SB Nation - Jay Ratliff

The VRR: Cowboys Hope to Tell the Saints it Ain't Happening

Aaron Novinger — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:21:53 -0000

More photos » by Sean Gardner - AP

Could it be a scary night for the Cowboys in the Louisiana Superdome? Not if they play like a playoff team.

Dome, dome, dome, dome...

When the Cowboys travel to the Superdome to face those undefeated Saints, who have the number one offense in the league with the number one QB in the conference, they must go in thinking two words: "UP" and "SET".

The home loss against San Diego last week was a heartbreaker, but Dallas now has this one last chance to play up to the level of one of the league's top teams - the elite team in the NFC, in fact. A win can do wonders, but it won't be easy. The dome teams are doing quite well this season.

This year, three indoor teams have either secured homefield advantage for at least one game or are on the verge of doing so. The Colts, Saints and Vikings should soon consume both two No. 1 seeds and the NFC's No. 2, respectively.

Times may have changed but it remains to be seen if these teams aren't haunted by their indoors postseason history. The Colts are 4-3 in home playoff games, the Saints are 2-3 in the Superdome in the postseason, and the Vikings are just over .500 (5-4) in the Metrodome come playoff time.

This season, the three teams are a combined 37-2 overall and own a perfect 20-0 inside their domes.

More VRR after the jump.

Sure, they face an undeated team. But the Cowboys are also trying to prevent a three-game losing streak. Just win, baby!

Snapping out of this skid will be tough. Dallas is headed to New Orleans for a Saturday night game against the undefeated Saints and a Superdome crowd that's sure to be, uh, boisterous. The Cowboys could lose that game and still get in the playoffs. But a third straight defeat would clinch a 13th straight December without a winning record and would leave them ripe for a knockout.

"We're not down, we're not out,'' receiver Roy Williams said Tuesday. "We're still going to play. Got a tough week this week and a bunch of naysayers around the country, but in this room, we know what we can do.''

A victory could be the springboard they need. A 3-0 finish is the only way the Cowboys are guaranteed to salvage the division title.

Like the great competitor he is, DeMarcus Ware wants to play despite soreness in his neck.

"Just taking it day-by-day and go from there," Ware said before practice on Tuesday morning. "Neck is a little sore right now so you have to be cautious with that. But at the end of the day, treating it and trying to get ready for this week."

[snip]

Ware said the injury scared him, but will do whatever the doctors say before getting back on the field. "It's really important," he said about listening to the doctors.

"Since not only are you talking about the team standpoint of being able to go out there and make plays and try to win a game this week. But also you got to think about the player's health. He can go out there and he might get paralyzed, hurt himself even more. Which one is more important: longevity or right now."

If DWare can't go, it will be interesting to see how well rookie Victor Butler handles his first starting gig in the pros.

"With D-Ware, you lose a leader," said the 22-year-old linebacker. "Not only a verbal leader, but he leads by example. With a guy like that out, you just have to step up everywhere. Special teams have to step up, individual guys have to step up to make the team better — myself, Steve Octavien. Guys have to step up and elevate your level of play."

While Martellus Bennett (concussion) will miss another game, Ken Hamlin has returned to practice and should get the start in New Orlearns.

Phillips said he believes Hamlin, who calls the defensive signals, will help the Cowboys make adjustments against the Saints' complicated offense. However, Phillips acknowledged that it could be difficult for a safety missing a month to return against the NFL's top-ranked offense.

"I don't think he'll make any mental mistakes back there," Phillips said. "Physically, how quickly he'll react to things and get back in the swing of it, I don't know for sure. I think he will, but he may be a little rusty."

The Saints' RB/PR/WR, Reggie Bush, could give the Cowboys headaches if they're not ready for his unique skill set.

The Saints may be targeting the nickel linebacker or the nickel cornerback. So Bobby Carpenter and Orlando Scandrick must be ready to chase the former Heisman Trophy winner in pass coverage. On first downs, when the Cowboys are in their conventional 3-4 defense, the Saints may decide it's a safety's turn to cover Bush. So Ken Hamlin or Alan Ball may wear the bull's-eye.

If the Cowboys go light Saturday night and lean on their nickel and dime packages out of respect for the NFL's third-ranked passing attack, the Saints may opt to hand the ball to Bush. Few are better in the open spaces a spread formation creates. Bush rushed for 83 yards on six carries against the Rams.

Against the high-scoring Saints, the Dallas offense needs to make plays to stay competitive. Other than Miles Austin, Felix Jones is a player who can score from any point on the field. But that doesn't mean the Cowboys will use him more than Marion Barber.

The Barber of September is better than the others but not the Barber who is in the midst of another three-month slide. A year ago, Barber ran for 311 yards with 4.4 yards per carry in the first four games and 574 yards with 3.4 yards per carry for the remainder of the season.

He is on the same path this season and has been at the center of costly plays in each of the last two games: a lost fumble late in the first half of the loss at the Giants and failing to score on three tries from the 1-yard line in Sunday's loss to San Diego.

Jones is going in the other direction, averaging five yards over his last 36 carries. He has the big-play capability that the pedestrian Barber lacks. The Cowboys have been reluctant to use Jones for more than about 10 carries per game out of concern he will break down.

Nah, there won't be much difference in the backfield. Look for the Cowboys to try to control the ball some with Barber. Yes, they need points, but they also need to keep Brees and the offense off the field.

Phillips was asked if he's considered reshuffling his running back rotation in an attempt to spark the team. Starter Marion Barber failed to get in the end zone against the Chargers despite three carries from the 1-yard line in the second quarter.

"Marion ran the ball really hard and really well except we didn't get him in on the goal line," said Phillips, who essentially blamed that failure on the offensive line. "Those plays down there dropped his average (to 3.4 yards per carry) or he would've had a big average... I don't know that that's really the answer."

Nick Folk's recent failures have David Buehler thinking about his long-term career goals.

"Eventually, to have longevity in this league, I need to be able to kick field goals," Buehler said. "I'm not going to be a kickoff specialist my whole career. So I need to fine-tune that and be able to be a reliable field-goal kicker."

Buehler said he's been kicking a few field goals in practice, but not many and not as seriously as he needs to now.

"Most of all, it's mental," he said. "I mean, going out there and getting back into that rhythm and doing the consistent motion every single time. ... I'm going to be there if need be. Who knows when they'll need me, if they'll need me at all."

DC.com posted an interview with K David Buehler here.

The Tony Romo of old VS the Tony Romo of today.

In four December contests last season, Romo threw five touchdowns and was intercepted six times. Through two games this month, he's thrown five touchdowns without a single interception.

Since his poor outing in Week 2 against the Giants, Romo has thrown 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions while averaging close to 280 passing yards per contest. Friends, that is flat-out elite quarterbacking.

Alex Marvez lists Miles Austin as his third biggest bargain player in the NFL.

Miami and the New York Jets should be kicking themselves. Neither franchise signed Austin to a tender offer as a restricted free agent when he could have potentially been lured away from a Cowboys team with cap challenges. He drew interest from the Jets before they backed off, while a Dolphins front office that comes largely from Dallas should have known Austin was set to blossom in his fourth NFL season. He has already posted career-highs in catches (52), receiving yardage (928) and touchdowns (9) while becoming QB Tony Romo's favorite wide receiver.

Austin is playing under a one-year, $1.545 million contract that would have required any suitor to surrender a second-round draft pick if the Cowboys didn't match a tender offer signed elsewhere. Austin will never come as cheaply again to other NFL teams or, for that matter, the Cowboys.

This is the last week to vote for the Pro Bowl. While DeMarcus Ware looks like a shoe-in, these other Cowboys could use a few more votes.

Sam Hurd is second among special teamers, while Miles Austin and Deon Anderson are third at wide receiver and fullback. Tight end Jason Witten, tackle Flozell Adams, center Andre Gurode, inside linebacker Keith Brooking, kicker Nick Folk and punter Mat McBriar are fourth at their positions. Safeties Ken Hamlin (free) and Gerald Sensabaugh (strong) are fifth.

No sign of nose tackle Jay Ratliff in the defensive tackle race, which is somewhat surprising.

Here's the link to the official Pro Bowl Ballot.

Updating the Pacquiao/Mayweather venue fight.

No definite venue has been agreed upon although reports are that, among those bidding, the MGM Grand in Las Vegas is the frontrunner. Texas' Dallas Cowboys has made a strong $25 million dollar bid to steal it away, but MGM is said to be putting together a deal that will reach over $30 million.

The VRR: DeMarcus Ware is the Dallas Pass Rush

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:03:56 -0000

More photos » by Michael Thomas - AP

To win the third-down battles on defense, the Cowboys could use more pass rushers to help out the secondary.

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DeMarcus Ware's injury in yesterday's game scared many of us, but it's now not seen as something too serious. In fact, Coach Phillips said in his press conference today that Ware is considered day-to-day. That's great news!

Having been released from the hospital with what is considered a sprain at the base of the neck, Ware is feeling much better and could be back soon.

"There is a possibility - again he came back a lot better today," Phillips said. "He was let out of the hospital early last night. He came back a lot better today so we will just have to see."

Though it is a shortened week because Dallas travels to New Orleans for a Saturday night game, Ware has yet to be ruled out. That's even better news for the Cowboys. Going up against the number one rated passer in the league in Drew Brees, they will need all the pass rushing help they can get.

Hat tip to OCC for the FanShot.

So what happens if Ware is not able to go on Saturday? The team could very well look to rookie Victor Butler to start.

