Even without Romo, Rams are perfect tonic for Dallas Cowboys
Source: The Dallas Morning News
Oct. 19--ST. LOUIS -- Tony Romo took a call from Brett Favre this week. Romo's hero advised playing with a broken finger as long as the pain is tolerable.
Romo should have called his former teammate, Drew Bledsoe, who once tried to play through a painful hand injury and ended up needing surgery and missing the postseason.
By Friday afternoon, all signs -- and by all signs, I mean Jerry Jones on a radio show -- indicated Romo probably would be at quarterback at noon today in the Edward Jones Dome.
And for Cowboys fans, that was a really bad idea.
Somewhere along the way to Saturday night, logic entered the equation, and Jones announced that Brad Johnson will start against the St. Louis Rams.
The fact that Romo is going to suit up remains troubling. What will it take for panic to set in and Romo to be inserted into the lineup?
A couple of three-and-outs? A Johnson turnover? Maybe an early Rams lead?
That Romo has reportedly looked OK throwing the ball is immaterial.
What about taking 70 snaps from center? What about handoffs? What about when he's being sacked by Leonard Little? Will the guy who has more fumbles than anyone other than Jon Kitna since becoming a starter protect the ball or instinctively try to protect the finger?
And if he does protect the ball, what happens to the broken finger?
There's really no logic to playing Romo, no matter how the game unfolds Sunday.
What's the worst that can happen?
Romo can compound the injury and be out longer than the original expectation of three games.
What's the best that can happen?
The Cowboys win the game, which they should be able to do with Johnson at quarterback, anyway.
If you consider yourself an elite team, a Super Bowl contender, then you are supposed to handle the easiest game on your schedule with your backup quarterback. A conservative game plan and a resilient defense should give the Cowboys a two-touchdown victory over the Rams.
Minimum.
For a team that suddenly sports a long injury list and is in somewhat of a state of disarray after three straight poor performances, the St. Louis Rams are the perfect tonic.
Only the Detroit Lions are giving up more yards per game. No team is giving up more points per game (32.8) or first downs per game.
Keep the chains moving, pile up the points, pocket the victory and move on -- that should be the Cowboys' game plan, all with Romo watching from the sideline and giving himself a better chance to play next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they will need him.
Not only are the Rams awful, even more to the Cowboys' benefit, they come into this game disguised as something better than they really are.
In the wake of the Rams' 19-17 upset in Washington last week, the Cowboys can tell themselves, "Hey, they just beat a team that beat us at Texas Stadium. We better be prepared to play."
But that victory came after two weeks of preparation. It came with the Redskins coughing up their first three turnovers of the season, including a fumble that was returned 75 yards for a touchdown.
It came with the Rams piling up 200 total yards.
In other words, this 1-4 team still stinks.
In the four losses that preceded the bye and cost head coach Scott Linehan his job, the Rams never allowed fewer than 31 points. That includes Buffalo's 18th-ranked offense. That includes Seattle's 27th-ranked offense.
With Romo, the Cowboys have the third-ranked offense in the NFL. How far does it slip without Felix Jones and Romo?
I don't think it's all the way to 18th. I know it's not all the way to 27th.
And those teams still punched in at least 31 points, which should be at least 17 more than the Cowboys allow.
Johnson's going to start. That's good news for Cowboys fans. Johnson finishing would be even better.
Oct. 19--ST. LOUIS -- Tony Romo took a call from Brett Favre this week. Romo's hero advised playing with a broken finger as long as the pain is tolerable.
Romo should have called his former teammate, Drew Bledsoe, who once tried to play through a painful hand injury and ended up needing surgery and missing the postseason.
By Friday afternoon, all signs -- and by all signs, I mean Jerry Jones on a radio show -- indicated Romo probably would be at quarterback at noon today in the Edward Jones Dome.
And for Cowboys fans, that was a really bad idea.
Somewhere along the way to Saturday night, logic entered the equation, and Jones announced that Brad Johnson will start against the St. Louis Rams.
The fact that Romo is going to suit up remains troubling. What will it take for panic to set in and Romo to be inserted into the lineup?
A couple of three-and-outs? A Johnson turnover? Maybe an early Rams lead?
That Romo has reportedly looked OK throwing the ball is immaterial.
What about taking 70 snaps from center? What about handoffs? What about when he's being sacked by Leonard Little? Will the guy who has more fumbles than anyone other than Jon Kitna since becoming a starter protect the ball or instinctively try to protect the finger?
And if he does protect the ball, what happens to the broken finger?
There's really no logic to playing Romo, no matter how the game unfolds Sunday.
What's the worst that can happen?
Romo can compound the injury and be out longer than the original expectation of three games.
What's the best that can happen?
The Cowboys win the game, which they should be able to do with Johnson at quarterback, anyway.
If you consider yourself an elite team, a Super Bowl contender, then you are supposed to handle the easiest game on your schedule with your backup quarterback. A conservative game plan and a resilient defense should give the Cowboys a two-touchdown victory over the Rams.
Minimum.
For a team that suddenly sports a long injury list and is in somewhat of a state of disarray after three straight poor performances, the St. Louis Rams are the perfect tonic.
Only the Detroit Lions are giving up more yards per game. No team is giving up more points per game (32.8) or first downs per game.
Keep the chains moving, pile up the points, pocket the victory and move on -- that should be the Cowboys' game plan, all with Romo watching from the sideline and giving himself a better chance to play next week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they will need him.
Not only are the Rams awful, even more to the Cowboys' benefit, they come into this game disguised as something better than they really are.
In the wake of the Rams' 19-17 upset in Washington last week, the Cowboys can tell themselves, "Hey, they just beat a team that beat us at Texas Stadium. We better be prepared to play."
But that victory came after two weeks of preparation. It came with the Redskins coughing up their first three turnovers of the season, including a fumble that was returned 75 yards for a touchdown.
It came with the Rams piling up 200 total yards.
In other words, this 1-4 team still stinks.
In the four losses that preceded the bye and cost head coach Scott Linehan his job, the Rams never allowed fewer than 31 points. That includes Buffalo's 18th-ranked offense. That includes Seattle's 27th-ranked offense.
With Romo, the Cowboys have the third-ranked offense in the NFL. How far does it slip without Felix Jones and Romo?
I don't think it's all the way to 18th. I know it's not all the way to 27th.
And those teams still punched in at least 31 points, which should be at least 17 more than the Cowboys allow.
Johnson's going to start. That's good news for Cowboys fans. Johnson finishing would be even better.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:13 AM
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