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The Cowboys have come a long way from the near debacle in Buffalo, and the drubbing at home by the Patriots; but, on the positive side the Cowboys have gained mounts of experience in the Phillips 34 and Garrett’s attacking offense. Each game in the bag means bad news for opposing teams.

All the offseason hardwork is culminating towards one goal, the Super Bowl and Romo is leading the way. Romo has bounced back from the Seattle game back in January and has be steadfast in his game management. The defense is beginning to click and looks to be swarming now, something this defense did not have last year, and most definitely did not have in December.

This game against the Lions is a bigger game than it appears. The defense knows what December did to the Cowboys, and there’s an arguement that could be made that our season slipped away because the defense crumbled. This year the defense wants to keep it going, and Bradie James is leading the way. Not only does James want to get after the Lions, he wants to lead the defense to a dominating December. It all starts against the Lions.

I need time to enjoy this unbelievable win, so I will keep this short!! Tony Romo had his worst STATISTICAL game ever, BUT, his determination and focus is unmatched. As Romo piled on the INTs, he looked deflated to me, but no one really knows what goes on inside Romo’s head. I think its something special, something at another level. To gather yourself, and take the team down the field in the do-or-die drive and pull out the TD, and the game winning drive to setup the field goal is what champions are made of!

Aikman had a record 5 INT game in his Hall of Fame career, and Romo tied Aikman with his horrific 5 INTS.

Take your hat off to this whole team. The defense could have crumbled, but they did not, they wanted to give Romo more chances on the field, and they held up their side of the ball. Most impressive.

With all the pregame hype, looking ahead to the Patriots, all the pressure, and all this in-game adversity, this team as a whole came together collectively and did not die, they literally kicked the nails off the coffin, crawled out, and won the game.

Heart and Soul, this team is just amazing. I know I’m ranting now, but you will not see many games like this in your lifetime.

Drafting Nick Folk was genius. Period. Dick Jauron tried the whole last second time out BS, but Folk stepped up and nailed the 53yrd field goal twice. Eat that Jauron!

What does this win mean? It means alot, the Cowboys have alot to work on, but these guys have heart, something the Cowboys have not had in years. The experts ask whether or not the Cowboys are in the same league as the Pats and Colts..I emphatically say hell yes. Never say die baby, we fight until the last second. This team will never give up. That’s what we know about this team. Go back a season or two ago, and this team would have crumbled.

Bring on the Patriots! Get Ready, its on!
BOX SCORE

The Cowboys have placed themselves atop the NFC, and are a step or two above the rest of the NFC this year. The Cowboys put on another offensive assault at the Rams expense. Romo Mania is on fire again! Can anyone stop this offensive juggernaut? Right now the Cowboys are on a collision course with NFL Supremacy at stake when they play the Patriots in week 6.

The usual suspects looked solid against the lowly Rams. A couple of Gameballs probabaly get handed out to Tony Romo and the Offensive Line.

Greg Ellis came back and played, and made his presence known. This defense is really coming along each and every week. For the most part, everyone looked good on defense. Hamlin is looking more comfortable roaming around in the secondary, and looks to be the part now.

Anthony Henry suffered some sort of ankle injury, preliminary x-rays came back negative, so Henry’s status for the next game are questionable at this point. We’ll see how the ankle looks this week. We could see Newman back in along with Reeves.

BOX SCORE 

Cowboys Nation is on fire, after a dominating showing by the offense against one of the elite defenses of the league. The Cowboys may not have a dominating defense, but we do have Championship conditioning. Our huge offensive line tired out and out hustled one of the best defensive units in the league, take notice. The Cowboys can play anyone in this league and go toe-to-toe and put on a show on offense. Our offense is just bad to the bone right now.

Slow Starts, Strong Finishes

That’s our M.O. on offense, I’m convinced that Garrett’s gameplans for each game is designed for proding and poking. Once Garrett finds the weakness, its on; and, its attack mode at full speed. Terrell Owens has been virtually unstoppable in this rejuvated offensive scheme, and Tony Romo is leading the way with solid numbers. I said it last week, but I’ll say it again: Jerry, give Romo the combination to the safe and pay him like the bigtime QB that he is!