The 6-2, 246-pound Butler has three sacks in limited playing time, all of which have come late in games. Phillips said the rookie, who played defensive end at Oregon State, is still learning the Cowboys' scheme and adjusting to playing outside linebacker.

"He's not a real big guy," Phillips said, "so that's part of it, too."

With or without Ware, I think we can all agree that the Dallas pass rush is rather inconsistent. Until recently, Jay Ratliff and Keith Brooking had been getting a rush up the middle. Perhaps Stephen Bowen can play a more prominent role against the pass-happy Saints.

If Ware is out, who is going to demand double teams? It's time for Anthony Spencer to step his game up one more level. DWare may make the game, but he'll be banged up. I saw Spencer maul the Chargers' tackles at times, yesterday. Although both the Saints' tackles are listed at 6-5, 315 lbs., Spencer brings a strong power rush.

Like Coach Phillips said, Butler is not too big a guy; and neither is the other option: Steve Octavien. He's more of a LB in the mold of Al Singleton instead of a DE/LB tweener like Ware and Spencer.

Whoever it is must be able to cover, too. Both RBs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas each have caught more than 30 receptions.

Speaking of covering - what's up with the third-and-longs? The secondary could definitely use some help on passing downs. Can't blame it all on the lack of a pass rush, but something's got to not give.

For the season, Cowboys' opponents have converted four times in seven chances on third-and-12, an abnormally high rate. In the last five games, Cowboys' opponents are 11-for-34 on third-and-eight or longer, also higher than the league average.

In other injury news, SS Pat Watkins sprained a PCL in yesterday's game. He is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. That's a big blow to the special teams coverage units.

TE Martellus Bennett will return to practice, but is not expected to play until the Redskins game.

FS Ken Hamlin will also return to practice this week. His status will probably depend on whether he participates fully or on a limited basis.

Phillips put the blame on the offensive line, not Marion Barber, for coming up short on the goalline.

"He hit it up in there good, but there was somebody there that we felt we could have come off and blocked. They played it a little bit different from what we had seen, but it wasn't that much different. We felt like we should have scored.''

Here's what Jason Garrett had to say about the series.

"Those were three different plays,'' Garrett said. "We had knocked them off the ball fairly consistently on that drive. Logic tells you we should be able to do it again."

"They did a good job making the stand.''

Week 16's Cowboys @ Redskins matchup will remain on Sunday Night Football.

The NFL and NBC have decided that Week 16 game between the Cowboys and the Redskins will remain in prime time.

Broncos Thoughts and Musings - Indy Week

Emmett Smith — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:38:06 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

15 days ago: Denver Broncos tight end Daniel Graham catches a short pass before running for a touchdown during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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There's nothing quite like back-to-back wins to put a shine into the work in the film room. The glow of the past two wins hasn't faded at all, but the upcoming contest against the Indianapolis Colts is starting to loom large. Before we get into our matchups and needs against the next foe, let's take some time to look back over what we've accomplished. Special teams, the nose tackle position and even raiderology are on today's menu. Let the feasting begin!

The Film Room I - KC Autopsy

A moment of silence for a team that has passed away, out of contention for the season and fighting for respect. It's a tough time to be a Chiefs fans, and I want to thank them for a week of intelligent football talk and good-spirited fun. Nice guys, over at Arrowhead Pride. But the nice guy's team, in this case, is finishing near last (if they don't awaken right now. You couldn't miss that on the tape.

I had mentioned that the game this past weekend, like most games, would come down to how Denver played in the trenches. The Broncos responded with a solid performance by the O-Line, prying open gaping holes more than large enough to pass a running back through. When Ryan Harris stepped out in the early second quarter and Tyler Polumbus replaced him, I wondered for a brief moment if we were seeing a very bad thing but there was no dropoff that I saw. Polumbus seems to have stepped up his game, as has Russ Hochstein. Both improvements are timely - and much needed.

Mistakes - Orton had an uncharacteristically bad red-zone play on the first drive, but he moved them well on the next drive. He was blindsided twice and lost the ball, but let's be real - if the defensive player hits the arm right, every QB loses those. Over his career Orton hasn't tended to that issue, so I'm not worried. I want to see those blindside hits stop, though. Orton was 'burping the baby again, an old and bad habit, but the O-Line doesn't get off scot-free, either. They bear some responsibility for the sacks and the one fumble. They really stepped up when they had to though, and that was the name of the game. They let KC get to the one and held them to a FG. INTs, negative plays, pressure and domination go a long way. They took us to an eighth win.

I've wondered about the progress of Richard Quinn of late mostly because I hadn't had the time to break down the ST work as well as I should. That's being fixed, and the guys on Upon Further Review have been kind enough to help me out. As I result, I've been seeing a lot of good things with Quinn and I'm pleased that he singlehandedly made a huge play on the faked punt. KC must have assumed that since others have caught the Broncos with those kind of plays, it would work again. Here's what Josh McDaniels had to say,

They went to a gadget-type formation and I know that there was a guy leaking out the other way and they had an opportunity to get that ball out there but TE Richard (Quinn) made a heck of a play. I don't know what happens if the ball gets thrown but it probably wouldn't have been too good for us. Whenever you break the formation and have a gadget-type play, we were prepared and we split out with them but you are never sure who they are trying to pick for or who they are trying to spring free. That was a big play in the game because we obviously took possession of the football in their territory.

It wasn't the only big play, either. The Broncos were unstoppable in the running game and despite some errors, still used the pass to score 2 TDs, which would have been enough by itself. The game was over when Cassel's QB rating hit 3.1. There isn't a mercy rule. Perhaps there should be. This was a good reminder of that fact.

The Broncos won despite some sloppy play that won't work in the upcoming weeks. In the final analysis, the Broncos committed too many errors and they can't win against the best if they do. But still, you get a sense of how the team can play, and there is a heck of a team in here. You have to balance the bad with the fact that we're seeing a lot of things getting fixed in the new systems the team has learned. When I go back to what I wanted to see from the team this year, that was at the top of the list. Nice work, guys.

Film Room II - The Special Teams

The emphasis on this week's review was the play of the Broncos' special teams this season. Everyone is in agreement that the STs can play better than they did in the first 10-12 weeks of the season. While there are now some obvious bright spots (David Bruton, Spencer Larsen, Darrell Reid, Darcel McBath), I felt that a major review might be in order. It was a great week to feel that way - wow, what a performance on special teams the Broncos put in place. Huge kudos to MHR favorite Spencer Larsen, who notched a huge 4 special teams tackles and to Darrell Reid, who trailed him with 3. Great job on ST! Eddie Royal looked comfortable and Mitch Berger was a monster - again. I don't know how he avoided the block on that one punt, but I was impressed. Berger has no history of frequently blocked punts; so despite his slower motion, he hasn't let it hurt the team.

How was our kicking game against KC? Take a look:

Extra Points Made-Attempts 5-5
Field Goals Made-Attempts 3-3
Red Zone Efficiency 4-6-67%
Goal-to-go efficiency 2-2-100%

That's the kind of efficient red-zone and ST play that wins games.

Some things are obvious. Royal hasn't had enough room to run on punt returns, mostly due to our tendency to let the offenses get into the 40/40 yard-line range, which lets the teams either punt into the coffin corner or just create a touchback, nullifying Eddie's chances of getting in a good runback. They got over that pattern during the past two games and had two wins. Are they connected? You decide. I'm going to vote yes.

Two names that I wanted to look more closely at this week were Richard Quinn and Russ Hochstein. I recalled Hochstein making a couple of serious errors on ST while we were losing and while I'd heard good things about Quinn's ST work, I hadn't caught him on film enough to develop an opinion one way or the other. that obviously changed in KC - his play on the fake punt was perfect and his blocking on kick returns was excellent as well. Nice to see!

The balance of veterans like Mario Haggan, Champ Bailey, Darrell Reid and Andre' Goodman with younger players such as Bruton, Larsen and McBath seems to have found an area of comfort. Lanes are being filled, discipline has improved, tackling is much better and, just as importantly, we haven't been pinning Royal back in coffin country. This is the first time I've seen us playing the way we need to on special teams in a long time. I can only hope it continues.

Safety in Numbers: It's also obvious that David Bruton was a heck of a 4th-round pickup and that Darcel McBath was a great investment. Over the next 5 years, with those two and Josh Barrett, we're in good shape at safety. There was pre-draft talk of moving McBath to CB if certain teams drafted him - McBath can cover very well and can tackle, too. Denver will keep him at safety, though, and for good reason. He won't replace Renaldo Hill anytime soon, but I love that our chances are that good at when we're covering folks.

The response to the recent rise in short-passing offenses (much like our own) has been a switch to fast, coverage safeties. I believe that McBath can be smoothly moved into the slot currently well-occupied by Renaldo Hill when Hill finally slows. Keep in mind that Hill, too, was a CB/S tweener who played CB during his first 4 years in the NFL. McBath seems to be very much in the same mold - he's also bright, like Hill, and was a team leader in college.

We can also go with two smart, effective covering safeties, and although I will miss Dawk's aggression and leadership when the time comes, Hill is an excellent leader and as mentioned, McBath was also a captain in his own right. I believe that David Bruton has the power to later fill many of B-Dawk's roles, although few will ever do so as well. Bruton was also a defensive captain, a pattern in McDaniels' pickups. Finally, Barrett's ability to cover the best TEs one-on-one and to interchange with Wesley Woodyard when needed is a nickel option that few teams can match. Although everyone, myself included, would love to see an Eric Berry on our team, we can establish safety as a lower-cost, high-return group at any point. The fact that all three have done good things on ST makes me even happier - that's a seventh of the game that we need to win, week in and week out. We're finally starting to win at it with a good mix of veterans and younger players. No surprise, then, that we're back to winning.

