Dallas Cowboys Alone In First
by Adnan Tezer (Senior Writer)
For the second consecutive week, the Dallas Cowboys went into the hostile home field of a division rival, and came away with an impressive victory.
Sunday's win came courtesy of the once-resurgent New York Giants, as the Cowboys turned a 17-17 halftime tie into a 31-20 victory, sweeping the season series from the Giants. The Cowboys have taken a three game lead in their division, and stand tied with the Packers for the NFC’s best record at 8-1.
The victory wasn’t as impressive as the Cowboys' win in Philly last week, as some of the players resorted to low-class, punk tactics, which helped the Giants put points on the board in the first half.
The Cowboys came out of the gates quickly, with Tony Romo hitting TE Tony Curtis for a 15-yard touchdown. The Giants answered with a drive that was highlighted by white-trash extraordinaire TE Jeremy Shockey catching a touchdown pass from Eli Manning.
During that drive, Giants RB Brandon Jacobs had some words for Cowboys linebacker Bradie James. In response, James shoved Jacobs, who proceeded to flop in a manner that would make Manu Ginobili proud.
James was assessed a personal foul that moved the Giants upfield.
Late in the second quarter, Cowboys linebacker Kevin Burnett taunted Jacobs. The ensuing penalty led to the Giants kicking a FG that tied it at halftime, 17-17.
Careful observers felt going into Sunday's matchup that the Cowboys' frequent penalties could come back to haunt them, but luckily the Giants would have their own penalty problems in the second half.
In contrast, in a testament to their coaching staff, the Cowboys once again came out a better, more disciplined team in the second half.
The Cowboys finished with 10 penalties for 84 yards—an inexcusable total. The Giants had 8 penalties for 70 yards, seven coming in the second half, among them three— count them, three—delay of game penalties assessed to Eli Manning, which derailed potential touchdown drives and forced the Giants to settle for field goals.
It’s embarrassing to see Manning sporting the “Duh” face of doom, not knowing where the play clock stood despite it's prominent display on either end of the stadium, big enough for God himself to see.
Manning finished his unimpressive day with 236 yards on 23 for 34 passing with one TD and two INTs.
The Cowboys' pass rush had their way with Manning, sacking him five times, including one by newly reinstated DT Tank Johnson. In comparison, the supposedly vaunted Giants' pass rush could only muster two sacks.
Romo continued his strong play with 247 yards on 20 for 28 passing, with four TDs and one INT. The offensive line also had a superb performance, using TE Jason Witten to help neutralize Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora’s pass rush.
Witten was clearly a focus of the Giants' defense, and had only two catches for 12 yards. That coverage, however, resulted in single coverage for the Cowboys' wide receivers.
Patrick Crayton had five catches for 66 yards—including a bush-league TD that should be an embarrassment to Cowboys fans everywhere. More importantly, Baby Drop Owens had his third-straight dominant game, finishing with six catches for 125 yards and two TDs including the game clinching 50 yard TD in the fourth quarter.
Strangely enough, Owens spent the day masquerading as a classy NFL player, and did not celebrate either score.
The Giants did get a strong game from Shockey (12 catches, 129 yards and one TD) and big-mouthed Jacobs (23 carries, 95 yards, one TD). However, Shockey was held to four catches in the second half, and Plaxico Burress was null and void on the day.
This win sets the table beautifully for the Cowboys, who now embark on their annual Thanksgiving gauntlet—three games in eleven days, starting on Sunday when the Hogs from D.C. come honking to Dallas.
The Cowboys will be at home for all three games, including the Thanksgiving game against the Jets, and a week 13 matchup against the 8-1 Packer, a game which could potentially decided home-field advantage in the NFC.
The offense has now established themselves as a full-throttle machine, and the defense continues their steady improvement as their health grows. With the return of Anthony Henry and the insertion of Tank Johnson, the defensive unit has the potential to be one of the top five defenses in the league, which will be critical as the season winds down.
As of now, the Cowboys have exceeded even the wildest expectations of their fans, and must avoid complacency as the conference's best record is very much within their grasp. The past four years under Bill Parcells saw the team cave in December, when the games matter most.
Under Wade Phillips’ steady, calming hand, that does not look like a possibility. This team is having fun and playing loose, something forbidden under Parcells, and finally starting to live up to its potential, something rarely seen under the Tuna.
However, penalties are still a problem, particularly when they are of a boneheaded nature and lead to opposing offenses starting with short fields. These penalties were present when Parcells was coaching, so no one can say that his departure is has contributed to this problem.
This recklessness must be fixed if this team really has aspirations to travel to Glendale in February. And please, Patrick Crayton—do Tony Romo a favor, and shut your hole. Just play the game and let that do your talking.
