Paul Domowitch | Romo trying to get better grasp of football
THE MOST important thing Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones wanted to see from Tony Romo this
season before giving his talented young quarterback one of those crazy Monopoly-money contracts, was respect for the
football.
"He's got those quarterback things," Jones said
in late-July. "You get a sense from his demeanor that somehow, he gives you a chance to win the game. And that's
pretty big.
"However, what we want to do is for him to have an emphasis on protecting the ball. If he'll
protect that ball, I think we have a good chance to get to see the pluses he brings to the game."
That still is a somewhat elusive goal for Romo. He's already got eight interceptions this season, and has 16 in his last 328 regular-season attempts, which is one every 20.5 throws.
He threw five Monday night against the Bills, but managed
to keep his composure, complete
11 of his final 14 passes, and rally his team to a dramatic 25-24 come-from-behind win to set
up Sunday's battle of unbeatens between the 5-0 Cowboys and the 5-0 Patriots.
"Anytime you turn the ball over that many times, you obviously didn't do something right and you want to take [better] care of the ball,'' Romo told
reporters this week. "But I really haven't had that problem lately. I'd like to think every once in a while, something creeps up in one game and - boom - it hits you. You chalk it up and you learn from it and you move on. But you don't let it affect the way you're playing.
"Obviously, I'll take [better]
care of the football this week.
We're still going to do what I do, and that's try to put our team
in the end zone. If I see a guy and feel like he's open, I'm going to
try to throw the ball.''
Around the league
* The NFL trading deadline is Tuesday, but there isn't expected to be much activity. The Bucs are trying to find someone, anyone, who might have a running back for sale after losing Cadillac Williams (torn patellar tendon) for the season and backup Michael Pittman (high ankle sprain) for 6 to 8 weeks. Earnest Graham, who has just 88 career carries in three-plus seasons with the Bucs, will make
his first-ever NFL start Sunday against Tennessee. "We might be searching [for a running back] right now,'' coach Jon Gruden said. "But 'searching' and 'collecting' are two different issues. You can search all you want, but there aren't a lot of teams in football that are willing to part ways with good runners and good players."
* The Eagles' Sav Rocca is 25th in the league in punting (41.9) and 14th in net average (37.7). He has yet to uncork one of those eye-popping 60-plus yarders he displayed in training camp. But former Eagles punter Sean Landeta, who was recently named to the team's 75th anniversary team, remains sold on the Aussie. "He's right on the cusp of breaking out,'' Landeta said. "He demonstrated in the preseason what kind of punter he can be. If he can just get a couple of good balls in a row, which I think he will, he'll be off and rolling. He has such great leg strength. He could be outstanding.'' Landeta, 45, still hasn't filed his retirement papers with the league. He continues to hold out hope that some team might call him. "I had three separate workouts last year and signed briefly with the Giants,'' Landeta said. "We'll see. If nothing happens for me this season, then after the season, I probably would consider going ahead and [officially retiring]. But we'll see what happens.'' In the meantime, Landeta is spending a lot of time with his 10-year-old son and collecting a few endorsement dollars. Earlier this week, he appeared at the opening of FineDesign Interiors' new Center City design center.
* NFL scouts are lukewarm on University of Kentucky quarterback André Woodson after his poor performance in the Wildcats' 38-23 loss to South Carolina last week. "I was really disappointed in the way he played,'' an AFC scout said. "He made some very poor decisions in that game. He's a big, strong kid, but I don't know. He's got some [Dan] McGwire in him. Sometimes, you can be too big to play that position.'' Woodson is 6-5 and 240 pounds. McGwire, who was an early-'90s first-round bust with Seattle, is 6-8. "Woodson is a better athlete than Mc-Gwire was and has a lot more mobility than he had,'' the scout said. "But he's very robotic."
* Scouts say unbeaten University of South Florida has at least four players who likely will be first-day picks in next spring's NFL draft. That number includes both of the Bulls' starting cornerbacks, Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams.
* This is Osi Umenyiora's lucky month. Two weeks after feasting on Winston Justice, he'll go up against yet another left tackle making his first career start
Sunday - Falcons rookie Renardo Foster. "He does have good size,'' Falcons coach Bobby Petrino said of the 6-7, 328-pound Foster. "But he's young. It's a pretty big concern. We certainly have to make sure we try to take care of Renardo and help him as much as we can.'' Gee, that's a novel idea. Too bad the Eagles didn't think of that.
* Ex-Eagles middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has been inactive for all of Tampa Bay's first five games. "He's learning our defense here," coach Jon Gruden said. "He's been a leader in the clubhouse and he's in the bullpen. He's ready to go if needed.''
* Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss hasn't spoken to reporters since the first game of the season.
By the numbers
* Through the first 5 weeks, NFL linebackers have notched 36 interceptions. That's a 115-interception pace, which would be the most by linebackers in 26 years. Linebackers recorded 146 picks in 1981.
* Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell's last seven touchdown passes, dating to last season, have been caught by either a tight end or running back. Of his 14 career TDs, just four have gone to wide receivers.
* Since 2001, the Patriots are 23-4 against NFC opponents (including playoffs). In their last 21 faceoffs vs. NFC foes, they are 19-2.
* Sunday's game between the
Patriots and Cowboys will mark just the fifth time that unbeaten teams with at least five wins have met. It's happened just once in the last 33 years. That was in '04 when the 5-0 Patriots defeated the 5-0 Jets, 13-7. *
season before giving his talented young quarterback one of those crazy Monopoly-money contracts, was respect for the
football.