By the way, we've scored exactly 70 points in the past two games. Things have changed, and for the better. We still need to improve on our mistakes, but I like the direction things are going in.

raiderology

If I'm Al Davis, which is unlikely in the extreme, I'm having a contract meeting with Bruce Gradkowski's agent tomorrow. Gradkowski is on a one-year (2009) contract for $535,000, and in 2010 becomes a restricted free agent. That is one tough, talented guy and the raiders should get a clue: He's a good option right now and a good backup in the future. When's the last time they had a guy come on and win them games? It's ironic that he's the polar opposite of JaMarcus Russell - smaller and lighter, only 6'1" and 220 lbs, but he's smart, tenacious and can play this game. You don't need to waste a pick in the 1st round - you've got your QB in-house for this year and even next year if you want to make the effort to rebuild the team. The young man earned it. Consider his game against PITT:

Att/Comp Yds YPA TD INT QB Rating
20/33 308 9.3 3 0 121.8

Those are numbers that work for me. He has accuracy issues, no question, and his arm strength isn't what the team would like. I don't think that he's a long-term answer - he's just a heck of a lot better answer than Russell and they can keep him on as a backup when they find someone better. The Raiders love the vertical game too much to have a starting QB that doesn't have the arm for the long ball, but they still need one that has some common sense and drive. Mark Twain mentioned that the problem with common sense is that it ain't. That's been Problem 1 in raiderville for a long time and Russell is a perfect example of why. Right now, Gradkowski is a step up.

The raiders have some good running backs in Justin Fargas and Michael Bush. Darren McFadden fumbles too much, has always had issues with his upright style and injuries; he may mature well, but hasn't shown that consistently yet - so I don't count him. They have a fine young TE in Zach Miller, too. Their receiving corp will be mediocre or worse until they catch onto the fact that running fast is of no use if you can't catch the danged ball. They need a couple of possession receivers badly, preferably veterans who don't need to be bottle-fed. They also need to patch a couple of holes in the O-Line, as in much of it. If they can put together a couple of drafts that actually match their team needs, fine, then they can drop big dollars on a QB. Until then? Gradkowski is fine.

This is one example of how a person's feelings on the theory of team building color their approach to decision-making. I personally believe that you need an offensive line more than any other single factor in football. To me, there's no point in arguing about how to win a Super Bowl until you at least have a team that can contend for their division and I think that you start that with the O-Line and move on from there. The raiders seem to do everything backwards, so this is no shock, but they can buy a few wins for relatively few bucks with Gradkowski and they need to develop a longterm plan for a change.

Speaking of the dead, I found it interesting last week when Nnamdi Asomugha went on record as being against the moribund system that Al Davis has in place of not making defensive adjustments for other teams' systems. Davis stills lives and refuses to die on the theory that you play your own system come drought or flood and you ignore what other teams are doing. We all know how that's been working for Oakland. Since this is a team that we play again soon, I'm content to watch them ignore reality with aplomb, but it's interesting when your best player calls out your system in the media. In other cases, I think that kind of thing smacks of ego, but in this case, it smacks of a legitimate cry for help. One that will be ignored, though, like all the rest.

Concussions (briefly) Continued

The NFL is considering a rule change that involves the running back position. The idea behind it is to prevent the RB from using his head as a battering ram, a style of running that has become increasingly common. Running backs like this maneuver because it permits them to deliver a blow rather than just take them.

I'm torn on this. I'm greatly encouraged by the new guidelines for dealing with concussions, and I support rule changes that will reduce the number of head injuries and simply 'blows to the head', which we now understand to be equally bad or even worse, over the course of time. I recognize the the running backs have a legitimate point regarding this approach - they take so much punishment that it seems harsh to take away one of their few options in return.

However -- running in that fashion is going to increase the number of blows to the head that the athlete experiences. It's really that simple. Research has shown a link between frequent blows to the head, even if they do not induce a concussion per se, and increased brain damage. That's a huge problem - the cumulative effects of those blows are increasing the number of retired players who are experiencing loss of their cognitive faculties. What number of yards makes up for that?

From my admittedly-biased position as a retired doc, I'm in favor of this rule change. Using your head to hit people isn't, well, using your head. I'd like to see alternative techniques taught and coached. I'd like to see an end to the kind of problems that hits like Adrian Peterson's created when he used his head to smash into Detroit safety Louis Delmas. By bending down to where his head was only a foot or so from the ground, Peterson smashed his helmet into Delmas' helmet as Delmas came in to tackle him. It was deliberate, and damaging to both men, if more so to Delmas; the hit left Delmas on the ground. I also would like to see it prohibited to use the head to deliver any kind of hit by any player and would support considering a change in the way that tackling is taught. These changes will not greatly change the way the game is played - just how the players are taught.

I understand that many fans will think that if you change the way the game is taught, it's "not really football" anymore. I'm sympathetic, but let's be real here - no amount of money is worth becoming a walking vegetable in your later years. Demanding that players be willing to trade their own abilities in consciousness for the experience of the NFL is, frankly, barbaric. Yes, it's a tough sport. Yes, it's impossible to prevent all injuries and you shouldn't try. However - dropping some of the gladiatorial fervor in the name of living a normal life beyond football isn't an unreasonable approach. We shouldn't ask anyone to be willing to increase their chances of living with brain trauma just for the chance to be a professional football player -- or for any other sport's sake. I hope that we, as a culture, are willing to move beyond that kind of lower-consciousness belief.

QBs and Ratings

While we're considering the media, consider this from Kerry Byrne at si.com:

16.13 yards per attempt -- This is the number that truly leaps off the stat sheet to those who understand the Cold, Hard Football Facts.

Passing yards per attempt is probably the single greatest individual statistical indicator of success in football, and maybe in all of sports. Teams that win the passing yards per attempt battle win nearly 75 percent of the time and the great quarterbacks almost always have high averages per attempt, from Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas to the greatest winner of all, Otto Graham, whose career average of 8.63 YPA is the best in history. to

So, when you see a number like 16.1 YPA, it pays to investigate a little further. Turns out Brees is just the fifth player since 1960 to average more than 16 yards per pass attempt in a game (min. 20 attempts).

It brings up an interesting point: Many teams - most, in fact - have moved to a NE-style offense with an emphasis on the short pass. That doesn't exclude throwing deep, but it does mean that teams will see more of the short passing game, which will tend to skew that number in the statistics. Since many of the offenses that emphasize the short pass use it much as teams used to use the ground game -- picking up 2-8 years at a time, keeping the clock moving and controlling the ball -- you will see the numbers on yards per attempt lessening. It's still true, however, that yards per attempt can be increased by yards after the catch, and that's an area where the Saints have excelled.

The Broncos are starting to throw deeper passes more often, and experience and comfort level between Brandon Marshall and Kyle Orton is a big factor there. It paid off again, and was that Brandon throwing his TD ball to McDaniels? Nice...so much for Brandon leaving. He likes to talk, but they will open the checkbook to keep him (and Doom).

How many more longer passes? It isn't a vertical game onslaught, but this is from the list of the Broncos top-10 long plays each week:

49 4 3-6-DEN 24 (14:08) K.Orton pass short left to B.Marshall pushed ob at KC 27 for 49 yards (J.McGraw).
19 4 1-10-KC 41 (11:26) K.Orton pass deep left to T.Scheffler to KC 22 for 19 yards (C.Mays).
18 1 1-10-DEN 33 (14:55) K.Orton pass short left to E.Royal to KC 49 for 18 yards (B.Flowers).
17 2 2-6-50 (10:18) C.Buckhalter left tackle to KC 33 for 17 yards (M.Vrabel).

Orton added three plays for 14 yards, two to Marshall, one to Royal. The mid-range game is starting to work better and the running game was money all day long. Then there's the kind of rushing dominance that I hadn't seen in too long. The combination gives us a puncher's chance against anyone, if we can control the line of scrimmage.

Final Note: NTs come Full Circle

Pat Kirwan of NFL.com posted this last week:

3-4 nose tackles are scarce

Any team that plays a 3-4 defense knows that success starts up front with a massive nose tackle that plays over the center's head and forces double teams. In the NFL, 3-4 nose tackles are an endangered species. The Chargers lost Jamal Williams and somehow keep winning. The Jets have dropped three of four games since Kris Jenkins went down. Jason Ferguson of the Dolphins just found he is heading to IR, which leaves Paul Soliai to replace him. All three teams have playoff aspirations, but the lack of a quality nose tackle hurts their chances. So far, the Chargers have adjusted best.

He brings up an interesting point. Increasingly, we are seeing smaller NTs coming in and being effective through leverage and athletic ability -- as well as getting penetration. While it is essential that the NT be able to take up 2 or more blockers, it's not really important that he weight 365 lbs. when doing so. The ability to move other people, great technique and an explosive first step are even more important than size.

Since we are now at 12 teams using the 3-4 in some form full-time and many others that use some hybrid variation at least part of the time, we're not going to necessarily see every team moving to the traditional kind of huge player at NT. Players with skill, stamina and unusual strength and/or leverage as well as a scale-tipping 340 lbs will probably continue to be relatively rare. But as Marcus Thomas (314) has shown in Denver when playing behind Ron Fields (314), as the combination of Travis Johnson (311) and Ogemdi Nwagbuo (303) have shown in San Diego since their massive NT, Jamal Williams (348), went on IR and as Jay Ratliff (304) has shown in Dallas, there is more to the NT position than sheer size. Jason Ferguson comes in at 305, no larger than many 40-front defensive tackles. There's a pattern here.

