Favre and Romo: a perfect match
Tim Cowlishaw
DMN
When the Cowboys are licking their wounds after New England's Texas Stadium visit in three weeks, this may be the Favrest thing from our minds. But right now it isn't.
The 2007 NFL season is starting out very special not only for Green Bay's Brett Favre, but also his Dallas-based clone.
Two unbeatens stand alone in the NFC. One is led by the legendary Favre, who tied Dan Marino's all-time touchdown record in Sunday's win over San Diego.
The other is led by the reincarnation of Favre who goes by the unlikely name of Tony Romo and gives Cowboys fans genuine hopes of actually celebrating a playoff victory for the first time in 10 years and eight months.
If you've been awake in Dallas at any point in the last year, you probably have heard how Romo idolized Favre growing up, even tries to run onto the field the same way Favre lopes out there.
This both helped make Romo what he is when he's going good, as he is now – eight TD passes, two interceptions in just 88 attempts – and delayed his arrival in the NFL because of what he could sometimes be.
Favre's creativity brought him trouble in the past. Trying at times to do too much for an outmanned team, Favre has thrown 275 interceptions, although his TDs-to-interceptions ratio isn't as bad as you might think (it's far better than Troy Aikman's, for example).
The Cowboys, namely Bill Parcells, had to work to get Romo to curb his enthusiasm, to accept a poor play rather than risk a really bad play. Of course, Parcells worked overtime in this regard, and by the end of last season Romo's substantial self-confidence had been whipped into submission.
Now, a risk-taking coordinator and a rejuvenated and powerful weapon at receiver have joined forces to bring out the good Romo and the better half of his Favre-ian nature in 2007.
Jason Garrett has been saying this since he was brought on board, but we wanted to see it to believe it.
We have seen it. Garrett is a risk-taker. He has the Cowboys' offense on the attack, which is why their three-game point total of 116 is the NFL's highest since the 2000 St. Louis Rams (119 points) from their "Greatest Show on Turf" days.
In a game that was 3-3 at the half, when some would have viewed it as a game "not to lose," Garrett went for the win. The Cowboys scored 17 points on their first three possessions to take a 20-10 lead before Anthony Henry's interception return for a touchdown basically gave them the win.
On those three drives, 19 of 25 play calls were passes.
On the two touchdown drives, six out of seven first-and-10 calls were passes.
Romo-mania lives.
And his go-to guy was the suddenly sure-handed Terrell Owens.
If you're not buying everything Owens is selling these days, that's fine. Doesn't matter, really.
Owens is playing at a Pro Bowl level, possibly an All-Pro level. He has even thrown an effective block or two this season.
The third quarter of the Bears game may be the key quarter we look back to when the Cowboys became whatever they become in 2007.
In that 15 minutes, Garrett and Romo were in sync and Owens caught five passes for 105 yards, making the big plays on both scoring drives.
"I can't say enough about Jason Garrett, the way he moves me around in this offense," said Owens, who also praised the defense while wearing one of his sweaters from the Mr. Rogers collection.
Whatever disruptions Owens brought to Dallas last season – some real, some contrived – they are gone. There are no disruptions in a 3-0 record.
Biggest wedge we can drive between Owens and his team is that Owens said this was a statement game in Chicago. Romo said the Cowboys aren't into making statements.
In fact, Romo in downplaying the Cowboys' getting to 3-0 sounded a lot like the guy in Green Bay did hours earlier.
Favre: "I don't think many people gave us a chance to be 3-0. I have to admit I questioned it myself."
Romo: "I wouldn't have been surprised if we lost. I wouldn't have been surprised if we won by two. This game has many variables."
Favre: "Long way to go. Sure is a good start."
Romo: "It's an exciting feeling. This journey is going to be pretty exciting."
Note: Romo's and Favre's teams meet in Dallas on Nov. 29.
We shall from now on refer to that game as "The First Meeting."
Wouldn't it be something if it's not the last of this season?
