On the NFL: Cowboys have look of NFC champs
Nancy Gay
http://www.sfgate.com
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Irving, Texas -- Once the Texas Stadium scoreboard confirmed victory Thursday night, a 37-27 outcome that severely compromised Green Bay's ability to secure home-field advantage, an impressive milestone in the Dallas Cowboys' already storied history was reached.
The franchise was 11-1 for the first time.
There are plenty of reasons to like the Cowboys' chances of conquering the NFC this season, and the businesslike yet refreshingly carefree way they dispatched the Packers (10-2) shows they are a team that can put a huge regular-season victory in proper perspective.
Coach Wade Phillips sure didn't act like a guy who had just won the biggest football game in his career as an NFL head coach, which happened to be Dallas' sixth consecutive victory. He doesn't even consider the Cowboys' 11-1 mark to be the most impressive run he's experienced in the NFL.
"I mean, there was last year (in San Diego)," Phillips said matter-of-factly, noting the Chargers' 14-2 regular-season mark with Phillips as defensive coordinator, a record that included a 10-game winning streak at the finish.
Until Thursday night, the NFC playoff picture included two clear leaders, the Cowboys and Packers, both 10-1, along with 10 other teams within a game of .500 or better.
The closest competitors, the 7-4 Giants and 7-4 Buccaneers, appear vulnerable now because of quarterback concerns. Eli Manning's four-interception frenzy in a Week 12 loss to the Vikings caused Giants general manager Jerry Reese to say publicly that his franchise quarterback "has gotten skittish, for whatever reason." And rough-and-tumble Jeff Garcia's back injury could mean a starting assignment for Luke McCown, who is unlikely to match Garcia's efficient pace of 11 touchdown passes versus three interceptions.
This is the Cowboys' title to lose.
In Thursday's victory over Green Bay, they displayed several championship worthy traits.
-- The Cowboys took the opponent's best player, quarterback Brett Favre, out of the game. Even before Favre was sacked hard by the Cowboys' fourth cornerback, Nate Jones - a hit that left him with a injured elbow on his throwing arm and a separated left shoulder - Favre already was experiencing the worst game of his professional career.
Consider Favre's numbers before he left the contest midway through the second quarter: He had completed 5-of-14 passes for 56 yards and two interceptions for a passer rating of 8.9.
Backup Aaron Rodgers, the former Cal star who has been waiting three seasons for Favre, 38, to decide when he will retire, actually impressed the Cowboys more. He completed 18-of-26 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown.
"To me, Aaron Rodgers played way better than Brett Favre," Cowboys inside linebacker Bradie James said. "Brett Favre was just throwing the ball up. I don't know if we would have rather have him in there or Rodgers. (Rodgers) gets in, and he moves the ball down the field."
-- The Cowboys overcame adversity, first brushing themselves off and refocusing after the unbeaten Patriots came into their house Oct. 14 and spanked them 48-27. Thursday, they survived 10 penalties, many coming before the snap, as well as a late Packers charge and the Terrell Owens end zone bobble that turned into an interception for Tony Romo, the only real blemish on an otherwise stellar night for the Dallas quarterback.
Owens, by the way, is, relatively quietly, having a superb season. He has 14 touchdown catches, tying him with Frank Clarke (1962) for the most by a Cowboys player in a single season.
-- The Cowboys' quarterback is playing at a high level. Romo's four touchdown passes set a franchise record for most in a season with 33. The game was the fourth time this season he has passed for four touchdowns, as well as the sixth time this season he has passed for 300 or more yards.
-- The Cowboys are slowly peaking. Thursday's victory was their third in a span of 12 days. Nine of their victories this season have been by 10 or more points.
Dallas maintains a one-game lead and the tiebreaker advantage over Green Bay, factors that all but ensure any NFC title run would have to go through the temperate climes of North Texas rather than the frosty air of northern Wisconsin.
The schedule certainly looks favorable for the Cowboys down the stretch. They get the Eagles (5-6) at home on Dec. 16 and play Dec. 22 at struggling Carolina (4-7), a team that hasn't won a home game in over a year.
Two potential road blocks to a 15-1 season remain. Dallas faces the offense-minded Lions (6-5) in Detroit on Dec. 9 and closes out the regular season at Washington (5-6), a playoff-hungry team that really tested the Cowboys at home on Nov. 18 despite losing 28-23.
"We're a pretty good football team, and we're playing pretty good football right now," Romo said. "Do we still have a lot of improving to do? Yes. Do we still have the ability to get better? I believe so. So we're going to truck along and hopefully put together some more wins and see what we can do."
Perhaps Dallas will fall victim to complacency. After all, the Cowboys already have clinched a playoff berth, right? One problem with that rationale: Since when has a spot in the postseason been good enough for this franchise?
The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game in 10 years. They haven't clinched an NFC East title since 1998. There has been enough disappointment in Dallas to keep the Cowboys hungry, and then some.