One of the advantages that Denver has shown this season is that Ron Fields is obviously as good as the commentators who called him a steal believed. Even better, Marcus has shown considerable ability in coming in and handling the NT duties when Fields sits down. Thomas is a serious penetrator who obviously plays by relishing of the chance to compete at this level. If Chris Baker (329) develops this off-season, we may get to see Baker or Thomas showing us their skills at DE - personally, I'd love to see Marcus handling that position, but right now he's the second-best option at NT and a very close second at that. He is also said to really enjoy the position, so perhaps he stays there. An eventual flexible rotation that uses Fields, Thomas and Baker at NT, with Baker or Thomas rotating at DE at times isn't beyond possibility, either. That would be flexible and versatile, hallmarks of the amoeba approach.

Regardless of which one slides over (or whether they do - I'm suggesting an option, not predicting that we'll use it), the fact that we have some solid options in the pipeline at DL speaks well to the way the team will play next season. It also frees up a position in the draft, which always is a comfort. What I'm seeing is that we don't need a NT, thanks to good player evaluation last offseason.

Taming the Colts?

How will we handle Indy? Tough question, since they look like the cream of the league to me right now. If we do, we will do it much as we did against KC, even though Indy is so much better. We need for the running game to keep Peyton Manning off the field. It's the only real way to limit him - he's just too good. We need our coverage to be what it's been the past two weeks - or even better. I don't know if even Champ and Goodman can shut down Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and friends, but for us to have a good chance, they will have to. It will be up to Ryan Clady and the offensive line to handle Dwight Feeney. Giving Orton time to throw and the right holes to our newly-empowered running game gives us the best chance. We will be mixing the zone blocking and gap blocking again - over the past two games, that has really begun to gel, right on time for a run at the wild-card slot.

We can't keep committing unforced errors. I suspect that our game will hinge on that -- too many players have contributed cognitive flatulence by taking stupid penalties this season. If we beat ourselves, we're toast. We need to show that we can play like a playoff team and make them beat us. Indy is a predator - always ready to pounce on the weaknesses a team manifests. We're moving two time zones and Indy is murder at home.

It's our toughest game of the year. I look forward to seeing where we measure up.

Go Broncos!

Week Thirteen: Fantasy Focus on the Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:13:29 -0000

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

Anthony Spencer has recently joined the sack-dance club.

Browse more photos »

It's Saturday, so it's time to talk some fantasy football! This a huge week for the Cowboys as they travel to Giants Stadium in an effort to bury New York in the standings.

In the next week or two, fantasy playoffs will begin. For many of us, we will be facing a must-win situation this week...or, we're out!

Make the jump for the Week 13 Fantasy Focus.

QB Tony Romo -The Cowboys have yet to lose when Romo is the starting QB at Giants Stadium. In 2006 - his first year as a starter - he hit 20 of 34 passes for 257 yards with 0 TDs and 2 INTs to lead the team to a 23-20 win. The 2007 game there was a much more fantasy-friendly game for him; he lit up the Giants for 247 yards and 4 TDs with 1 INT. Last year, a hand injury forced him to miss the game in New York.

In Week 2 of this season, the Giants' defense seemed to have Romo figured out. His 127 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs scared many fantasy owners. But, that was before the emergence of his number one toy: WR Miles Austin. Last week against the Raiders, Romo and Austin connected for 130 yards in the first half, alone. Austin's ability to gain yards after the catch has helped the Dallas offense tremendously, and helped Romo notch another 300-yard performance. The middle of the field passes clicked last week as TE Jason Witten also had a 100-yard day.

The Cowboys' 10th-ranked passing offense (254.1 YPG) will be going up against the 4th-ranked Giants' passing defense (allows just 182.6 YPG). But, in terms of scoring, the Giants' defense ranks 25th in the NFL, giving up a whopping 23.7 points per game.

I wouldn't expect a huge day for Romo, as this should be a physical NFC East battle. Though, he is definitely worth a start.

RBs Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice - Each one of these backs broke off large gains on Thanksgiving. Felix scored on a 46-yard run, Barber had a 42-yard catch and run to go along with his 61 rushing yards, and Choice ripped off a 66-yarder from the "Razorback" formation. That is the type of production the Cowboys envisioned having from this trio when the season began.

Not since the Week 2 home game against the Giants, has Dallas' three-headed monster looked more healthy. In that game, both Barber and Felix decimated the defense to combine for more than 200 yards rushing. They also each scored a TD. Recently, the Cowboys have continued their use of Choice as a WildCat QB.

With both Barber and Felix healthy, the Cowboys still try to get Choice 3-5 touches a game, which isn't ideal for fantasy owners. For Felix owners, though, his knee brace is off and his quickness and agility looked to be unencumbered against Oakland. Offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, realizes that it's time to get the ball in his hands at least 10 times per game. He's back to being a home run threat whenever he touches the ball. And Barber owners have reason for excitement, as well. The Barbarian has been catching well, which suggests his fractured thumb is healing; and he is running with his usual boost of power and purpose.

WRs Miles Austin - His huge game last week proved several things: 1) he can beat the best of them in man-to-man - just ask Nnamdi Asomugha, 2) he's tough as nails - hard to bring down and has no fear catching the ball in traffic, and 3) Garrett is still finding ways to get him open - slants, screens, comebacks, crossing routes, you name it. He even had Austin sit underneath zone coverage for Romo to check down to.

You're kicking yourself if you didn't start Austin last week. He's returning to play in his home state of New Jersey, so you may not want to kick yourself again by benching him. He'll get his targets; he's worth the start.

Roy Williams - Not flashy, not a PPR guy; though, he could get you a TD grab. The Giants may be starting converted CB, Aaron Ross, at FS. If they wanted to use him to double anybody, it would be Austin. Roy could see alot of single coverage, but he has yet to confirm that he is a reliable pass catcher. Start him at your own risk.

TEs Jason Witten - Hitting the century mark against the Raiders was a step in the right direction. That lone TD on the season is still lurking. JWitt's foot sprain has healed some over the extra days off after the turkey day game. It sure didn't seem to bother him on his 44-yard catch!

This has got to be the week he returns to the end zone. Start him.

Cowboys D/ST -This unit now ranks second in the league in scoring defense. That is music to fantasy owners' ears. What is even better is that SOLB Anthony Spencer is picking up some sacks now. Combine his play, along with the other pass rushers - DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, and Keith Brooking - and Eli Manning could be in for a long day.

In Week 2, Manning's WRs, Steve Smith and Mario Manningham, embarrassed the Dallas secondary by catching 10 passes and a TD a piece. CB Mike Jenkins has come along way since then, growing into the team's best at the position. Veteran Terence Newman often learns from his mistakes made the first time around, as he seems to respond well in payback games. SS Gerald Sensabaugh is playing consistently well. The question in the back four is how much the loss of FS Ken Hamlin (ankle) will effect how the secondary covers NY's corps of young WRs. His replacement, converted CB Alan Ball, has been adequate so far. The only knock on him has been in regards to how his 188-pound frame will hold up in run-support. Nevertheless, the unit has not lost a beat with him in the lineup and ranks 9th in rush defense (102.7 YPG).

If the defense can start forcing more turnovers, this will quickly become a dominating unit. ST coach Joe DeCamillis and punter Mat McBriar have helped tremendously in forcing offenses to earn their yards. With the tough schedule the Cowboys face, fantasy owners can't expect any shutouts, but these guys do enough to earn double-digit points each week.

This is the last regular season week for the BTB and BTB Part Deux fantasy leagues on FleaFlicker. If you are in one of the leagues, check out the standings for where you sit. Some teams have already guaranteed their spots in the playoffs, while others badly need to get this last win. Below are the current standings.

Just ONE Loss...Are You Serious? (11-1)

kill everbody

Where the Cowboys are Headed (9-3)

The Speed of Dark

StarBoys

Doubling Your Losses (8-4)

Paper Cranes
Maui Paniolo Boyz

Seventh Heaven (7-5)

Flashlights

Doomsday Redux

Dallas Destroyers

Reykjavik Roughnecks

Official Spoiler

Static

Holy .500, Batman! (6-6)

WheresWare?

BigRigga31's Team

Dillababies

Quincyyyyy

Felix Jones At Every Position

A Must Win this Week? (5-7)

NameBrandj

Second Chance

BTBfantasyCHAMPS

4 X 2 = (4-8)

Apes

My Team Sucks

The Doomsday Defense Reborn

Three Squared (3-9)

high505
No Doubter
Brady's a b!tch
Damage,Inc.

If you've got a fantasy dilemma, post it here for the BTB community to discuss. As always, feel free to jump in with other Cowboys/football related discourse even if you don't play FF.

Remember, for all your fantasy football needs, SBNation's fantasy webpage is chock full of live updates to help you set up your team from week-to-week.

For your convenience, here's the link: sbnation.com/fantasy.

BTB Game Balls: Raiders @ Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:14:47 -0000

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

Thanksgiving night was a good, good night for the Cowboys and Miles Austin.

Browse more photos »

It's time to hand out game balls for the Cowboys' home victory against the Raiders! We've got one for a player from each unit: offense, defense, special teams, as well as one for the coaching staff.

Offense

Miles Austin -It all began on the first offensive series, man-on-man against one of the best CBs in the game. Tony Romo stepped up in the pocket and hit Austin crossing the field as he burned Nnamdi Asomugha en route to a 49-yard gain. This was the trend for much of the day as Austin gobbled up the middle of the field and made the most of his opportunities, catching six passes for 130 yards and a TD in the first half.

