Cowboys' strong start similar to '99
By Jaime Aron
Associated Press
IRVING, Texas -- Despiteallowing 35 points in their season opener, the Dallas Cowboys beat a division foe. Then came a more efficient victory against an overmatched team, with the defense saving face by coming up with a bunch of turnovers.
That's how the 2-0 start played out all right.
Back in 1999.
Yes, there are striking similarities in the two most recent 2-0 starts for the Cowboys. Yet the comparison also comes with a warning: Dallas finished 8-8 back then, offering a reminder that what's happened so far should be considered nothing more than a good start.
Maybe it really is the start of something big. Or maybe it's merely two good games in a row, something even lousy teams do.
This team seems too solid to completely fall apart. Then again, the same might have been said in 1999. It was the final year of The Triplets, although nobody knew it at the time.
The season began with high hopes. The Cowboys had gone10-6 the previous year, their first under coach Chan Gailey, and Rocket Ismail had just come aboard. He started with a bang, too, racing for a 76-yard touchdown in overtime to cap a huge comeback victory against the Redskins in Washington.
The Cowboys easily won the next game. And the next. They were 3-0 when they went to Philadelphia. Then Michael Irvin got hurt and things never were the same.
Still aren't, some might say.
But this might be the year Dallas gets things cranked up again. Beyond just being 2-0, the way the Cowboys have done it offers reason for optimism -- especially if you forget both opponents haven't beaten anyone else and probably aren't very good.
Tony Romo is the top-rated quarterback in the NFC, so he doesn't have a hangover from his late-season woes, isn't worried about his looming contract and is proving his success last November wasn't beginner's luck. His position coach being suspended apparently isn't too big of a deal either.
Dallas has scored the most points in the league, an indication new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett knows what he's doing.
The pass rush improved from game to game, with coach Wade Phillips able to point to the kind of byproducts he's looking for: five turnovers and two sacks.
Rookie kicker Nick Folk has yet to miss, even nailing a 47-yarder at a pivotal point in the last game.
Intangibles are harder to calculate, but some good ones havealready cropped up.
Start with Patrick Craytonreturning from a gruesome dislocated pinky that required five stitches to make a key puntreturn against Miami.
Phillips showed his appreciation by announcing Monday that Crayton earned a game ball. Folk, too. Same with Roy Williams and Anthony Henry, both of whom bounced back from poor performances in the opener to combine for three interceptions and made several other stellar plays.
Associated Press
IRVING, Texas -- Despiteallowing 35 points in their season opener, the Dallas Cowboys beat a division foe. Then came a more efficient victory against an overmatched team, with the defense saving face by coming up with a bunch of turnovers.
That's how the 2-0 start played out all right.
Back in 1999.
Yes, there are striking similarities in the two most recent 2-0 starts for the Cowboys. Yet the comparison also comes with a warning: Dallas finished 8-8 back then, offering a reminder that what's happened so far should be considered nothing more than a good start.
Maybe it really is the start of something big. Or maybe it's merely two good games in a row, something even lousy teams do.
This team seems too solid to completely fall apart. Then again, the same might have been said in 1999. It was the final year of The Triplets, although nobody knew it at the time.
The season began with high hopes. The Cowboys had gone10-6 the previous year, their first under coach Chan Gailey, and Rocket Ismail had just come aboard. He started with a bang, too, racing for a 76-yard touchdown in overtime to cap a huge comeback victory against the Redskins in Washington.
The Cowboys easily won the next game. And the next. They were 3-0 when they went to Philadelphia. Then Michael Irvin got hurt and things never were the same.
Still aren't, some might say.
But this might be the year Dallas gets things cranked up again. Beyond just being 2-0, the way the Cowboys have done it offers reason for optimism -- especially if you forget both opponents haven't beaten anyone else and probably aren't very good.
Tony Romo is the top-rated quarterback in the NFC, so he doesn't have a hangover from his late-season woes, isn't worried about his looming contract and is proving his success last November wasn't beginner's luck. His position coach being suspended apparently isn't too big of a deal either.
Dallas has scored the most points in the league, an indication new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett knows what he's doing.
The pass rush improved from game to game, with coach Wade Phillips able to point to the kind of byproducts he's looking for: five turnovers and two sacks.
Rookie kicker Nick Folk has yet to miss, even nailing a 47-yarder at a pivotal point in the last game.
Intangibles are harder to calculate, but some good ones havealready cropped up.
Start with Patrick Craytonreturning from a gruesome dislocated pinky that required five stitches to make a key puntreturn against Miami.
Phillips showed his appreciation by announcing Monday that Crayton earned a game ball. Folk, too. Same with Roy Williams and Anthony Henry, both of whom bounced back from poor performances in the opener to combine for three interceptions and made several other stellar plays.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:00 AM
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