‘Boys Will Be ‘Boys, If Romo Excels Merely With Fewer Tosses

My inclination each season is to imagine the Dallas Cowboys, getting past unnecessary futility that has suffocated high expectations in the past.

But in a juncture, when it seems Tony Romo isn’t beleaguered with paparazzi snapping endless snapshots of him and ex-girlfriend Jessica Simpson vacationing at a pool party a week before a pivotal playoff game, he might have a better possibility at avoiding a late collapse and advance to the playoffs.

In likelihood, he might presumably have better luck, attaining the big one that he has yet to win. Without an egotistic and psychotic Terrell Owens yelling loudly in his ear for not getting enough touches, there shouldn’t be any diversity or rebellious chemistry sabotaging a spacious locker room inside a new colossal stadium, in which owner Jerry Jones nearly invested most of his payroll in.

Simply, Romo is expected to guide the Cowboys away from long-suffering failures, which has done nothing but deflowered mystique and expectations. After all, he’s one of the lovable and scrutinized figures in our country, portrayed more as a celebrity than an actual quarterback.

It’s the most-scrutinized position inside the Cowboys organization, and if the ‘Boys expect to be ‘Boys, they’ll need more consistency from the enigmatic superstar who wears the star logo on his helmet.

He has been granted privileges to guide the Cowboys, and reach expectations instead of underachieving on the big stage. No excuses, his focus level should be at an all-time high, and his gusto should be more instrumental. He, indeed, played with all essential components Monday night, responding to all the critics who have bashed him for underperforming early in the season.

Shockingly, most of the criticism came from former legends that largely had a decisive impact on the Cowboys glorious seasons formerly. Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, and Troy Aikman all took blows at Romo, admitting that he hasn’t done much in the toughest role in the NFL.

Tonight, the flaws weren’t easily discovered or deficiencies weren’t much of a problem. Deemed as one of the top quarterbacks in the league, Romo was well deserving of those remarks responding to all negative bias said this week.

Although it wasn’t a breakout game, finishing the night with no touchdowns, the key point skeptics were watching to point out was Romo’s consistency and smart plays.

From my perspective, he was flawless and played well in the best game yet. As many anticipated, he stayed focus and managed the game, enough to minimized boos from disgruntled fans and increased cheers. For the first time, the Cowboys won at their $1.15 billion stadium after a last-second loss in the home-opener turned disappointing and now is erased out of their minds.

But not all props belong to Romo. Credit the defense for coming up huge, when a convincing Terrence Newman returned an interception to Carolina’s 27 with 5:07 left to secure a 21-7 victory in front of 90,588 fans that were tense until things officially came to a close.

The masses can debate that the Cowboys prevailed off the Panthers miscues, when Jake Delhomme made a few bad tosses and defaulted in another dreadful game, leading the league with seven interceptions.  

Romo, of course, was more consistent with making less throws, but was still harassed and pressured. The Panthers defenders never allowed Romo many advantages to escape the pocket with his nifty footwork, and he wasn’t permitted enough time to make perfect throws on each possession.

With more completions and hand-offs, Romo didn’t throw ill-advised passes or committed any interceptions. Unlike before, he was more patient and relaxed, painfully avoiding overthrows and lofting it into traffic. But mostly, he relied on the Cowboys unstoppable and pugnacious running game.

More serious than in previous letdowns, Romo played with more sense rather than inanely surrendering or giving away one. They could’ve easily seen a 0-3 deficit to start the season, of which Romo would’ve had to take in more heat. But now, he is sighing relief and relinquished jitters that encouraged him to increase productivity.

In Week Three, I think fans weren’t concerned with Romo completing touchdown passes. They were more concerned with his consistency, as he managed holding on to a comfortable lead. Romo finished with more suitable results, and was 22 of 33 for 235 yards, finding reliable tight end Jason Witten, who had nine catches for 77 yards.

Goodness, all the weapons Romo had. He was surrounded with a sturdy rushing attack, such as Felix Jones rushing for 94 yards on eight carries before leaving with a strained left knee in the third quarter. But Tashard Choice ran faster than anyone else on this giving night.