Often, it's those little plays, those extra efforts that bring out the best in everybody. In the second quarter, the Cowboys faced a 3rd-and-11 deep in their own territory. Austin sat in the middle of the zone to catch just a five-yarder from Romo. He then turned, broke two tackles, and picked up the extra yardage needed for the first down. Two plays later he beat CB Chris Johnson for a 27-yard catch and run across the middle. That gain would not have happened had he not broken those two tackles on the 3rd-and-11. Do you know what else would not have happened? Felix Jones' 46-yard TD run to finish the drive.

Austin's domination of the Raiders' secondary also helped open things up for Jason Witten in the second half.

Being at the game myself, it was quite evident that Austin has quickly become a fan favorite. Girls were screaming all around me when he kept standing up off the bench and raising his hands after his replay-reversed score just before the half. He pumped up the crowd again after officially grabbing back his TD after an impressive, side-stepping screen play. When he's smiling, all seems right with the Cowboys' offense.

Honorable Mention: Tony Romo, Jason Witten

Make the jump to see who else gets a BTB game ball.

Defense

Keith Brooking - Against a poor Oakland passing team (45 yards in the first half), it was important for the Cowboys to stop the run. Brooking made his presence known from the Raiders' first possession. In successive plays, he tackled Justin Fargas for just a four-yard gain and then pressured Bruce Gradkowski into throwing an incomplete pass. On the next possession, there he was knifing through the line on a run blitz to drop Fargas for a loss (though there was an accepted holding penalty against Oakland on the play).

All day, he and Jay Ratliff terrorized the middle of the field. The Raiders' backs did manage to pop some runs loose to the outside, but Brooking always seemed to be around the ball. If he was not making the tackle himself, he was around the pile - sometimes trying to punch at the ball. He was everywhere. I even saw him cover Darren McFadden, who split out wide and ran a deep route. Not even Robert Gallery's long, sweaty hair could block Brooking from getting to the ball carrier.

He ended up leading the team (again) with nine total tackles, six of which were solos.

It's his face on the videoboard that pumps up the crowd at Cowboys Stadium. "80,000 Fans..." his image points to them when the defense is looking for a key stop..."Remember What I Said".

Honorable Mention: Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware

Special Teams

Mat McBriar - Absolutely amazing day for the Cowboys' punter. While Oakland's punter kicked for more than 400 yards, McBriar responded with deadly accuracy. He averaged only 40.2 yards on six punts, but many of those were pooch kicks from around midfield - four of which landed inside the 20.

In the first quarter, a punt can't get much better than what McB did from the Oakland 41. With a little english, he pooched it to the two. He didn't even give his cover guys a chance to make a play on it because it spun and bounced out of bounds at the six. In other similar situations, he pinned the Raiders at the 11, the 13, and the 5.

When the Cowboys were pinned back, themselves, at around their 10, he blasted a 56-yarder all the way to the Oakland 35. This Aussie can do it all!

Honorable Mention: David Buehler, Pat Watkins

Coaching

Jason Garrett - This game goes down as one of the best I've seen Garrett coach this season. On a shortened work week, he had the Raiders' defense figured out from the tee. That unit had done enough damage against the Bengals' and Eagles' offenses to pull out victories, but Garrett would not let that happen to the Cowboys.

He ignored the fact that Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the best CBs in the game because he knew that his guys (most notably, Austin and Witten) would match up well against man coverage. And did they ever! Then, when it looked like the Raiders would blitz with their DBs locked in man, he made them pay with a 66-yard Razorback run from Tashard Choice. When they had to adjust to that, he hit them up the middle with Witten. With the CBs in man and the LBs in zone, there was Marion Barber wide open for a 42-yard catch and run.

The best thing about Garrett's day is the way he created passing lanes for Romo. Once Austin became the Raiders' focus, they could not stop the bleeding. LB Sam Williams could not cover Witten. And the 2TE-formation that flanked Barber in the backfield on the Roy Williams' TD was just cruel. The Raiders' defenders were utterly confused after much of the offense looked to move left, leaving noone inside to help on the post route.

Garrett did what you need to do when you face a weaker opponent: keep hitting them big to confuse them, then Felix and Barber them down until the clock reads 0:00.

Honorable Mention: Skip Peete, Todd Grantham

This was a game I had the privilege of seeing in person. Unfortunately, I happened to sit in the end zone opposite to all of the touchdowns. Still, they were great seats and it was a such a blast being there. During the TV timeouts, the Jerrytron kept the crowd entertained with fun videos. The funniest was of the offensive linemen racing go-carts.

My favorite was a Dallas Cowboys rendition of the Black Eyed Peas' song "I Gotta Feeling". The video featured every level of the team's employees from the event staff to the players. Each clip portrayed them singing the lyrics, jumping up and down, and bobbin' their heads..."Tonight's gonna be a good night...tonight's gonna be a real goood niiight!" Marion Barber, Sam Hurd...Andre Gurode and Jay Ratliff...they were all feeling it - as was the crowd, especially since the video ran as soon as we got the feeling that the game was in hand. Indeed, it was a good night.

If you have not seen my pictures from the game, you can see them on BTB's Facebook page. Here is the direct link to the album.

Before we focus our full attention on the Giants, who gets your Thanksgiving Day game balls?

Week Ten: Fantasy Focus on the Cowboys

Aaron Novinger — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:59:47 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

Patrick Crayton seems to come up with a big play every week.

View full size photo »

It's Saturday, so it's time to talk some fantasy football! Let's preview and predict which Cowboys can help you achieve victory as they fly to Lambeau to take on the Packers.

Make the jump for the Week 10 Fantasy Focus

QB Tony Romo - Against a blitz-happy Eagles defense last week, Romo hung in there to throw for more than 300 yards and a TD. Offensive coordinator, Jason Garrett, is finding ways for the Dallas receivers to get open; and, for the most part, Romo is hitting them. At Philly, he remained calm and checked down to his backs and hit WR-screens for big gains. His chemistry with Roy Williams looks to have grown and he is again finding TE Jason Witten on third downs. Romo is still on a roll.

The Packers boast the 4th stingiest defense in the league, allowing just 282.9 YPG. But, they are in the middle of the pack, allowing 21.5 points per game. Led by aggressive CBs, Charles Woodson and Al Harris, the pass defense is 8th in the league (185.8). Although their best pass-rusher, Aaron Kampman, is a game-time decision, the Packers will still try to force Romo into committing turnovers.

Romo, along with the rest of the Dallas team, is on a hot streak. They do not want to break that by losing to a slumping Green Bay team that will try to come out swinging. Look for Romo and the offense to try and maintain possession of the ball and wear down the young 3-4 defense. He will want to get a win in his home state of Wisconsin, and could exploit defensive weaknesses by connecting with his speedy receivers.

RBs Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice - Considering that the Cowboys will look to control the clock, Barber should be a solid start. Neither his quad nor his thumb seem to be affecting his game much. Though he only received 12 carries last week, he made the most of his touches - running for 50 yards and catching 3 passes for 20.

What could negatively affect Barber's fantasy status is if Dallas continues to use the ~~WildCat~~ Razorback formation on the goalline. As it showcased last week against the Eagles, Tashard Choice is the QB; therefore, he could get some of the TDs that would otherwise go to Barber. Dallas may look to run the Razorback more often in other parts of the field too, so Choice's fantasy value goes up a notch. Also, rumor has it that he could be returning kickoffs beginning this week.

The fact that the coaches are taking a look at Kevin Ogletree and Choice as KRs suggests that they want Felix Jones more involved in the offense. He has had success in the past against the Packers, and they seem to want him more involved in the passing game. This could be the game that he gets double-digit carries. I wouldn't bank on it, though.

WRs Miles Austin -The Eagles did a great job in making sure Austin didn't have a huge game last week. Unfortunately for them, the Cowboys did a better job at staying patient and finding an opening for Romo to hit him for his only catch of the game - a 49-yard score. The Packers CBs will try to be aggressive with Austin. That should work in his favor. For fantasy owners, he's still a must start every week.

Roy Williams - With defenses paying more attention to Austin, Williams may very well become the Cowboys much-needed possession WR. He showed some sticky hands and nice skills running after the catch against the Eagles. His extra work after practice with Romo is starting to pay off. If you have him in a PPR league, he could come in handy down the stretch towards FF playoffs.

Patrick Crayton - He usually catches around 3 balls a game. Every game, he seems to make a big play - such as his 64-yard catch and run last week. He's a real bonus if you are in a league that gives points for return yards. Green Bay has some of the worse ST coverage units in the league.

TEs Jason Witten - Mr. Reliable still has only found the end zone once this season. But under further review, he was wide open for a score last week. Romo just didn't see him in time. You have to think that they caught that in the film room and will make the appropriate adjustments. In PPR leagues, Witten is a gem. He led the team in receptions last week with 7 and continues to lead for the season with 44.

Cowboys D/ST - 37 sacks of Aaron Rodgers on the year. Yowza! This week, Green Bay will be starting a 3rd-round draft pick at RT. Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware harrassed Donovan McNabb and his pass protecters last week. Expect them to do the same this week.

Coach Phillips is finding ways for his defenders to excel in all kinds of situations. He's moving his pass rushers around and disguising his blitzes more. The secondary seems intent on not giving up big plays. Mike Jenkins is beating WRs to the ball. Overall, the team is limiting opponents by making solid tackles.

This week is a huge test for them because the Packers are averaging nearly 27 points per game (7th in NFL). WRs Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and James Jones are speedy, big play threats that can go the distance whenever they get their hands on the ball. This game could be a shootout, but the Cowboys should register some sacks and a turnover or two to help you out.

