Cowboys' Ware dominant vs. Bucs

Michael David Smith / FootballOutsiders.com
Posted: 7 hours ago

The Dallas Cowboys consist of three people: quarterback Tony Romo, wide receiver Terrell Owens, and coach Bill Parcells. At least that seems to be this season's media script.

But Dallas is 7-4, in first place, and looking like a Super Bowl contender because of its defense more than anything else. So why do none of the players on the Cowboys' defense get anywhere near as much attention as the Big Three? I closely watched the Cowboys' defense on every play of their 38-10 Thanksgiving win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to determine why it is playing so well. I came away impressed by nearly everyone, but it was one player — second-year outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware — who blew me away with the dominant game he had. On third-and-4 on Tampa Bay's first drive, Ware lined up on the line of scrimmage opposite tight end Anthony Becht. Tampa Bay's blocking scheme called for Becht to block Ware one-on-one, and that was a huge mismatch. Ware dominated Becht and forced Tampa Bay quarterback Bruce Gradkowski out of the pocket, although Gradkowski made a nice run to pick up the first down. Two plays later, Ware was at it again. This time he lined up at right outside linebacker and was one-on-one with left tackle Anthony Davis. Ware again won the individual battle and forced Gradkowski out of the pocket, but Gradkowski again moved in the pocket and this time found Joey Galloway deep downfield for a 53-yard completion.
On that first series, Gradkowski showed a great deal of athleticism and did a nice job of leading Tampa Bay down the field for a touchdown. However, Dallas harassed him repeatedly for the rest of the game, and the Buccaneers never again reached the red zone, let alone the end zone.
Ware is a freakish athlete, but just as importantly, he's a smart player. On the first play of Tampa Bay's second drive, Ware lined up at right outside linebacker. The play was a handoff up the middle to Cadillac Williams, with flanker Michael Clayton going in motion from right to left and running a fake reverse. The play design assumed that the right outside linebacker would be held in place by the fake reverse and wouldn't need to be blocked, but Ware wasn't fooled for a minute. He recognized the play immediately, ran directly to Williams and brought him down two yards behind the line of scrimmage.

DeMarcus Ware is a major reason for the turnaround in Dallas. (Robert Laberge / Getty Images)

More big plays from Ware: On a third-and-3, Ware lined up at left outside linebacker and destroyed rookie right tackle Jeremy Trueblood. Ware bull-rushed Trueblood, collapsed the pocket, and drilled Gradkowski just as he threw the ball away. (Gradkowski probably should have been called for intentional grounding.) On a third-and-2, Cadillac Williams had a brilliant run around the right end. Four Dallas players — linebackers Bradie James and Bobby Carpenter and safeties Patrick Watkins and Roy Williams — had chances to tackle Williams but missed him. It was Ware, lined up at outside linebacker on the other side of the field, who finally caught up with Williams and tackled him 22 yards downfield.
Parcells must be hugely disappointed in Carpenter, the team's first-round draft pick and the son of one of Parcells' favorite players, former Giants fullback Rob Carpenter. When you draft a linebacker in the first round, you're expecting him to make an instant impact on the defense, but that missed opportunity to tackle Williams was the only time Carpenter did anything worth mentioning. He rarely got on the field until it was time for mop-up duty, when he made one tackle long after Dallas had put the game away.
It was Alshermond Singleton, not Carpenter, who moved into the starting lineup when the Cowboys lost linebacker Greg Ellis for the season two weeks ago. Like Ware, Singleton exploited Becht's inability to protect Gradkowski. Roy Williams got an interception when Singleton lined up opposite Becht and ran right past him, forcing Gradkowski to hurry his throw. Gradkowski under threw the ball and didn't see that Williams was sitting on Galloway's deep post route. Williams had an easy time intercepting it.
Although Singleton and Ware are both good pass rushers on the outside, the Cowboys' inside linebackers are ineffective on the blitz. On a third-and-4, Dallas rushed all four linebackers. That left cornerback Anthony Henry on an island against Joey Galloway, who beat him for a 13-yard reception. Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer would be wise to leave that blitz out of his game plan from now on.
Zimmer deserves more credit than he has received for his work with the Dallas defense. A Dallas assistant since 1994, Zimmer is the last link on the coaching staff to the team's 1990s heyday. When Parcells became the head coach, owner Jerry Jones urged him to keep Zimmer as the defensive coordinator, and Parcells complied, with the stipulation that he wanted Zimmer to run a 3-4 defense. Even though Zimmer had never before coached a 3-4, he has made a seamless transition to working with Parcells. Although most people think Jones will want to hire a big-name successor when Parcells retires, Zimmer would be a strong candidate to become the Cowboys' next head coach.
Of course, Zimmer hasn't completely abandoned his 4-3 roots. The Cowboys usually switch to a 4-3 on third downs, moving Ware from outside linebacker to defensive end and replacing the huge run-stopping nose tackle Jason Ferguson with one of their quicker backup defensive tackles. The Cowboys occasionally use even more than four down linemen. On first-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Dallas went to a five-man line. On the next play, second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Dallas used six down linemen.
Although he comes out on many passing downs, Ferguson is more active than most 3-4 nose tackles. On a second-and-7, Tampa Bay center John Wade got a good first step and seemed to have Ferguson back on his heels, but Ferguson recovered, shoved Wade aside and tackled Williams for a gain of three. Later, on a first-and-10 handoff to Michael Pittman, both Wade and right guard Davin Joseph blocked Ferguson, or at least they tried to. Even double-teaming him, they couldn't budge Ferguson, who stood his ground and tackled Pittman for a gain of two yards. Parcells drafted Ferguson with the Jets in 1997 and made signing him as a free-agent a top priority last year. It's easy to see why.
Defensive end Kenyon Coleman doesn't get much attention, but he's an important part of the defensive line rotation. He has a non-stop motor, going until the whistle blows on every play. It's nice to see a 300-pounder trying to run down a running back when the other 300-pounders on the field have decided the play is past them and they can quit. On a third-and-15 shovel pass to Michael Pittman, Coleman, lined up at left defensive tackle, tackled Pittman after a gain of six yards.
Dallas seems to use its linebackers in coverage on wide receivers more than most teams do. Kevin Burnett, who had the 39-yard interception return for a touchdown last week against Indianapolis, showed again on Thanksgiving that he's very good in pass coverage. Dallas even occasionally had him matched up with Joey Galloway, and he did a nice job of jamming Galloway at the line of scrimmage and keeping up with him downfield. Burnett and James were in deep coverage where safeties usually line up and tackled wide receiver Michael Clayton on a 10-yard completion in the fourth quarter.
On a first-down pass in the flat to Ike Hilliard in the third quarter, Singleton was in coverage and tackled Hilliard for a gain of just three yards.
On a second-and-8, Michael Pittman — one of the fastest running backs in the league — ran a slant route, but Akin Ayodele stuck with him and batted the pass away from Pittman. Ayodele also had a beautiful diving interception in the third quarter. When Becht ran pass routes, Ware was usually the one to cover him.
On a first-and-10 completion to Becht, Ware jammed him at the line of scrimmage, then covered him in the flat and brought him down immediately after a four-yard completion.
As much as I liked Ware, I wasn't particularly impressed with Dallas's other 2005 first-round pick, Marcus Spears. On Tampa Bay's first play of the second half, Spears lined up at left defensive end opposite Trueblood. The handoff went to Williams, and Spears never even got close to the play as Trueblood easily shoved him aside. Spears is adequate at best against the run and has only 2.5 sacks in 27 career games. Spears did show his athleticism in jumping to bat down a Gradkowski pass in the third quarter, but that was the only time he did anything noteworthy.
Based on the Tampa Bay game, I think Spears should lose his starting job to rookie Jason Hatcher, a third-round draft pick out of Grambling. Hatcher got most of his playing time after the game was out of reach, but he excelled when he got his chance. In the fourth quarter he lined up against left guard Dan Buenning, knocked Buenning to the ground and sacked Gradkowski for a loss of 10 yards. At 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds, Hatcher looks the part of a 3-4 defensive end, and I think he's going to develop into a good one. Hatcher is still making the adjustment to playing against top-notch opposition after playing in a lower-level college program. That also applies to Ware, who is only 24 years old and was playing his college ball at Troy two years ago. That Thanksgiving blowout was a great game for Ware. I think we'll see many, many more of them in the future.

Roger Staubach Blog

November 29, 2006
Cowboys Talk
Posted by Roger at 3:37 pm
How ’bout them Cowboys? All alone in first place! What a difference a month can make.

It wasn’t long ago they were 3-3 and the season was looking bleak. Five games later, they’re 7-4, leading the NFC’s Eastern Division. Following the big win over the Colts, a lot of fans feared an emotional letdown on Thanksgiving; but, Dallas took control early, and the outcome was never in doubt.

Quarterback Tony Romo continued his outstanding play with five touchdown passes. During the Fox broadcast, Joe Buck asked Troy if it was really this easy and Troy said, “it never was for him.” I second what Troy said.

Tony’s making it look way too easy. Do you realize in the last 3 weeks, Tony is 28-30 in the second-half of games? That’s 93% passing! And the Cowboys have developed a great combination at running back with Julius Jones and Marion Barber. Julius is the speed, Marion is the power, and together they allow the Cowboys to win the time of possession battle — which is key to Bill Parcells’ style of play.
Sunday is a big game. The Cowboys will have to be careful dealing with a wounded team. Preparation and execution will be critical. The Giants are in a difficult situation and if we execute the way we can, we should win even though it will be tough playing on the Giants turf. The Cowboys need to take it one day and a time to take us to the playoffs ….

Transcript: Dallas Head Coach Bill Parcells with NY media

November 29 , 2006

Q: Aside from the usual coach’s speak about taking it one game at a time, could you talk about the importance and the sense of urgency for this game on Sunday?
A: We’ve had several of those in a row. We were 3-3 and kind of backed up. We were looking at three road games in a row and that’s not that pretty of a picture, so we’ve kind of had that a little bit of (that) sense for quite awhile here. Of course, this is a big game for us. We’re getting ready to head for the stretch, so I think the players are aware of that. I’m sure the Giants players are as well.

