Cowboys' 'D' took awhile to find itself
By CLARENCE E. HILL JR.
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
IRVING -- You don't have to be a Romo-sapien to believe that quarterback sensation Tony Romo has keyed the Cowboys' run to the top of the NFC East and possible Super Bowl contention.
The Cowboys are 4-1 since Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe as the starter, and he is the top-ranked quarterback in the league.
But the Cowboys' rise has not all been about Romo's out-of-nowhere success.
Credit also the improved play of the Cowboys' defense that has gone from suspect to dominant of late.
The Cowboys have the league's fourth-best unit in yards allowed and have not allowed more than 14 points in four of the last five games. They have forced nine turnovers the past three games.
Considering the Doomsday expectations of a unit that has five first-round draft picks and at least three top-shelf free-agent acquisitions, the surprise may be that it took so long.
"We are playing up to our hype," linebacker Akin Ayodele said. "It was just a matter of time. Everybody is more comfortable. Everybody is stepping up and doing their job."
Topping the list of players stepping up are linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Bradie James, cornerback Terence Newman and safety Roy Williams. Ware leads the team with six sacks. James is tops in tackles with 86. Newman has not allowed a touchdown reception since 2004, and Williams, often criticized for his pass defense, has a career-high-tying five interceptions.
Cowboys coach Bill Parcells credits the maturity of his defensive leaders, especially James, for the improved play.
But he also says the offense controlling the clock and limiting turnovers has played a role in the success on defense.
Giving up big plays still concerns Parcells, even though there's been a major reduction.
Parcells pointed to Tampa Bay receiver Joey Galloway catching a 53-yard pass on the fifth play of the game in last week's 38-10 Cowboys victory.
"You couldn't put more emphasis on it during the week," Parcells said. "We made a whole cut-up reel of the guy running down the middle, just him, and with 10-12 plays on that. We showed the plays. Before the national anthem is over, he's down there."
The Cowboys' improvement on defense and Parcells' fear will be put to the test in Sunday's NFC East showdown against the New York Giants. While the Giants have lost three of their past five games, they are the last team to gash the Cowboys on the ground and through the air.
In losing 36-22 at Texas Stadium on Oct. 23, the Cowboys gave up 114 yards on the ground to running back Tiki Barber and passes of 50 (touchdown) and 44 yards to receiver Plaxico Burress. Barber is the only runner this season to gain 100 yards against the Cowboys.
"The Giants really exposed us on the run and had a lot of big plays against us," Ayodele said. "They are going to be coming with all the bells and whistles for this game."
The Giants will try to right themselves and struggling quarterback Eli Manning by going back to the successful formula Sunday.
Ayodele said the mission is two-fold: They must stop Barber on the ground and prevent the big play down the field.
The Cowboys believe they can because they are playing better with rookie Pat Watkins gaining more experience at safety and Ware becoming dominant as a pass rusher.
But this will be their ultimate test.
"We are ranked high on defense, but we feel like we can get better," defensive end Marcus Spears said. "This is going to be a real good test for us. We are going to find out a lot about ourselves, knowing what they did in the first game. We will see how good we really are."
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
IRVING -- You don't have to be a Romo-sapien to believe that quarterback sensation Tony Romo has keyed the Cowboys' run to the top of the NFC East and possible Super Bowl contention.
The Cowboys are 4-1 since Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe as the starter, and he is the top-ranked quarterback in the league.
But the Cowboys' rise has not all been about Romo's out-of-nowhere success.
Credit also the improved play of the Cowboys' defense that has gone from suspect to dominant of late.
The Cowboys have the league's fourth-best unit in yards allowed and have not allowed more than 14 points in four of the last five games. They have forced nine turnovers the past three games.
Considering the Doomsday expectations of a unit that has five first-round draft picks and at least three top-shelf free-agent acquisitions, the surprise may be that it took so long.
"We are playing up to our hype," linebacker Akin Ayodele said. "It was just a matter of time. Everybody is more comfortable. Everybody is stepping up and doing their job."
Topping the list of players stepping up are linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Bradie James, cornerback Terence Newman and safety Roy Williams. Ware leads the team with six sacks. James is tops in tackles with 86. Newman has not allowed a touchdown reception since 2004, and Williams, often criticized for his pass defense, has a career-high-tying five interceptions.
Cowboys coach Bill Parcells credits the maturity of his defensive leaders, especially James, for the improved play.
But he also says the offense controlling the clock and limiting turnovers has played a role in the success on defense.
Giving up big plays still concerns Parcells, even though there's been a major reduction.
Parcells pointed to Tampa Bay receiver Joey Galloway catching a 53-yard pass on the fifth play of the game in last week's 38-10 Cowboys victory.
"You couldn't put more emphasis on it during the week," Parcells said. "We made a whole cut-up reel of the guy running down the middle, just him, and with 10-12 plays on that. We showed the plays. Before the national anthem is over, he's down there."
The Cowboys' improvement on defense and Parcells' fear will be put to the test in Sunday's NFC East showdown against the New York Giants. While the Giants have lost three of their past five games, they are the last team to gash the Cowboys on the ground and through the air.
In losing 36-22 at Texas Stadium on Oct. 23, the Cowboys gave up 114 yards on the ground to running back Tiki Barber and passes of 50 (touchdown) and 44 yards to receiver Plaxico Burress. Barber is the only runner this season to gain 100 yards against the Cowboys.
"The Giants really exposed us on the run and had a lot of big plays against us," Ayodele said. "They are going to be coming with all the bells and whistles for this game."
The Giants will try to right themselves and struggling quarterback Eli Manning by going back to the successful formula Sunday.
Ayodele said the mission is two-fold: They must stop Barber on the ground and prevent the big play down the field.
The Cowboys believe they can because they are playing better with rookie Pat Watkins gaining more experience at safety and Ware becoming dominant as a pass rusher.
But this will be their ultimate test.
"We are ranked high on defense, but we feel like we can get better," defensive end Marcus Spears said. "This is going to be a real good test for us. We are going to find out a lot about ourselves, knowing what they did in the first game. We will see how good we really are."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:16 PM
<< Home