After nine weeks of fantasy footballing on FleaFlicker, the BTB and BTB Part Deux fantasy leagues are racing to the finish line. Last week, the last undefeated team, kill everbody, fell for the first time to Maui Paniolo Boyz. 'Twas a great run.

Here's how both leagues are shaping up:

The Mighty Has Fallen (8-1)

kill everbody

Where the Cowboys are Headed (7-2)

Maui Paniolo Boyz

Heated Competitors (6-3)

WheresWare?

StarBoys

Paper Cranes

BigRigga31's Team

The Speed of Dark

A Head Over .500 (5-4)

Static

Quincyyyyy

Official Spoiler

BTBfantasyCHAMPS

Dillababies

Felix Jones At Every Position

Dallas Destroyers

Looking to Break Even (4-5)

Doomsday Redux

Apes

Flashlights

The Doomsday Defense Reborn

Second Chance

Reykjavik Roughnecks

Doubling Your Losses (3-6)

No Doubter

NameBrandj

Deuces Are Wild (2-7)

high505

My Team Sucks
Brady's a b!tch

One is the Loneliest Number (1-5)

Damage,Inc.

If you've got a fantasy dilemma, feel free to post it here for your BTB brethren to analyze. Let's help each other out!

And, for all your fantasy football needs, SBNation's fantasy webpage is chock full of informational updates to help you set up your team from week-to-week.

For your convenience, here's the link: sbnation.com/fantasy.

The VRR: Cowboys (6-2) @ Packers (4-4)

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:00:33 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

The combination of a healthy offensive line along with Tony Romo's athleticism has allowed 17 sacks this season. That's chump change compared to Aaron Rodgers' 37.

View full size photo »

When the Cowboys leap into Lambeau Field, they will do so in an effort to take down their fourth straight NFC opponent. Prior to the start of the season, many thought the Falcons, Seahawks, Eagles, and Packers were all in contention to win their respective divisions.

In the crazy world of the NFL, anything can happen. Just to ensure that the Cowboys keep the edge on any head-to-head tiebreakers that could come into effect, a road win at Green Bay is in order.

This week, we've heard how awful the Packers' special teams and offensive line have been this season. Nevertheless, they still have a game-breaking passing game led by the young arm of Aaron Rodgers.

In this article, Jeff Caplan compares and contrasts Rodgers and Tony Romo.

Rodgers, who will be 26 on Dec. 2, appears taller and brawnier in the pocket. Romo, 29, seems more athletic, a superior scrambler, swashbuckling even compared to Rodgers’ more measured, yet highly effective, maneuvering. Romo celebrates touchdowns with wild leaps into the arms of his linemen. More composed, Rodgers barely cracks a smile.

"They look different," said former Cowboys personnel director Gil Brandt, "but they’re really the same."

More VRR after the jump.

Some notes on sacking Rodgers.

-The only team to not sack Rodgers were the Browns, who must feel like the one kid at the party who didn’t get any beer

-Roughly 1/3 of Green Bay’s sacks were result of Rodgers holding onto the ball for too long

-Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher played their first game as a tackle tandem all year for the Packers last week. The Bucs still managed to sack Rodgers six times.

-The majority of sacks against the Packers have been registered by defensive ends. HOORAY FOR DEMARCUS.

Dallas is the best in the league in forcing offenses to drive far for a score.

Cowboys' opponents have had the league's lowest average starting point for possessions at 25.7 yards. Green Bay's opponents have had the third-highest starting point at the 33.2.

There aren't many nose tackles in the league better than Jay Ratliff.

Ratliff is first on the team in tackles for loss (14), second in sacks (four) and fourth in pressures (14).

"Man, he's a beast," linebacker Bradie James said. "I don't know if there is a tackle in the league as quick, fast and relentless. He's one of our biggest assets."

Ratliff is expected to have another big game this weekend. According to STATS, Inc., Packers left guard Daryn Colledge has allowed 7.25 sacks this season, second most in the NFL and a big reason Aaron Rodgers has been sacked a league-high 37 times this season.

"He's a great effort player, but he also has great ability," Phillips said of Ratliff. "I've coached a lot of Pro Bowl nose guards, but he's by far the best pass rusher at that position."

A couple of rookies will most likely start for the Pack: RT T.J. Lang and OLB Brad Jones.

And it's looking increasingly likely the Packers (4-4) will be starting two of their second-day picks from April's NFL draft - linebacker Brad Jones and offensive lineman T.J. Lang - when the Cowboys (6-2) roll into town.

Outside linebacker Aaron Kampman, who suffered a concussion in last Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay, didn't practice for the second straight day Thursday, Neither did backup Brady Poppinga, who had a quadriceps injury flare up earlier this week. That left Jones, a seventh-round pick out of Colorado, to work with the starters at Kampman's left outside linebacker spot during the portions of practice open to reporters Wednesday and Thursday.

Here's the rest of the Cowboys @ Packers injury report.

Like the Broncos and Chiefs, the Packers are new users of the 3-4.

Wade Phillips, for one, didn't see any particular reason 3-4 defenses would cause problems for the Cowboys offense. To Phillips it's more about how good the defense is and how well it plays than a tough schematic matchup.

"I think it's each team and each game," Phillips said. "Denver played really good on defense against us up there. The only other game we lost was a 4-3 team (Giants). We made a lot of yards against Kansas City, we didn't produce as many points early as we would like to have."

The Packers, in the first year of their 3-4 metamorphosis, are fourth in the league defensively.

A.J.Hawk and Erik Kramer break down the matchup in this FoxSports vid link. "Stop the run, and pressure the quarterback," says Hawk. Of Romo he says, "get him down, and hopefully get some turnovers."

Coach Phillips and Coach Garrett could look to keep the offense balanced.

The key to Wade Phillips' game plan the two times he has led the Cowboys into battle against Mike McCarthy's Packers has been balance. In the teams' 2007 matchup, the Cowboys threw the ball 30 times, while their running backs notched 28 carries.

In 2008's affair, quarterback Tony Romo attempted 30 passes, while Barber and teammate Felix Jones toted the rock 35 times. In both games, the Cowboys came out victorious.

It is looking less likely that Felix Jones will be returning kicks on Sunday.

Coach Wade Phillips has said that as Jones' plays on offense increase, his special-teams duties would decrease. The Cowboys have worked out rookie Kevin Ogletree and running back Tashard Choice in the position this week.

``If that's what the head man says,'' Jones said.

The series history between the two teams:

The Cowboys lead the all-time regular season series with the Packers, 12-10, and have won each of their last two meetings against Green Bay. Dallas was a 27-16 road winner when it visited Lambeau Field in Week 3 of last season, and was a 37-27 Thursday night winner when the Packers visited Big D in 2007. The former win was Dallas' first all-time win in six trips to Green Bay.

The Packers last triumph in the series was a 41-20 win at Lambeau in 2004. In addition to their regular season history, the clubs have met six times in the postseason, with Dallas holding a 4-2 edge.

The Cowboys have won four straight playoff games against Green Bay since the 1967 NFL Championship, better known as the "Ice Bowl." Dallas' most recent playoff win over Green Bay was a 38-27 triumph for the 1995 NFC Championship.

Getting a little touchy in Lambeau? The Packers fired a long-time maintenance worker for his comment to head coach Mike McCarthy.

Fifty-three-year-old Mike Wood said he was sitting in a maintenance cart in a stadium tunnel a few days before the Minnesota Vikings visited Lambeau Field. As McCarthy talked to members of the grounds crew, Wood said he yelled out to McCarthy to "get the boys ready to kick some butt this weekend."

Here's the NFL Game Center for the Cowboys @ Packers.

Remember that unsportsmanlike conduct penalty thrown at Jason Avant after Brent Celek's TD catch? Apparently, Celek has been rumored to be tied to a Captain Morgan ad campaign. The league is now on the lookout for such liqour-related poses.

The (ad campaign) has been going around internally for a while and (Celek) learned of the program through his contact at Diageo (Captain Morgan's parent company),'' said Glenn Lehrman, an account director at Rogers & Cowan, the Los Angeles-based firm that handles Captain Morgan promotions. ``Brent said, `You know what, if I get the opportunity, I'm going to go ahead and do it.' He sort of beat us to the punch, but we're certainly not going to complain.''

Lehrman said that each time a player was caught on camera in the pose Captain Morgan planned to donate to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a nonprofit that helps retired NFL players. The campaign was to be unveiled next week with donations of $10,000 during the regular season, $25,000 for the playoffs and $100,000 in the Super Bowl.

The win in Philly was great, but the overtime win in Kansas City may be where the real greatness began.

Turns out the Cowboys might have known something nobody else did. Instead of the latest in a repeating win-one-lose-one cycle, that 26-20 victory started a four-game winning streak that sent Dallas to the top of the NFC East heading into Sunday’s game at Green Bay.

"That’s what really kind of jump-started it," receiver Patrick Crayton said Thursday. "We’re on the road against a team that people are like, ‘Aw, this is going to be an easy one.’ We knew we were going to get their best. It was like their Super Bowl."

Maybe Dallas celebrated like it was the Super Bowl because players realized at halftime what was at stake. The Cowboys were down 10-3 and hadn’t scored a touchdown in five quarters. They risked falling to 2-3 with much tougher games coming up.

Is Mike Florio trying to pique teams' interest in signing recently released Chiefs' RB Larry Johnson, or what? C'mon, man!

But a league source tells us that Johnson is in Dallas for a social visit only, and not because he's meeting with the Cowboys.

Yet.