Without an ailing Marion Barber, who is nursing a bruised thigh, Romo handed the ball to a stellar and hasty Choice. He was solid finishing the night with 82 yards on 18 carries, including a touchdown and caught four passes off Romo’s intelligent reaction to disbelievers. But the key play came when Newman stepped in front and cut off a pass intended to Steve Smith and raced to the end zone diving in.

Even though he’s merely a celebrity bust in most people’s minds, the Cowboys are still convincing—if Romo can manage to accumulate victories and doesn’t derail in the playoffs. Even if he doesn’t loft it deep, he has strong depth to relay on, which is helpful for forcing opposing defenses to focus strongly on an indomitable ground game.

The remaining unanswered questions—can the Cowboys win in December? And can Romo win his first playoff game—are queries that should last until the month’s approaches. Around then, games are meaningful, and Romo’s consistency is counted on.

His resume displays he can’t win big games—sudden death games specifically—which usually results in mindless gaffes. He’s 5-10 lifetime in December and January combined, failing to capitalize in critical moments and relapses in bad timing.

With a strong running game, Romo prevailed, too. If it continues, expect ‘Boys to be ‘Boys.

 

 

 

 

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The Kid Is All Right: “Franchez” Has New York Jets Flying High at 3-0

Super days are ahead, Jets fans.

Your time is coming. Joe Namath has a clone. He wears No. 6.

The J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets are 3-0. Clad in New York Titans uniforms, the Jets turned away the real Titans of Tennessee 24-17 behind two touchdown strikes and a touchdown scamper from Mark Sanchez on Sunday. It ain’t pretty, but neither was Namath when he made the AFL matter overnight.

How’s that for a coming out party?

Rex Ryan is the real deal. The Jets are not scared. The Jets are not afraid. The Jets are just getting warmed up.

This past summer was the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. And it was also the 40-year anniversary of the New York Jets victory guarantee by Namath. Kind of fitting that 2009 could be the year of the Jets.

Seemed a little fitting that the franchise that couldn’t win the big one would be wearing Houston Oilers uniforms as the Titans slide to 0-3. Better get warm, Vince Young.

As a nation, we have come full circle since 1969. And now, the Jets are going to rock their throwbacks all the way to the Super Bowl. Wear the Titans uniforms. Change your name to the Titans. We don’t care. Just win.

The Jets might be America’s Team soon. Mark “Franchez” will deliver the goods to New York. Sanchez made a great decision to skip his senior season at USC to lead the New York Jets to the promise land.

Sanchez is gutty. Sanchez is sneaky. Sanchez flat out gets the job done. Sanchez is a poor man’s Ben Roethlisberger.

In fact, move over Ben. It’s Franchez’s turn now. Big Ben lost to the Bengals in heartbreaking fashion. The wheels are falling off the Steelers’ wagon.

Peyton Manning in Indy will still be a force as will a healthy Tom Brady for the New England Patriots, but those are teams that the Jets can beat (and already has over New England in Week Two).

It’s a feel good story for the ages. You couldn’t script this any better. The J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets are for real. The Jets are a force to be reckoned with in the near future. How many trophies can this kid win?

Jump on the bandwagon. Buy the classic, retro ringer T-shirt. Because in our entire lifetime, it was fun to make fun of the Jets. But not anymore. The Jets are no joke.

It all makes sense. 2009 is the year of the Jets. Life comes full circle, including the irony of having an African-American President of the United States just 40 years after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated.

Our history comes full circle. Franchez’s play isn’t always pretty—much like on his short-yardage touchdown run where it appeared he fumbled away a sure touchdown. Instead, Franchez got the inch he needed to cross the goal line to put his team in command of a pivotal game against—despite its 0-3 record in 2009—a major player in the American Football Conference race.

And those throwbacks. It’s the 50-year anniversary of the formation of the American Football League. The throwbacks are slick, even the ones the officiating crews have been wearing with the red stripes. It’s almost the 40-year anniversary of the merger that Namath made possible.

Because before the Jets won the Super Bowl and Namath famously gliding off the field holding up the “We’re No. 1” sign, making it the coolest sign overnight, the AFL was a glorified phony league that threw the ball too much.

Teams like the Jets made it cool in 2009 to make a “Wildcat” formation look so groundbreaking. They played football like that once, back when the National Football League was being formed. The T-formation.

