Meet the new boss: Cowboys taking charge in NFC East
http://www.kcba.com
The changing of the guard in the NFC East hasn't officially taken place just yet, but it's more or less a foregone conclusion after the way the Dallas Cowboys dismantled the division's longtime standard-bearers, the Philadelphia Eagles, on a national stage this past Sunday.
Using a dynamic aerial attack directed by newly-wealthy quarterback Tony Romo and a big-play defense that made life miserable for Eagles signal-caller Donovan McNabb, the Cowboys served further notice that they're now the dominant force in the East with a sound 38-17 beating of Philadelphia on the Eagles' home turf. The point total was Dallas' highest-ever in its 47 all-time visits to the City of Brotherly Love.
The Cowboys were eager to prove that Philadelphia's lengthy reign of division superiority was over, and sent the Eagles a clear message right from the get- go. On the game's first play from scrimmage, linebacker DeMarcus Ware and end Marcus Spears converged on McNabb and jarred the ball loose from the helpless triggerman, with Dallas' Bradie James recovering the fumble deep in Eagles' territory. Just minutes later, running back Julius Jones crossed the goal line from two yards out for the game's first points.
Philadelphia answered with a touchdown drive on the ensuing possession, but the Cowboy defense stiffened afterward and kept the Eagles out of the end zone until the contest's final minutes. Dallas sacked McNabb three times and intercepted him twice, while also holding Philadelphia's most dangerous weapon, running back Brian Westbrook, in check for most of the night.
I think we played well defensively," said Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips. "We were worried about this team. They've got a great quarterback and they've had some big games. The player that we were most worried about was Westbrook. I thought we held him down pretty well until late in the game, when they got him the ball some on check-downs."
While Dallas' defense was effective, the offense was close to unstoppable. The Cowboys piled up 434 total yards on the Eagles, with Romo justifying his brand new contract extension by shredding a quality Philadelphia secondary for 324 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-25 passing.
Romo was aided by a highly-motivated Terrell Owens, the former Eagle who scorched his ex-mates for season-high totals of 10 receptions and 174 yards, and an offensive line that was able to neutralize Philly's formidable pass rush.
The Eagles had amassed 24 sacks through their first seven games but barely laid a finger on Romo on this night. The unit was also powerless to stop the Cowboys at crucial points, as the Dallas offense converted 8-of-12 third-down situations for the game.
"We've had some real good games throughout the year, but I read it here that this was the biggest game of the year for the Eagles," said Phillips. "To come here and win, in a divisional game on the road, is a great start for us."
ROMO GETS RICH
Just days prior to the Philadelphia game, the Cowboys locked up Romo with a six-year, $67.5 million extension that will keep the confident quarterback in uniform through the 2013 season. It's the second-richest contract in team history, eclipsed only by a nine-year, $85.5 million deal given to Troy Aikman back in 1998.
Romo earned the big payday by backing up his out-of-nowhere 2006 campaign with an even better showing this year. The fifth-year pro, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2003, leads all NFC quarterbacks with a 100.4 passer rating and ranks third in the league with 2,308 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. He's thrown for 300 yards or more in five of Dallas' eight games this season.
"In my perception of what we can be as a potential Super Bowl team at some point, Tony fits that role at quarterback," said Cowboys owner and team president Jerry Jones. "He's the man for the 2000's. I wouldn't have done this if I didn't think he gives us a chance to win Super Bowls."
Romo, who is 13-5 since taking over as Dallas' starting quarterback midway through last season, received an $11.5 million signing bonus and close to $30 million in guaranteed salary.
TANK PROVIDES REINFORCEMENTS
Dallas' fifth-ranked run defense figures to be even tougher in the coming weeks, as nose tackle Tank Johnson has completed his league-issued eight-game suspension for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. The troubled lineman was reinstated by the Cowboys on Monday and will be eligible to participate in this weekend's showdown with the division-rival New York Giants.
Johnson spent the 2006 season with Chicago and was a key starter on a Bears defense that played an instrumental role in the club's run to last year's Super Bowl. He served two months in jail during the offseason for violating his probation on a previous weapons charge and was released by Chicago in June after being arrested for driving under the influence.
The 25-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cowboys on September 18 and will initially serve as a backup to Jay Ratliff, who has played well at the nose since replacing injured starter Jason Ferguson in the season opener.
"Ratliff plays tremendously hard every play but I think he'll still be fresher if we can play somebody in front of him in run situations a little bit more or just substitute some, because he plays every play," Phillips said. "We feel confident that Tank will be able to help us some in our run front and maybe in the pass, too. He's really quick."
To find a place for Johnson on the roster, the Cowboys placed fullback Deon Anderson on injured reserve. The rookie tore his rotator cuff early in the third quarter of Sunday's win.
Anderson had been starting in place of regular starter Oliver Hoyte, who has missed six straight games with a neck injury, and his loss creates a potential problem at the position. Hoyte, the only other fullback on the roster, has resumed practicing but is not a sure bet to be activated for this week's game.
A GIANT MATCHUP
First place in the NFC East will be on the line this Sunday at the Meadowlands, where the Cowboys visit a red-hot New York Giants squad seeking to avenge a 45-35 loss to Dallas at Texas Stadium in Week 1. After an 0-2 start to the season, New York has ripped off six consecutive victories and presently stands just one game behind the 7-1 Cowboys in the division standings.
Dallas has lost in two of its last three meetings with the Giants as the visitor, but did hand New York a 23-20 defeat in last season's meeting at the Meadowlands.
