seeing how things go Oct. 8.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:45 PM
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