November 2006 - Posts
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 Now here is a good one: Tony Romo was asked what was the noisiest away stadium he ever played at in college, knowing the Cowboys quarterback is going to have to deal with that deafening and somewhat intimidating roar from the near 80,000 people filling up Giants Stadium on Sunday. Romo thought a second, and said, “At Kansas State,” which was a big deal back then, Division I-AA Eastern Illinois playing on the road at a Big 12 school. Hey, one Manhattan to the next.
Here seems to be the Cowboys’ thinking about all this noise coming out of the Meadowlands, what with the jabbering from Jeremy Shockey and Plaxico Burress: “It’s what it is. (Shockey) is supposed to be confident in his team, and I’m confident in mine,” Cowboys nose tackle Jason Ferguson said. “All that talk, it doesn’t matter.” And you know what, it really doesn’t.
Also keep hearing about the Cowboys not used to playing in the weather they will face in Sunday’s 3:15 p.m. (CST) game at Giants Stadium. Let’s see, Weather.com’s Sunday forecast for East Rutherford, N.J., is calling for a high of 48 and a low of 34, with only a 10 percent chance of precipitation and winds only 7 mph. So as nightfall hits just minutes after kickoff out there, the temperature probably will be like 40. Come on, that’s a day at the beach out there in December. And while Romo played at Eastern Illinois, which is downstate Illinois, Charleston has never, ever been confused with Malibu, hear? The kid grew up in Wisconsin, remember?
And the score . . . Cowboys 24, Giants 16 . . . and while Romo might not be able to continue at his current level, this Cowboys defense has come of age. This will be the fifth time in the last six games the Cowboys hold an opponent to less than 17 points.
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Take my word on this one, if Tony Romo continues to make as good a decision on the field as he continues to make in front of his locker answering questions from the media, then that other shoe we just know is waiting to fall might never fall. When asked, now that he’s the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, has he discovered new privileges in public or feel he’s a little more entitled to ask for things, Romo said, “I’m from a small town, from a small college, and I don’t think any of that is warranted around there,” and then later on said, “In a small town, you don’t think you’re any better than anyone else.” He has learned well.
Why does it seem every time the Cowboys are fixing to play someone, the team calls one of those “players only” meetings? The Giants, trying to end a three-game losing streak, called one on Monday. With all their injuries, hope the meeting had some medicinal benefits. That’s the second one in a month, the Cardinals summoning one while trying to end a seven-game losing streak. And that one in Arizona sure cured what ailed the Cards that week, didn’t it?
Parcells always is thinking ahead, and why the Cowboys claimed guard Joe Berger off waivers on Friday. Evidently there were some in the Miami organization who saw Berger as a potential center. Same might be said for Travis Leffew, claimed off the Packers’ practice squad. Remember, the Cowboys do not have a center under contract for next season, starter Andre Gurode having signed just a one-year deal this season and backup Al Johnson in the final year of his deal.
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First Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells pulls the plug on his starting quarterback. Now he yanks his kicker, the Cowboys releasing the struggling Mike Vanderjagt in favor of signing Martin Gramatica. Few in the organization ever felt comfortable with the overly-confident Vanderjagt, who had missed two of his past three kicks. But signing Gramatica will not cause many to breathe easy. Ironically, the last place Gramtica kicked on a somewhat regular basis was Indianapolis for the injured Vanderjagt, and he made 11 of 19 in 2004, and was just 4 of 11 between 30-49 yards. He was re-signed by the Colts this year, making one 20-yard field goal while Adam Vinatieri nursed a groin injury. And to think Vanderjagt will still cost the Cowboys $1.6 million against the cap next year.
While Gramatica might be a tad more consistent on his kickoffs, it’s not as if he’s some sort of whiz. On 445 career kickoffs, he’s averaged right at the 7-yard line, and averages a touchback one out of every nine kicks. Guess money can’t buy you love . . . or a great kicker.
You know, way back in training camp when Vanderjagt was struggling, you just sort of got this sixth sense that he was talking a big game, but was really afraid to put his stuff out on the line. He was scared to prove himself all over again after missing his last kick in Indy.
The Cowboys also are seriously considering signing Dallas Desperados kicker Carlos Martinez to the practice squad as insurance against Gramatica’s inactivity. The Cowboys previously had worked out Martinez twice this year, and the Arena League Football kicker probably would think he’s kicking into the ocean after trying to split those AFL uprights that are but nine feet apart. The Cowboys do have an extra spot on the practice squad after releasing two guys on Monday and re-signing Tony Curtis, who cleared waivers on Monday.