Special Teams

I’ve been dogging the special teams play all preseason and all throughout the regular season; however, I have to give some props now. Special teams gets a gameball, their coverage was spot on, and Keith Davis had another good showing on special teams. Sam Hurd was also exceptional tonight, he had a complete game in every aspect too.

Love me some #6

That’s right, its official now, Nick Folk is a boss at the kicker position. After years of having instability and inconsistency, we now have a solid place kicker in Folk.

The Defense

The Cowboys defense is starting to mirror the offense as far as how long it takes for them to get on track. The defense has been pretty good in the 2nd half as well. Against the Bears, the defense had good coverage and had Grossman rattled. Rattle Gator Arms, Win the game, I said it all week, and that’s what happened. Stephen Bowen looked good in the lineup tonight, along with the rest of the unit. I like what I saw from everyone on the line tonight.

Here’s the Beef

Our Offensive Line means business, and we’re imposing our will upon the best defensive lines in the league. We are out playing, and out hustling some of the best in the NFL, very impressive. The critics of Bigg Davis can take a back seat and come along for the ride to the Pro Bowl. Bigg Davis was a great free agent addition, and we’re reaping the rewards. Can you imagine if Rivera was still at RG? Davis is just mauling people on a regular basis.

The running game

Julius Jones had a good game, and helped moved the chains. Marion Barber continues to run like a man possessed. With Barber in the backfield you always get the filling he will break a tackle and take it to the house. Barber is a bad dude! The running attack had a slow first half, but Garrett’s second half adjustments had them running through and over the Bears defense.

We have the lowly Rams next, and need to be focused and not fall in this potential trap game.

BOX SCORE

Rest of the NFC Updates

Giants defeated the Redskins. The Giants are 1-2, Redskins are 2-1

The Eagles crushed the Lions. The Eagles are 1-2

Brown Watch

The Browns lost at Oakland. The Browns are 1-2

Well, the day of reckoning is here, its our first big game on the road. This game against the Bears will assess how good this new Garrett offense stacks up against one of the better defenses in the NFL. Questions remain for both teams: Do the Bears have a good defense or have they simply not played anyone yet? Is the Cowboys offense the real deal
or have we not played anyone? Two teams are on a collision course and after tonight, most questions should be answered.

Keys to Victory

Turnovers above anything needs to be zero against this solid Bears defense. Romo has been wise in his game management and game decisions, so I expect more of the same. Every inch of territory is premium in this game, so that means limit the dumb penalties. Sustain drives and control the clock.

The fast start has yet to materialize, and I don’t know if it ever will. Garrett is very analytical, and from what I’ve seen, Garrett will run some plays to test out what the Bears will do, and the 2nd half is where its at. We’ll probably see more of the same. Fast start would be nice, but don’t be surprised if the first half is low scoring and close.

Rattle Gator Arms

I’ve been saying this all week; If you rattle Grossman, you increase your chances of victory over the Bears exponentially. Let’s throw more Bradie James up the middle again, and rush him all night. He will throw a few INTS.

Kick Away

This could be a game of kickers, and Nick Folk could be the man at the end of the game. Let’s see how Folk does on the road under the big lights, in the swirling fields in Chicago. We could see alot of field goals being exchanged in this game.

In addition, Mat McBriar will have a busy day as well. The gameplan will be simple on punts…kick out of bounds. I don’t want any of Hester. Call it what you want, whatever
it takes to win, its called strategy. It would be dumb to even try it and see what happens. If we had a decent coverage team, maybe, just maybe I would reconsider; unfortunately, our coverage team is not good.

In Garrett We Trust

You have to know that when Garrett saw the schedules come out, he already had some ideas swirling in his mind. I’m confident Garrett will throw the kitchen at this Bears defense. He’ll prod and poke that defense until he finds the weakness, and he will go after it. Let’s see what he has in store.

Running Attack

Julius Jones needs a solid outing tonight. Too bad his brother is gone, because last time we played the Bears, Julius had a solid day and outshined Thomas Jones. Can Jones repeat his solid performance. I think this is a game where Jones will turn on the burners and showcase what he can do against an elite defense.

