DMN: Last meeting: Cowboys 34, 49ers 31
Drew grit
Cowboys quarterback leads comeback that turns sullen day into celebration
9/26/2005
By JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News
SAN FRANCISCO – The perennial Pro Bowl guard shoved the kicker in the face so hard, it nearly snapped his teammate's helmet off his head. The coach, who owns two Super Bowl rings, made a bonehead decision that nearly cost his team the game.
And San Francisco quarterback Tim Rattay and receiver Brandon Lloyd put up numbers usually reserved for Montana and Rice on Sunday in front of 68,247 at Monster Park.
Still, the Cowboys won.
Keyshawn Johnson caught a 14-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 remaining, and Drew Bledsoe turned in one of the finest passing performances in franchise history as the Cowboys rallied past San Francisco, 34-31.
Afterward, coach Bill Parcells wasn't interested in discussing the negatives like Larry Allen's altercation with kicker Jose Cortez in the second quarter. Or cornerback Anthony Henry getting beat for two touchdown passes, including an 89-yarder.
"Is that the story line? I didn't even see it. I don't know what you're talking about," Parcells said of the flare-up between Allen and Cortez. "I'd like to talk about something positive in the game, OK? Why don't you write about a good comeback.
"I think it's pretty positive when you're down two scores [and come back]. You need to give them credit for that."
But the Cowboys probably wouldn't have needed such a comeback if they hadn't made so many mistakes.
Dallas trailed 21-6 midway through the second quarter and 31-19 late in the third quarter, but it refused to concede the game.
Parcells and owner Jerry Jones spent the off-season trying to improve the mental and physical toughness of a team that lost six games by at least two touchdowns in 2004. That's why they added veterans such as Bledsoe, guard Marco Rivera, nose tackle Jason Ferguson and cornerback Aaron Glenn.
Each has played on playoff teams and experienced postseason success. They don't panic in adverse situations.
They're helping the Cowboys exorcise demons of Parcells' first two seasons. Before Sunday, the Cowboys were 0-9 under Parcells when trailing at halftime. In the opener, they won for the first time when trailing after three quarters.
Now, they've done it twice in three weeks.
"I've never seen us do so many things you'd like to take back and win in spite of ourselves," Jones said. "If you can manage to win a game like we did today, then you have to look at the positives. One of the big positives was No. 11 – I'll draw a big circle around him – because we don't win without him."
The Cowboys needed Bledsoe's 363 passing yards and three touchdowns because the game started poorly for Dallas, which didn't lead until Johnson's touchdown catch. For the second time this season, an opponent scored a touchdown on its first possession.
Dallas pulled within a point on Jason Witten's 6-yard touchdown catch, but Cortez missed the extra point attempt – the first miss of his career – after a low snap.
Allen yelled at him as he stalked back to the sideline, then shoved the kicker in the face after he responded to the criticism. Witten separated the players.
"I didn't have a problem with it. If the ball is placed on someone's helmet, you're supposed to make an extra point," Jones said. "I understand Larry's frustration. That just showed how much he cares. I wish everyone cared that much."
Dallas trailed 24-19 when Julius Jones was stopped after 1 yard on third-and-2 with a little more than five minutes left in the third quarter.
Facing a fourth-and-1, the Cowboys lined up in punt formation. Receiver Patrick Crayton moved under center and took the snap, but he was stopped for no gain on the Dallas 34.
"It was a dumb thought process. The players bailed me out," said Parcells, referring to Dat Nguyen's fumble recovery that ended the ensuing drive.
San Francisco extended its lead to 31-19 on Lloyd's 13-yard touchdown catch. At that point, Jerry Jones said he was expecting a miserable week preparing for Oakland after Monday night's shocking 14-13 loss to Washington and a sloppy loss to San Francisco.
None of that matters now.
Dallas is 2-1 with consecutive road wins for the first time since 2003 and awaits a date Sunday against the winless Raiders.
"This was huge because it would've hurt to lose back-to-back heartbreakers," Bledsoe said. "It was a short week, and we made mistakes. But we continued to show resiliency. We had to overcome ourselves to win."