"He's got those quarterback things," Jones said
in late-July. "You get a sense from his demeanor that somehow, he gives you a chance to win the game. And that's
pretty big.
"However, what we want to do is for him to have an emphasis on protecting the ball. If he'll
protect that ball, I think we have a good chance to get to see the pluses he brings to the game."
That still is a somewhat elusive goal for Romo. He's already got eight interceptions this season, and has 16 in his last 328 regular-season attempts, which is one every 20.5 throws.
He threw five Monday night against the Bills, but managed
to keep his composure, complete
11 of his final 14 passes, and rally his team to a dramatic 25-24 come-from-behind win to set
up Sunday's battle of unbeatens between the 5-0 Cowboys and the 5-0 Patriots.
"Anytime you turn the ball over that many times, you obviously didn't do something right and you want to take [better] care of the ball,'' Romo told
reporters this week. "But I really haven't had that problem lately. I'd like to think every once in a while, something creeps up in one game and - boom - it hits you. You chalk it up and you learn from it and you move on. But you don't let it affect the way you're playing.
"Obviously, I'll take [better]
care of the football this week.
We're still going to do what I do, and that's try to put our team
in the end zone. If I see a guy and feel like he's open, I'm going to
try to throw the ball.''
Around the league
* The NFL trading deadline is Tuesday, but there isn't expected to be much activity. The Bucs are trying to find someone, anyone, who might have a running back for sale after losing Cadillac Williams (torn patellar tendon) for the season and backup Michael Pittman (high ankle sprain) for 6 to 8 weeks. Earnest Graham, who has just 88 career carries in three-plus seasons with the Bucs, will make
his first-ever NFL start Sunday against Tennessee. "We might be searching [for a running back] right now,'' coach Jon Gruden said. "But 'searching' and 'collecting' are two different issues. You can search all you want, but there aren't a lot of teams in football that are willing to part ways with good runners and good players."
* The Eagles' Sav Rocca is 25th in the league in punting (41.9) and 14th in net average (37.7). He has yet to uncork one of those eye-popping 60-plus yarders he displayed in training camp. But former Eagles punter Sean Landeta, who was recently named to the team's 75th anniversary team, remains sold on the Aussie. "He's right on the cusp of breaking out,'' Landeta said. "He demonstrated in the preseason what kind of punter he can be. If he can just get a couple of good balls in a row, which I think he will, he'll be off and rolling. He has such great leg strength. He could be outstanding.'' Landeta, 45, still hasn't filed his retirement papers with the league. He continues to hold out hope that some team might call him. "I had three separate workouts last year and signed briefly with the Giants,'' Landeta said. "We'll see. If nothing happens for me this season, then after the season, I probably would consider going ahead and [officially retiring]. But we'll see what happens.'' In the meantime, Landeta is spending a lot of time with his 10-year-old son and collecting a few endorsement dollars. Earlier this week, he appeared at the opening of FineDesign Interiors' new Center City design center.
* NFL scouts are lukewarm on University of Kentucky quarterback André Woodson after his poor performance in the Wildcats' 38-23 loss to South Carolina last week. "I was really disappointed in the way he played,'' an AFC scout said. "He made some very poor decisions in that game. He's a big, strong kid, but I don't know. He's got some [Dan] McGwire in him. Sometimes, you can be too big to play that position.'' Woodson is 6-5 and 240 pounds. McGwire, who was an early-'90s first-round bust with Seattle, is 6-8. "Woodson is a better athlete than Mc-Gwire was and has a lot more mobility than he had,'' the scout said. "But he's very robotic."
* Scouts say unbeaten University of South Florida has at least four players who likely will be first-day picks in next spring's NFL draft. That number includes both of the Bulls' starting cornerbacks, Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams.
* This is Osi Umenyiora's lucky month. Two weeks after feasting on Winston Justice, he'll go up against yet another left tackle making his first career start
Sunday - Falcons rookie Renardo Foster. "He does have good size,'' Falcons coach Bobby Petrino said of the 6-7, 328-pound Foster. "But he's young. It's a pretty big concern. We certainly have to make sure we try to take care of Renardo and help him as much as we can.'' Gee, that's a novel idea. Too bad the Eagles didn't think of that.
* Ex-Eagles middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter has been inactive for all of Tampa Bay's first five games. "He's learning our defense here," coach Jon Gruden said. "He's been a leader in the clubhouse and he's in the bullpen. He's ready to go if needed.''
* Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss hasn't spoken to reporters since the first game of the season.
By the numbers
* Through the first 5 weeks, NFL linebackers have notched 36 interceptions. That's a 115-interception pace, which would be the most by linebackers in 26 years. Linebackers recorded 146 picks in 1981.
* Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell's last seven touchdown passes, dating to last season, have been caught by either a tight end or running back. Of his 14 career TDs, just four have gone to wide receivers.
* Since 2001, the Patriots are 23-4 against NFC opponents (including playoffs). In their last 21 faceoffs vs. NFC foes, they are 19-2.
* Sunday's game between the
Patriots and Cowboys will mark just the fifth time that unbeaten teams with at least five wins have met. It's happened just once in the last 33 years. That was in '04 when the 5-0 Patriots defeated the 5-0 Jets, 13-7. *
posted by The Gryphon at 7:52 AM
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