"We have to be happy where we are, but we have a ways to go," Phillips reminded everybody. "The last couple of years the team has faltered, but I don't see that with our team."
http://www.sfgate.com
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Irving, Texas -- Once the Texas Stadium scoreboard confirmed victory Thursday night, a 37-27 outcome that severely compromised Green Bay's ability to secure home-field advantage, an impressive milestone in the Dallas Cowboys' already storied history was reached.
The franchise was 11-1 for the first time.
There are plenty of reasons to like the Cowboys' chances of conquering the NFC this season, and the businesslike yet refreshingly carefree way they dispatched the Packers (10-2) shows they are a team that can put a huge regular-season victory in proper perspective.
Coach Wade Phillips sure didn't act like a guy who had just won the biggest football game in his career as an NFL head coach, which happened to be Dallas' sixth consecutive victory. He doesn't even consider the Cowboys' 11-1 mark to be the most impressive run he's experienced in the NFL.
"I mean, there was last year (in San Diego)," Phillips said matter-of-factly, noting the Chargers' 14-2 regular-season mark with Phillips as defensive coordinator, a record that included a 10-game winning streak at the finish.
Until Thursday night, the NFC playoff picture included two clear leaders, the Cowboys and Packers, both 10-1, along with 10 other teams within a game of .500 or better.
The closest competitors, the 7-4 Giants and 7-4 Buccaneers, appear vulnerable now because of quarterback concerns. Eli Manning's four-interception frenzy in a Week 12 loss to the Vikings caused Giants general manager Jerry Reese to say publicly that his franchise quarterback "has gotten skittish, for whatever reason." And rough-and-tumble Jeff Garcia's back injury could mean a starting assignment for Luke McCown, who is unlikely to match Garcia's efficient pace of 11 touchdown passes versus three interceptions.
This is the Cowboys' title to lose.
In Thursday's victory over Green Bay, they displayed several championship worthy traits.
-- The Cowboys took the opponent's best player, quarterback Brett Favre, out of the game. Even before Favre was sacked hard by the Cowboys' fourth cornerback, Nate Jones - a hit that left him with a injured elbow on his throwing arm and a separated left shoulder - Favre already was experiencing the worst game of his professional career.
Consider Favre's numbers before he left the contest midway through the second quarter: He had completed 5-of-14 passes for 56 yards and two interceptions for a passer rating of 8.9.
Backup Aaron Rodgers, the former Cal star who has been waiting three seasons for Favre, 38, to decide when he will retire, actually impressed the Cowboys more. He completed 18-of-26 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown.
"To me, Aaron Rodgers played way better than Brett Favre," Cowboys inside linebacker Bradie James said. "Brett Favre was just throwing the ball up. I don't know if we would have rather have him in there or Rodgers. (Rodgers) gets in, and he moves the ball down the field."
-- The Cowboys overcame adversity, first brushing themselves off and refocusing after the unbeaten Patriots came into their house Oct. 14 and spanked them 48-27. Thursday, they survived 10 penalties, many coming before the snap, as well as a late Packers charge and the Terrell Owens end zone bobble that turned into an interception for Tony Romo, the only real blemish on an otherwise stellar night for the Dallas quarterback.
Owens, by the way, is, relatively quietly, having a superb season. He has 14 touchdown catches, tying him with Frank Clarke (1962) for the most by a Cowboys player in a single season.
-- The Cowboys' quarterback is playing at a high level. Romo's four touchdown passes set a franchise record for most in a season with 33. The game was the fourth time this season he has passed for four touchdowns, as well as the sixth time this season he has passed for 300 or more yards.
-- The Cowboys are slowly peaking. Thursday's victory was their third in a span of 12 days. Nine of their victories this season have been by 10 or more points.
Dallas maintains a one-game lead and the tiebreaker advantage over Green Bay, factors that all but ensure any NFC title run would have to go through the temperate climes of North Texas rather than the frosty air of northern Wisconsin.
The schedule certainly looks favorable for the Cowboys down the stretch. They get the Eagles (5-6) at home on Dec. 16 and play Dec. 22 at struggling Carolina (4-7), a team that hasn't won a home game in over a year.
Two potential road blocks to a 15-1 season remain. Dallas faces the offense-minded Lions (6-5) in Detroit on Dec. 9 and closes out the regular season at Washington (5-6), a playoff-hungry team that really tested the Cowboys at home on Nov. 18 despite losing 28-23.
"We're a pretty good football team, and we're playing pretty good football right now," Romo said. "Do we still have a lot of improving to do? Yes. Do we still have the ability to get better? I believe so. So we're going to truck along and hopefully put together some more wins and see what we can do."
Perhaps Dallas will fall victim to complacency. After all, the Cowboys already have clinched a playoff berth, right? One problem with that rationale: Since when has a spot in the postseason been good enough for this franchise?
The Cowboys haven't won a playoff game in 10 years. They haven't clinched an NFC East title since 1998. There has been enough disappointment in Dallas to keep the Cowboys hungry, and then some.
"We have to be happy where we are, but we have a ways to go," Phillips reminded everybody. "The last couple of years the team has faltered, but I don't see that with our team."
posted by The Gryphon at 8:36 AM
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