Bears offer Cowboys measuring stick
Reigning NFC champs pose tough test at Soldier Field
By TOM ORSBORN
San Antonio Express-news
IRVING — The measuring-stick aspect to Sunday's game with the Chicago Bears holds no appeal for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
"I don't really like the word measuring stick," Romo said Monday. "They are a good football team, and I think we are a pretty good football team."
Fair enough. But beating the likes of the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins — teams with a combined 0-4 record — just doesn't carry much weight with anybody interested in gauging how good the Cowboys (2-0) are.
The Bears (1-1), meanwhile, offer the perfect, well, measuring stick. In addition to being the defending NFC champions, Chicago has a defense capable of stifling Dallas' stout offense.
"They've had a good defense for a while now," Romo said. "They're fast and they're going to get to the football. It will be fun."
It's been nothing but fun for Romo and the offense this season. The Cowboys rank first in the league in points with 82 — the franchise's third-highest total after two games and are fourth in total offense, averaging 415 yards per game.
Romo is the league's third-ranked passer, with a 119.3 rating. Playing like a wily veteran rather than a player with only 13 starts under his belt, he has thrown for six TDs and only one interception and is averaging 10 yards per completion. But will those numbers stand up at Soldier Field, where the Bears will unleash a defense that ranks fourth in the league with an average yield of 272 yards.
"It will be a difficult environment," Romo said. "But I think we have enough veterans that we could be all right."
So where does coach Wade Phillips come down in the measuring-stick debate?
"Going into Chicago, against the reigning NFC champs, it's certainly a big test," Phillips said. "I look to see how we do against them certainly, but I wanted to see how we did against Miami and New York too as far as measuring. You get measured by each game you play."
By TOM ORSBORN
San Antonio Express-news
IRVING — The measuring-stick aspect to Sunday's game with the Chicago Bears holds no appeal for Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
"I don't really like the word measuring stick," Romo said Monday. "They are a good football team, and I think we are a pretty good football team."
Fair enough. But beating the likes of the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins — teams with a combined 0-4 record — just doesn't carry much weight with anybody interested in gauging how good the Cowboys (2-0) are.
The Bears (1-1), meanwhile, offer the perfect, well, measuring stick. In addition to being the defending NFC champions, Chicago has a defense capable of stifling Dallas' stout offense.
"They've had a good defense for a while now," Romo said. "They're fast and they're going to get to the football. It will be fun."
It's been nothing but fun for Romo and the offense this season. The Cowboys rank first in the league in points with 82 — the franchise's third-highest total after two games and are fourth in total offense, averaging 415 yards per game.
Romo is the league's third-ranked passer, with a 119.3 rating. Playing like a wily veteran rather than a player with only 13 starts under his belt, he has thrown for six TDs and only one interception and is averaging 10 yards per completion. But will those numbers stand up at Soldier Field, where the Bears will unleash a defense that ranks fourth in the league with an average yield of 272 yards.
"It will be a difficult environment," Romo said. "But I think we have enough veterans that we could be all right."
So where does coach Wade Phillips come down in the measuring-stick debate?
"Going into Chicago, against the reigning NFC champs, it's certainly a big test," Phillips said. "I look to see how we do against them certainly, but I wanted to see how we did against Miami and New York too as far as measuring. You get measured by each game you play."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:30 PM
<< Home