Galloway: "Only fools question Romo's pedigree"
Hold your fire: Big Bill deserves break after team's signature win
By Randy Galloway
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
IRVING - For anyone, which includes about everyone in all local precincts, who has been preoccupied with doubting the football ways and means of one Bill Parcells, a temporary cease-fire was declared Sunday.
Check those verbal weapons and e-mails of mass destruction at the door. At least until Thursday, OK?
Well into his fourth season of failing to clean up Jerry Jones' decade-long mess, Parcells' Cowboys finally notched a signature win, which leads to the next question.
Will knocking the Colts from the ranks of the unbeaten become a signature moment in a 2006 season that already leads the NFL in both weirdness and high/low extremes?
Maybe it will, at least if this 21-14 victory signaled that the Cowboys' defense is finally ready to walk the early September "dominant" talk. It was, and did, on Sunday, answering a Peyton Manning challenge that few have mastered.
Maybe, at least if Manning's postgame message is right on about young Tony Romo. "He told me," said a smiling Romo, "'You're a good player.' That's meaningful to me."
Maybe, at least if the awful NFC continues to crumble, as it did Sunday. The Cowboys moved to six wins, still somewhat meager, but until the Giants play tonight, only one NFC club, the 9-1 Bears, has more wins.
The always-loose Romo, who had enough gumption to overcome his own adversity several times against the Colts, gave Manning a manly tap on the helmet after their postgame chat.
Meanwhile, Parcells used the opportunity to tap into his own troops.
"I told the team that this ought to tell them something about what they are capable of doing," he said.
With the Colts coming in here at 9-0, Jerry Jones was asked when had the Cowboys had a bigger W.
Pausing to mull over the question, the owner finally answered, "Super Bowl."
Ancient history, of course, but there will be no debate from here.
Honk if you predicted this, but it took the Colts coming to town to bring out the best in the Cowboys' defense, which is a paradox.
And also to bring out the best in a Texas Stadium crowd that arrived early, stood for most of the game and was in way-above-average vocal form. There was the typical outrageous traffic jam surrounding the stadium, except this time the clueless gridlock was under way well over two hours before game time.
Another rare sight was a butt in every seat for the opening kickoff.
A big-game atmosphere prevailed, even with the Cowboys shut out at halftime and kicker Mike Vanderjagt being booed off the field. He had missed twice from 43 and 46 yards. It's hard to say if Parcells was among the boo-birds, although it's probable.
But once the Cowboys had overcome deficits of 7-0 and 14-7, and once they had the 21-14 lead, and once the defense had made one more red-zone stop on Manning, the game came down to one thing.
"Thank goodness the ball didn't go back in Peyton Manning's hands," Parcells said.
This was another defining moment for Romo's blooming NFL career. The Cowboys took over on their 8-yard line with 2:59 to play, and the game was in the grasp of a kid who had struggled at times.
Early, there was a lost fumble, followed by an interception. And in the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys driving for the tying touchdown, Romo threw an awful end zone pick, only to be rescued by a valid holding call as Terry Glenn was grabbed by the jersey.
But while the call was good, the pass was poor.
Now, however, came the moment of truth.
Marion Barber provided breathing room by busting for 20 yards, and 15 more came on a face-mask penalty. Then Romo found tight end Anthony Fasano (he lives) for 22 more yards.
The game, however, was decided on a third-and-seven from the Colts' 32. No way Parcells brings out the tainted toe of Vandy if it's fourth down. Make the first, however, and the Cowboys could run out the clock.
Romo was a bingo on a perfectly thrown slant to Glenn. First down, and the clock ran, and ran, and finally ran out on the Indy unbeaten streak.
In going 19-for 23 overall, Romo missed one pass in the second half. Of his 10 completions in the last two quarters, six went to Glenn, who was shut out at halftime.
That last slant pass to Glenn is labeled in the playbook as "Buckeye." And, yes, Ohio State made an old alum feel very good Saturday.
Meanwhile, Romo continues to distance himself from his Eastern Illinois roots, which many fools thought would be a small-school stigma for an NFL career.
But after the kid head-patted the famous Manning on the field, he also had a postgame verbal butt-pat for the famous Parcells.
"Bill is unbelievable," Romo said. "He had a plan for today. It's hard to explain, but the game turned out exactly that way. You guys [the media] should never question how good he is."
For Sunday, at least, there were no questions.