Q: What has it been like with Tony Romo and how is he handling all of the attention?
A: I think he’s doing well – I really do. You know, he’s not a rookie player and this is his fourth year here. He’s seen a lot. I think two of the big advantages he had as a young player was being exposed to Vinny Testaverde and (Drew) Bledsoe – two veteran guys. I think that experience as much as anything has been helpful for him in understanding what really playing quarterback in the NFL is like. It’s not like another position because the inner sanctum of the quarterback – their meetings are basically with their coach and just one or two other guys. The dialogue is much more one-on-one and you know you can collect a lot of information from an experienced player. Tony has mentioned to me probably eight or 10 times how beneficial his time with Vinny was because Vinny’s preparation was very meticulous. I think Tony learned a lot from watching that.

Q: A month ago the Giants were challenging the Bears for best in the conference and you seemingly were struggling. Are you ever surprised at how quickly things change in this league?
A: Not anymore. It just seems like you don’t really know what’s going to happen any week that you go out there. We were struggling, there isn’t any doubt about it. I got a lot of calls from a lot of my ex-players – letters, e-mails, calls and some personal visits. I appreciate that very much. But you have to put things away and go forward. There’s always next week and that’s one of the great things about the game. It can be a very exciting thing and it can also be very humbling. It never changes in that regard and when you have as much experience as I have now, you just understand it. It doesn’t make you any more able to deal with some of the highs and lows, but you do understand it better.

Q: What’s the best thing Romo has done so far?
A: Not turn the ball over. He’s managing the game much better. Now, when he came in against New York the first time, he was a little careless with it. But since that time he’s been pretty good.

Q: Was that just a matter of not having had any playing time and that was his first real taste there?
A: He had extensive playing time in preseason and that’s kind of what convinced me that he was going to be ready to play at some point. I’ve mentioned this several times here to the media: Had he played his first or second year…he’d probably be out of football. That’s the way it is nowadays with young quarterbacks. Sometimes they come in and they get thrown in there and everybody’s happy to see that, but they don’t think about the far-reaching effects it can have. With a player like Tony who really didn’t play big-time college football, he just needed time to get ready. He’s just taking baby-steps now.

Q: Do you think you’re getting the Giants here at a good time? There’s a lot of controversy on and off the field and they are coming off a tough game at Tennessee.
A: I think they’ll rally up and I think that they’re still our main competition in the division, without question. They beat us pretty badly down here the first time. They played well and we played poorly, and the combination of that made it very one-sided. I’m expecting a very tough game. Any time you play a division game, in the division on the road, it’s going to be tough. Just in light of what happened the first time, I know we’re going to have to play a lot better or we’re not going to win.

Q: Were you actually bothered at all by Jeremy Shockey’s supposed guarantee, and does that stuff ever really work for motivation?
A: I really didn’t hear…All I’m getting (of) this stuff is second-hand, really, so I don’t really know. But like I said down here yesterday, sometimes these kids, they say things. It gets distorted and it gets out of context really quickly nowadays with the kind of scrutiny (players are under). What the intent of the player’s statement is sometimes – I’m not talking about Shockey. I’m talking about any player – By the time it gets to the newspapers with the headline writers it’s changed quite a bit. I don’t really pay a lot of attention to it.

Q: But it sure is great for a veteran coach to use that as motivation for his players.
A: I haven’t said anything about it directly here this week since we started practice, so it may be, but it might be for a later time.

Q: What about indirectly?
A: No, I haven’t said indirectly, either.

Q: Last year you had to come up here in almost the same situation to have to knock the Giants off to regain the division. It appears the same way this year again.
A: It’s not the same way, I can tell you that, because we’re (not) coming off a loss on Thanksgiving. This team is not the same kind of team as last year’s team was. I don’t feel it’s the same way. It is the same record situation, but I don’t feel it’s the same way.

Q: How is the team different?
A: I think we’ve played our best football in the last month here, whereas last year I don’t think we were doing that at the time we came up there. And we had, as the Giants have experienced injuries, we had a couple of tackles in trouble last year. That match-up really hurt us there in New York because their defensive ends are good players.

Q: Aside from Romo, what has made the team so much better in the last month?
A: I think, first of all, our defense is…A lot of these young defensive linemen are second-year guys now. My team leaders on defense are four and five-year guys now. Four-year guys – Bradie (James) and Terence Newman, Roy Williams. And then I have Jason Ferguson. That helps keep the young linemen squared away. We just have…Losing (Greg) Ellis was big for us because he was a pressure-player and he was our team captain – just a lot of things that are important. He’s really a good kid and a hard working practice player, all of those things. I just think overall our team is 1) more experienced and 2) better understanding of what it takes to get the job done. I’m not saying a complete understanding by any stretch, but we have a better understanding now of how to approach things than we did last year at this time.

Q: Is would have been understandable early in the year if you thought about packing it in after this year with all of the problems with the team and Terrell Owens and all of the controversy. Does winning reenergize you?
A: Winning always reenergizes you and I didn’t view what was going on nationally with the publicity around Terrell the same way that I think a lot of people did because my team has been pretty much steady. Not without some shaky days – we’ve had some shaky days, game-wise, but I think they’re starting to see where some of their hard work is paying off for them. It’s really obvious to them, as our performance improves. But we still have a lot of work to do here and there’s a lot of football left. As you’ve seen in the last month, a team’s fortunes can change very quickly in this league and probably will. So we have a ways to go, but I hope that we’re headed in the right direction. I think we’re going to be in the race for a little while, anyway.

Q: Does winning put the silence on the Owens stuff?
A: No, I wouldn’t say that. I just think probably more Romo than…He went from being an orphan to the adopted son of everybody in about three weeks.

Q: Do you ever tire of dealing with the kind of hysteria and knowing that Romo has now become your national story?
A: Romo is a pretty smart kid and he’s been around me for awhile. I’m trying to keep him settled down, and that’s not really too hard to do because he’s a football guy. He likes football, it’s very important to him. Very important to him. And he’s competitive. He’s like a street player – He really is. It’s like the park. That’s the kind of kid he is. He enjoys that and he understands competition pretty well, so it’s not as hard to keep a player that understands competition. That’s the way it was with Lawrence (Taylor). When I had Lawrence there in New York, just show him the competition and he was ready to go for it. Now, if he didn’t think it was any competition, you might have to talk him into it.

Q: He seems to have taken to the trappings of fame – he’s in the gossip pages now. What do you do to level off…
A: Again, I think the national impression and what…You can’t stop this stuff. It’s like a germ-carrier. It goes from coast to coast in like two minutes. What are you going to do? ‘Oh, this guy’s dating this guy.’

Q: Do you want to rephrase that?
A: Yeah, maybe I’d better.

Q: How often do you look back to your ’86 season and what place does that hold in your heart as a coach?
A: Let me tell you what I think about the most: Of course I think about it, because it was the first time. I think about it often and I think about the game, the Super Bowl – I do that. But --and I’m not being corny here --the thing that’s really touched me the most – and it’s really happened a lot in the last year or two – is just…I don’t know what it is. Maybe they feel sorry for me, maybe they want to get one more jab in at me before I’m…It’s just this outpouring of my former players. I’m not talking about three or four, now. I mean, it’s in the 40’s or 50’s. I had two guys yesterday that I hadn’t heard from in a year or two. George Adams – now he lives down here in Dallas – called me on the phone. ‘How’re you doing? Let’s get lunch.’ Just these guys…I don’t know. I can’t explain it to you. It means everything to me. It really does, because Richie Anderson calls and leaves a message on Thanksgiving telling me how thankful he is for everything. It’s just special. It really is. It makes me feel good. It really does. That’s what I think about, because those are my guys and that’s really all that’s important. That’s what the game is about. It’s not about the glory, it’s not about the display and all of that stuff. I’m not trying to be sentimental here. I’m just telling you what’s important is (Jim) Burke comes down there to the Carolina game and I said, ‘I appreciate you coming.’ And he says to me – he doesn’t even blink an eye – He says, ‘It was time. You taught us all when it was time.’ You know, just stuff like that. That means a lot to me. Don’t get me sentimental, here.

Q: That said, is it still special to come back to Giants Stadium, and which sideline will Jim Burke be on on Sunday?
A: There’s a lot of people in the organization that I worked with and I have a good regard for, but it’s the competition now. They know me and I know them, and they know what it’s about. When the game’s over we’ll shake hands and wish each other the best, and that’s the way it’s always been. I’m just sad because Wellington (Mara)’s not there. That makes me sad. It’s not quite the same without him.

Q: Is it still possible for you to forge those types of connections, or were things different back then? Is it more difficult with today’s player?
A: No, I don’t think it’s different with today’s player. I really don’t, because I think it is possible. I still think it, because I’m not just hearing from the Giants players. I’m hearing from New England and the Jets players and, like I just mentioned, Richie Anderson and guys like that, and guys that have played here already and that aren’t here anymore. I think it is possible. I think it’s just what happens with you and some guys. I don’t know, I don’t want to sound corny. It’s just, that’s what means the most to me because you know when you hear from them that some way you touched them, you did the right thing by them or whatever. You just know it’s there. You just get letters out of the blue. Guys you haven’t talked to in eight or nine years. ‘I wanted to write you and tell you and thank you for-’ That’s the truth. That’s happened five or six times this year. It’s just been great.

Q: Because of your affection for New York, did that game down there hurt more than most?
A: Sure. When you’re on Monday night and you get embarrassed and your team looks like a rag-a-mop team, sure it hurts. None of us are proud of that. Hey, and that’s one of the great things about putting yourself at risk in this business for as long as I can. You know what can happen to you, and it’s a humbling game. It’s a humbling game. You can get punched in the nose and knocked out just like anybody else and that’s just the way it is. But that’s also the fun part of it. That’s also the juice, you know? That’s also what gets you going.

Q: Do you see all of the pieces falling into place now for the Cowboys?
A: No, I think it’s a little too early. Give me another three weeks. (In) another three weeks, I think I’ll know. I think I’ll know.

Q: What’s your diagnosis of Eli Manning’s struggles?
A: First of all, I don’t know the player. I don’t know him personally, so what I could say is irrelevant anyway. All I can tell anybody about any young quarterback in any major city in this country that’s a developing player (is) that there’s going to be some ups and downs. My guy down here just hasn’t had a down day yet, but he’s going to have one and we all know it. It just goes with the territory. It’s just being able to get through those tough periods and have the wherewithal – I mean, look at (Phil) Simms. Look what he went through. Think back. Think back. It’s hard on all of them and I don’t envy them. (It’s a) tough job.

Q: Of all of the minuses from that first Giants game, is the positive that that was the game that forced the move to Romo?
A: I don’t know. I would guess if you wanted to call that a positive, I guess you could. But I think any time you make a decision like that it’s a difficult one, and you don’t do it without quite a bit of deliberation. But we’re going to have to play a lot better than we played that day.