DMN
When the Cowboys are licking their wounds after New England's Texas Stadium visit in three weeks, this may be the Favrest thing from our minds. But right now it isn't.
The 2007 NFL season is starting out very special not only for Green Bay's Brett Favre, but also his Dallas-based clone.
Two unbeatens stand alone in the NFC. One is led by the legendary Favre, who tied Dan Marino's all-time touchdown record in Sunday's win over San Diego.
The other is led by the reincarnation of Favre who goes by the unlikely name of Tony Romo and gives Cowboys fans genuine hopes of actually celebrating a playoff victory for the first time in 10 years and eight months.
If you've been awake in Dallas at any point in the last year, you probably have heard how Romo idolized Favre growing up, even tries to run onto the field the same way Favre lopes out there.
This both helped make Romo what he is when he's going good, as he is now – eight TD passes, two interceptions in just 88 attempts – and delayed his arrival in the NFL because of what he could sometimes be.
Favre's creativity brought him trouble in the past. Trying at times to do too much for an outmanned team, Favre has thrown 275 interceptions, although his TDs-to-interceptions ratio isn't as bad as you might think (it's far better than Troy Aikman's, for example).
The Cowboys, namely Bill Parcells, had to work to get Romo to curb his enthusiasm, to accept a poor play rather than risk a really bad play. Of course, Parcells worked overtime in this regard, and by the end of last season Romo's substantial self-confidence had been whipped into submission.
Now, a risk-taking coordinator and a rejuvenated and powerful weapon at receiver have joined forces to bring out the good Romo and the better half of his Favre-ian nature in 2007.
Jason Garrett has been saying this since he was brought on board, but we wanted to see it to believe it.
We have seen it. Garrett is a risk-taker. He has the Cowboys' offense on the attack, which is why their three-game point total of 116 is the NFL's highest since the 2000 St. Louis Rams (119 points) from their "Greatest Show on Turf" days.
In a game that was 3-3 at the half, when some would have viewed it as a game "not to lose," Garrett went for the win. The Cowboys scored 17 points on their first three possessions to take a 20-10 lead before Anthony Henry's interception return for a touchdown basically gave them the win.
On those three drives, 19 of 25 play calls were passes.
On the two touchdown drives, six out of seven first-and-10 calls were passes.
Romo-mania lives.
And his go-to guy was the suddenly sure-handed Terrell Owens.
If you're not buying everything Owens is selling these days, that's fine. Doesn't matter, really.
Owens is playing at a Pro Bowl level, possibly an All-Pro level. He has even thrown an effective block or two this season.
The third quarter of the Bears game may be the key quarter we look back to when the Cowboys became whatever they become in 2007.
In that 15 minutes, Garrett and Romo were in sync and Owens caught five passes for 105 yards, making the big plays on both scoring drives.
"I can't say enough about Jason Garrett, the way he moves me around in this offense," said Owens, who also praised the defense while wearing one of his sweaters from the Mr. Rogers collection.
Whatever disruptions Owens brought to Dallas last season – some real, some contrived – they are gone. There are no disruptions in a 3-0 record.
Biggest wedge we can drive between Owens and his team is that Owens said this was a statement game in Chicago. Romo said the Cowboys aren't into making statements.
In fact, Romo in downplaying the Cowboys' getting to 3-0 sounded a lot like the guy in Green Bay did hours earlier.
Favre: "I don't think many people gave us a chance to be 3-0. I have to admit I questioned it myself."
Romo: "I wouldn't have been surprised if we lost. I wouldn't have been surprised if we won by two. This game has many variables."
Favre: "Long way to go. Sure is a good start."
Romo: "It's an exciting feeling. This journey is going to be pretty exciting."
Note: Romo's and Favre's teams meet in Dallas on Nov. 29.
We shall from now on refer to that game as "The First Meeting."
Wouldn't it be something if it's not the last of this season?
posted by The Gryphon at 9:53 PM
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