COWBOYS 21, COLTS 14
By Randy Galloway
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
IRVING - For anyone, which includes about everyone in all local precincts, who has been preoccupied with doubting the football ways and means of one Bill Parcells, a temporary cease-fire was declared Sunday.
Check those verbal weapons and e-mails of mass destruction at the door. At least until Thursday, OK?
Well into his fourth season of failing to clean up Jerry Jones' decade-long mess, Parcells' Cowboys finally notched a signature win, which leads to the next question.
Will knocking the Colts from the ranks of the unbeaten become a signature moment in a 2006 season that already leads the NFL in both weirdness and high/low extremes?
Maybe it will, at least if this 21-14 victory signaled that the Cowboys' defense is finally ready to walk the early September "dominant" talk. It was, and did, on Sunday, answering a Peyton Manning challenge that few have mastered.
Maybe, at least if Manning's postgame message is right on about young Tony Romo. "He told me," said a smiling Romo, "'You're a good player.' That's meaningful to me."
Maybe, at least if the awful NFC continues to crumble, as it did Sunday. The Cowboys moved to six wins, still somewhat meager, but until the Giants play tonight, only one NFC club, the 9-1 Bears, has more wins.
The always-loose Romo, who had enough gumption to overcome his own adversity several times against the Colts, gave Manning a manly tap on the helmet after their postgame chat.
Meanwhile, Parcells used the opportunity to tap into his own troops.
"I told the team that this ought to tell them something about what they are capable of doing," he said.
With the Colts coming in here at 9-0, Jerry Jones was asked when had the Cowboys had a bigger W.
Pausing to mull over the question, the owner finally answered, "Super Bowl."
Ancient history, of course, but there will be no debate from here.
Honk if you predicted this, but it took the Colts coming to town to bring out the best in the Cowboys' defense, which is a paradox.
And also to bring out the best in a Texas Stadium crowd that arrived early, stood for most of the game and was in way-above-average vocal form. There was the typical outrageous traffic jam surrounding the stadium, except this time the clueless gridlock was under way well over two hours before game time.
Another rare sight was a butt in every seat for the opening kickoff.
A big-game atmosphere prevailed, even with the Cowboys shut out at halftime and kicker Mike Vanderjagt being booed off the field. He had missed twice from 43 and 46 yards. It's hard to say if Parcells was among the boo-birds, although it's probable.
But once the Cowboys had overcome deficits of 7-0 and 14-7, and once they had the 21-14 lead, and once the defense had made one more red-zone stop on Manning, the game came down to one thing.
"Thank goodness the ball didn't go back in Peyton Manning's hands," Parcells said.
This was another defining moment for Romo's blooming NFL career. The Cowboys took over on their 8-yard line with 2:59 to play, and the game was in the grasp of a kid who had struggled at times.
Early, there was a lost fumble, followed by an interception. And in the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys driving for the tying touchdown, Romo threw an awful end zone pick, only to be rescued by a valid holding call as Terry Glenn was grabbed by the jersey.
But while the call was good, the pass was poor.
Now, however, came the moment of truth.
Marion Barber provided breathing room by busting for 20 yards, and 15 more came on a face-mask penalty. Then Romo found tight end Anthony Fasano (he lives) for 22 more yards.
The game, however, was decided on a third-and-seven from the Colts' 32. No way Parcells brings out the tainted toe of Vandy if it's fourth down. Make the first, however, and the Cowboys could run out the clock.
Romo was a bingo on a perfectly thrown slant to Glenn. First down, and the clock ran, and ran, and finally ran out on the Indy unbeaten streak.
In going 19-for 23 overall, Romo missed one pass in the second half. Of his 10 completions in the last two quarters, six went to Glenn, who was shut out at halftime.
That last slant pass to Glenn is labeled in the playbook as "Buckeye." And, yes, Ohio State made an old alum feel very good Saturday.
Meanwhile, Romo continues to distance himself from his Eastern Illinois roots, which many fools thought would be a small-school stigma for an NFL career.
But after the kid head-patted the famous Manning on the field, he also had a postgame verbal butt-pat for the famous Parcells.
"Bill is unbelievable," Romo said. "He had a plan for today. It's hard to explain, but the game turned out exactly that way. You guys [the media] should never question how good he is."
For Sunday, at least, there were no questions.
COWBOYS 21, COLTS 14
posted by The Gryphon at 6:53 PM
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