Q: Can you empathize with what Tom Coughlin is going through now?
A: Again, I’m not there so I don’t really know exactly, but I can empathize with any coach in the NFL. I see their faces every Sunday or every Monday night. We’re all the same. We’re all the same. As the late George Young used to say, ‘It’s not a game for well-adjusted people.’

Transcript: Dallas Quarterback Tony Romo


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November 29 , 2006

Q: What is the primary reason for your success this past month?

A: I don’t know. I would say it is just preparation. Our team’s ability execute right now is pretty high. We prepare each week like it is the most important game of the season. Each week that goes on here now all of a sudden it is. I think we are just putting in a lot of time throughout the week preparing.

Q: Specifically, you as compared to the almost ‘deer-in-headlights’ look you had when you came in the second half of the Giants game?

A: Yeah, I definitely was a little disappointed in my performance there. But I don’t know. I don’t know what is different. For me I don’t know what has allowed us to do some good things. But we are just quick and we are executing better. I don’t know personally – I don’t have a finger on it I guess.

Q: Could you describe just kind of how your life has changed; how much more interaction with Coach Parcells; your meetings, just how much things have changed now that you are the starter.

A: I think I’m the guy who really doesn’t really want to go into the game chancing certain things. Like if something doesn’t (feel) right then I want to get it sorted out. I want to get it to a point where I feel, “Hey, we need to run it like this. We need to do this again. We need to work on this.” And I’ll go up and talk to each player on the side, do what I have to do to be on the same page as them. And I’ll talk to the coaches – stuff you like, stuff you don’t like. I just feel as though when it became my position as the quarterback here, I wasn’t just going to let things, I guess, be to chance. And I’m going to feel 100% ready and prepared when Sunday rolls around.

Q: Do you have a sense of kind of being caught up as a ‘national story.’ I’m reading about dating Jessica Simpson. There are just a lot of stories out there about you. Do you have a sense of that? How are you handling all of that?

A: I heard things from time to time, but when you play in this game you have tunnel vision. And sometimes you are just, boom, as soon as you get a win or as soon as you play a game, all of a sudden the next day it’s, “Hey, let’s get prepared for this game; for this team.” I just think that our big win versus the Colts a few weeks back, we had Tampa Bay that Thursday – four days to get ready. So you don’t really think about all of this stuff that is going on. You just say, “Get back to work.” And you go to work Monday morning and you starting watching film of the next opponent and you are there – you are doing it. You don’t have time to reflect or to do any of that stuff. I think that allows me to basically just keep going forward; keep getting better. And just try to keep winning ball games.

Q: What do you see when you see this Giants defense that has been so depleted by injury? And how much of an impact do you think Umenyiora’s possible return would have on the game Sunday?

A: We are pretty much going in expecting almost everyone to play, so we will find out when they first come out as to who is playing and who is not. But, yeah, we are going into it thinking that everyone is going to play for them. And we will go with it when they don’t. But I don’t know. I’m not sure. I know he will have a big impact. He is a great player. We will have to definitely do some things to try and slow him down. But we are kind of doing our thing and we are just thinking about ourselves right now. And if we can execute our side of the ball and do what we are suppose to, usually good things happen.

Q: How much of a sense do you have that if you beat the Giants on Sunday it is the final nail in their coffin?

A: Just like I said, we are not really thinking about them right now. We are trying to continue to go forward. We know if we get a win it helps us out a lot. If we get a loss we are back into fighting for our lives again. I know the Giants are in a tough situation as well. But I’m not really thinking about what happens to them the rest of the season. I’m really worried about us.

Q: What are the two or three most important things that Bill Parcells has said to you since you took over?

A: I don’t know that a whole bunch is way more important than another. We talk a bunch. We talk about just a lot of different things outside of just – what is going on this week, we’ll talk old school football stuff and everything. I learn a lot from him all of the time. One of the things he stress now is just to, you have to be able to come right back out when you are sore and hurting and everything on Wednesday and go do it again. You have to be that same guy. You have to be like the guy you were on Sunday. You can’t let it slip. That’s just what I have been trying to do.

Q: He was telling us earlier - when we spoke to Coach Parcells - that he has told you upon occasion if you had played your first or second year, he thinks you would be out of football by now. Is that maybe true and was it worth the wait if that is indeed the case?

A: I don’t know that I would have been as successful, definitely. As in any case the longer you wait, sometimes the more prepared you are. But I don’t know. I think I was raw. I think I had pretty good instincts when I was younger. But I also think I was probably a little too inaccurate and just made some bone-head decisions sometimes that kind of drove him nuts. But I think I have learned to harness that a little bit; to manage the game the way it is suppose to be. And I think it is helping us a little bit.

Q: What do you think are the aspects of your own personality that have translated into – I think that I was reading that all of your teammates call you ‘cool’ all of the time. What do you think about the aspects of your personality that have made you able to lead the offense?

A: Well, first off, I’m not that cool. I think they are joking around with you guys. But I just think that I want to win. I’m very passionate about the game. I’m a football guy 24-7, and I want to win and I’m very competitive. I think the guys see that and they want to be around someone who wants to win as badly as I do. The one trait that Bill and I have in common is that we will do whatever we can to help this team win and at the end of the day it is not about people’s feelings getting hurt or anything like that. It is about finding a way to get the job done. And we will do whatever is in our power to get that done.

Q: Should we read anything into the Jessica Simpson report?

A: No you don’t have to. I actually told the guys yesterday that Jessica and I are not dating. So no one has to write about that. Very funny, though. But anyhow, I guess there are worse things.

Q: How did your coach take all of those reports, though? He is not the kind that coddles the limelight a lot.

A: No he’s definitely not. He’s a lot funnier than – I guess you guys probably see it once in a while, but with me, he and I have a really good relationship. He’ll needle me for sure.

T.O. targets Plaxico for KO

Says 'Boys want revenge

BY OHM YOUNGMISUK
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER


Terrell Owens says Cowboys will have a ball - at expense of Plaxico Burress.

IRVING, Tex. - Plaxico Burress has more to worry about than just Michael Strahan.
Terrell Owens remembers how Burress called him a "coward" who purposely slipped on the turf to avoid a potential hit during the Giants' 36-22 win in Dallas last month. Owens says Burress will want to watch out this Sunday, particularly for hard-hitting safety Roy Williams.

When reminded yesterday that Owens had joked a few weeks ago how Williams would take care of Burress for him, Owens said, "Yeah, we'll get him this week. We'll get him this week. All I know is, everybody, that defense has been hitting some people, kind of laying the wood a little bit," Owens said after practice at the Cowboys' Valley Ranch base. "I'm pretty sure they have been watching the film so he better watch out."

The Cowboys' bulletin board should be overflowing with motivation for their rematch with the Giants at the Meadowlands. Bill Parcells already has Jeremy Shockey's "there is no way they have a chance in hell to beat us when we play our football" boast from a week ago to work with.

"He was just popping off at the mouth," Owens said of Shockey. "Whatever he needs to do to spark that team and probably try to get a rise out of us. He is not going to do it. Right now he is frustrated. What they should really be focusing on trying to do is get off that losing streak. And I don't foresee it happening this weekend."

Williams, who was not available for comment, has incentive to target Burress. After that Monday night Giant win, Burress criticized the Dallas safety for complaining about how he was impeded by an official from making a play on Burress when the Giants' receiver caught a 50-yard touchdown bomb. Williams collided with the back judge on the play. "He couldn't have made that play if he wanted to," Burress said after the game. "He can't cover and No.25 (rookie safety Patrick Watkins) can't cover. It wasn't a surprise. That's been (Williams') rap since he came in the league. He's a 250-pound ankle tackler. That's what he is. And horse collars, too."

"He wouldn't have made that play if he was on a skateboard," Burress added.

Burress went on to say Williams' reputation for being a premier hitter should come with an asterisk.

"He is, when you ain't looking," Burress said. "He'll sock you when you ain't looking. Look at how he tackles guys coming straight at him and guys that are not looking. He's a different football player."

Owens is still surprised that Burress knocked him. The two controversial receivers are both represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus and they trained together during the offseason in Miami. "For him to make that comment, it was very disturbing to me," Owens said. "I called up Drew and said, 'What is going on? Why would he say a thing like that?' (Rosenhaus) had no answers for me. We have never had a war of words or any type of animosity toward each other. It came out of thin air."

Originally published on November 30, 2006

Pressure is On Giants

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Archive

In a league where it's prudent to revisit any franchise's playoff pulse in two- or three-week increments, the latest measure of the New York Giants' heartbeat after three consecutive defeats is notably faint.

You can't, though, say the same thing for the Giants' collective blood pressure.

Place a blood pressure cuff around the arm of just about anyone in the New York locker room, it seems, and the elevated systolic and diastolic readings are those of a team about to explode. The irony is that the Giants appear more like a group poised to implode.
On Nov. 12, the Giants were 6-2 and facing the Chicago Bears at home for a game that was supposed to define NFC supremacy. Three weeks later -- after a second-half collapse against the Bears, an uninspiring effort in a loss at Jacksonville, and the unthinkable meltdown at Tennessee last Sunday -- hardly anyone appears conscious of the fact that a victory over the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon nudges the Giants back into first place in the NFC East.

Least cognizant of that, it seems, are the Giants themselves.

If the past three losses have represented the slow and confounding deterioration of a team once regarded as possessing Super Bowl potential, this week has been the equivalent of a freight train rumbling downhill with its brake lines purposely sliced. And there have been plenty of engineers, given that the team has more agendas than a congressional appropriations hearing, grabbing for the controls but still not trying particularly hard to avoid a train wreck.

Certainly, there have been enough public collisions to signal a team in dire straits. One can only imagine what has transpired internally. In the office of coach Tom Coughlin, it's likely that the flies on the walls have, by now, donned headsets to cancel out the din. Unfortunately, the Giants seem to have turned a deaf ear to Coughlin as well.

Ravaged by injuries and with a defense minus six starters, including its two Pro Bowl ends, the Giants could use their burgeoning attrition rate as a convenient excuse. To their credit, they have not. And maybe that's because the deeper wounds that have struck down the Giants are the self-inflicted ones.

Yeah, the performance of quarterback Eli Manning has been miserable, as he has completed a pedestrian 51.6 percent of his passes over the last six games and thrown six touchdowns passes but eight interceptions in that stretch. And tailback Tiki Barber hasn't found the same kinds of holes he did earlier in the season, or to listen to him, hasn't been afforded ample opportunity to find them. The defense has been hampered by injuries and sprung numerous holes. And, for sure, some coaching decisions and play calls on both sides of the ball have been dubious.