The changing of the guard in the NFC East hasn't officially taken place just yet, but it's more or less a foregone conclusion after the way the Dallas Cowboys dismantled the division's longtime standard-bearers, the Philadelphia Eagles, on a national stage this past Sunday.
Using a dynamic aerial attack directed by newly-wealthy quarterback Tony Romo and a big-play defense that made life miserable for Eagles signal-caller Donovan McNabb, the Cowboys served further notice that they're now the dominant force in the East with a sound 38-17 beating of Philadelphia on the Eagles' home turf. The point total was Dallas' highest-ever in its 47 all-time visits to the City of Brotherly Love.
The Cowboys were eager to prove that Philadelphia's lengthy reign of division superiority was over, and sent the Eagles a clear message right from the get- go. On the game's first play from scrimmage, linebacker DeMarcus Ware and end Marcus Spears converged on McNabb and jarred the ball loose from the helpless triggerman, with Dallas' Bradie James recovering the fumble deep in Eagles' territory. Just minutes later, running back Julius Jones crossed the goal line from two yards out for the game's first points.
Philadelphia answered with a touchdown drive on the ensuing possession, but the Cowboy defense stiffened afterward and kept the Eagles out of the end zone until the contest's final minutes. Dallas sacked McNabb three times and intercepted him twice, while also holding Philadelphia's most dangerous weapon, running back Brian Westbrook, in check for most of the night.
I think we played well defensively," said Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips. "We were worried about this team. They've got a great quarterback and they've had some big games. The player that we were most worried about was Westbrook. I thought we held him down pretty well until late in the game, when they got him the ball some on check-downs."
While Dallas' defense was effective, the offense was close to unstoppable. The Cowboys piled up 434 total yards on the Eagles, with Romo justifying his brand new contract extension by shredding a quality Philadelphia secondary for 324 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-25 passing.
Romo was aided by a highly-motivated Terrell Owens, the former Eagle who scorched his ex-mates for season-high totals of 10 receptions and 174 yards, and an offensive line that was able to neutralize Philly's formidable pass rush.
The Eagles had amassed 24 sacks through their first seven games but barely laid a finger on Romo on this night. The unit was also powerless to stop the Cowboys at crucial points, as the Dallas offense converted 8-of-12 third-down situations for the game.
"We've had some real good games throughout the year, but I read it here that this was the biggest game of the year for the Eagles," said Phillips. "To come here and win, in a divisional game on the road, is a great start for us."
ROMO GETS RICH
Just days prior to the Philadelphia game, the Cowboys locked up Romo with a six-year, $67.5 million extension that will keep the confident quarterback in uniform through the 2013 season. It's the second-richest contract in team history, eclipsed only by a nine-year, $85.5 million deal given to Troy Aikman back in 1998.
Romo earned the big payday by backing up his out-of-nowhere 2006 campaign with an even better showing this year. The fifth-year pro, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2003, leads all NFC quarterbacks with a 100.4 passer rating and ranks third in the league with 2,308 passing yards and 19 touchdowns. He's thrown for 300 yards or more in five of Dallas' eight games this season.
"In my perception of what we can be as a potential Super Bowl team at some point, Tony fits that role at quarterback," said Cowboys owner and team president Jerry Jones. "He's the man for the 2000's. I wouldn't have done this if I didn't think he gives us a chance to win Super Bowls."
Romo, who is 13-5 since taking over as Dallas' starting quarterback midway through last season, received an $11.5 million signing bonus and close to $30 million in guaranteed salary.
TANK PROVIDES REINFORCEMENTS
Dallas' fifth-ranked run defense figures to be even tougher in the coming weeks, as nose tackle Tank Johnson has completed his league-issued eight-game suspension for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. The troubled lineman was reinstated by the Cowboys on Monday and will be eligible to participate in this weekend's showdown with the division-rival New York Giants.
Johnson spent the 2006 season with Chicago and was a key starter on a Bears defense that played an instrumental role in the club's run to last year's Super Bowl. He served two months in jail during the offseason for violating his probation on a previous weapons charge and was released by Chicago in June after being arrested for driving under the influence.
The 25-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cowboys on September 18 and will initially serve as a backup to Jay Ratliff, who has played well at the nose since replacing injured starter Jason Ferguson in the season opener.
"Ratliff plays tremendously hard every play but I think he'll still be fresher if we can play somebody in front of him in run situations a little bit more or just substitute some, because he plays every play," Phillips said. "We feel confident that Tank will be able to help us some in our run front and maybe in the pass, too. He's really quick."
To find a place for Johnson on the roster, the Cowboys placed fullback Deon Anderson on injured reserve. The rookie tore his rotator cuff early in the third quarter of Sunday's win.
Anderson had been starting in place of regular starter Oliver Hoyte, who has missed six straight games with a neck injury, and his loss creates a potential problem at the position. Hoyte, the only other fullback on the roster, has resumed practicing but is not a sure bet to be activated for this week's game.
A GIANT MATCHUP
First place in the NFC East will be on the line this Sunday at the Meadowlands, where the Cowboys visit a red-hot New York Giants squad seeking to avenge a 45-35 loss to Dallas at Texas Stadium in Week 1. After an 0-2 start to the season, New York has ripped off six consecutive victories and presently stands just one game behind the 7-1 Cowboys in the division standings.
Dallas has lost in two of its last three meetings with the Giants as the visitor, but did hand New York a 23-20 defeat in last season's meeting at the Meadowlands.
posted by The Gryphon at 7:25 PM
<< Home