Romo, Cowboys ready to make a statement
By Gary R. Blockus
The Morning Call
Texas Stadium is freshly painted for its 2007 national prime-time debut as the Dallas Cowboys host the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football to kick off their NFL season.
But are the Cowboys, with new head coach Wade Phillips, new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and new defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, ready?
''You have a big game in the [opener], I know that,'' Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said in a conference call. ''You are excited because it is the start of the season. I think it is just another day to try to go out and make a statement that you are a good football team.
''At the end of the day this game is going to be a big game just because it is against the Giants, a division rival, and it's going to kind of set the tone for your season hopefully. I think all those things in one makes for a really big Sunday.''
Romo is entering his first full season as a starter after taking over for Drew Bledsoe last season, a move that helped the fifth-year player earn a berth in the Pro Bowl. Last year, Romo had to contend with the irascible Bill Parcells, a sometimes grumbling mammoth of a man who can strike fear and laughter from the same comment.
This time out, Romo is rallying behind his new coach, Phillips.
''I would say the biggest difference [between Parcells and Phillips] would probably be the language,'' Romo said. ''I think Bill's language was a little more ... he might get on you with a little more emphasis on the four-letter words once in a while.''
Phillips has more of a hands-off approach, allowing players to operate under the assumption that all are professionals, and there is a standard of conduct within the profession. That's why Phillips was so disappointed in quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson's involvement with an online anabolic steroids ring that led to a suspension.
''I think Wade delegates his coaches to do a lot more of the talking consistently,'' Romo said. ''He will say the things that he needs to say but he expects the coaches and the players to be held accountable to themselves and their teammates.''
And Phillips, who previously served as an NFL head coach in Atlanta and Buffalo, knows that he will be accountable for the Cowboys' success or pratfalls.
''It is special for me in a lot of ways,'' Phillips said of coaching Dallas. ''It is a very high profile team, and it is in Texas. My home and my family is all here. Of course, I have to but a lot of tickets for each game, but anyway the owner likes that.''
One of the problem areas for Phillips may be dealing with flamboyant wide receiver Terrell Owens over a full season, but so far, at least according to Romo and media reports, Owens is fitting right in. Owens even acted as a coach during preseason practice when he was forced to sit out.
''I judge people on how they react around me and how they participate,'' Phillips said. ''Terrell is a very hard worker. He wants the team to win. Obviously he is an individual, but he has done all of the right things to make me think that he is going to have an outstanding year, so he is certainly not a distraction.
''He has been probably the opposite of that. He helps other players. He asks questions in meetings. He knows what to do and he practices. I have to pull him off sometimes because he wants to run extra routes or run a route from the backfield and things like that. He has been very good. That's what I see.''
Owens has been an upstanding citizen so far, before Game 1 has even been played. But there are 16 games on the Cowboys schedule, and history, more often than not, has a way of repeating itself.
G-Notes: The Giants elected permanent captains for the 2007 season. They include Eli Manning and center Shaun O'Hara on offense, middle linebacker Antonio Pierce and defensive end Michael Strahan on defense, and punter Jeff Feagles on special teams.
The Morning Call
Texas Stadium is freshly painted for its 2007 national prime-time debut as the Dallas Cowboys host the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football to kick off their NFL season.
But are the Cowboys, with new head coach Wade Phillips, new offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and new defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, ready?
''You have a big game in the [opener], I know that,'' Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo said in a conference call. ''You are excited because it is the start of the season. I think it is just another day to try to go out and make a statement that you are a good football team.
''At the end of the day this game is going to be a big game just because it is against the Giants, a division rival, and it's going to kind of set the tone for your season hopefully. I think all those things in one makes for a really big Sunday.''
Romo is entering his first full season as a starter after taking over for Drew Bledsoe last season, a move that helped the fifth-year player earn a berth in the Pro Bowl. Last year, Romo had to contend with the irascible Bill Parcells, a sometimes grumbling mammoth of a man who can strike fear and laughter from the same comment.
This time out, Romo is rallying behind his new coach, Phillips.
''I would say the biggest difference [between Parcells and Phillips] would probably be the language,'' Romo said. ''I think Bill's language was a little more ... he might get on you with a little more emphasis on the four-letter words once in a while.''
Phillips has more of a hands-off approach, allowing players to operate under the assumption that all are professionals, and there is a standard of conduct within the profession. That's why Phillips was so disappointed in quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson's involvement with an online anabolic steroids ring that led to a suspension.
''I think Wade delegates his coaches to do a lot more of the talking consistently,'' Romo said. ''He will say the things that he needs to say but he expects the coaches and the players to be held accountable to themselves and their teammates.''
And Phillips, who previously served as an NFL head coach in Atlanta and Buffalo, knows that he will be accountable for the Cowboys' success or pratfalls.
''It is special for me in a lot of ways,'' Phillips said of coaching Dallas. ''It is a very high profile team, and it is in Texas. My home and my family is all here. Of course, I have to but a lot of tickets for each game, but anyway the owner likes that.''
One of the problem areas for Phillips may be dealing with flamboyant wide receiver Terrell Owens over a full season, but so far, at least according to Romo and media reports, Owens is fitting right in. Owens even acted as a coach during preseason practice when he was forced to sit out.
''I judge people on how they react around me and how they participate,'' Phillips said. ''Terrell is a very hard worker. He wants the team to win. Obviously he is an individual, but he has done all of the right things to make me think that he is going to have an outstanding year, so he is certainly not a distraction.
''He has been probably the opposite of that. He helps other players. He asks questions in meetings. He knows what to do and he practices. I have to pull him off sometimes because he wants to run extra routes or run a route from the backfield and things like that. He has been very good. That's what I see.''
Owens has been an upstanding citizen so far, before Game 1 has even been played. But there are 16 games on the Cowboys schedule, and history, more often than not, has a way of repeating itself.
G-Notes: The Giants elected permanent captains for the 2007 season. They include Eli Manning and center Shaun O'Hara on offense, middle linebacker Antonio Pierce and defensive end Michael Strahan on defense, and punter Jeff Feagles on special teams.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:51 AM
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