Windy Meadowlands will be tough test for Romo, Gramatica

By Andy Targovnik  |   Wednesday, November 29, 2006  |  Comments( 5 )

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The newest Dallas Cowboy, kicker Martin Gramatica, will likely be nervous when he takes the field at the Meadowlands against the New York Giants this Sunday.

In addition to the burden of replacing the most accurate kicker in NFL history, the recently released Mike Vanderjagt, Gramatica will want to prove that Bill Parcells made the right decision when he placed his faith in a player who hasn't kicked regularly in the NFL for two years.

And as if there wasn't enough pressure already, the victor of this contest will probably win the NFC East. So the stakes couldn't be higher.

The Meadowlands can be a really difficult place to kick - especially in December, when the swirling winds can wreak havoc with flying footballs.

While it's true that Gramatica kicked his last NFL field goal at these same Meadowlands for the Indianapolis Colts against the New York Jets, it was a 20-yard boot in early October. What if Gramatica, who has done the majority of his kicking in warm weather, is called on to make a 45-yard, game-winning kick on a blustery, chilly evening?

How tough can the Meadowlands be to kick in? Ask John Hall, who played for the Jets for six seasons.

"It could be a gorgeous day with no wind and you can show up there and it'll just be a nightmare," said Hall. "You just don't know what you're going to get. It changes so quickly; it never stays the same."

If that isn't discouraging enough, Ethan Albright, the veteran Washington Redskins' long snapper, who has played many games in Giants Stadium, said that the Giants have a true "homefield advantage."

"The bleachers there go over a big tunnel and if you're kicking into it with the visiting team, they open the big doors and tell you its fire code or something," Albright said. "But those doors are closed when the Giants kick at that end...You ask them about it and there's always something different they tell you."

Throwing passes in the Meadowlands isn't much easier.

While Tony Romo has been playing great and Eli Manning has been playing poorly, the latter has one advantage over his more inexperienced counterpart.

He has learned how to handle what Phil Simms calls, "Dead Man's Corner."

The embattled third-year quarterback became educated about this phenomenon the hard way: He threw balls in the east end zone that he thought were touchdown passes - but like a Tim Wakefield knuckleball, just dropped out of the air into an opposing defensive back's arms.

Manning says he had to learn to "drive the ball through the wind." And while Romo has the arm to compensate for that phantom air current, the Cowboys are hoping he won't learn the same way Manning did - by throwing a pick.

Therefore, this Sunday will be an interesting test for a rookie who has played like a veteran - and a veteran who will probably feel like a rookie.

Get insightful Dallas Cowboys analysis at RealFootball365.com.
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CommentsComments: 5  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
fr8ttrain		06:49 AM
11/30/2006
Who's the Rookie? Manning has been in the league 3 yrs and Romo 4. Cowboys need to get a tough road win here and put the ...
No.2
T		11:58 AM
11/30/2006
Giants fans #1 are very upset right now, because of all the trouble going on with the media and the 3 game losing streak and so ...
No.3
Maxflimike		10:20 PM
11/30/2006
If memory serves me correctly, the last time that the Cowboys & Giants got together, it was a less than stellar performance by ...
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