There are, per the source, no plans to meet with the Cowboys. And it's not known whether the Cowboys are or will be interested in Johnson. Most likely, the Cowboys aren't currently interested. But they'll likely become interested fairly quickly if one of their top tailbacks becomes unavailable.

And just for fun...JJT vs. Skip Bayless!

The VRR: Hot Cowboys Prepare to Take on Cold Packers

Aaron Novinger — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:36:53 -0000

by Mel Evans - AP

Miles Austin has had success in the past against the Packers. Perhaps, we will also get to see some more success in the Tashard Choice-featured "Razorback".

View full size photo »

Because both the Cowboys and the Packers finished third in their respective divisions in '08, they are once again facing off this season. With the weather expected to be in the high 40's at Lambeau Field, there won't be much for a frozen tundra. But judging by Green Bay's 38-28 loss at Tampa Bay last week, the Packers will bring in a cold front of their own.

Hopefully, the red hot Cowboys' defense can continue to freeze another NFC offense. ~~David Carr~~ Aaron Rodgers is getting sacked left and right this season. DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff ought to be licking their chops.

Rodgers has spent a lot of time on his back side — Tampa Bay dumped him six times Sunday. The Packers have given up a league-high 37 sacks, seven more than Kansas City and 20 more than Dallas.

"Well, it has to stop," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after the demoralizing Tampa loss. "You can’t sit here and keep taking sacks."

Injuries have added to the problem on the offensive line. The movement will likely continue this week with rookie T.J. Lang possibly getting the start at right tackle after Mark Tauscher re-injured his knee in his first start at right tackle at Tampa Bay.

More VRR after the jump.

The Cowboys look to have an advantage over the Pack's special teams, as well.

The Packers are hurting on special teams. They rank dead last in net punting and are one of four teams to give up a blocked punt. While the Cowboys have thrived on field position, the Packers have not. They rank 26th in opponent starting field position, 24th in punt return and 17th in kickoff return.

The Star-T scouts Rodgers.

OLB Aaron Kampman is missing practice and may not play against the 'Boys.

Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy is pessimistic about outside linebacker Aaron Kampman being able to play against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Kampman emerged from Sunday's loss at Tampa Bay with a concussion and will miss his second consecutive practice on Thursday. McCarthy said on a conference call that the Packers will treat Kampman cautiously because of the nature of the injury.

Much of Miles Austin's potential was evident in games against Green Bay.

Miles Austin has had some pretty good games against the Green Bay Packers in his four-year career. In 2007, Austin didn't have a catch but returned six kickoffs for 166 yards.

Then last season, Austin had just two catches -- but they went for 115 yards, including a spectacular 63-yard score that was the first of his career. Austin almost had another touchdown in that game but was caught on his way to the end zone for a 52-yard gain.

"If I look back at that game, I look at the touchdown, rather than the other one," Austin said.

The Cowboys got Kevin Ogletree involved last week via bubble screens. Makes you wonder what they have in store for him this week.

The bubble screen calls for the receiver to take a step forward before darting back toward the quarterback to catch the ball.

"We've been working on it in practice," Ogletree said. "If there's a play the coaches design and call for me, I'm just going to give it my maximum effort."

That the No. 5 receiver made such a big contribution underscores a major reason the Cowboys (6-2) will ride into Green Bay (4-4) this weekend possessing the NFC East lead and a four-game winning streak: Everybody's pitching in offensively.

"We have so many people contributing," coach Wade Phillips said. "You don't have to count on a running back to make 150 yards for you to win, or one receiver having two or three touchdowns."

Tashard Choice is digging his role as a Razorback quarterback.

"Just another way we can get the football, man," Choice said. "It was cool to be in the game. And for the coaches to call it [and be] comfortable with it, that was really important."

The Miami Dolphins are the only NFL team that uses the Wildcat formation on a consistent basis. Choice says he watches film of how the Dolphins use the scheme.

"Ronnie Brown is perfect for it. He's awesome," Choice said of the Dolphins' running back. "One of top three backs in the league, to me, running the football. He's patient and he makes people miss. That's what really makes it."

Does everybody on the team refer to the formation as the "Razorback"?

Most teams have nicknames for their "Wildcat" formations. In the case of the Cowboys, "Wildcat" QB Tashard Choice was asked what the official name of the formation was. Choice's answer was simple.

"It's called TC, that's it."

Ken Hamlin (strained groin) and Andre Gurode (ankle) were held out of practice today.

On Wednesday, Hamlin was suited out but later worked strength and conditioning coaches, who were running with return specialist Allen Rossum, who is expected to miss another game with a hamstring injury.

As for Gurode, he suffered a ankle injury in the Eagles game and missed two snaps, before returning on the next series.

The rest of the Cowboys' injury report.

Steve Wyche begins his "Best free-agent moves" article by talking about three Cowboys: Keith Brooking, Igor Olshansky, and Gerald Sensabaugh.

Safety Gerald Sensabaugh, defensive end Igor Olshansky and linebacker Keith Brooking have been the glue at each level of the defense that is now allowing stars Terence Newman, Jay Ratliff and DeMarcus Ware to hit their strides.

"(With) Igor and myself, Wade (Phillips) knew what he was getting because he coached us in San Diego and Atlanta," said Brooking, the Cowboys' leading tackler who spent his previous 11 seasons with the Falcons. "Sense (Sensabaugh), he's in the same boat, except I don't think they knew he was such a playmaker. It's working because this means something to the guys. Not just us three, but to all 11 guys on the field."

Sensabaugh (Jacksonville), Olshansky (San Diego) and Brooking were deemed expendable by their former teams. But their experience, toughness and desire were inherent qualities that have allowed them to mesh with the guys in place and fill voids that were areas of concern. Adding experienced pieces to prime parts is a long-held formula to success, but some teams, especially those in need of "franchise" talent or marquee appeal, spend for the big dogs that don't always help the overall cause.

The offseason moves the Cowboys made to achieve better team chemistry have worked since the season began.

Linebacker Bradie James said the sense of community began in training camp. He said that was evident in crunch time against the Eagles Sunday.

"This year, so far, has been definitely the best team atmosphere," James said. "With the characters we have on this team, guys are really just playing for one another, understanding the goals we have, sticking by each other's side. You want to know as players what you can count on and who you can rely on when the funk hits the fan and we know that we can definitely rely on each other."

Matt Mosely takes a look back at the Cowboys' first half of 2009, and then looks forward to the rest.

There's no reason the Cowboys can't win at least 11 games. After a trip to Green Bay, they come home to play the Redskins and Raiders. The worst they'll do in that stretch is 2-1, and I think they have a great chance to come out of this stretch 9-2. I think 11 wins will seal the division race -- and the Cowboys are headed in that direction. Will they win a playoff game? Yes, I think they'll finally break through and get a win. I'm very interested in that game in the Meadowlands in early December. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Giants will have turned it around by then.

Jason Witten spent Tuesday going back to school.

Witten picked up the fourth-grader and his family in a limo Tuesday and took them to Akin Elementary School in Wylie ISD. The Cowboys tight end was welcomed by screaming students and teachers chanting "Cowboys! Cowboys!"

Weaving around the fans shaking sparkling blue pompoms, Witten went straight up the middle of the crowd in the school cafeteria to speak about good health as part of the NFL Play 60 campaign. The program encourages youths to exercise at least an hour a day.

Cowboys Stadium could soon host a Manny Pacquiao title fight.

"Keep an eye on this Pacquiao fight Saturday," Jones said. "That's a big one. Keep an eye on that. Some big things might happen if he could win that one."

Last week rumors began of a possible matchup between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather at the stadium should Pacquiao dethrone Cotto at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

BTB Game Balls: Cowboys @ Eagles

Aaron Novinger — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:47:02 -0000

More photos » by Mel Evans - AP

"You'd better not prevent me from getting my BTB game ball," yells Tony Romo at the Eagle defenders.

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It's time to hand out game balls for the Cowboys' road victory against the Eagles! We've got one for a player from each unit: offense, defense, special teams. We've even got one for the coaching staff.

Offense

Tony Romo - As the Cowboys transition into a well-prepared team that strives to get better every week, their quarterback is also conforming into that mold. Both the gun-slinging mentality and the critical stereotype of being a choke-artist seem to be dissolving from the aura that is Tony Romo. If Sunday night's game is any indication of how he has grown as a player, then maybe we can begin to expect a more patient, less risk-taking Romo. With the defense steadily improving and a seemingly growing number of offensive weapons waiting to contribute, Romo can just focus on taking what defenses give him.

Leave it to the Eagles to break Romo's no-interception streak. Whether Jason Witten was looking inside or Romo just overshot him didn't matter for very long. It was forgotten, as all interceptions should be. Instead of piling on more picks like we've seen him do in past division games, he refused to gift wrap anything else for the pesky Eagles' secondary. And that pesky Eagles' blitz was on him early and often. Personally, his fumbles have irritated me more than his throws to the wrong-colored jerseys. I concur with ImpactNate, "Way to take that sack, Romo!"

Aside from those big passes to Miles Austin and Patrick Crayton, Romo made the most of the little passes too. It was great to see him connect with Kevin Ogletree on those screens. First downs for everybody, especially if your name is Jason Witten or Roy Williams. And I loved how that little hop-of-a-pass out to Marion Barber early in the first quarter seemed to foreshadow that he would be able to get away from the rush - enough to at least pick up some postive yardage.

21 of 34 for 307 with a TD and a win against a quality division opponent on the road. That's positive.

Honorable Mention: Jason Witten, Marion Barber

Make the jump to see who else gets a game ball.

Defense

Jay Ratliff - Double-team, double-team, double-team. No problem. Ratliff often just spins around them, or as we saw Sunday night, Coach Phillips will line him up at DE to terrorize the gap between the guard and tackle.