MB3, Marion the Barbarian, The Closer, or whatever you want to call him will continue to energize the offense. If Julius Jones struggles early on and the offense stagnates, the
bring in the boss. Barber is just fun to watch, but he can deliver the goods. I’d rather have Jones start this one, and utilize his speed, and have Barber deliver the KO in the second half. If you also notice, the 2nd half has been where the offense has really turned on the afterburners, and who else better to serve up another ass whippin on the ground than MB3? He’ll have another solid game.

Special Teams

The Bears are always looking for the easy takeaway, and with Crayton being a little banged up with his hand, you can expect them to take some swings at the ball once he has it. So again, Crayton, please tuck that ball in after the catch. Thank you sir!

Cowboys @ Bears
Soldier Field - Grass
NBC 7:15 PM CST
Analysts: Al Michaels and John Madden
NFL.com Gamecenter

The Rest of the NFC East:
Giants @ Redskins 3:15PM CST FOX
Lions @ Eagles 12:00PM CST FOX

Browns Watch:
Browns @ Raiders 3:05PM CST CBS

Join us for LIVE GAMEDAY discussion on the message boards!
Madden Simulation: Cowboys 27 Bears 34
My Prediction: Cowboys 27 Bears 17

Wade Phillips just let everyone know that Ellis has been ruled out for this Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. He had been practicing a little, but still has some ways to go. Newman has been practicing too, but his status for the game has not been determined yet.

From DMN:

Terence Newman would be a gametime decision.

Ellis has not had a setback since returning to practice this week. He’s just not far enough along in his rehab from a ruptured Achilles tendon to play yet. He went through individual drills for the first time yesterday. Maybe next week for him.

The other highlight of Phillips’ press conference this morning was him getting out of his chair to demonstrate how quickly the Dolphins’ defense morphs from a 3-4 to 4-3. Pretending to be Jason Taylor, Phillips got in a linebacker’s stance before putting his hand on the ground. His technique looked pretty sloppy, so he did it again, cranking his right foot in the air for emphasis.

Looks like it’ll be the Spencer show again, as Ellis will be out. Spencer is really coming on, and I expect another solid performance from the rookie.

When the schedule came out, I knew week two would be an interesting game. Its not just the Dolphins we’re playing on Sunday; but, in essence it’ll be ourselves we’ll be playing against . Basically, we’re playing against an offensive system the we employ in Dallas as well - Norv Turner offense. Cam Cameron ran it quite effectively in San Diego; however, he now inherits a very average group of guys on offense, and a virtual bust at RB, his bread and butter in San Diego. The Phillips 34 should not be a major surprise to Cameron; moreover, he should know it quite well as he practiced against the best defense in the league while Phillips was the Chargers Defensive Coordinator. This game is going to be a chess match, and every penalty and turnover will ultimately be the deciding factor.

Play calling wise, the teams that will take the field are virtual clones; but, the main difference is the pedigree of  players on the field. The Cowboys clearly have the better offensive unit, the defensive units of the Cowboys and Dolphins are very suspect going into week 2. The Dolphins could not stop the running combo of Portis and Betts; conversely, the Cowboys could not stop the passing attack of Burress and Toomer.

As it was last week, the offensive coordinator that can get past the opposing defense will win this game, so it’ll be on baby. Cam Cameron vs. Jason Garrett

Garrett comes into this matchup as the new young gun on the street, and Cameron has been running the Turner schemes for awhile now, and has had proven success. For this reason, I give the slight edge to Cameron, but I like Garrett’s chances. I kinda see this as the game where Garrett (the student) has the chance to show up Cameron (the master), (not that Garrett coached under Cameron, I’m just giving an example, since they come from the same offensive school of thought)

Or, if you want to look at it another way; defensively, which ever team can stop the opposing offense will win this game, so It’ll be on. Dom Capers vs. Wade Phillips

Looks like a dead heat, its amazing how close these two teams are. Capers is a defensive guru, and so is Phillips; however, at this point, the edge goes to Phillips. His style is more aggressive and has had solid proven success. Ellis and Newman are practicing more, and could bolster up the D for the game, so watch out. Jay Ratliff is very underrated at NT, and will be a menace up the middle, and what’s this?…do the Dolphins have a rookie starting at center? Samson Satele. Our boy Ratliff is gonna tear that up. Ah shhh…

Point is, the Cowboys will be quite prepared against a mirror image of a lesser self. Go Cowboys, Get Pumped!