But if the Giants continue their slide, it's just as likely to have been what occurred off the field, even more so than what's transpired on it, that will have proved their undoing.

The same gang that ran off former coach Jim Fassel is now, clearly, trying to do the same with Coughlin. Not even the names have been changed in an attempt to protect those culpable. There are just enough agents provocateurs in the New York locker room, most with ready access to a competitive media contingent, to undermine coaching authority. And, truth be told, Coughlin hasn't always helped himself, either, beseeching players to keep grievances in house and then airing dirty laundry himself on occasion.

Maybe we were naive, but until talking with players and media and some assistant coaches this week, we weren't aware to what extent the vultures were circling Coughlin's head. Having seen the Giants first-hand in two of their three straight losses, it was obvious there were problems on the field, but those have now been superseded by the loud rumblings off it. Still, we just figured the normally conservative Giants front office would view the player unrest as just a few malcontents and deal with them in the offseason.

The problems, however, run deeper than that. There is a perception now that, while everyone sits straight and with eyes focused during Coughlin's meetings, players are making faces at him the minute he turns to leave the room. If you're the principal, how long can you retain a teacher who is regarded with such a dearth of basic respect? And so with some chagrin, because we still think Coughlin is a top-flight coach, it seems fair to acknowledge he's in trouble.

New York lost its final eight games of the season in 2003. It began the Coughlin era in 2004 by dropping its eight of its last nine games, winning the finale. Losing out the rest of the way this season would mean a pair of eight-game slides on Coughlin's watch and that would almost mandate some action.

It has been a painful year of transition for the Giants. The team lost its co-owners, the sainted Wellington Mara and the highly-regarded Bob Tisch, in a three-week span last season. General manager Ernie Accorsi will resign at the end of this season and Barber has announced this year is his last. That's a lot of upheaval for a franchise always viewed as a pillar of stability in the league.

Should the franchise be forced to change coaches, it would be another, well, Giants step backward. But when the league-owned network and Web site are both reporting that Coughlin could be coaching for his life this Sunday against the Cowboys, one can't help but take notice.
Only a few weeks ago, everyone felt The Big Blue was headed toward a special season. The flickering pulse of the Giants right now, though, suggests it could be a Big Blew It season instead.

Parcells Preaches Patience to Canty

Dallascowboys.com
November 30, 2006

Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells said his defensive ends are playing more, but still wants to get more production from second-year end Chris Canty. Pareclls said he knows Canty is frustrated with the lack of attention that comes his way. "Chris basically plays on the weak side of the defense and a lot of plays go the other way," Pareclls said. "So he's not in on the production as much so we get on him about producing and then he's trying to make plays outside the system." Pareclls said he's told Canty to just play in the system and be patient for the plays to come back to him.

NFL Report: Dallas enjoying revival under Romo

By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY

Tony Romo is quickly proving himself to be something more than the quarterback successor Dallas Cowboys fans have been waiting on since Hall of Famer Troy Aikman retired in 2000.

Everything about Romo's 4-1 start suggests the Cowboys' Boy Wonder might be the latest storybook quarterback.

Romo-mania is starting to inspire Dallas Super Bowl dreams and comparisons to other out-of-nowhere quarterback legends — namely Tom Brady and Kurt Warner.

The last quarterback to have a five-touchdown passing performance in one of his first five starts? Warner, who went from stocking supermarket shelves to Super Bowl MVP as he raised the Lombardi Trophy with St. Louis in 2000.

"I thought it was Aikman out there," Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden said after Romo's five-touchdown, 306-yard performance keyed a 38-10 Thanksgiving Day victory.

"Three in a Romo" was the headline on the Cowboys website after Romo's five touchdowns tied the franchise record held by Aikman and four others.
But Romo is still cautious: "I haven't arrived by any means."

Try telling that to rabid Dallas fans.

Romo raised expectations after beating the previously undefeated Colts in Week 11. He's thrown for 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in his five starts for a 115.8 passer rating since replacing Drew Bledsoe at halftime of a Week 7 Monday night loss to the Giants.

It says everything about how high Romo's star has risen that he's not only upstaged Terrell Owens but bonded well with the player infamous for throwing other quarterbacks under the bus.

Romo, a former Eastern Illinois quarterback, was tutored by another former Eastern Illinois quarterback, current Saints head coach (and former Cowboys quarterbacks coach and offensive assistant) Sean Payton.

Romo wears No. 9, not in tribute to any quarterback or because he's the ninth quarterback to start since Aikman retired. It's in tribute to his favorite movie character — Roy Hobbs, the fictional home run-hitting hero played by Robert Redford in The Natural.

Hey, if you're going to dream, why not swing for the fences?

The guy trying to keep his charismatic football version of Roy Hobbs grounded is coach Bill Parcells, who arguably made the move of the season when he promoted Romo after a three-year apprenticeship.

"I'm impressed. But you know a couple of those I could have thrown," Parcells said after the win against Tampa Bay. "We've got a ways to go here. So put the anointing oil away."

Romo makes quick decisions and has made the most of the Cowboys' arsenal of playmakers, getting tight ends Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano involved as receivers instead of Bledsoe protectors.

"We have so many weapons on the outside, I pick out a guy I think is open and get him the ball and they do all the work," Romo says.

"I always had pretty good instincts. I think I see things at a pretty good pace.

"I don't think about it, 'Wow! I'm the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.' For me, this is my job. This is what I've been preparing to do. And I really want to win badly."

He's a football guy who has hit it off with Parcells, possibly as the winning lottery ticket the Tuna needed in his fourth season in Dallas.

"Me and Bill actually get along real well just because we both want to win," Romo says. "I think he believes in me and trusts me. At the end of the day, we're both trying to do the same thing, win a lot of games.

"We're just football guys 24/7. The more people you have like that on your team, usually the better off your team is."

Bill gives Cowboys a Shock

Focuses on tight end's loose lips

BY OHM YOUNGMISUK
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

IRVING, Tex. - Jeremy Shockey's mouth has apparently fired up another old, grumpy head coach in Bill Parcells and added spice to Sunday's pivotal NFC East showdown between the Giants and Cowboys. Not that it needed any.

Shockey told ESPN's Ed Werder last week that if the Giants play their game, the Cowboys have no "chance in hell" of beating them at Giants Stadium.

According to Cowboys players, Parcells told them of Shockey's statement after they demolished Tampa Bay, 38-10, on Thanksgiving.

"We are not worried about anyone else," Shockey had said when asked if he was concerned about the Cowboys and Giants going in opposite directions last week following the Giants' 26-10 loss to the Jaguars. "No one's beat us. We only beat ourselves. And that is what we feel like in this locker room. No one is capable of hanging around when we play our game. People seen that when we played the Cowboys the first time. There is no way they have a chance in hell to beat us when we play our football. And that is the truth. No other team in this league."

While Parcells downplayed Shockey's statement yesterday, saying he still doesn't know exactly what the Giants' controversial tight end said, a Dallas source said the Cowboys had a copy of Shockey's comments.

Parcells clearly will use any added motivation to fire up the Cowboys in a rematch that could decide the NFC East.

"Look it, these kids nowadays, you can't tell what they are going to say," Parcells said after Cowboys practice yesterday. "I heard about it second- and third-hand so I don't even know really what it is yet exactly. Actually, what would talk have to do with the outcome of this game? You don't know and neither does anyone else."

"I'm not that concerned," Parcells added of Shockey's statement. "Why would I think that is important?"

The Dallas media, however, have brought it up several times because Parcells said after the Cowboys' rout of Tampa Bay that he was "aware of it." And Cowboys players said Parcells brought it to their attention, too. The comments were broadcasted on ESPN radio (KESN) in Dallas repeatedly last week.

"Oh," linebacker Bradie James told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last week. "That is what Bill was talking about."

This is not the first time Shockey and Parcells have been linked over something the tight end said. Three years ago, Shockey was quoted in a magazine calling Parcells a "homo." Shockey insisted he was misquoted.

Parcells said he has bigger things than Shockey's mouth to worry about. Even though the slumping Giants are in the midst of a three-game tailspin, Parcells said he remembers only the more confident and healthier Giants team that spanked the Cowboys, 36-22, in Dallas on Oct. 23.

"They beat us 36-22 down here," Parcells said. "That is all I need to know. Unless we play a lot better than we played down here, we wouldn't have any reason to expect to beat them up there. We got to play a lot better than we did down here.

"They still got a reasonably good record and they are a threat and our most immediate competition," he added. "We are going to have to be ready to play well or we won't win."

The Cowboys (7-4) are looking for revenge after their Monday night debacle against the Giants (6-5) and to create separation in the standings between the two division rivals. Meanwhile, the Giants are just desperately trying to get their act together after pointing fingers at one another and suffering injury after injury.

"I don't know what is going on there," Parcells said when asked about Tom Coughlin being criticized by his own players Tiki Barber and Shockey. "I don't really have any idea. I do know him but I haven't been talking to him recently so I don't really know what is going on there."

Parcells says he doesn't know all about the turmoil that surrounds Big Blue and his old Giants assistant coach. But he seems to know just enough about Shockey.

KICKED OUT: Parcells said he cut Mike Vanderjagt on Monday because the kicker's struggles were affecting the way he was coaching games. Vanderjagt, who signed a three-year, $5.5 million deal with $2.5 million signing bonus last summer, went 13-for-18 this season. "The last four or five weeks, he was hitting the ball to the point where it was making us play the game a little differently," said Parcells, who signed Martin Gramatica.

Every Play Counts: The Dallas Front Seven

by Michael David Smith

The Dallas Cowboys consist of three people: quarterback Tony Romo, wide receiver Terrell Owens, and coach Bill Parcells. At least that seems to be this season’s media script.

But Dallas is 7-4, in first place, and looking like a Super Bowl contender because of its defense more than anything else. So why do none of the players on the Cowboys’ defense get anywhere near as much attention as the Big Three? I closely watched the Cowboys’ defense on every play of their 38-10 Thanksgiving win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to determine why it is playing so well. I came away impressed by nearly everyone, but it was one player — second-year outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware — who blew me away with the dominant game he had.

