For the Cowboys, the turkey was tasty after all

By Andy Targovnik  |   Friday, November 24, 2006  |  Comments( 7 )

Dallas Cowboys
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Who would have thunk it? After a devastating loss to the Washington Redskins just two and a half weeks ago, Dallas Cowboys fans were so beside themselves, they were getting volume discount rates for group therapy.

But after dismantling the Tampa Buccaneers, 38-10, yesterday afternoon, the Cowboys now own sole possession of first place in the NFC East; and have 11 days to prepare for the beat-up, squabbling New York Giants.

Yesterday, I posed the following questions before the annual Thanksgiving game in Dallas. Luckily for Cowboys fans, most of the answers are good ones.

Will the Cowboys come out like they mean business?

Well, they sort of did. After the opening kickoff, the Bucs went 80 yards against the Cowboys' defense like it wasn't even there, including a 53-yard completion to Joey Galloway. But that apparently woke the Cowboys up. Slowly but surely, Dallas broke the game open; by the third quarter, the contest was essentially over.

How will Mike Vanderjagt kick?

Vanderjagt didn't attempt a field goal until the score was 35-10, so one could say there was no pressure on him. But he almost blew the 22-yarder when the kick barely eked though the right upright. We'll be able to tell a lot more about Vanderjagt in the Meadowlands next week.

The Cowboy 'D' should dominate the Tampa 'O'. Will that happen?

Yes. After that opening drive, Dallas only gave up 111 additional yards in the entire game and yielded just one play over 10 yards.

The offense should be able to move the ball on Tampa's defense. Will that happen?

I think so - yeah. Tony Romo was unconscious with 306 yards in the air and five touchdowns, but more on him later. Marion Barber ran for 83 yards and caught two touchdown passes. If there was a dark cloud, it was Julius Jones, who has been struggling for the last month; he only ran for 40 yards on 11 carries.

What will Terrell Owens pull out of his bag of tricks?

OK, so Owens didn't pull a turkey leg out of his pocket after he caught a touchdown but he did drop the football in the Salvation Army bucket. The question I have was, Why didn't he autograph it first?

And, finally, what can you say about Tony Romo? A few weeks ago, if you had told those in Dallas he would perform this good, they would have said you were nuts. Did Bill Parcells wait too long to get Romo in there? Tuna claims that he wasn't ready to start yet. Others may disagree. But it really doesn't matter anymore.

The point is that he's playing now - and at a ridiculously high level as the Cowboys hit the home stretch and try to accomplish something special.

Get incisive Dallas Cowboys analysis at realfootball365.com
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CommentsComments: 7  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Norm		05:27 AM
11/24/2006
No turnovers, one sack. The real story of this slaughter lies in this: The Dallas offensive line has become well-enough...
No.2
T		05:26 PM
11/24/2006
What an awesome football game..Dallas finally went out on Thanksgving day and played like a football team making the Dallas...
No.3
bruce		05:44 PM
11/24/2006
before the season started i predicted romo would be the next great QB in the nfl and if you didnt already have a romo jersey to...
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