Parcells still has his eye on the Cowboys and offers this bit of analysis on the Cowboys:

The Dallas Cowboys got off to a good start with their 45-35 victory over the New York Giants. The 45 speaks for itself, but the 35 will need to be addressed quickly.

Based on what I saw and who was playing, the Cowboys need to get CB Terence Newman back on the field as soon as possible. They also need one of their backup cornerbacks to emerge as a quality No. 3 option. The sooner players such as CBs Jacques Reeves and Nate Jones are able to function effectively behind the starters, the better the Cowboys’ defense will be.

Also, the season-ending injury to DT Jason Ferguson is going to be an issue. He is the most experienced inside defensive lineman on the team. His absence will definitely hurt Dallas. (ESPN)

I would say this is about what all of Cowboys Nation is aware of too, its just interesting to here it from the Parcells as well. I couldn’t agree more with the Tuna.

I’m confident Phillips will make some adjustments for the Dolphins, and we’ll see what happens. One thing is for sure, we have the better offense, and the Dolphins secondary is very suspect, as is their run defense; Portis and Betts had their way with them. Can you imagine the devastation Barber and Jones will inflict?

In an effort to add depth to the nose tackle position, the Cowboys claimed Remi Ayodele from waivers.

From DMN: The Cowboys have signed nose tackle Remi Ayodele to their 53-man roster Tuesday and placed Jason Ferguson on injured reserve.

Ferguson suffered a torn right biceps in Sunday’s season opener vs. the New York Giants and will have surgery on Friday. Ayodele, the younger brother of linebacker Akin, was among the Cowboys’ final cuts coming out of training camp.

The Cowboys hoped to put him on the practice squad, but he was claimed by Atlanta. The Falcons released Ayodele over the weekend, giving the Cowboys a chance to re-sign Ayodele.

Ayodele, 6-2, 300, spent the spring playing in NFL Europa. He spent part of last year on the Cowboys’ practice squad before he was released.

If the Cowboys wanted to add another veteran presence at WR with Reche Caldwell its too late, the loser Redskins snatched him up and will now Redskinize (destroy his career) him.

I’m going to break down who has the stronger starting rosters in this upcoming game. The player in bold is the better player, and bold italics means even, at their respective positions.

OFFENSE 

QB: Romo vs. Manning

RB: Jones & Barber vs. Jacobs & Droughns

WR: Owens vs. Burress

WR(2): Glenn vs. Toomer

WR(3): Crayton vs. Smith

TE: Witten vs. Shockey

FB: Hoyte vs. Douglas

LT: Adams vs. Diehl

LG: Kosier vs. Seubert

C: Gurode vs. O’Hara

RG: Davis vs. Snee

RT: Colombo vs. McKenzie

DEFENSE

DE: Spears vs. Strahan

DE: Canty vs. Umenyiora

NT: Ferguson vs. Cofield/Robbins/Joseph

LB: Ware vs. Kiwanuka

LB: James vs. Pierce

LB: Ayodele vs. Blackburn

LB: Spencer vs. Mitchell

CB: Newman vs. McQuarters

CB: Henry vs. Madison

FS: Hamlin vs. Wilson

SS: Williams vs. Butler

K: Folk vs. Tynes

P: McBriar vs. Feagles

KR: Thompson & Austin vs. Moss & McQuarters

PR: Crayton vs. McQuarters

On offense, we clearly have the better offensive line, and our WR/TEs are superior to the Giants as well

On defense, the Giants clearly have the better DEs, Ferguson is the better player at the NT/DT spot, After DeMarcus Ware, the LBs corps of the Cowboys and Giants are close, I think we split at CB; however, we clearly have the better safties. I think our kick returners are better, but we’re even at punt return.

Field position is key in this game, and actually an area of concern for me. Our special teams coverage has looked worse this preseason than in previous seasons. I’m not sold on Bruce Read as our ST coach. He put together some solid units at the collegiate level, so hopefully this will get fixed for us. Game 1 will reveal alot.