On third-and-4 on Tampa Bay’s first drive, Ware lined up on the line of scrimmage opposite tight end Anthony Becht. Tampa Bay’s blocking scheme called for Becht to block Ware one-on-one, and that was a huge mismatch. Ware dominated Becht and forced Tampa Bay quarterback Bruce Gradkowski out of the pocket, although Gradkowski made a nice run to pick up the first down. Two plays later, Ware was at it again. This time he lined up at right outside linebacker and was one-on-one with left tackle Anthony Davis. Ware again won the individual battle and forced Gradkowski out of the pocket, but Gradkowski again moved in the pocket and this time found Joey Galloway deep downfield for a 53-yard completion.

On that first series, Gradkowski showed a great deal of athleticism and did a nice job of leading Tampa Bay down the field for a touchdown. However, Dallas harassed him repeatedly for the rest of the game, and the Buccaneers never again reached the red zone, let alone the end zone.

Ware is a freakish athlete, but just as importantly, he’s a smart player. On the first play of Tampa Bay’s second drive, Ware lined up at right outside linebacker. The play was a handoff up the middle to Cadillac Williams, with flanker Michael Clayton going in motion from right to left and running a fake reverse. The play design assumed that the right outside linebacker would be held in place by the fake reverse and wouldn’t need to be blocked, but Ware wasn’t fooled for a minute. He recognized the play immediately, ran directly to Williams and brought him down two yards behind the line of scrimmage.

More big plays from Ware: On a third-and-3, Ware lined up at left outside linebacker and destroyed rookie right tackle Jeremy Trueblood. Ware bull-rushed Trueblood, collapsed the pocket, and drilled Gradkowski just as he threw the ball away. (Gradkowski probably should have been called for intentional grounding.) On a third-and-2, Cadillac Williams had a brilliant run around the right end. Four Dallas players — linebackers Bradie James and Bobby Carpenter and safeties Patrick Watkins and Roy Williams — had chances to tackle Williams but missed him. It was Ware, lined up at outside linebacker on the other side of the field, who finally caught up with Williams and tackled him 22 yards downfield.

Parcells must be hugely disappointed in Carpenter, the team’s first-round draft pick and the son of one of Parcells’ favorite players, former Giants fullback Rob Carpenter. When you draft a linebacker in the first round, you’re expecting him to make an instant impact on the defense, but that missed opportunity to tackle Williams was the only time Carpenter did anything worth mentioning. He rarely got on the field until it was time for mop-up duty, when he made one tackle long after Dallas had put the game away.

It was Alshermond Singleton, not Carpenter, who moved into the starting lineup when the Cowboys lost linebacker Greg Ellis for the season two weeks ago. Like Ware, Singleton exploited Becht’s inability to protect Gradkowski. Roy Williams got an interception when Singleton lined up opposite Becht and ran right past him, forcing Gradkowski to hurry his throw. Gradkowski underthrew the ball and didn’t see that Williams was sitting on Galloway’s deep post route. Williams had an easy time intercepting it.

Although Singleton and Ware are both good pass rushers on the outside, the Cowboys’ inside linebackers are ineffective on the blitz. On a third-and-4, Dallas rushed all four linebackers. That left cornerback Anthony Henry on an island against Joey Galloway, who beat him for a 13-yard reception. Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer would be wise to leave that blitz out of his game plan from now on.

Zimmer deserves more credit than he has received for his work with the Dallas defense. A Dallas assistant since 1994, Zimmer is the last link on the coaching staff to the team’s 1990s heyday. When Parcells became the head coach, owner Jerry Jones urged him to keep Zimmer as the defensive coordinator, and Parcells complied, with the stipulation that he wanted Zimmer to run a 3-4 defense. Even though Zimmer had never before coached a 3-4, he has made a seamless transition to working with Parcells. Although most people think Jones will want to hire a big-name successor when Parcells retires, Zimmer would be a strong candidate to become the Cowboys’ next head coach.

Of course, Zimmer hasn’t completely abandoned his 4-3 roots. The Cowboys usually switch to a 4-3 on third downs, moving Ware from outside linebacker to defensive end and replacing the huge run-stopping nose tackle Jason Ferguson with one of their quicker backup defensive tackles. The Cowboys occasionally use even more than four down linemen. On first-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Dallas went to a five-man line. On the next play, second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Dallas used six down linemen.

Although he comes out on many passing downs, Ferguson is more active than most 3-4 nose tackles. On a second-and-7, Tampa Bay center John Wade got a good first step and seemed to have Ferguson back on his heels, but Ferguson recovered, shoved Wade aside and tackled Williams for a gain of three. Later, on a first-and-10 handoff to Michael Pittman, both Wade and right guard Davin Joseph blocked Ferguson, or at least they tried to. Even double-teaming him, they couldn’t budge Ferguson, who stood his ground and tackled Pittman for a gain of two yards. Parcells drafted Ferguson with the Jets in 1997 and made signing him as a free-agent a top priority last year. It’s easy to see why.

Defensive end Kenyon Coleman doesn’t get much attention, but he’s an important part of the defensive line rotation. He has a non-stop motor, going until the whistle blows on every play. It’s nice to see a 300-pounder trying to run down a running back when the other 300-pounders on the field have decided the play is past them and they can quit. On a third-and-15 shovel pass to Michael Pittman, Coleman, lined up at left defensive tackle, tackled Pittman after a gain of six yards.

Dallas seems to use its linebackers in coverage on wide receivers more than most teams do. Kevin Burnett, who had the 39-yard interception return for a touchdown last week against Indianapolis, showed again on Thanksgiving that he’s very good in pass coverage. Dallas even occasionally had him matched up with Joey Galloway, and he did a nice job of jamming Galloway at the line of scrimmage and keeping up with him downfield. Burnett and James were in deep coverage where safeties usually line up and tackled wide receiver Michael Clayton on a 10-yard completion in the fourth quarter. On a first-down pass in the flat to Ike Hilliard in the third quarter, Singleton was in coverage and tackled Hilliard for a gain of just three yards. On a second-and-8, Michael Pittman — one of the fastest running backs in the league — ran a slant route, but Akin Ayodele stuck with him and batted the pass away from Pittman. Ayodele also had a beautiful diving interception in the third quarter. When Becht ran pass routes, Ware was usually the one to cover him. On a first-and-10 completion to Becht, Ware jammed him at the line of scrimmage, then covered him in the flat and brought him down immediately after a four-yard completion.

As much as I liked Ware, I wasn’t particularly impressed with Dallas’s other 2005 first-round pick, Marcus Spears. On Tampa Bay’s first play of the second half, Spears lined up at left defensive end opposite Trueblood. The handoff went to Williams, and Spears never even got close to the play as Trueblood shoved him aside easily. Spears is adequate at best against the run and has only 2.5 sacks in 27 career games. Spears did show his athleticism in jumping to bat down a Gradkowski pass in the third quarter, but that was the only time he did anything noteworthy.

Based on the Tampa Bay game, I think Spears should lose his starting job to rookie Jason Hatcher, a third-round draft pick out of Grambling. Hatcher got most of his playing time after the game was out of reach, but he excelled when he got his chance. In the fourth quarter he lined up against left guard Dan Buenning, knocked Buenning to the ground and sacked Gradkowski for a loss of 10 yards. At 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds, Hatcher looks the part of a 3-4 defensive end, and I think he’s going to develop into a good one.

Hatcher is still making the adjustment to playing against top-notch opposition after playing in a lower-level college program. That also applies to Ware, who is only 24 years old and was playing his college ball at Troy two years ago. That Thanksgiving blowout was a great game for Ware. I think we’ll see many, many more of them.

T.O. questions kicker's release

Receiver can't see why Cowboys cut Vanderjagt

Posted: Wednesday November 29, 2006 4:46PM; Updated: Wednesday November 29, 2006 4:53PM

IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Terrell Owens isn't just sorry to see his pal Mike Vanderjagt go.

He thinks the Dallas Cowboys made a mistake by releasing the wayward kicker.

"I don't see what he did wrong to warrant him being cut," Owens said Wednesday.

"I hope it doesn't come back to haunt us. Whoever made that decision, I'm pretty sure they're hoping the same thing."

Vanderjagt was released Monday, only 11 games into a three-year, $5.4 million contract.

He was 13-of-18 on field goals, a 72.2 percent success rate that was the lowest of his nine-year career.

However, he's still the most accurate kicker in league history (86.5 percent) and only one of his misses was completely botched; three hit the right upright and another was blocked.
T
The final straw was missing two kicks against his former team, Indianapolis, then barely making a 22-yarder against Tampa Bay.

Coach Bill Parcells had lost confidence in Vanderjagt heading into the last month with the Cowboys (7-4) holding first place in the NFC East.

Martin Gramatica was signed to take his place, despite his own struggles the last few years.

In their brief time as teammates, T.O. and the "idiot kicker," as Peyton Manning once called Vanderjagt, really hit it off.

Owens said he's spoken with Vanderjagt since he was cut.

"Going into the Colts game, the guy was 12-of-15. That's still a high kicking percentage," Owens said.

"He didn't lose any games for us. If I had to put myself in the mix, I feel like I lost some games and I'm still here, so it's just unfortunate."

Owens dropped a sure touchdown pass that would've broken open a game at Washington.

Instead, Vanderjagt had a chance to win it with a last-second field goal, but a missed assignment by a linemen led to the kick being blocked and the

Redskins wound up kicking the winning field goal. It was the only game Dallas lost when Vanderjagt missed a kick.

Tony Romo wins NFC Offensive Player of the Week award

Romo wins award
Tony Romo wins the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. It’s the second time in the last three weeks that Romo has won it.

Matt Mosley is having a glass of wine in his honor.

Posted by Calvin Watkins at 12:48 PM (E-mail this entry) | Comments (0)

Romo takes stab at world peace, wins OPOW
Tony Romo is once again the NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

His record-tying five-touchdown performance earned him the award for the second time in three games. It may have also played a role in the league waking up and adding him to the Pro Bowl ballot.

You can also vote for Tony and Mat McBriar via text message.

"What's that number again?" Romo joked yesterday.


Posted by Matt Mosley at 12:21 PM (E-mail this entry) | Comments (0)

PICKING 'BOYS BONES by The Fish

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PICKING 'BOYS BONES by The Fish

The Cowboys are among the top stories in the NFL right now, and the Dallas Morning News is the local paper of record (that's still right, right?). So we're looking to the gang at the DMN to provide analysis, insight and proper usage of words.

And we have just three bones to pick today. Very gently, we pick. With love, we pick.

Bone No. 1: We open up Monday's News to find NFL writer Rick Gosselin's ranking of the 32 teams. Up top are Indy, San Diego, Baltimore, New England and Chicago. Ranked sixth are the New Orleans Saints. Ranked seventh are the Dallas Cowboys.