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Three plays that should not be forgotten in the excitement of Tony Romo’s five-touchdown performance in the Cowboys’ 38-10 beating of Tampa Bay: After being forced to punt on their first possession, and trailing, 7-0, Tampa Bay had a chance to make it 14-0. But the Cowboys forced a three-and-out, and it was DeMarcus Ware’s pressure on third-and-three from the 38 that caused quarterback Bruce Gradkowski’s throw-away. Then there was Roy Williams’ fifth pick of the season, this one on a deep throw for Joey Galloway into Cover 2 that the Cowboys botched on the Bucs’ first possession. Williams, who also has two fumble recoveries, now leads the NFL with seven takeaways. And then up 14-7, the Cowboys’ defense was facing a third-and-eight at their own 28, the Bucs deciding to go for the whole ball of wax. But Gradkowski was a tad late on his deep throw for Galloway, and Anthony Henry dove in the end zone to break up the pass and force the field goal. Ball game.
Whoever is responsible for those goal-line play designs, they deserve a pat on the back. Getting Romo rolling forces defenses to commit to stopping him, which leaves one less person in coverage. And evidently that’s all it takes, Romo’s two touchdown passes to Marion Barber totaling a whopping three yards.
The Cowboys converted seven of 12 third downs, upping their 11-game percentage now to an incredible 49 percent.
So the question was posed to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about Bill Parcells returning next year – yes already – and Jones sort of joked about it on the Fox pregame show, but said, yes, indeed he wanted Parcells back. After the game in the locker room, Jones was emphatic: “I want him back. Can I say that any better? I want him back.”
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Once again we see the expensive trade-off for having wide receiver Antonio Bryant on your team. Here the Niners are, having recovered from a slow start and sitting 5-5, just a game behind the NFC West-leading Seahawks, and Bryant gets arrested on reckless and drunken driving charges Sunday night. When Bryant pitched one of his customary fits, officers were forced to use leather restraints to put Bryant in a seated position and then cuffed his hands behind his back. Tell you the truth, 31 catches for 546 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games isn’t a big enough trade-off for this kid’s obvious character flaws in my books. Wonder if he threw his shirt at the officer?
Wow, this Bucs defense is really beat up. Simeon Rice was just placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a shoulder injury, meaning Dewayne White starts again. Starting corner Juran Bolden, who replaced starter Brian Kelly when he went on injured reserve, is listed as questionable and appears to be a long shot to play with his seriously bruised shin that kept him out of practice this week. Also questionable are starting defensive tackle Ellis Wyms, their sack leader who hasn’t practice all week, along with starting middle linebacker Shelton Quarles, also a no-show at practice.
Should be a real treat at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving. First Kelly Clarkson, the two-time Grammy winner who Tuesday night was named Pop/Rock Female Artist of the Year and the Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards, sings the National Anthem. And then, this year’s halftime attraction for the 10th annual Salvation Army Red Kettle Christmas campaign televised nationally will be Kerry Underwood, the 2005 American Idol champ.
Here’s my less-than-expert, Coaching 101 advice for Cowboys kicker Mike Vanderjagt, who must lead the league in nailed uprights: Just kick the damn ball. Seems as though Vanderjagt is trying to be so perfect that’s he’s babying the ball out of Tony Romo’s hold instead of nailing that sucker. Or, if the Cowboys are thinking about kicking a field goal, make sure the ball is on the left hash. That way if he kicks the ball slightly right as seems to be his nature, he will split the uprights.
And the score . . . Cowboys 20, Bucs 3 . . . style points don’t count in this one. Just grind it out four days after beating the Colts, get to 7-4 and then sit back over the weekend to watch if everyone else in the NFC can keep pace.
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This was somewhat surprising, seeing Marion Barber’s name atop the NFC leading scorers (non-kickers) with his nine touchdowns, all rushing. Second is Seattle wide receiver Darrell Jackson with eight touchdown receptions. And third? Why that’s Terrell Owens, with 44 points, coming on seven touchdown receptions and one two-point conversion reception. But as impressive as that might be, no one is touching L.T., San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson challenging the league record of 28 single-season touchdowns set by Shaun Alexander last year. Tomlinson has 22 touchdowns with six games remaining, and is on a 35-touchdown pace.
