Maligned vets, defense step up; T.O. hurt

By Andy Targovnik  |   Monday, September 18, 2006  |  Comments( 13 )

Dallas Cowboys
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The Dallas Cowboys dominated the Washington Redskins 27-10 in a Sunday night game that was actually more lopsided than the score would lead you to believe. The Cowboys' defense was all over the place, holding the Redskins' offense to 93 yards rushing and 197 yards passing - many of which were gained after the game had long been decided.

In fact, there was only one moment when it looked like the Cowboys were in serious jeopardy. With Dallas leading 17-10 in the third quarter, Redskins linebacker Marcus Washington recovered a Julius Jones fumble in Cowboys territory. After Ladell Betts gained 18 yards on three carries, the ball rested on the Dallas 23-yard line; but Roy Williams showed why he's worth every penny that Jerry Jones is paying him by intercepting Mark Brunell on the Cowboys' one-yard line.

Then two minutes, 12 seconds and 99 yards later, Drew Bledsoe connected with the ever-reliable Terry Glenn for a 40-yard touchdown pass and it was game, set, match.

But it wasn't only Williams who excelled on the defensive side of the ball. Six different players sacked Brunell as many times. Jason Ferguson stuffed the run. DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James and Marcus Spears had their way with the Redskins' offensive line. Cornerback Terence Newman excelled not only in the defensive backfield but as a punt returner, averaging 13.3 yards.

The Dallas Cowboys also settled two brewing controversies at the quarterback and kicker positions.

Drew Bledsoe was outstanding, completing 19 throws for 237 yards, including two touchdown passes and no interceptions. Though he only completed half of his passes, that doesn't do Bledsoe justice because his receivers dropped a bevy of very catchable balls - including a dropped touchdown pass by Terrell Owens, which we now know may be due to the fact that T.O. broke his right ring finger in the first quarter but didn't tell anyone until the final period (more on that later). Nevertheless, the panicky calls for Tony Romo should quiet down for a while.

Mike Vanderjagt demonstrated why Bill Parcells put too much empahsis on his performance in practice. He connected on 26- and 50-yard field goals; the latter of which put the Cowboys ahead by three scores and iced the game. The only issue now is whether Tuna will dress two kickers on a week-to-week basis since Shaun Suisham is clearly the better kickoff specialist.

Overall, the offensive line did a good job and kept Bledsoe upright, allowing only one sack. The running game was efficient as Julius Jones averaged 4.7 yards a carry for 97 yards. Marion Barber added 39 yards on eight carries, with a one-yard TD plunge included.

On the negative side, the Cowboys were incredibly sloppy, committing nine penalties for 90 yards. The kickoff unit inexplicably allowed a 100-yard TD return by Rock Cartwright which gave the dying Redskins new life. They let Washington hang around way too long and you can be sure that the players will hear about it from the head coach during the next two weeks.

As for Owens, he's supposed to miss two to four weeks. However, keep in mind the Cowboys have a bye next week. In two weeks, they travel to Nashville and take on the pathetic Tennesse Titans - a team that the Cowboys can surely beat without Owens. But the week after that -- three weeks from now -- they play in Philadelphia. In all honesty, it would be shocking if Owens isn't ready to play against his former team.

The bottom line: Owens will probably miss only one game.

So, even with T.O. hurt, things are looking up in Dallas. What a difference a victory can make.

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CommentsComments: 13  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Norm		07:52 AM
09/18/2006
How could anyone say that Owens will "probably miss only one game?" No doctor has yet seen his broken bone, much less X-rayed...
No.2
Norm		07:56 AM
09/18/2006
How could anyone say that Owens will "probably miss only one game?" No doctor has yet seen his broken bone, much less X-rayed...
No.3
martyogelvie		12:03 PM
09/18/2006
Uh. yes his finger was X-Ray'ed. He stated so in the post game press conference. Hence that is how they discovered the break....
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