For the second consecutive week, the Dallas Cowboys went into the hostile home field of a division rival, and came away with an impressive victory.
Sunday's win came courtesy of the once-resurgent New York Giants, as the Cowboys turned a 17-17 halftime tie into a 31-20 victory, sweeping the season series from the Giants. The Cowboys have taken a three game lead in their division, and stand tied with the Packers for the NFC’s best record at 8-1.
The victory wasn’t as impressive as the Cowboys' win in Philly last week, as some of the players resorted to low-class, punk tactics, which helped the Giants put points on the board in the first half.
The Cowboys came out of the gates quickly, with Tony Romo hitting TE Tony Curtis for a 15-yard touchdown. The Giants answered with a drive that was highlighted by white-trash extraordinaire TE Jeremy Shockey catching a touchdown pass from Eli Manning.
During that drive, Giants RB Brandon Jacobs had some words for Cowboys linebacker Bradie James. In response, James shoved Jacobs, who proceeded to flop in a manner that would make Manu Ginobili proud.
James was assessed a personal foul that moved the Giants upfield.
Late in the second quarter, Cowboys linebacker Kevin Burnett taunted Jacobs. The ensuing penalty led to the Giants kicking a FG that tied it at halftime, 17-17.
Careful observers felt going into Sunday's matchup that the Cowboys' frequent penalties could come back to haunt them, but luckily the Giants would have their own penalty problems in the second half.
In contrast, in a testament to their coaching staff, the Cowboys once again came out a better, more disciplined team in the second half.
The Cowboys finished with 10 penalties for 84 yards—an inexcusable total. The Giants had 8 penalties for 70 yards, seven coming in the second half, among them three— count them, three—delay of game penalties assessed to Eli Manning, which derailed potential touchdown drives and forced the Giants to settle for field goals.
It’s embarrassing to see Manning sporting the “Duh” face of doom, not knowing where the play clock stood despite it's prominent display on either end of the stadium, big enough for God himself to see.
Manning finished his unimpressive day with 236 yards on 23 for 34 passing with one TD and two INTs.
The Cowboys' pass rush had their way with Manning, sacking him five times, including one by newly reinstated DT Tank Johnson. In comparison, the supposedly vaunted Giants' pass rush could only muster two sacks.
Romo continued his strong play with 247 yards on 20 for 28 passing, with four TDs and one INT. The offensive line also had a superb performance, using TE Jason Witten to help neutralize Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora’s pass rush.
Witten was clearly a focus of the Giants' defense, and had only two catches for 12 yards. That coverage, however, resulted in single coverage for the Cowboys' wide receivers.
Patrick Crayton had five catches for 66 yards—including a bush-league TD that should be an embarrassment to Cowboys fans everywhere. More importantly, Baby Drop Owens had his third-straight dominant game, finishing with six catches for 125 yards and two TDs including the game clinching 50 yard TD in the fourth quarter.
Strangely enough, Owens spent the day masquerading as a classy NFL player, and did not celebrate either score.
The Giants did get a strong game from Shockey (12 catches, 129 yards and one TD) and big-mouthed Jacobs (23 carries, 95 yards, one TD). However, Shockey was held to four catches in the second half, and Plaxico Burress was null and void on the day.
This win sets the table beautifully for the Cowboys, who now embark on their annual Thanksgiving gauntlet—three games in eleven days, starting on Sunday when the Hogs from D.C. come honking to Dallas.
The Cowboys will be at home for all three games, including the Thanksgiving game against the Jets, and a week 13 matchup against the 8-1 Packer, a game which could potentially decided home-field advantage in the NFC.
The offense has now established themselves as a full-throttle machine, and the defense continues their steady improvement as their health grows. With the return of Anthony Henry and the insertion of Tank Johnson, the defensive unit has the potential to be one of the top five defenses in the league, which will be critical as the season winds down.
As of now, the Cowboys have exceeded even the wildest expectations of their fans, and must avoid complacency as the conference's best record is very much within their grasp. The past four years under Bill Parcells saw the team cave in December, when the games matter most.
Under Wade Phillips’ steady, calming hand, that does not look like a possibility. This team is having fun and playing loose, something forbidden under Parcells, and finally starting to live up to its potential, something rarely seen under the Tuna.
However, penalties are still a problem, particularly when they are of a boneheaded nature and lead to opposing offenses starting with short fields. These penalties were present when Parcells was coaching, so no one can say that his departure is has contributed to this problem.
This recklessness must be fixed if this team really has aspirations to travel to Glendale in February. And please, Patrick Crayton—do Tony Romo a favor, and shut your hole. Just play the game and let that do your talking.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:31 PM
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