The Eagles had to have been wondering how they could continue double-teaming Ratliff when their rotating LTs were being harassed by DeMarcus Ware. When they didn't double-team him with a guard and a center, there he was disrupting running plays and leading the pocket collapses on passing plays. His pressure up the middle helped hurry McNabb on the Sensabaugh pick. And it was Ratliff crashing down the Eagles' line on that 4th-and-1 to allow Keith Brooking to fly over and prevent McNabb from sneaking out a few more inches.

One of the coolest things about watching the Cowboys now is how Ratliff roars to the sky, and then bashes his fists into the ground. In finishing the game with five solo tackles and two sacks, we got to see him do his signature move often against the Eagles (even though Stephen Bowen interrupted the completion of one). You can call it a sack dance or a celebration; whatever it is, is a precise representation of what Ratliff does to an offense: he wreaks havoc.

Honorable Mention: Mike Jenkins, Gerald Sensabaugh

Special Teams

Mat McBriar - On the season, McBriar is averaging 46.1 YPP (41.8 net) on 35 punts with only one of those being for a touchback. 20 of those 35 have landed inside the 20-yard line and 9 have been fair caught.

Against the Eagles, McBriar faced one of the league's best returners in DeSean Jackson. Because of his directional kicking and superb hangtime, Jackson did squat - being able to return just one of five punts for nine yards. For the night, McBriar averaged 42 YPP with three landing inside the 20 and a long of 57.

Honorable Mention: L.P. Ladouceur, David Buehler

Coaching

Wade Phillips - A defensive-minded head coach should love the challenge of taking on a divisional offensive-minded head coach. That's what Coach Phillips did against Andy Reid. Phillips used both his stars and his situational players to shake, rattle, and roll Reid's offense to giving up four sacks and two interceptions. McNabb and the Eagles' blockers looked confused more often than not. The Dallas defenders stuck to their leader's gameplan and gave up no big plays - keeping everything in front of them.

Sure, the Eagles got in some of their patented HB-screens and TE Brent Celek succeeded in pushing off on Sensabaugh for a score; but the homerun-hitting WRs were simply shut down. Jackson caught two balls for a measley 29 yards, while Jeremy Maclin led the group with three catches for 44 yards. The longest gain for the group was by Jason Avant for 23.

This felt like an over-the-hump game for the Cowboys and Coach Phillips had his team prepared. Amidst all the drama leading up to this game, the team persevered. After the game, Coach called the players "selfless". On offense, four different players carried the ball, seven different players caught at least one. The entire defense showed up (both starters and reserves) to play all-out and held the Eagles to 16 points. I would agree that there certainly is some selflessness going on around Valley Ranch.

Honorable Mention: Jason Garrett, Todd Grantham

The Cowboys did what they needed to do: pick up a divisional win on the road. A lot of players made plays, and it can easily be seen as a team victory.

Who gets your game balls?

The VRR: Cowboys Bring Down Their Third Consecutive Bird Team

Aaron Novinger — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:39:55 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

T-E-A-M! Once again, the Dallas offense and defense unite in victory.

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Since their bye week, the Dallas Cowboys have achieved home victories against the Atlanta Falcons, the Seattle Seahawks, and then hit the road to take down the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. They outscored these three bird teams 95-54. This run through the NFC aviary exemplifies how well the offense, defense, and special teams units in Dallas have come together to launch the team atop the division with a 6-2 record.

While scrolling through stories regarding last night's 20-16 victory over the Eagles, I noticed many writers use the same four-letter word when describing the Cowboys: team. Sure, Dallas did not play a perfect game, but it seems as if the coaches are getting the most out of each of their players. In turn, the players are responding by being in position to execute their playcalling. Simply put - the Cowboys are, all-together, clicking.

More VRR after the jump.

Pairing up a good pass rush with some nice coverage in the secondary is always a good recipe for defensive success.

Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware overwhelmed the Eagles' offensive line and stayed in quarterback Donovan McNabb's face throughout the game. McNabb was only 16-of-30 for 227 yards and he threw two interceptions. He appeared completely out of rhythm for much of the evening -- and the secondary played a large role in that. If you take away the deep ball from the Eagles, they're not much to look at. It's not like they can turn to a power running game.

"We took it personally that no one was giving us any respect," Jenkins said. "We've been shutting receivers completely down, but people weren't talking about it. I think we made a statement tonight. To come into their house and walk away with a win ... I think it's a big statement."

'Twas a quiet night for the Eagles' young WRs.

Although speedy wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin looked as if they could break a huge play at any moment, they never did. The Cowboys' secondary held them in check while a fierce rush and a heavy blitz maintained serious pressure on McNabb that produced four sacks and two interceptions.

Jackson, who had at least one 50-yard play in five of the first seven Eagles games, was limited to two catches for 29 yards. Four Dallas wide receivers caught passes for more yards.

Again, Jason Garrett, Tony Romo, and Miles Austin combined to break the opposition's heart at a crucial point in the game.

Austin beat Brown badly off the line of scrimmage to make the catch all alone at the 24. He then cut inside to race untouched into the end zone, where he celebrated by firing the ball into the net behind the goal post.

"They had a double move there," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "Sheldon played a heck of a game, but they got him on a double move there."

Romo helped sell it with a pump fake. "I thought they had been jumping it a little bit throughout the game, so we went with it," Romo said. "They bit on the fake, a couple of guys went to it, and I just gave him the ball and he did the rest."

The four-play, 55-yard drive that ended with Austin’s score began after the Cowboys made their biggest defensive play of the season. On fourth-and-one from the Dallas 45, Donovan McNabb tried to sneak it over right guard only to get stopped cold by Marcus Spears with 10:49 left. The Eagles challenged the spot, but the play was upheld, costing them their final timeout.

With the game on the line, when you need just one more first down, go to Jason Witten.

"That’s just the way it is . . . I understand it, we have to get it blocked," Witten said. But on the third-and-3 late in the fourth quarter, Witten knew the final pass was going to him."Yeah, that was the play," said Witten. "I knew I was going to get the chance to make it."

And he did, catching his seventh passes of the game for 43 yards. But it was those last five yards that put the game away. When it comes to wanting the ball, Witten really is no different than any other receiver. He feels like he’s good enough to make the play when it counts.

The "spread" offense continues as Romo hit seven different receivers.

One game after Romo spread the ball around to 10 pass-catchers, seven caught balls Sunday totaling 307 yards, Romo’s fourth 300-plus-yard game of the season. And, yes, his perfectly placed 49-yard bomb to Austin in the fourth quarter was the back-breaker.

But Romo’s best achievement might have finally been getting him and struggling receiver Roy Williams on the same page. Williams caught a season-high five balls for 75 yards. Most impressive was the percentage Romo completed to him. Romo threw his way eight times, completing five. Entering the game, the two had connected just 38 percent of the time.

Razorback > Wildcat.

"It was good to see us get that working tonight," center Andre Gurode said. "To us (linemen), it's really not anything different. We're still blocking like any play. But we knew it's something that can be successful."

(Leonard) Davis, who paved the way on the three rushing plays, said the always-vocal Choice gives him a personal pep talk before each play in the huddle.

"He goes up to me and says . . . 'Big Leonard, I'm running it up right behind you . . . I'm running it behind you,'" Davis said of Choice. "He gets excited about it. I already know before we run the play, I already know what the results are going to be. It's just something you have to study the look and how they're going to scheme against it. It's like any other run play -- when we have the numbers, it's going to be hard to stop."

Another new offensive weapon came through for the 'Boys: WR Kevin Ogletree.

Twice Ogletree snatched third-down screen passes from quarterback Tony Romo, for 20 and 17 yards, to put the Cowboys inside the Eagles’ 5-yard line both times, setting up the first touchdown and a field goal late in the first half.

Ogletree also recorded the first run of his career, picking up 6 yards on an end-around, a play used mostly for Patrick Crayton and then last week for Miles Austin for the first time.

Some Cowboys bumps & bruises:

Felix Jones strained his neck. Andre Gurode sprained an ankle. Mike Jenkins "jammed" his wrist. All are expected to be fine. Also, Anthony Spencer suffered a groin injury, which we should learn more about in Coach Phillips' press conference today. It doesn't sound too worrisome, though.

Philly writer, Bob Ford, uses last night's game to question the strength of the NFC East.

"We battled our tails off," Reid said. "It was two heavyweights swinging at each other, a tough, hard-fought game."

That might be how he saw it, but the two teams combined for three turnovers, 11-for-27 third-down efficiency, and more than 150 penalty yards. These teams looked like welterweights at best. It has been difficult all season to figure out how good the Eagles might be. Until last week, when they thumped the Giants, their only meeting with a legitimate opponent had ended in a loud defeat against the New Orleans Saints. They also managed to lose to the Oakland Raiders along the way, which is the textbook definition of being unpredictable.

The Cowboys split their first four games, losing to the Giants and the Denver Broncos, and have now won four straight.

The Giants, meanwhile, won their first five games, have lost their last four, and head into their bye on fumes.

The question is whether these are three very good teams taking turns pounding each other, or whether these are three inconsistent teams that show up sometimes and not others. Watch a game like last night's and it's tempting to say the latter. Apologists and head coaches will tell you that tackle football is a messy business and that motivated opponents can make any team look sloppy. There's some truth there, too, but it doesn't account for stupid penalties and unimaginative play-calling.

Here's a cool, new website to check out if you plan on attending a sporting event. It's stadiumjourney.com. They even have an awesome review of Cowboys Stadium...he, he.