Now, maybe Gosselin is attempting to avoid being labeled a "homer.'' Or maybe we shouldn't take these rankings at all seriously. And certainly we get a better answer come Dec. 10, when the Saints come to Texas Stadium for a meeting deemed so important that the NFL has moved it from a noon start to the prime-time, nationally-televised evening game. But why, exactly, are the Saints better than the Cowboys? Both teams are 7-4, so that's not it. Dallas has scored 309 points to New Orleans' 276 (a 33-point Cowboys edge), so that's not it. Dallas' defense has allowed 198 to New Orleans' 241 (a 43-point Cowboys edge), so that's not it.

I dunno. Maybe Rick likes the Saints' uniforms?

Bone No. 2: The whole world wants to know more about Tony Romo, so in Sunday's News, beat writer Todd Archer puts together a serviceable (if innocuous) piece on Romo's sudden popularity in regard to magazine covers and the like.

Buried in the story -- in the 21st paragraph of a 23-paragraph story -- is this nugget: Tony Romo is a Mexican-American.

He is?

Si.

Born Antonio Ramiro Romo, Tony is the grandson of Mexican immigrants. He doesn't speak much Spanish (it apparently doesn't come in as handy back home in Wisconsin) but I would suggst he is nevertheless poised to become an international celebrity because of his heritage. Romo joins a very short list (Jim Plunkett and Tom Flores and anybody else?) of successful Hispanic QBs in the NFL.

This is a huge story. Not just Tony Casillas-huge. Or just Eduardo Najera-huge.

The suddenly beloved quarterback of America's Team is a Brett Favre-mimicking/small-school-and-undrafted non-prospect/military offspring/undersized overachiever/humble-yet-cocky kid who happens to be Hispanic?

This could be Yao Ming-huge. Heck, it could be Yao Ming-meets-Roger Staubach huge. Which, to me, elevates it above paragraph 21.

Bone No. 3: I recently emailed new lead columnist Jean-Jacques Taylor a congratulatory note, telling him how much this market needs somebody to stir things up. I trust that JJT is trying, and maybe this is just my personal bugaboo, but. ...

It seems like any time JJT's columns stray into the 25-Cent Word Dictionary, they somehow mangle the meaning of said 25-cent words.

Monday's example comes from a flattering featurette (disguised as a column, which means this doesn't quite "stir things up'') on Cowboys assistant Tony Sparano. In the article, JJT tries writes of the importance of quarterbacks and receivers being on the same page, in sync, in tune, bonded, whatever.

Except JJT calls that QB/WR connection "karma.''

"Karma'' technically means "a person's actions and how they determine his destiny in his next incarnation.'' "Karma'' has come to be used as a synonym for "good luck'' and "good destiny.''

There is no "karma'' between the Cowboys' QBs and wide receivers. ... unless they all plan on playing football together again in another life.

Again, I'm being picky. I mean to stay positive. So Go Cowboys! And Go Dallas Morning News!

RECAP: Mickey with The Hardline on The Ticket...

Recap bt TrickBlue from a sports forum:

Mick:

Gramatica, I was told, was perfect again today in practice. I was also told he has really good pop on the ball like he used to have with Tampa. Apparently Dallas was considering signing him in the offseason but were a bit afraid of his surgery.
Bill did mention an open spot on the PS. It looks as if that will be K Carlos Martinez.

Jerry said today that they were through with high $$$ kickers. He said they will develop their own, without a kicking coach, like everyone else does.
The big time wire story coming out of here is going to beTO disagreeing with the release of Vandy. This is going to be overblown. It was an obscure, quiet question and he in no way answered it maliciously. He said he had cost them more games than Vandy. It was obvious he wasn't trying to stir up any problems with Jones or Parcells, but it won't be reported that way. He was just sticking up quietly for a friend.

Mick Shots - Nov. 28

Take my word on this one, if Tony Romo continues to make as good a decision on the field as he continues to make in front of his locker answering questions from the media, then that other shoe we just know is waiting to fall might never fall. When asked, now that he’s the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, has he discovered new privileges in public or feel he’s a little more entitled to ask for things, Romo said, “I’m from a small town, from a small college, and I don’t think any of that is warranted around there,” and then later on said, “In a small town, you don’t think you’re any better than anyone else.” He has learned well.

Why does it seem every time the Cowboys are fixing to play someone, the team calls one of those “players only” meetings? The Giants, trying to end a three-game losing streak, called one on Monday. With all their injuries, hope the meeting had some medicinal benefits. That’s the second one in a month, the Cardinals summoning one while trying to end a seven-game losing streak. And that one in Arizona sure cured what ailed the Cards that week, didn’t it.

Parcells always is thinking ahead, and why the Cowboys claimed guard Joe Berger off waivers on Friday. Evidently there were some in the Miami organization who saw Berger as a potential center. Same might be said for Travis Leffew, claimed off the Packers’ practice squad. Remember, the Cowboys do not have a center under contract for next season, starter Andre Gurode having signed just a one-year deal this season and backup Al Johnson in the final year of his deal.

Published Tuesday, November 28, 2006 6:53 PM by rphillips

Buck Harvey: Romo with a leg? Next Dallas move

San Antonio Express-News

Martin Gramatica, an Argentine, has hung around Manu Ginobili. If anything rubbed off, that's a plus, right?
Gramatica kicked in a Super Bowl, and that means something for a franchise that thinks it could be in the next one.

But mostly, Gramatica isn't Mike Vanderjagt, which is why this is Romo-for-Bledsoe all over again. Vanderjagt was going to fail just as Drew Bledsoe was going to fail.

Bill Parcells is gambling, again, because he had to.

There are differences between this move and the one that changed the NFC. Unlike Tony Romo, Gramatica is a tested veteran.

He was a two-time first-team All-American at Kansas State, he made the Pro Bowl in 2001, and he kicked for the 2002 champion Buccaneers. New York won't intimidate him this Sunday.

Parcells likely weighed that, as well as what he saw with his own eyes. Gramatica once beat Parcells, and coaches always remember those who do that.

That was in 2003, Parcells' first season with the Cowboys. They had started off 5-1 but saw reality when they went to Tampa to play the defending champs. The Bucs' defense shut out Dallas.

Keyshawn Johnson scored the game's only touchdown, and adding everything else was Gramatica. With an unusually small shoe size of 6 and an unusually strong leg, he kicked three field goals, including one from 50 yards. Each came with a trademark victory leap that made Vanderjagt appear sane.

Gramatica would become the Bucs' all-time leader in scoring and field goals, and they called him "Automatica." But he was out of the league by 2005, partly because of a groin injury.

He didn't hurt himself with one of his post-kick jumps. That was his brother, Bill, who once injured a knee with a bad landing while celebrating a routine field goal with the Cardinals.

Vanderjagt, remember, is the one Peyton Manning called the "idiot" kicker.

Martin instead fell to the serendipitous nature of his craft. Just as Vanderjagt lost feel and confidence this season, so did Gramatica then. He spent 2005 recovering from his injury and coaching youth soccer in Tampa.

The Patriots brought him to camp last summer to try to replace Adam Vinatieri, and he lost the job to a rookie. But Gramatica was healthy, and he came with an anti-Vanderjagt attitude, both humble and hungry.

He also did nothing notably wrong. As a Boston newspaper said after he was released, Gramatica "sure didn't look like the guy who couldn't land an NFL job last season."

Bill Belichick chimed in with the same theme. "I think he's been very competitive in camp," Belichick told reporters in Boston. "He's accurate. He handles the elements well. He's kicked in wind. I think that's a strength for him. He gets the ball off quickly. I thought he kicked off pretty well. I'm not saying he's the best kicker in camp. I'm just saying I think he's very competitive, and I've been around kickers for a long time. I think he's a very competitive kicker in the National Football League at this point."

Accurate. Handles the elements. Gets the ball off quickly. Competitive. Wouldn't all those traits appeal to Parcells?

Gramatica got some work this season replacing an injured Vinatieri in Indianapolis, and this made him more attractive. Parcells might not have dumped Vanderjagt without such an available kicker. Going with a novice would have been a bigger gamble than waiting to see if Vanderjagt might come around.

But with an experienced 30-year-old? Parcells saw another way to retool his team.

Removing Vanderjagt was a positive itself; the only thing he did right in Dallas was squeeze money out of Jerry Jones. He pushed the football right and everyone else wrong. There was a sense his one leg would doom the Cowboys, just as Bledsoe's two legs would have.

Gramatica won't be the rare talent that Romo is. But if he wins some trust? If he finds the groove he once knew, giving the Cowboys another reason to believe?

Then he will be Romo.

Cowboys Mailbag: 'Too smart' Romo squashes Simpson rumors

Tom Orsborn
Express-News Staff Writer

One of the Texas' most eligible bachelors seems determined to keep his private life private.

Tony Romo set the record straight about him and Jessica Simpson in an interview with the Dallas Morning News on Monday.

"So I don't have to answer any more questions about this, I'm not dating Jessica Simpson, nor have I gone on a date with her," Romo said. "I appreciate everyone's interest in my social life, but I think I may try to play it close to the vest from here on out."

Even though Romo dined with Simpson's father in Los Angeles recently, I had my doubts about a Tony-Jessica romance.

Romo seems way too smart for her.

"He's almost too smart," Bill Parcells said. "He knows where the conversation is going before you get there, and sometimes people like that are not good listeners. That's a discipline you have to acquire. I know a lot of people like that. They kind of know where you're going and so they kind of want to get there before it's time and they miss things.

"You have to watch that a little bit (with Romo)."

DMN - Cowboys-Giants: A look ahead

Cowboys-Giants: A look ahead

By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News

Why the Cowboys win

The Cowboys sense a chance to put away the Giants in the NFC East and use their defense to shut down Eli Manning and the rest of the offense. Defensive end DeMarcus Ware has another strong game with pressure and sacks on Manning. Offensively, Julius Jones has a strong outing with close to a 100-yard effort. Expect tight end Jason Witten to make some key catches on third down to extend drives.

Why the Cowboys lose

The Giants, angry from the loss at Tennessee, get their act together to save their season. Tiki Barber finishes off key runs and Eli Manning spreads the ball around to get the offense in gear. The defense, banged up with some injuries, gets contributions from key players. The Cowboys' offense struggles with Tony Romo, and the defense has to make the game close.

