It was no walk in the park for Tony Romo and the 'Boys' as they headed into a week three matchup with the always dangerous Houston Texans, but neither is being the signal caller for the famed Dallas franchise either. Dubbed "America's Team" by the home town faithful, the Cowboys are the face of NFL and one of most storied franchises in NFL history. Yet with all the glitz and glamour, the $1.2 billion dollar stadium, world renowned cheer leading squad and gun slinger owner Jerry Jones running the show in Big D,expectations are running high as the Cowboys embark on their landmark 50th Anniversary season in hopes of landing a Super Bowl bid at home for the first time in NFL history.
All in a days work right? No pressure to perform week in and week out right? Just another day at the office for this star blazoned team from the center of the known football universe in the heart of Texas. For Romo and Co. the stakes couldn't be higher this season, yet with all the media coverage, expectations and occasional scrutiny the Cowboys figured to get over their preseason woes and start the year off hot, so we thought. After a dreadful 0-2 start the media, NFL insiders, commentators and fans were left shrugging their shoulders at what could have been. With a disappointing division loss to the Redskins in week one, and having been dimed and dashed by Jake Culter and that Mike Martz high octane attack in week two, the season seemed on the verge of collapse heading into a showdown with the Super Bowl hungry Houston Texans.
But there is one thing one needs to remember, a old adage that always rings true and never seems to fade...take it one day at a time, one week at a time, one win at a time. It's been stated before that you can't win two, without winning one and as professionals playing in worlds toughest game, true players show up when the game is on the line and the team needs a season defining win. But as much as I would like to think that this was a game dominated by individual performances, it seems to me that the entire "team" showed up for this one and the swagger was definitely back in this star studded crew.
For one, Tony Romo and his receivers had a field day at Reliant Stadium completing 23 of 30 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns. Romo's 127.6 quarterback rating was a season high and the wide receivers made plays for him on the other end. Williams caught five of the six passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Witten caught passes seven of the eight times he was targeted. Bryant caught four of six balls, and Austin would have been three-for-three if he hadn't dropped one. Romo didn't force too many passes either and for the first time all season, perhaps, he played a near perfect game. He almost had one pass intercepted when he moved out of the pocket and was called for intentional grounding, but all in all, those were the only glaring mistakes as his protection gave him time to throw downfield and make plays in the passing game for the first time this season. Romo and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett picked apart the Houston secondary in customary fashion and with such precision that you have to wonder, was this the turning point the Cowboys faithful had been looking for all season.
With the defense registering its first three takeaways of the season, one has to believe that if this trend of ball hawking football and high powered offense can show a level of consistent play, that the Cowboys might be setting the stage for a mid season run heading into a week four bye. Sitting at 1-2 and with a load of confidence after a big road win against a strong Texans squad, the Cowboys may have won the Battle for Texas, but the road to the NFC title is still a long ways ahead for this talented franchise. What it will come down to, ultimately, is the Cowboys ability to execute, eliminate costly mistakes and to continue to work together as a cohesive unit in an attempt to garner that team philosophy that has been all but absent so far this season. Surely this wealth and level of talent will put you in a position to succeed week in and week out, but I have to think that all 32 NFL teams boast some level of talent across the board. How else do you make sense of the uncharacterisitc, yet seemingly hot starts by the Bengals, Seahawks and Chiefs. But records, draft picks, personnel and game plans aside, if this team can develop a consistent level of leadership, embrace the notion of team play and continue to execute on offense like they did this Sunday, the Cowboys will undoubtedly put themselves in a position to make a run at the playoffs this season.
It was no walk in the park for Tony Romo and the 'Boys' as they headed into a week three matchup with the always dangerous Houston Texans, but neither is being the signal caller for the famed Dallas franchise either. Dubbed "America's Team" by the home town faithful, the Cowboys are the face of NFL and one of most storied franchises in NFL history. Yet with all the glitz and glamour, the $1.2 billion dollar stadium, world renowned cheer leading squad and gun slinger owner Jerry Jones running the show in Big D,expectations are running high as the Cowboys embark on their landmark 50th Anniversary season in hopes of landing a Super Bowl bid at home for the first time in NFL history.
All in a days work right? No pressure to perform week in and week out right? Just another day at the office for this star blazoned team from the center of the known football universe in the heart of Texas. For Romo and Co. the stakes couldn't be higher this season, yet with all the media coverage, expectations and occasional scrutiny the Cowboys figured to get over their preseason woes and start the year off hot, so we thought. After a dreadful 0-2 start the media, NFL insiders, commentators and fans were left shrugging their shoulders at what could have been. With a disappointing division loss to the Redskins in week one, and having been dimed and dashed by Jake Culter and that Mike Martz high octane attack in week two, the season seemed on the verge of collapse heading into a showdown with the Super Bowl hungry Houston Texans.
But there is one thing one needs to remember, a old adage that always rings true and never seems to fade...take it one day at a time, one week at a time, one win at a time. It's been stated before that you can't win two, without winning one and as professionals playing in worlds toughest game, true players show up when the game is on the line and the team needs a season defining win. But as much as I would like to think that this was a game dominated by individual performances, it seems to me that the entire "team" showed up for this one and the swagger was definitely back in this star studded crew.
For one, Tony Romo and his receivers had a field day at Reliant Stadium completing 23 of 30 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns. Romo's 127.6 quarterback rating was a season high and the wide receivers made plays for him on the other end. Williams caught five of the six passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Witten caught passes seven of the eight times he was targeted. Bryant caught four of six balls, and Austin would have been three-for-three if he hadn't dropped one. Romo didn't force too many passes either and for the first time all season, perhaps, he played a near perfect game. He almost had one pass intercepted when he moved out of the pocket and was called for intentional grounding, but all in all, those were the only glaring mistakes as his protection gave him time to throw downfield and make plays in the passing game for the first time this season. Romo and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett picked apart the Houston secondary in customary fashion and with such precision that you have to wonder, was this the turning point the Cowboys faithful had been looking for all season.
With the defense registering its first three takeaways of the season, one has to believe that if this trend of ball hawking football and high powered offense can show a level of consistent play, that the Cowboys might be setting the stage for a mid season run heading into a week four bye. Sitting at 1-2 and with a load of confidence after a big road win against a strong Texans squad, the Cowboys may have won the Battle for Texas, but the road to the NFC title is still a long ways ahead for this talented franchise. What it will come down to, ultimately, is the Cowboys ability to execute, eliminate costly mistakes and to continue to work together as a cohesive unit in an attempt to garner that team philosophy that has been all but absent so far this season. Surely this wealth and level of talent will put you in a position to succeed week in and week out, but I have to think that all 32 NFL teams boast some level of talent across the board. How else do you make sense of the uncharacterisitc, yet seemingly hot starts by the Bengals, Seahawks and Chiefs. But records, draft picks, personnel and game plans aside, if this team can develop a consistent level of leadership, embrace the notion of team play and continue to execute on offense like they did this Sunday, the Cowboys will undoubtedly put themselves in a position to make a run at the playoffs this season.
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