See where former Cowboys wide receiver and special teams player Randal Williams, now with the Oakland Raiders, has been converted to tight end and has just been promoted to the starter this week . . . Must be family week at The Ranch. Bobby Carpenter’s dad, Rob Carpenter – Bill Parcells’ former Giants running back – has attended practice the past two days, and on Tuesday Mike Zimmer’s dad Bill was on the scene.
Tony Romo says he’s a smart guy, that he doesn’t need to be reminded by Parcells about a lot of this staying focused stuff. In fact, Romo is so smart, in just four weeks he has developed a default answer for questions he’s uncomfortable addressing or doesn’t so to remain politically correct. “I’m just trying to win,” Romo says with a smile. Good for him.
And this might make a bunch of us feel old. Troy Aikman turned 40 on Tuesday.
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So much was being made of Kevin Burnett’s 39-yard interception return for a touchdown, the talking post-game heads saying Indy head coach Tony Dungy should have challenged the play, insisting the Cowboys linebacker was down by contact. But tell you what, if there was contact, you sure couldn’t see it with the naked eye at regular speed, and even if the refs slowed that one down, sure would have been hard to determine some Colt nicked Burnett as he went down with the pick. No Colt touched Burnett after he had possession.
Hey, sure Flozell Adams got whipped the first Cowboys pass of the game, Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney speeding past him to knock the daylights and the ball out of Tony Romo, the Colts recovering what ended up the Cowboys first turnover in their last 12 possessions. But after that, Adams handled Freeney pretty well, and how about Marc Colombo’s performance on the right side? Did you even know Robert Mathis played? He had two tackles. That’s it.
What a forgettable first half offensive for the Cowboys. They had five possessions inside Colts territory without a single point. One ended up in a lost fumble, one a three-and-out and punt, the next an interception and the final two on missed Mike Vanderjagt field goals. But then, when your defense collects three takeaways, you can get away with that.
Greg Ellis might not have been here in body, but he sure was in spirit and did what he could this past week to help his club after having surgery on Tuesday to repair his ruptured left Achilles’. But there he was, two days after surgery, at The Ranch and coming out to practice. “Been hard on us all,” defensive end Chris Canty said of missing Ellis. “It’s tough not having him around, tough not having G around. But he came to practice on Thursday to support us. We couldn’t fill in his shoes, but tried do the best we could without him.”
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Sure would have felt better about the Cowboys’ chances of getting pressure on Peyton Manning Sunday if Greg Ellis was not sitting in the training room Thursday, his left foot encased after Tuesday’s successful surgery to repair that ruptured Achilles’. From a run-stopping standpoint, the Cowboys will rely on Al Singleton and Bobby Carpenter at outside linebacker. From a pass-rush standpoint, when the team goes four down linemen in their nickel, watch for Carpenter some and possibly rookie Jason Hatcher a lot, and don’t be surprised if DeMarcus Ware bounces from side to side so the Colts can’t just assume where he’s coming from. That could even happen on standard downs if need be, with Kevin Burnett coming in at right outside linebacker and Ware playing Ellis’ spot.
Some people laughed when New England signed Vinny Testaverde the other day, the Pats feeling a tad queasy going down the stretch with only Matt Cassel, an unproven second-year player at the backup to Tom Brady. Well, know that Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said on Thursday’s edition of Talkin’ Cowboys, which should be mandatory listening for you guys, that had the Cowboys’ playoff chances been more defined at this point, they would have seriously considered signing the 43-year-old quarterback, knowing they are a Tony Romo injury away from being in dire straits at backup quarterback if Drew Bledsoe must start.
Everyone seems to be worried about the Cowboys’ corners matching up on the Colts’ wide receivers. Hey, no matter who a team throws out, having Terence Newman, Anthony Henry and Aaron Glenn as your top three corners is about as good as it gets in the NFL. So here is the matchup that should get your attention: Flozell Adams vs. Dwight Freeney. And don’t get lulled into a false sense of security because Freeney only has 1½ sacks so far this year. He does have 22 quarterback hurries, and Parcells figures the reason for Freeney’s uncommonly modest sack total would be “because they’ve got the German army blocking him, that’s why.”