The last meeting

Oct. 23, 2006, Texas Stadium Drew Bledsoe was benched and the Cowboys lost to the Giants on Monday Night Football, 36-22. Tony Romo replaced Bledsoe and came in to a standing ovation with fans chanting his name.

But the Giants were too much. New York had six sacks and four interceptions to improve to 4-2. Eli Manning got things going with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress on the fifth play of the game. Tiki Barber rushed 27 times for 114 yards for New York.

Romo finished the night 14-of-25 for 227 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Click here for the game story.

By the numbers

The Cowboys are second in the NFL in scoring at 28.1 points per game. The Cowboys' offense is more efficient since making the change to quarterback Tony Romo. He finds multiple receivers to make it difficult for defenses.

Here's the breakdown of how the Cowboys are scoring:

Category Total
Rushing touchdowns 15
Receiving touchdowns 20
Defensive touchdowns 3
2-pt. conversions 2
Field goals 14

Cowboys are reportedly close to adding PK Carlos Martinez

Cowboys | To add Martinez?

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 07:11:22 -0800
Nick Eatman, of DallasCowboys.com, reports the Dallas Cowboys are reportedly close to adding PK Carlos Martinez (Falcons) to their practice squad.

Cowboys need to put collapsing Giants away

By Andy Targovnik on November 28, 2006 12:46 AM


If the Dallas Cowboys are serious about getting to the Super Bowl this season, they can make it a lot easier for themselves by beating the New York Giants at the Meadowlands this Sunday.

With a victory, the Cowboys will all but sew up the NFC East. If they lose, they'll probably still make the playoffs, but it would likely be as a wild card; and the road to the 'Big Dance' will be much more difficult.

Logically, the Cowboys shouldn't lose to these struggling Giants.

Compare the two teams: The Cowboys are running like a well-oiled Porsche. The Giants, on the other hand, are clunking along like a beat up Edsel, badly in need of repair.

Eli Manning is playing like he's the quarterback with five games of experience, while Tony Romo is playing like a wily veteran. Giants star wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who has consistently quit on plays in the field, has made Terrell Owens look like Mother Teresa. Bill Parcells has his team under control and appears to be pushing all the right buttons, while Tom Coughlin has recently lost his composure on the sidelines and keeps getting thrown under the bus by his malcontented players. Except for Gregg Ellis, the Cowboys have avoided serious injuries, while the Giants have been decimated on both sides of the ball.

But just five weeks ago, it looked so different, didn't it? The Giants walked into Texas Stadium and handed the Cowboys their heads on a silver platter. The Giants followed up that thrashing with two wins, while Dallas suffered the most brutal of losses to the Washington Redskins .

At that point, many pundits wondered if the Giants were going to run away with the division and whether the Cowboys would recover.

But this is the NFL - where things change fast.

Now it's the Cowboys who are in the 'zone' and New York is a wounded vampire. And how do you avoid giving a vampire new life? Plunge a stake through its heart and cut off its head. A New York win on Sunday will not only give the Gianrs a big advantage in the standings, but more importantly, will give them new life.

And let's face it, if Dallas wants to make a run at the Super Bowl, is it too much to ask that the team beats the Giants in their building? The Colts did it. The Bears did it. Now it's time for the Cowboys to stake their claim as one of the NFL's elite teams by doing it, too.

Martin wears Drew's number

New kicker Martin Gramatica made a few kicks during practice on Tuesday. Gramatica, who replaced the released Mike Vanderjagt, is wearing No. 7, Drew Henson's old number.

Gramatica didn't get a hair cut either. His hair is all over the place.

Posted by Calvin Watkins at 11:48 AM (E-mail this entry) | Comments (0)

Parcells feels better w/o Vandy

Associated Press

IRVING, Texas — A day after cutting the NFL’s most accurate kicker, Bill Parcells seemed relieved instead of frustrated.

Parcells was never impressed by Mike Vanderjagt, the high-priced kicker the Dallas Cowboys signed in March in hopes of solving a long-standing problem. Vanderjagt instead struggled, never gained the coach’s confidence and didn’t even make it through the season.

“Obviously, I feel better than having stayed the course the other way,” Parcells said Tuesday, the first time he spoke publicly since the Cowboys won Thanksgiving Day to take over first place in the NFC East.

Instead of Vanderjagt, the Cowboys (7-4) head into the playoff stretch — and Sunday’s key division game at the New York Giants — with Martin Gramatica, who has played only three games and kicked one field goal since 2004.

“I’m approaching it with a real positive attitude,” Parcells said.
So, does that mean Parcells has full confidence in Gramatica?
“I thought he was the best option available,” he said.

Even better than Vanderjagt, whose 86.5 percent career accuracy rate (230-for-266) is still tops in league history, along with his record of 42 consecutive makes.

Vanderjagt was only 13-of-18 in his 10 games for the Cowboys, the 72 percent rate the lowest in his nine NFL seasons. He had only seven misses the past three seasons in Indianapolis.
Vanderjagt missed two field goals in the first half against the Colts on Nov. 19, then four days later barely made a 22-yarder.

“The last four, five weeks, I don’t think he was hitting the ball, to the point where I think it made us play the game a little differently. And we just weren’t able to put him out there with a lot of confidence,” Parcells said. “It’s just a confidence thing. When it starts affecting how you’re playing, you’ve got to try something else.”

After being hurt and missing most of the preseason, Vanderjagt was inactive the first game. Three of his misses hit the upright and another was blocked, a potential game-winner in a loss at Washington on Nov. 5.

“There was a time during the early part of the season basically after preseason was over that it looked like things were going to sort themselves out,” Parcells said. “It just wasn’t consistent enough. I don’t know. I can’t put my finger on it.”

Gramatica was at practice Tuesday, the first for the Cowboys after three straight days off.
Dallas players weren’t completely shocked by the kicking switch.
“Bill’s all about comfort and what he feels good with,” tight end Jason Witten said.
“I don’t know what message (Parcells) is trying to send. I just think he wants to win,” said Tony Romo, who has led Dallas to a 4-1 record since replacing Drew Bledsoe as the starting quarterback. “Any position in this room needs to play well and needs to perform well on Sunday, and prove it to Bill.”

Gramatica was out of the NFL last season and cut by New England in the preseason when the Patriots decided to go with rookie Stephen Gostkowski.
When Adam Vinatieri was injured earlier this season, Gramatica played three games for the Colts. He attempted only one field goal, making a 20-yarder.
“That really doesn’t show much, but physically I feel good,” Gramatica said. “I had surgery a couple of years ago, and I think I fixed the problem that I had in my leg.”

Vanderjagt became dispensable when the Colts signed Vinatieri, who had two game-winning Super Bowl kicks for New England. Vanderjagt’s last kick for Indianapolis was a badly missed field goal that kept the Colts from forcing overtime against Pittsburgh in last year’s playoffs.
The Cowboys gave Vanderjagt a three-year, $5.4 million contract that included a $2.5 million signing bonus.

Gramatica was a third-round pick by Tampa Bay in 1999. He made the Pro Bowl in 2001, helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl in 2002 and then was so accurate that he was nicknamed “Automatica.”
But since that Super Bowl, Gramatica has been slowed by injuries and is only 28-of-46.
“That’s the past, I don’t really want to talk about that,” said Gramatica, who turned 31 Monday. “All I’m really focusing on is on the future, and I feel great right now.”
So what about stepping in late in the season for the Cowboys in the playoff chase?
“I hope I can help the team,” he said. “It’s not as easy as starting in the preseason, getting warmup games. I have to be ready for whatever comes.”

Gramatica said he has been working out, and that it was hard being at home when he still felt he could play.
Parcells certainly hopes he can still play.
“I know what his track record is. And I know in 2003-2004, I know why he had some problems kicking and I know why he was out of football in 2005, and I know where he was this summer,” Parcells said. “I have good information from the people that had him this summer; they were very positive about it. I looked at everything.”
Including Gramatica’s postseason success, making 11 of 12 field goals.

RECAP: Goose with Norm on The Ticket...

RECAP by TrickBlue from a sports forum:

Goose:

a) The NFC MVP will likely be Brees if things continues this way, although Romo is playing well.
b) I think you can at least start considering Dallas as SB possibility. I could see them winning out. Chicago is the best team in the NFC and they are certainly beatable. I consider Dallas the second best team in the NFC right now.
c) Parcells won like 7 or 8 in a row with the Jets and New England in his heyday with them. This is a mark of Parcells teams.
d) The NFL is hard to figure out this year. Home Field Advantage may not be enough to win.
e) The best kicker coming in the draft in Crosby out of Colorado. He does kick in thin air but He is the best by far. He is from Georgetown, TX if I remember correctly. If I were Dallas I would consider him a first day selection, he's that good and the Cowboys need a good kicker. When many of the games are three and four point games the kicker is vital. With the influx of new coaches breaking taboo and tradition, you might see kickers getting drafted.
f) If Dallas picks late they should consider him in round two. He likely won't be there late in the third.

***Romo is now on the Pro Bowl Ballot***

http://nfl.com/probowl/ballot

NFL Point Spreads For Week 13

NFL Point Spreads For Week 13

Date & Time Favorite Spread Underdog
11/30 8:00 ET At Cincinnati -3 Baltimore
12/3 1:00 ET At Chicago -9.5 Minnesota
12/3 4:15 ET At Pittsburgh -8 Tampa Bay
12/3 1:00 ET At St. Louis -6.5 Arizona
12/3 1:00 ET Indianapolis -7.5 At Tennessee
12/3 4:05 ET At Miami -2.5 Jacksonville
12/3 1:00 ET At New Orleans -7 San Francisco
12/3 1:00 ET At Washington -1.5 Atlanta
12/3 1:00 ET Kansas City -5 At Cleveland
12/3 1:00 ET At New England -13.5 Detroit
12/3 1:00 ET San Diego -5.5 At Buffalo
12/3 1:00 ET At Green Bay PK NY Jets
12/3 4:15 ET Dallas -3.5 At NY Giants
12/3 4:05 ET At Oakland -3 Houston
12/3 8:15 ET At Denver -4 Seattle

Monday Night Football Point Spread

12/4 8:30 ET Carolina -3 At Philadelphia

Cowboys Need Parcells' Trademark Finish

The Associated Press
By JAIME ARON
November 27, 2006

These opportunities don't come around too often. More than ever, the Dallas Cowboys need the old Bill Parcells, the one who used to coach the Giants, Patriots and Jets.

At all three stops, Parcells had an amazing knack for making his teams better as seasons went along. Whatever problems they had the first three months, he usually found answers by the time Thanksgiving came. That's how he won two Super Bowls with the Giants, got the Patriots to one and came a win away with the Jets.

