In Romo we trust: Cowboys ride QB to victory
Shawn Clarke, NFL Contributing Editor
(Sports Network) - It started out ugly, but the debut of new Dallas Cowboys No. 1 quarterback Tony Romo ended prettier than the team's heralded cheerleaders.
Romo's performance in Sunday's 35-14 win at Carolina had head coach Bill Parcells smiling, and even kissing a few players. The coach also jokingly turned the brim of Terrell Owens' cap, like a father would his eight-year old son after a Little League game.
Of course, Owens was all smiles. He got the ball a season-high nine times for 107 yards, including a clutch two-point conversion which gave Dallas a 21-14 lead.
But the big story of the night was Romo, who completed 24 of his 36 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown with one interception in his first NFL start. Romo, so far, is proving his worth over Drew Bledsoe, whose ability to avoid the rush and pick up first downs with his legs is inferior to Romo's.
Bledsoe was the starter until being replaced at halftime against the Giants, and Romo did no better in that game with three picks over the last 30 minutes. Week 8 brought a different story. There were a few moments against the Panthers, that if Bledsoe had been in the game, he would have exited with a few black marks on his helmet.
It's only one game for Romo, but his introduction left an impression on the team and improved the Cowboys to 4-3 this season. Dallas is second in the NFC East behind New York, and ahead of both Philadelphia (4-4) and Washington (2-5), which is this week's opponent at FedEx Field.
Romo, who was named starter on the Wednesday prior to the Carolina game, helped Dallas score 35 unanswered points over the final three quarters at hostile Bank of America Stadium. The Cowboys also opened their three-game road trip in style and erased the memories of last Monday's loss to the Giants.
"It was a good comeback being down 14," Parcells said. "I'll take my hats off to my kids tonight. They fought back. That was a good one for us. We needed it badly. They fought their guts out."
Dallas fought for 404 total yards of offense with a well-balanced attack. The offensive line was a big reason, and gave Romo enough time to spread the ball around and the running backs to find lanes.
In addition to the receiving work of Owens, tight end Jason Witten recorded season-highs in receptions (6) and yards (80) with a touchdown of is own. Wideout Terry Glenn caught four passes for 52 yards.
"Hey, I don't really care who it goes to," Romo said. "I just throw it to whoever is open. I'm not trying to pick out anyone. If you're going to get open, I'll get you the ball."
Running the ball was an area Dallas needed to work on during the week, after posting just 69 yards on the ground in the loss to New York, including a season-low 30 for running back Julius Jones.
This week, Jones took out his frustrations on Carolina for 92 yards and a score on 24 touches. Jones and fellow back Marion Barber, who had 49 yards and two TDs on nine carries, helped contribute to a 156-yard ground assault.
(Sports Network) - It started out ugly, but the debut of new Dallas Cowboys No. 1 quarterback Tony Romo ended prettier than the team's heralded cheerleaders.
Romo's performance in Sunday's 35-14 win at Carolina had head coach Bill Parcells smiling, and even kissing a few players. The coach also jokingly turned the brim of Terrell Owens' cap, like a father would his eight-year old son after a Little League game.
Of course, Owens was all smiles. He got the ball a season-high nine times for 107 yards, including a clutch two-point conversion which gave Dallas a 21-14 lead.
But the big story of the night was Romo, who completed 24 of his 36 passes for 270 yards and a touchdown with one interception in his first NFL start. Romo, so far, is proving his worth over Drew Bledsoe, whose ability to avoid the rush and pick up first downs with his legs is inferior to Romo's.
Bledsoe was the starter until being replaced at halftime against the Giants, and Romo did no better in that game with three picks over the last 30 minutes. Week 8 brought a different story. There were a few moments against the Panthers, that if Bledsoe had been in the game, he would have exited with a few black marks on his helmet.
It's only one game for Romo, but his introduction left an impression on the team and improved the Cowboys to 4-3 this season. Dallas is second in the NFC East behind New York, and ahead of both Philadelphia (4-4) and Washington (2-5), which is this week's opponent at FedEx Field.
Romo, who was named starter on the Wednesday prior to the Carolina game, helped Dallas score 35 unanswered points over the final three quarters at hostile Bank of America Stadium. The Cowboys also opened their three-game road trip in style and erased the memories of last Monday's loss to the Giants.
"It was a good comeback being down 14," Parcells said. "I'll take my hats off to my kids tonight. They fought back. That was a good one for us. We needed it badly. They fought their guts out."
Dallas fought for 404 total yards of offense with a well-balanced attack. The offensive line was a big reason, and gave Romo enough time to spread the ball around and the running backs to find lanes.
In addition to the receiving work of Owens, tight end Jason Witten recorded season-highs in receptions (6) and yards (80) with a touchdown of is own. Wideout Terry Glenn caught four passes for 52 yards.
"Hey, I don't really care who it goes to," Romo said. "I just throw it to whoever is open. I'm not trying to pick out anyone. If you're going to get open, I'll get you the ball."
Running the ball was an area Dallas needed to work on during the week, after posting just 69 yards on the ground in the loss to New York, including a season-low 30 for running back Julius Jones.
This week, Jones took out his frustrations on Carolina for 92 yards and a score on 24 touches. Jones and fellow back Marion Barber, who had 49 yards and two TDs on nine carries, helped contribute to a 156-yard ground assault.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:51 PM
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