And the score . . . Cowboys 27, Colts 26 . . . let’s play the percentages here, figuring the Colts eventually will lose one, one of these days, and judging from their past three victories, squeaking by, by three points, seven and one, this just might be that day.
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Now isn’t this something: The 5-4 Cowboys have scored 250 points, third most in the NFL. Right behind them at 249? Why that would be the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. With each team scoring like 27.7 points a game, bring your stopwatches Sunday. This just might be a track meet.
There are a bunch of scenarios floating around for how the Cowboys might address the loss of Greg Ellis. Here’s two that should be considered. In the standard 3-4 defense, what if the Cowboys move DeMarcus Ware to Ellis’ left outside linebacker spot and insert Ware’s backup, Kevin Burnett, as the starter on the right side? Yeah, I know, that’s changing two spots to fill one. More simple to just insert Al Singleton or Bobby Carpenter on the left side. Also, on the nickel, don’t forget about Jason Hatcher. At least he’s a true defensive end. Can let him rush from the left side instead of the right, or you can move Ware left, as the Cowboys do sometimes, and keep the rookie Hatcher right where he’s probably more comfortable. Just another thought.
The Cowboys have won all five games this year by at least 17 points. Really, check it out. That’s already as many 17-point victories this season as they have totaled in the previous five seasons. You have to go back to 1994 to find the last time the Cowboys won five games in a single season by at least 17 points, and to 1993 to find more (six).
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You think the Cowboys can find just one person to replace Greg Ellis, and do all the things he does? Not I. Look, he has the ability to stand up at left outside linebacker in the standard 3-4 defense, which also at times asks him to move into the slot to reroute the slot receiver to his zone, then sink into zone coverage. In the Cowboys’ regular nickel, he then becomes a down defensive end for pass rush purposes. And against the Cards’ three receiver sets, the Cowboys used him as one of two defensive ends in a three-lineman set, with DeMarcus Ware standing on the line of scrimmage. That’s versatile. These Cowboys might need three guys to replace Ellis.
Boy, Bill Parcells sure was not happy with Tony Romo’s end-of-the-half stunt, when he went as, Parcells said, a little “renegade” on him. The Cowboys were telling Romo through the sideline communication device to “clock” the ball there at the 10 so they could get one more throw into the end zone before calling on the field-goal unit. But instead of spiking the ball to kill the clock at about 10 seconds, he audibles to “watch,” which means a fake spike and fade pass, this one to Sam Hurd. The ball almost got picked off, and if it had, that would have gone 99 yards the other way for a touchdown.
Just three teams going into Monday night’s game have their offense and defense ranked in the Top 10 in both categories. The Cowboys have the best combined total, ranking sixth on offense and now three on defense. San Diego ranks fourth on offense and eighth on defense, while the New York Giants are 10th in both categories. Did you know of the seven times the Cowboys have finished a season in the top five of both categories, they have qualified for the playoffs six times, five of those times ending up in the Super Bowl and the sixth in the NFC title game.
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The throw was perfect. The route was excellent. The catch was great. But even better on Tony Romo’s 51-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens, giving the Cowboys the separation they worked so hard to get at 20-3, was Romo’s read. The Cards were expecting run. They played it with a single-safety high (Robert Griffith) and the strong safety (Adrian Wilson) in the box. Plus, they blitzed. “It was supposed to be an 8-10-yard hook route, and the way the corner (Eric Green) played it, we adjusted,” Romo said. Julius Jones picked up the blitzing Wilson, and no way once Owens beat Green off the line of scrimmage could Griffith rotate over in time to help. Bingo.
Here’s something you’ll like. Romo was trying to explain how into football his guys are, how he loves talking football with Owens and Witten and Terry Glenn. Evidently on the plane ride here Saturday, Romo and Witten were watching film, and noticed how the Cards were playing this one route the Cowboys like to run with Witten and Anthony Fasano. So he told Witten if this came up in the game, to continue running and he’d look for him. Well, that did come up in the game, and that’s the one Romo connected with Witten on that 22-yarder that helped set up the first touchdown pass.
The Cowboys kind of tinkered with their nickel defense to combat those Arizona three-receiver sets on first and second down when the run still was prevalent. Instead of taking out a safety to bring in Aaron Glenn as the third corner and basically playing man on the receivers while keeping all the linebackers in the game to watch for the run, the Cowboys substituted Glenn for defensive end Marcus Spears. They then put Greg Ellis’ hand on the ground as a defensive end and moved DeMarcus Ware to the strong side tight on the line of scrimmage. That basically created a 4-2 front, but with three linebackers still in the lineup and five defensive backs. A possible precursor for the ultimate three-wide offense the Colts will bring to Texas Stadium next Sunday.
