Cowboys can quiet the boos
If the first month is any indication, Dallas simply is better
When the talking stops, after the fans have expressed their affection for Terrell Owens in pregame warmups, there will, at last, be a game.
That doesn't mean the circus stops at 3:15 p.m. today. How things evolve, whether the Cowboys are able to take the emotion away from the fanatical Philadelphia fans, will determine how much the T.O. circus flows into the game itself.
An early big play by a Cowboy, perhaps Owens himself, would alter the mood. On the other hand, a big hit on Owens or a fast start by the Eagles – who have been known for fast starts this season – would only raise the noise at Lincoln Financial Field to levels even the Cowboys have not heard.
By early evening, one of these teams will own first place in the NFC East.
Based on what Dallas and Philadelphia have shown in the first month of the season, that team should be the Cowboys.
The Eagles are putting points on the board more easily than the Cowboys. But their opponents – the Packers, Giants, 49ers and Texans – have given up plenty of points to teams other than Philadelphia this season.
Donte' Stallworth, imported from New Orleans to be Donovan McNabb's go-to receiver, did not practice and is listed as doubtful. Other receivers have stepped up in Owens' absence, but they should not strike fear in the Cowboys' secondary.
Coach Bill Parcells sounded confident that his team would not necessarily win but perform up to its capabilities.
He all but dared the Eagles to blitz, opening Philadelphia's defense to big plays by Terry Glenn, Owens, Jason Witten and the rest.
"You definitely have to calculate when you take your chances [against us]," Parcells said. "Most guys have one guy who can beat you on those [blitzes]. We've got more than one guy."
Mostly, that guy has been Glenn. He has 229 receiving yards to 187 for Owens and three touchdowns to T.O.'s late one at Jacksonville.
But history says that Owens is the bigger threat, and although he has been accused of many things, no one yet has accused him of shrinking from the spotlight on the game's biggest stages.
Through three games, the Cowboys have displayed a nice balance between the pass and the run. You have to say that the offensive line is performing at a higher level than a year ago. Julius Jones and Marion Barber have combined to average 4.9 yards per carry. Drew Bledsoe has been sacked only three times.
It's hard to say what the Eagles' defense has in store. Philadelphia has given up a lot of yards and has allowed opponents to control the ball for long stretches. But the Eagles do rank first in the league with 16 sacks.
"This will be a good test because they've been sacking the quarterback," Parcells said.
But against Houston and San Francisco in particular, getting to the quarterback is nothing special. It's expected.
If the Cowboys continue to do a fair job of protecting Bledsoe and he limits mistakes – four interceptions in three games is too many – then they have the means to quiet the crowd and win the game.
For Parcells, quieting the crowd is not an issue. He said when he puts his headphones on, noise becomes a nonfactor.
"I heard Bill Walsh say something that I try to practice," he said. "You try to take yourself out of the game as if you are looking down on it from above. If you can mentally get yourself into that state, you don't get caught up in the peripheral stuff."
With Owens returning to Philadelphia, there stands a good chance to be more "peripheral stuff" than just about anything the Cowboys ever have encountered on the road.
Blocking it out won't be as easy for the players as it will for the coach. They can't put on a headset and tune it out. But they also are the ones who have a chance to make the plays to render the "peripheral stuff" irrelevant.
If both teams play at about the level they have displayed thus far, the Eagles' crowd is going to be a lot noisier at the start of the game than at the finish.
When the talking stops, after the fans have expressed their affection for Terrell Owens in pregame warmups, there will, at last, be a game.
That doesn't mean the circus stops at 3:15 p.m. today. How things evolve, whether the Cowboys are able to take the emotion away from the fanatical Philadelphia fans, will determine how much the T.O. circus flows into the game itself.
An early big play by a Cowboy, perhaps Owens himself, would alter the mood. On the other hand, a big hit on Owens or a fast start by the Eagles – who have been known for fast starts this season – would only raise the noise at Lincoln Financial Field to levels even the Cowboys have not heard.
By early evening, one of these teams will own first place in the NFC East.
Based on what Dallas and Philadelphia have shown in the first month of the season, that team should be the Cowboys.
The Eagles are putting points on the board more easily than the Cowboys. But their opponents – the Packers, Giants, 49ers and Texans – have given up plenty of points to teams other than Philadelphia this season.
Donte' Stallworth, imported from New Orleans to be Donovan McNabb's go-to receiver, did not practice and is listed as doubtful. Other receivers have stepped up in Owens' absence, but they should not strike fear in the Cowboys' secondary.
Coach Bill Parcells sounded confident that his team would not necessarily win but perform up to its capabilities.
He all but dared the Eagles to blitz, opening Philadelphia's defense to big plays by Terry Glenn, Owens, Jason Witten and the rest.
"You definitely have to calculate when you take your chances [against us]," Parcells said. "Most guys have one guy who can beat you on those [blitzes]. We've got more than one guy."
Mostly, that guy has been Glenn. He has 229 receiving yards to 187 for Owens and three touchdowns to T.O.'s late one at Jacksonville.
But history says that Owens is the bigger threat, and although he has been accused of many things, no one yet has accused him of shrinking from the spotlight on the game's biggest stages.
Through three games, the Cowboys have displayed a nice balance between the pass and the run. You have to say that the offensive line is performing at a higher level than a year ago. Julius Jones and Marion Barber have combined to average 4.9 yards per carry. Drew Bledsoe has been sacked only three times.
It's hard to say what the Eagles' defense has in store. Philadelphia has given up a lot of yards and has allowed opponents to control the ball for long stretches. But the Eagles do rank first in the league with 16 sacks.
"This will be a good test because they've been sacking the quarterback," Parcells said.
But against Houston and San Francisco in particular, getting to the quarterback is nothing special. It's expected.
If the Cowboys continue to do a fair job of protecting Bledsoe and he limits mistakes – four interceptions in three games is too many – then they have the means to quiet the crowd and win the game.
For Parcells, quieting the crowd is not an issue. He said when he puts his headphones on, noise becomes a nonfactor.
"I heard Bill Walsh say something that I try to practice," he said. "You try to take yourself out of the game as if you are looking down on it from above. If you can mentally get yourself into that state, you don't get caught up in the peripheral stuff."
With Owens returning to Philadelphia, there stands a good chance to be more "peripheral stuff" than just about anything the Cowboys ever have encountered on the road.
Blocking it out won't be as easy for the players as it will for the coach. They can't put on a headset and tune it out. But they also are the ones who have a chance to make the plays to render the "peripheral stuff" irrelevant.
If both teams play at about the level they have displayed thus far, the Eagles' crowd is going to be a lot noisier at the start of the game than at the finish.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:01 AM
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