NFL: Cowboys win offensive opener
Tom Orsborn
San Antonio Express-News
IRVING — Sporting a relaxed smile last week, Terrell Owens told reporters there was a simple solution should the Dallas Cowboys be forced to face the New York Giants without two important defensive pieces.
"That's all right," Owens said. "We'll pick up the slack."
How right he was. With cornerback Terence Newman and linebacker Greg Ellis sidelined with injuries, Owens and the rest of the offense came to the rescue, leading the Cowboys to a 45-35 victory Sunday in a wild season opener filled with big plays.
Tony Romo passed for four touchdowns, two to Owens, and ran for another as Dallas overcome a sluggish start that included cornerback Anthony Henry getting burned deep for a TD just three plays into Wade Phillips' debut as the team's coach.
"How about my offense?" joked Phillips, who was hired to fix the Cowboys' defense, but instead watched as the team recorded its highest scoring opener since beating Buffalo 49-37 in 1971.
Romo went 15 of 24 for a career-high 345 yards and one interception, which set up the Giants' final TD, a score that cut Dallas' lead to 38-35 with 4:09 left. He completed passes to six different receivers, with tight end Jason Witten leading the way with six catches for 116 yards and a TD.
Romo's TD tosses covered 12, 22, 47 and 51 yards. His scoring run covered 9 yards.
"I don't think you are going to put up 45 points every week, but we sure are going to try," Romo said. "We set the bar high. (First-year offensive coordinator) Jason Garrett kept attacking and putting the ball downfield. He put his trust in me."
Owens finished with three receptions for 87 yards, and Marion Barber rushed for 65 yards and one TD on just 11 carries.
And then there was Brackenridge graduate Sam Hurd, whose only catch of the night covered 51 yards and gave the Cowboys the lead by the final score with 3:03 left.
Hurd's TD came three plays after the Giants capped a five-play, 38-yard drive with a 10-yard pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress with 4:15 to play.
Romo made up for his interception — the Cowboys' only turnover — by reading a blitz in shotgun formation and hitting Hurd on a slant at the Giants' 30-yard line. The second-year receiver sprinted past cornerback R.W. McQuarters for his first career TD.
"It was like I had stole something, and I was trying to get away," Hurd said. "They sent a safety on that play to sack Romo — too bad."
With a knee injury forcing Terry Glenn to the sideline, Hurd entered the game as the No. 3 receiver. Patrick Crayton, who replaced Glenn in the starting lineup, finished with three catches for 51 yards.
"I thought our young guys played great," Romo said. "I had to be a little patient with Sam on the touchdown pass because they blitzed. Sam did a good job of staying with me on the route."
The Cowboys finished with 478 yards of total offense on 55 plays. The Giants compiled 438 yards against a defense that was without Newman (foot) and Ellis (Achilles' tendon).
Dallas also lost nose tackle Jason Ferguson in the first quarter to a biceps injury. The Giants lost two starters in the first half to knee injuries, end Osi Umenyiora (knee) and running back Brandon Jacobs. Manning didn't return after his final TD connection with Burress because of a bruised shoulder.
Owens said last week he expected to have an "explosive year." But after being a non-factor in the first half, Owens' boast rang hollow as he sat at the end of the bench with a towel over his head.
But rather than melting down in the second half, Owens was magnificent. One play after making his first catch of the night, he made a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone to give the Cowboys a 24-16 lead.
"I had to be patient," said Owens, whose second TD covered 47 yards. "With the nature of this offense, it's going to be like that at times. And Tony has always said he's going to go to whoever is open."
Trailing 17-6 after Barber's 18-yard TD run and Romo's 12-yard scoring toss to Witten, the Giants took advantage of a coverage breakdown by cornerback Jacques Reeves and a fumble by kick returner Tyson Thompson to score 10 points in the final 21 seconds of the first half and pull within a point at halftime.
Reeves, who replaced Newman in the starting lineup, made up for the bust with an interception in the second quarter that led to a drive that resulted in a TD.