Cowboys quarterback leads comeback that turns sullen day into celebration
9/26/2005
By JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News
SAN FRANCISCO – The perennial Pro Bowl guard shoved the kicker in the face so hard, it nearly snapped his teammate's helmet off his head. The coach, who owns two Super Bowl rings, made a bonehead decision that nearly cost his team the game.
And San Francisco quarterback Tim Rattay and receiver Brandon Lloyd put up numbers usually reserved for Montana and Rice on Sunday in front of 68,247 at Monster Park.
Still, the Cowboys won.
Keyshawn Johnson caught a 14-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 remaining, and Drew Bledsoe turned in one of the finest passing performances in franchise history as the Cowboys rallied past San Francisco, 34-31.
Afterward, coach Bill Parcells wasn't interested in discussing the negatives like Larry Allen's altercation with kicker Jose Cortez in the second quarter. Or cornerback Anthony Henry getting beat for two touchdown passes, including an 89-yarder.
"Is that the story line? I didn't even see it. I don't know what you're talking about," Parcells said of the flare-up between Allen and Cortez. "I'd like to talk about something positive in the game, OK? Why don't you write about a good comeback.
"I think it's pretty positive when you're down two scores [and come back]. You need to give them credit for that."
But the Cowboys probably wouldn't have needed such a comeback if they hadn't made so many mistakes.
Dallas trailed 21-6 midway through the second quarter and 31-19 late in the third quarter, but it refused to concede the game.
Parcells and owner Jerry Jones spent the off-season trying to improve the mental and physical toughness of a team that lost six games by at least two touchdowns in 2004. That's why they added veterans such as Bledsoe, guard Marco Rivera, nose tackle Jason Ferguson and cornerback Aaron Glenn.
Each has played on playoff teams and experienced postseason success. They don't panic in adverse situations.
They're helping the Cowboys exorcise demons of Parcells' first two seasons. Before Sunday, the Cowboys were 0-9 under Parcells when trailing at halftime. In the opener, they won for the first time when trailing after three quarters.
Now, they've done it twice in three weeks.
"I've never seen us do so many things you'd like to take back and win in spite of ourselves," Jones said. "If you can manage to win a game like we did today, then you have to look at the positives. One of the big positives was No. 11 – I'll draw a big circle around him – because we don't win without him."
The Cowboys needed Bledsoe's 363 passing yards and three touchdowns because the game started poorly for Dallas, which didn't lead until Johnson's touchdown catch. For the second time this season, an opponent scored a touchdown on its first possession.
Dallas pulled within a point on Jason Witten's 6-yard touchdown catch, but Cortez missed the extra point attempt – the first miss of his career – after a low snap.
Allen yelled at him as he stalked back to the sideline, then shoved the kicker in the face after he responded to the criticism. Witten separated the players.
"I didn't have a problem with it. If the ball is placed on someone's helmet, you're supposed to make an extra point," Jones said. "I understand Larry's frustration. That just showed how much he cares. I wish everyone cared that much."
Dallas trailed 24-19 when Julius Jones was stopped after 1 yard on third-and-2 with a little more than five minutes left in the third quarter.
Facing a fourth-and-1, the Cowboys lined up in punt formation. Receiver Patrick Crayton moved under center and took the snap, but he was stopped for no gain on the Dallas 34.
"It was a dumb thought process. The players bailed me out," said Parcells, referring to Dat Nguyen's fumble recovery that ended the ensuing drive.
San Francisco extended its lead to 31-19 on Lloyd's 13-yard touchdown catch. At that point, Jerry Jones said he was expecting a miserable week preparing for Oakland after Monday night's shocking 14-13 loss to Washington and a sloppy loss to San Francisco.
None of that matters now.
Dallas is 2-1 with consecutive road wins for the first time since 2003 and awaits a date Sunday against the winless Raiders.
"This was huge because it would've hurt to lose back-to-back heartbreakers," Bledsoe said. "It was a short week, and we made mistakes. But we continued to show resiliency. We had to overcome ourselves to win."
posted by The Gryphon at 6:08 PM
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