The Cowboys haven't had anywhere near that kind of success in Parcells' first three seasons. It's probably no coincidence that they've been pretty lousy in December, too.

Consider this:

In 15 seasons with the Giants, Patriots and Jets, Parcells' teams were an outstanding 51-24 over the final five games of each seasons. He had a winning record 13 times, including three 5-0 finishes.

In Dallas, however, the Cowboys have gone 2-3 all three years. That's more losing records than he had at all his other stops combined.

This season, though, could be different. It should be different. In fact, it better be different or else Parcells' reputation will take a hit.

'All I know is that we're a team that's got time to take advantage of getting a lot better,' team owner Jerry Jones said after the Cowboys beat Tampa Bay on Thursday for their third straight win. 'We don't have to say 'Next year, this ...' or 'Next year, that ...''

Why use the final five games as a barometer? Because Parcells always says so.

Every year, he defers sizing up a season until after Thanksgiving. Maybe he does it to avoid answering questions, but his track record indicates he knows what he's talking about. By letting a season play out, you see hot teams get cold, cold teams get hot, and injuries that can change everything.

In late November, things will have fallen into place one way or another, with enough time left that the clubs still in the race can do something about it _ which is exactly what is happening to Dallas now.

Since Tony Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe the Cowboys are 4-1 and are doing things elite teams do.

They made big plays in the fourth quarter to beat unbeaten Indianapolis at home, then came back a few days later to rout inferior Tampa Bay.

They're committing fewer penalties (certainly fewer costly ones) and turning over the ball a lot less than they did early in the season. At least three of Dallas' four losses could be traced to those bugaboos.

Uncontrollable things seem to be going the Cowboys' way, too, from a favorable schedule to a lack of costly injuries. The only recognizable names on the injured list are linebacker Greg Ellis and kick returner Tyson Thompson. While losing Ellis was a big blow, the team is 2-0 without him.

At 7-4, Dallas is first in the NFC East, a game ahead of the New York Giants. Chicago (9-2) is the only NFC team with more wins.

Dallas was in a similar position last season, except for one thing: The Cowboys were coming off a demoralizing Thanksgiving loss. Now they're coming off what Jones calls the best back-to-back performances in 10 years.

Parcells usually will only say they look 'pretty good.' Yet Thursday he made a point of telling the public he thinks they are capable of doing more.

'I think my team is more mentally geared for the battle,' he said. 'This confidence thing is a word that's used ambiguously and vague. I have always felt like you don't really have genuine confidence unless you demonstrate the ability to do something. Recently, we are starting to demonstrate the ability.'

Now they've got to keep it up, starting Sunday on the road against the Giants.

A loss would stop the Cowboys' momentum and make winning the division more difficult. While technically they'd be tied at 7-5, New York would have the tiebreaker, meaning Dallas would have to finish with one more win than New York to still win the East. It's doable, just difficult with only four games left.

But if the Cowboys win, spirits would be soaring, as would their chances of winning the division. They'd also be eyeing New Orleans and Seattle for a first-round bye and perhaps even Chicago for home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The last time Dallas enjoyed either of those rewards? 1995, the year of the Cowboys' last Super Bowl title. And, as most fans are painfully aware, the club hasn't won a playoff game since 1996.

After the Giants, the Cowboys play the Saints at home in a game that's already so anticipated that kickoff has been changed to prime time. Dallas ends the season with three games against teams possibly playing out disappointing seasons: at Atlanta, then home for Donovan McNabb-less Philadelphia, and the finale against the lowly Lions.

'This year, guys really know opportunities are there,' said cornerback Aaron Glenn, who was part of Parcells' tremendous closing kicks with the Jets. 'These opportunities don't come around too often.'

They certainly haven't in Dallas.

Moment of Clarity in the Run-Attack

By Bobbie Brewskie
DCFU Staff

I think a lot of people misunderstood one of our member's recent threads and SOME of us (wrongly) started insulting him because WE didn't grasp what HE said. BUT, his next post came thru loud and clear. Let's clarify...

The member is trying to say that if Barber can do all the receiving, short yardage stuff and blocking, why dont we get a SPEED back to replace Jones?

The member doesn't consider Jones to be a speed back. That he isn't, but he is still a very capable back and has enough speed to break it away.

Now I'd just like to say that even though Jones isn't a speed back, he carries us down the field, WITHOUT that "BLAZING" speed that some fans would like.

It seems that some members are wishing that Barber had speed, because that would make him an elite back and you are trying to say that this problem is solvable by getting a back who has breakaway speed. Sadly, a back with breakaway speed isn't exactly a great RB - I will refer you to Michael Bennett - a guy who was the fastest player in the league. He is now in Canada.

Jones may not be the fastest guy in the league and he may not have the same traits as Barber does. BUT the guy is a back to watch out for when he is on the field and that he will do moreso than a "SPEED Back" will do.

Jones always needs to be accounted for, especially with him being the #4 rusher in the NFC (10 yards away from #3) and #7 in the NFL.

He and Barber make an incredible 1-2 punch and there really isn't a big problem with them if you ask me, and if you ask the 29 teams that are ranked BEHIND them in TOTAL RUSH OFFENSE!

His longest run of the season may be only 33 yards, but the guy breaks nice 10-20+ yards run all the time and he is a perfect fit to play alongside Marion Barber.

Both guys are a threat on the field and need to be accounted for when they come in to do "what they are here for." Given that, I don't see why we would trade either way. They are both great at what they do and alone I don't think either would really fair to well. Not to mention trading Jones wouldn't get us a guy who is as good as him. Faster? maybe, but not a back who can do what Jones does for our Offense.

So...I hope I've both helped members understand the counter-opinion and helped all understand why Jones and Barber are a great 1-2 punch.

Romo says he's not dating Jessica Simpson

Mosley Blog exclusive: Tony & Jess moving on

Tired of having his dating life analyzed by the likes of Bob Costas and Al Michaels, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has an announcement to make.

That he would choose this forum speaks to how intelligent a young man he truly is.

Some of you may have heard the rumors of a budding relationship between Tony and Jessica Simpson, who did her undergraduate work at Richardson Pearce High School.

The story gained momentum when we first revealed that Tony hooked up Jessica's Los Angeles-based father, Joe, with tickets to the Cardinals game.

Romo didn't deny the rumors, in part, because there are far worse things people could say about you.

But now he's decided to set the record straight.

"So I don't have to answer any more questions about this, I'm not dating Jessica Simpson, nor have I gone on a date with her," Romo said while laughing. "I appreciate everyone's interest in my social life, but I think I may try to play it close to the vest from here on out."

Folks, we'll continue to monitor this situation for you. For now, it would appear that John Mayer is safe.

m

Posted by Matt Mosley at 3:40 PM (E-mail this entry) | Comments (4)

Mort speculation: Parcells deliberately avoided giving Romo a chance at a 6th TD

I can't swear this is the way it is, but I wouldn't be surprised if Cowboys coach Bill Parcells deliberately avoided giving Romo a chance at a sixth TD pass in their rout of the Buccaneers. The Romo hysteria is already significant and with Troy Aikman in the house as the Fox TV game analyst, I'm not sure Parcells wanted to over-do it. He has long admired Aikman for his "pelts," in the former of three Super Bowl rings.

Cowboys' Week 14 home game against New Orleans has been moved to Sunday Night Football at 8:15

Tony Romo and the Cowboys' Week 14 home game against New Orleans has been moved to Sunday Night Football at 8:15.

It will be a battle of division leaders possibly angling for a first-round bye. The Buffalo Bills-New York Jets game during the same week was moved to 4:15.

Irvin has publicly apologized for his recent comments inferring that Tony Romo may be of mixed ethnicity

ESPN's Michael Irvin has publicly apologized for his recent comments inferring that Tony Romo may be of mixed ethnicity.

Irvin said he was joking about Romo's athletic ability. "This is how I joke around with Romo when we're playing basketball. There's a difference from me the player and me the broadcaster." In other news, Romo was recently added to the Pro Bowl ballot on NFL.com.
Source: ESPN.com

Cowboys signed K Martin Gramatica

Cowboys signed K Martin Gramatica.

Gramatica's had his share of mental relapses, but he is excellent on kickoffs and kicked well for New England and Indianapolis earlier this year.

Cowboys released K Mike Vanderjagt

Cowboys released K Mike Vanderjagt.

He's likely to get another job, but the league's all-time most accurate kicker is currently a head case. With Vanderjagt so inconsistent, Bill Parcells rightly figured he may as well get someone who can handle kickoffs well. Martin Gramatica fits the bill. Nov. 27 - 5:48 pm et

Cowboys dump a part of their offense

By Grizz
Posted on Sat Nov 25, 2006 at 12:56:52 AM EST

Lost in all the Tony Romo hoopla and the Cowboys recent win streak is the demise of the 2-TE set in Big D. The Cowboys still run the 2-TE set occasionally, but they have reverted back to a traditional lineup for the majority of the snaps. In the first half of the Bucs game, they rarely used it and when they did, sometimes it was Jason Fabini lining up as a TE and not Anthony Fasano with Jason Witten. Fasano's role as the H-back or pseudo-FB has been dramatically reduced from the early part of the season with the emergence of Oliver Hoyte at FB. He has caught a few more passes recently, but that's mainly from Romo's "spread the wealth" pass distribution philosophy. It's unlikely that the Cowboys will go back to what they had planned to run at the beginning of the year.

Hoyte has proven to be a very good blocker leading the running game from the FB position, and the Cowboys have Lousaka Polite on the roster as a reserve FB and a 3rd TB. The real clincher that the Cowboys have all but abandoned what was supposed to be their base set is the fact that they just cut Tony Curtis. That left Witten and Fasano as the only two true TE's on the roster. They have Andy Thorn on the practice squad but it's unlikely that he will ever see the field this year.

Either Fasano has not done enough to be considered a full-time starter in his first year or the coaches had a change of heart about the strategy. It may be that the former caused the latter and the 2-TE set is now just another wrinkle in the offense and no longer the base formation. Oliver Hoyte's excellent play over the last few weeks at FB also could have played a role in the change.

Whatever the case, the new offense with Tony Romo at the helm shows no signs of slowing down, so Jason Witten will likely continue to get the majority of the snaps, with Anthony Fasano giving him a rest on occasion, and Jason Fabini get a few snaps a game at the position.

I did do a film review for the game and hope to have it up sometime on Saturday.

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