San Antonio Express-News
IRVING — Sporting a relaxed smile last week, Terrell Owens told reporters there was a simple solution should the Dallas Cowboys be forced to face the New York Giants without two important defensive pieces.
"That's all right," Owens said. "We'll pick up the slack."
How right he was. With cornerback Terence Newman and linebacker Greg Ellis sidelined with injuries, Owens and the rest of the offense came to the rescue, leading the Cowboys to a 45-35 victory Sunday in a wild season opener filled with big plays.
Tony Romo passed for four touchdowns, two to Owens, and ran for another as Dallas overcome a sluggish start that included cornerback Anthony Henry getting burned deep for a TD just three plays into Wade Phillips' debut as the team's coach.
"How about my offense?" joked Phillips, who was hired to fix the Cowboys' defense, but instead watched as the team recorded its highest scoring opener since beating Buffalo 49-37 in 1971.
Romo went 15 of 24 for a career-high 345 yards and one interception, which set up the Giants' final TD, a score that cut Dallas' lead to 38-35 with 4:09 left. He completed passes to six different receivers, with tight end Jason Witten leading the way with six catches for 116 yards and a TD.
Romo's TD tosses covered 12, 22, 47 and 51 yards. His scoring run covered 9 yards.
"I don't think you are going to put up 45 points every week, but we sure are going to try," Romo said. "We set the bar high. (First-year offensive coordinator) Jason Garrett kept attacking and putting the ball downfield. He put his trust in me."
Owens finished with three receptions for 87 yards, and Marion Barber rushed for 65 yards and one TD on just 11 carries.
And then there was Brackenridge graduate Sam Hurd, whose only catch of the night covered 51 yards and gave the Cowboys the lead by the final score with 3:03 left.
Hurd's TD came three plays after the Giants capped a five-play, 38-yard drive with a 10-yard pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress with 4:15 to play.
Romo made up for his interception — the Cowboys' only turnover — by reading a blitz in shotgun formation and hitting Hurd on a slant at the Giants' 30-yard line. The second-year receiver sprinted past cornerback R.W. McQuarters for his first career TD.
"It was like I had stole something, and I was trying to get away," Hurd said. "They sent a safety on that play to sack Romo — too bad."
With a knee injury forcing Terry Glenn to the sideline, Hurd entered the game as the No. 3 receiver. Patrick Crayton, who replaced Glenn in the starting lineup, finished with three catches for 51 yards.
"I thought our young guys played great," Romo said. "I had to be a little patient with Sam on the touchdown pass because they blitzed. Sam did a good job of staying with me on the route."
The Cowboys finished with 478 yards of total offense on 55 plays. The Giants compiled 438 yards against a defense that was without Newman (foot) and Ellis (Achilles' tendon).
Dallas also lost nose tackle Jason Ferguson in the first quarter to a biceps injury. The Giants lost two starters in the first half to knee injuries, end Osi Umenyiora (knee) and running back Brandon Jacobs. Manning didn't return after his final TD connection with Burress because of a bruised shoulder.
Owens said last week he expected to have an "explosive year." But after being a non-factor in the first half, Owens' boast rang hollow as he sat at the end of the bench with a towel over his head.
But rather than melting down in the second half, Owens was magnificent. One play after making his first catch of the night, he made a spectacular one-handed grab in the end zone to give the Cowboys a 24-16 lead.
"I had to be patient," said Owens, whose second TD covered 47 yards. "With the nature of this offense, it's going to be like that at times. And Tony has always said he's going to go to whoever is open."
Trailing 17-6 after Barber's 18-yard TD run and Romo's 12-yard scoring toss to Witten, the Giants took advantage of a coverage breakdown by cornerback Jacques Reeves and a fumble by kick returner Tyson Thompson to score 10 points in the final 21 seconds of the first half and pull within a point at halftime.
Reeves, who replaced Newman in the starting lineup, made up for the bust with an interception in the second quarter that led to a drive that resulted in a TD.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:30 PM
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