Romo is the real deal
By NICK GHOLSON
Scripps Howard News Service
Monday, September 10, 2007
Ever since the first day Wade Phillips showed up for work at Valley Ranch, defense has been the main topic of conversation.
The Dallas Cowboys had gone defense with their first draft pick for five of the last six years. And now they had a head coach who had 20 years of NFL experience as a defensive coordinator.
Come September, Bum's boy was going to turn this Cowboys defense loose. When he hollered "sic 'em," opposing quarterbacks had better duck.
Or at least that's what we all thought the plan was going to be.
But when the lights came on Sunday night, the Dallas defense didn't show up.
That was evidenced by the New York Giants hanging 35 points on the Texas Stadium scoreboard.
But the Giants' defense had no answer for Tony Romo, who passed for a career-high 345 yards and four touchdowns - and also scored on a 9-yard run - in the Cowboys' 45-35 debut under Phillips.
The Giants lost their starting running back but still ran for 21 more yards than teams averaged against the Dallas defense last year. Eli Manning was looking a lot like his older brother in passing for 319 yards - 100 more a game than the Cowboys averaged giving up last season.
And the Giants' 35 points were 13 more than teams averaged against Bill Parcells' 2006 team.
You can't blame this leaky defense all on Terrence Newman's sore foot. OK, the Cowboys are a better defense with their starting left cornerback, but Jacques Reeves didn't do all that bad filling in for Newman.
Superstar Demarcus Ware is perfectly healthy and he had just two more tackles than Newman.
The real superstar in this game was Romo.
This kid had an answer for everything the Giants did.
Manning threw for 312 yards. Romo threw for 345.
Manning threw three touchdown passes. Romo threw four.
The Giants score 35. Romo scores 45.
He picked up every blitz. He used all his receivers. He was terrific.
What we saw last November was not a mirage. Tony Romo is the real deal.
It doesn't matter who the coach is - Parcells, Phillips, Jerry Jones - this quarterback is a winner.
Maybe that's the reason Phillips is here and Norv Turner isn't.
Jerry realized the offense is in good hands with Romo, but the defense needs fixing.
Turner made his San Diego head coaching debut on Sunday.
With this offensive guru now calling the shots, the Chargers got 190 passing yards out of Philip Rivers, 25 rushing yards from L.T. and beat the Bears 14-3.
But both Phillips and Turner won with their new teams.
They just did it a little differently than we all thought they would.
Scripps Howard News Service
Monday, September 10, 2007
Ever since the first day Wade Phillips showed up for work at Valley Ranch, defense has been the main topic of conversation.
The Dallas Cowboys had gone defense with their first draft pick for five of the last six years. And now they had a head coach who had 20 years of NFL experience as a defensive coordinator.
Come September, Bum's boy was going to turn this Cowboys defense loose. When he hollered "sic 'em," opposing quarterbacks had better duck.
Or at least that's what we all thought the plan was going to be.
But when the lights came on Sunday night, the Dallas defense didn't show up.
That was evidenced by the New York Giants hanging 35 points on the Texas Stadium scoreboard.
But the Giants' defense had no answer for Tony Romo, who passed for a career-high 345 yards and four touchdowns - and also scored on a 9-yard run - in the Cowboys' 45-35 debut under Phillips.
The Giants lost their starting running back but still ran for 21 more yards than teams averaged against the Dallas defense last year. Eli Manning was looking a lot like his older brother in passing for 319 yards - 100 more a game than the Cowboys averaged giving up last season.
And the Giants' 35 points were 13 more than teams averaged against Bill Parcells' 2006 team.
You can't blame this leaky defense all on Terrence Newman's sore foot. OK, the Cowboys are a better defense with their starting left cornerback, but Jacques Reeves didn't do all that bad filling in for Newman.
Superstar Demarcus Ware is perfectly healthy and he had just two more tackles than Newman.
The real superstar in this game was Romo.
This kid had an answer for everything the Giants did.
Manning threw for 312 yards. Romo threw for 345.
Manning threw three touchdown passes. Romo threw four.
The Giants score 35. Romo scores 45.
He picked up every blitz. He used all his receivers. He was terrific.
What we saw last November was not a mirage. Tony Romo is the real deal.
It doesn't matter who the coach is - Parcells, Phillips, Jerry Jones - this quarterback is a winner.
Maybe that's the reason Phillips is here and Norv Turner isn't.
Jerry realized the offense is in good hands with Romo, but the defense needs fixing.
Turner made his San Diego head coaching debut on Sunday.
With this offensive guru now calling the shots, the Chargers got 190 passing yards out of Philip Rivers, 25 rushing yards from L.T. and beat the Bears 14-3.
But both Phillips and Turner won with their new teams.
They just did it a little differently than we all thought they would.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:21 PM
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