Cowboys Insider: Cowboys can prove they have character by beating Vikings
Tom Orsborn
San Antonio Express-News IRVING – ESPN dubbed Dallas-New England "The Duel in the Desert." Fox should call this one "A Test of Character."
Wade Phillips would dispute that. He says what happened in Orchard Park, N.Y., earlier this month showed him the Cowboys have plenty of grit.
"I think character shows sometimes during ball games," Phillips said. "We've come back in almost every game we've played. We even came back in the New England game to go ahead when it looked like things weren't going good for us. I think that shows character."
But does bouncing back against a Buffalo team that lacked the offense needed to deliver a knockout blow really count for all that much? And while the offense should be commended for fighting back against the Patriots, the defense never made a play when it needed to in the so-called Super Bowl preview. Where was its character?
I suspect deep down Phillips wonders the same. That's why he spent so much time after the 48-27 loss to the Patriots warning his team the disappointment from learning it's not one of the league's elite teams can't linger.
"It's just like in life," Phillips told his players. "There are going to be disappointments. But people with character go forward and do well."
Cowboys MailbagGot a question for Tom Orsborn about the Cowboys? Use the form below and fire away!
That's where this game comes in. Championship teams don't lose at home to an opponent as one-dimensional as the Adrian Peterson-led Vikings, especially when it's a conference game.
And they certainly don't lose to teams with pedestrian quarterbacks like Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson, who is completing just 49.4 percent of his passes.
But that doesn't mean beating Minnesota will be easy. Peterson is a beast, and the same can be said of the Vikings' run defense, which is yielding only 66.2 yards per game.
"The more I look at Minnesota, the more I like their football team," Phillips said Friday. "They are strong against the run, and they can run the football.
"We are very aware of their football team, especially how strong they are in certain areas. In those areas, they are better than almost every team in the league."
Still, the Cowboys are at home with what Patrick Crayton says is a sour taste in their mouth.
And if they have they kind of character Phillips says they do, they'll get rid of it by beating the Vikings.
Five reasons why the Vikings will beat the Cowboys
•1. Peterson runs wild against a Cowboys defense that ranks seventh against the run but hasn't faced a back as formidable as the former Oklahoma standout.
•2. The Vikings' hard-nosed run defense makes the offense one-dimensional, and Tony Romo has an off day.
•3. Strong safety Darren Sharper blankets tight end Jason Witten.
•4. The Cowboys suffer a big letdown after back-to-back emotional games.
•5. The Vikings' big offensive line gives Jackson time to throw and he goes after weak-link cornerback Jacques Reeves.
Five reasons why the Cowboys will beat the Vikings
•1. They take advantage of the league's worst pass defense.
•2. They bend but don't break when Peterson has the ball. Sure, the Cowboys haven't played a strong running team yet, but ends Marcus Spears and Chris Canty excel against the run. It also helps that Phillips has stressed stopping the run from Day 1.
•3. Bye-week blues. There's no way Dallas wants to enter its bye week with a two-game losing streak. History is on the Cowboys' side here: Since the league instituted the bye week in 1990, Dallas is 15-3 in games preceding the bye. Ten of those games were played at Texas Stadium, with the Cowboys winning nine.
•4. Even if Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams are fooled by a few play-action fakes, Jackson still has to hit his receivers.
•5. Terrell Owens is due for a big game.
•Prediction: The best way to defend against Peterson is to get off to a fast start. The Cowboys will finally do that Sunday, forcing Jackson to throw. On the offensive end, Owens catches three TD passes as the Cowboys win 26-14.
San Antonio Express-News IRVING – ESPN dubbed Dallas-New England "The Duel in the Desert." Fox should call this one "A Test of Character."
Wade Phillips would dispute that. He says what happened in Orchard Park, N.Y., earlier this month showed him the Cowboys have plenty of grit.
"I think character shows sometimes during ball games," Phillips said. "We've come back in almost every game we've played. We even came back in the New England game to go ahead when it looked like things weren't going good for us. I think that shows character."
But does bouncing back against a Buffalo team that lacked the offense needed to deliver a knockout blow really count for all that much? And while the offense should be commended for fighting back against the Patriots, the defense never made a play when it needed to in the so-called Super Bowl preview. Where was its character?
I suspect deep down Phillips wonders the same. That's why he spent so much time after the 48-27 loss to the Patriots warning his team the disappointment from learning it's not one of the league's elite teams can't linger.
"It's just like in life," Phillips told his players. "There are going to be disappointments. But people with character go forward and do well."
Cowboys MailbagGot a question for Tom Orsborn about the Cowboys? Use the form below and fire away!
That's where this game comes in. Championship teams don't lose at home to an opponent as one-dimensional as the Adrian Peterson-led Vikings, especially when it's a conference game.
And they certainly don't lose to teams with pedestrian quarterbacks like Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson, who is completing just 49.4 percent of his passes.
But that doesn't mean beating Minnesota will be easy. Peterson is a beast, and the same can be said of the Vikings' run defense, which is yielding only 66.2 yards per game.
"The more I look at Minnesota, the more I like their football team," Phillips said Friday. "They are strong against the run, and they can run the football.
"We are very aware of their football team, especially how strong they are in certain areas. In those areas, they are better than almost every team in the league."
Still, the Cowboys are at home with what Patrick Crayton says is a sour taste in their mouth.
And if they have they kind of character Phillips says they do, they'll get rid of it by beating the Vikings.
Five reasons why the Vikings will beat the Cowboys
•1. Peterson runs wild against a Cowboys defense that ranks seventh against the run but hasn't faced a back as formidable as the former Oklahoma standout.
•2. The Vikings' hard-nosed run defense makes the offense one-dimensional, and Tony Romo has an off day.
•3. Strong safety Darren Sharper blankets tight end Jason Witten.
•4. The Cowboys suffer a big letdown after back-to-back emotional games.
•5. The Vikings' big offensive line gives Jackson time to throw and he goes after weak-link cornerback Jacques Reeves.
Five reasons why the Cowboys will beat the Vikings
•1. They take advantage of the league's worst pass defense.
•2. They bend but don't break when Peterson has the ball. Sure, the Cowboys haven't played a strong running team yet, but ends Marcus Spears and Chris Canty excel against the run. It also helps that Phillips has stressed stopping the run from Day 1.
•3. Bye-week blues. There's no way Dallas wants to enter its bye week with a two-game losing streak. History is on the Cowboys' side here: Since the league instituted the bye week in 1990, Dallas is 15-3 in games preceding the bye. Ten of those games were played at Texas Stadium, with the Cowboys winning nine.
•4. Even if Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams are fooled by a few play-action fakes, Jackson still has to hit his receivers.
•5. Terrell Owens is due for a big game.
•Prediction: The best way to defend against Peterson is to get off to a fast start. The Cowboys will finally do that Sunday, forcing Jackson to throw. On the offensive end, Owens catches three TD passes as the Cowboys win 26-14.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:17 PM
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