And a couple other things: On the straight nickel defense, Pat Watkins came in for Keith Davis, taking the place of the departed Marcus Coleman . . . Hey, got a feeling rookie Miles Austin will get another chance to return kickoffs after showing that nice burst to the outside on that 30-yard return that got called back because of holding . . . My first-half offensive MVP Julius-Barber checked in Sunday with 29 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown. Not bad, eh? . . . Of the Cardinals’ 216 receiving yards, 100 came on three passes . . . That Romo sure is a slippery devil, shaking off a blitzing Griffith, then stepping up to fire that pass to Patrick Crayton covering 35 yards that got the Cowboys’ half-ending field goal drive on its way.
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So I see where Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens is getting a lot of grief over his drops and first-half production. But, excuse me, would you please do some math here with me. After eight games, Owens leads the team with 44 catches for 558 yards and six touchdowns, and that’s after getting off to a slow start because of, first, basically missing three weeks of practice with a sore hamstring leading up to the first game, and then breaking a bone in his hand the second game. OK, now factoring those numbers over a 16-game season, we come up with 88 catches for 1,116 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Cowboys haven’t had a receiver catch as many as 88 passes since Michael Irvin had 111 in 1995, and that would be the second-most receiving yards since Irvin's 1,180 in 1997, with Terry Glenn grabbing 1,136 last year. And 12 touchdown catches? You know what, the Cowboys haven’t had a receiver with as many as 12 touchdown receptions since Lance Rentzel in 1969! The club record is 13, set by Bob Hayes in 1966. And as for the drops, there isn’t a perfect receiver out there. You know, Michael Irvin didn’t catch every pass that hit him in his hands, as hard as that might be to believe seven years after the fact. If Owens wouldn’t run his mouth so, you’d have no problem with these numbers.
Wondering out loud: If the NFL really wants to cut down on touchdown celebrations, instead of fining the team 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff, why doesn’t it fine the culprit like $15,000, and on an escalating scale for repeat offenders? Hitting a guy in the pocket would quickly put a stop to all the unnecessary end zone shenanigans, if that’s what they want. Guarantee you a Terrell Owens wouldn’t be saying later, I forgot about it, or I didn’t think about it, or I didn’t know. They’d sure know if their weekly checks came up short.
Keep hearing all this stuff about penalties and the team being undisciplined. Well, I don’t think pass interference is an undisciplined penalty. That happens in the course of the game, and so far, the Cowboys have been called for four offensive pass interference penalties, costing 40 yards, and five defensive P.I.’s for a whopping 139 yards. So that’s nine interference calls, total, for 179 yards, or 27 percent of their 660 yards of penalties. The biggest offense so far? False starts. Like 14 accepted for 64 yards. That’s almost two a game. As for holding? Try seven, six accepted for 60 yards. Less than one a game. Not bad. But it’s all these weird calls the Cowboys keep getting like tripping, crack-back block, chop block, block above the waist (?), invalid fair catch, two open helmet grabs and two celebration penalties that seem to be adding up. These total 11 for 125. That’s what’s distorting the picture.
And the score . . . Cowboys 23, Cardinals 16 . . . new stadium in Arizona but same struggle. While the Cowboys haven’t won there the last four times, even when they were winning, beating the Cardinals six straight at Sun Devil (1991-96) and seven of eight (1991-98) at one point, the Cowboys average margin of victory was only 8.85 points. And if you throw out the 24-point win in the 1995 season finale on Christmas Night (37-13) when the Cowboys clinched home-field advantage for the playoffs that Super Bowl season, the other six victories were by an average margin of 6.33 points.
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While the Cardinals might be 1-7, and still looking for their first win since beating San Francisco in the season opener, just know that the Cowboys have not won a game in Arizona since 1998, having lost the past four in Sun Devil Stadium.
Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells is a big believer in what’s done is done, and there is no sense dwelling on the past, especially when it comes to the most bitter 22-19 loss to the Washington Redskins this past Sunday. When asked about the emotional ups and downs, Parcells said, “That’s this game, that’s the game, that’s what the game is. You got to be able . . . you know if you have a lot of carryover on things, you’re not going to do too well. Now I don’t know what kind of frame of mind my team is going to be in here when they come in Wednesday, but they got to get going. We’ve got another team that’s had two weeks to get ready for us, so we’ll see. You have to go forward . . . you can’t look back. You have to go forward.” Amen.
In five of the Cowboys’ eight games, they have committed at least nine penalties, with Sunday’s 11 against Washington the high. But you know what, several of those penalties were strange calls, including the 15-yard facemask on Kyle Kosier at the end, the Keith Davis 15-yarder for grabbing the open part of the helmet when it appeared he grabbed the front of the shoulder pad and then Marion Barber for chop blocking when it appeared he only cut him without anyone else engaging in the play. Then the really dumb one on Terrell Owens for taking a nap on the ball in the end zone after his touchdown. There is 55 of the 153 yards of penalties, and add on the 48-yard interference call, that’s 103. Beyond that, it was basically 50 yards of penalties.
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Upon further review, getting to watch replays of several key plays in Sunday’s 22-19 loss to the Washington Redskins, including on coaching tape, here is what I saw:
Offensive tackle Marc Colombo was supposed to make a stab block left before sealing down inside to his right, while tight end Jason Witten on the outside did what he was supposed to do, pushing Rogers further out to his left. But Colombo never made the stab block left, allowing Troy Vincent to come free to make the block on a kick that would have been good, judging how it came off Mike Vanderjagt’s foot. Washington sort of set up Colombo since on Vanderjagt’s two made field goals, 33 and 30 yards, Vincent, lined up basically in the same spot, dropped off both times.
On Clinton Portis’ 38-yard touchdown run, not only did Keith Davis take a bad angle on the play to the left boundary, but fellow safety Roy Williams, even though he was on the opposite side of the field, also took too shallow of an angle to Portis, thus leaving him trailing badly down the sideline.
As I suspected on the 15-yard facemask call on Kyle Kosier, he basically brushed against the facemask, never really holding or yanking for any length of time, meaning that should have been a five-yard penalty. Heck, next time, he should just grab the facemask and absolutely yank him to the ground. That would have been at about the 20, thus giving Washington the ball at its own 35 with one play to go. Big deal. Also, did you realize the only “skill” people on the field capable of dealing with Sean Taylor’s speed after the block were Witten, holder Tony Romo and deep snapper L.P. Ladouceur? All the rest were linemen it seemed.
And as I suspected from watching the play live, safety Marcus Coleman was responsible for Chris Cooley’s 18-yard touchdown grab to tie the game at 19. Corner Anthony Henry was in zone, and passed Cooley off to Coleman, who got caught looking inside on the fake toss, and never adjusted or widened out to pick up Cooley. He was so far out of position, Henry almost got back into the play in time after realizing Coleman wasn’t going to get there.
As always folks, as the high school coaches used to say, film doesn’t lie.
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Boy, almost had this one right when I predicted Mike Vanderjagt needed to have a big day for the Cowboys to win this one. He was on his way to going three-for-three on field goals when Troy Vincent interrupted his heroics with the last-second block of his 35-yard attempt. “I got it off in the same amount of time I always get it off on,” Vanderjagt said. “And for a guy who has hit 1,000 of them, I knew it was going to be good by the way it came off my foot.”
For the second straight start, got to take my hat off to Tony Romo, who was the identical 24-of-36 he was last Sunday at Carolina, only this time he threw for 284 yards – 14 more. Now he did miss on what would have been two touchdown passes, but no sense splitting hairs, for as Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, “If you would have told me he would have played the way he did today, I would have been excited.”
Here’s a play that might have gotten lost in the shuffle. Leading 6-5, and facing first-and-10 from the Washington 19, the Cowboys went empty, and Romo came up throwing for tight end Jason Witten, lined up in the slot and running a skinny post. Romo didn’t quite lead Witten enough, Washington linebacker Marcus Washington barely tipping the ball away, saving what would have been a touchdown. The Cowboys had to settle for a Vanderjagt field goal.
The coaches upstairs should have told Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells to challenge the safety. What’s a timeout when we’re talking about what turned out to be five points. Five points. Sure, Jones’ knee hit in the end zone, but he already had stretched the ball back over the goal line, and if you look closely, his knee landed on another player initially, not the ground. That was no safety in my book.
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