The first professional African-American starting quarterback was from the AFL. Marlin Briscoe out of the University of Nebraska-Omaha led the Denver Broncos onto the field in the 1960s, long before Doug Williams quarterbacked the Washington Redskins into the football history books by being the first African-American quarterback to win a major Professional football title. 

One of the greatest passing quarterbacks of the modern-era was an African-American, none other than former Houston Oilers gunslinger Warren Moon. Moon was so unlikely that he had to go break a bunch of records against the Mounties up north in Canada before even getting a sniff of the NFL.

Imagine if Moon would have played an entire career in the NFL. We wouldn’t be talking about Dan Marino’s records before they were Brett Favre’s records. Moon would have shattered them all.

The American Football League and franchises like the New York Titans/Jets are etched in our culture. So it would be impossible to shrug off it’s sudden turnaround let by a confident—some would say cocky—kid that nobody gave a chance to succeed in April.

A quarterback that—if Sam Bradford would have gone to the NFL instead of coming back to Oklahoma to win a National Championship—would be commanding the No. 2 team in American in USC.

Do you think Franchez would have lost in Seattle against Washington? Not even a coach that had all the answers to the secrets in Steve Sarkisian would have been able to slow down No. 6.

This whole revitalization of the Jets is kind of trendy.

It’s kind of groovy and it still shows neutral fans of the NFL across the country that this sport can still be fun and innocent. 

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NFC Power Rankings: Week 3

1. Giants (3-0) – Not much to say about their 24-0 drubbing of the Bucs.  Just gotta stay healthy. (Last Week: 1)

2. Saints (3-0) – Drew Brees was held in check, and the Saints still handled the Bills on the road.  Maybe their most impressive win yet. (3)

3. Vikings (3-0) – A little luck and a lot of skill helped Brett Favre throw one of his most memorable touchdown passes to win a tight game. (4)

4. Eagles (2-1) – Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook need to get healthy for this team to win against legitimate competition.  At full strength, this team is one of the most balanced in the league. (5)

5. Cowboys (2-1) – The Cowboys bounced back from a tough loss to the Giants to absolutely shut down the Panthers.  The defense hasn’t played up to it’s full potential yet. (6)

6. Falcons (2-1) – Michael Turner’s 3.5 yards per carry is a bit concerning, but the Patriots were due for good performance.  This is still a playoff caliber team. (2)

7. Packers (2-1) – A six point lead over the Rams after three quarters is a little too close for comfort, but they scored 13 unanswered in the fourth quarter. (7)

8. 49ers (2-1) – They showed that they are for real, but you have to win games like this.  They were one inexcusable touchdown pass away from a 3-0 start and a two game lead in the NFC West. (8)

9. Bears (2-1) – Hard fought victory at Seattle after being down 13-0.  Jay Cutler was great, but the defense didn’t exactly dominate a shorthanded Seahawks offense. (10)

10. Cardinals (1-2) – Their game with the Colts was closer than the 31-10 score would indicate.  Still, they didn’t make the big plays when they needed to. (9)

11. Panthers (0-3) – Their schedule has been brutal thus far, but it’s tough to come back from 0-3.  Jake Delhomme deserves some of the blame, but not all of it.  Regardless, I’ll be surprised if they don’t draft a QB next year. (11)

12. Seahawks (1-2) – Seneca Wallace played valiantly, but the offense just isn’t much of a threat without Matt Hasselbeck. (12)

13. Lions (1-2) – Matthew Stafford doesn’t have to win another game the rest of his career.  He has already etched himself a place in the Lions Hall of Fame. (16)

14. Bucs (0-3) – Byron Leftwich has been benched, and that’s probably a good thing for the Leftwich family.  If they play their cards right, the Bucs could end up with a top five pick. (14)

15. Redskins (1-2) – Sigh. (13)

16. Rams (0-3) – At least Steven Jackson is still good. (15)

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NFL 2009 Week Three Wrap Up

It is still pretty early in the season, but we learned a few very important things this past weekend. Reports of the New England Patriots’ demise were greatly exaggerated. The San Francisco 49ers are for real. The Cincinnati Bengals have matured a lot over the past year. Here are some more observations from around the league:

Detroit (1-2) def. Washington (1-2), 19-14: It finally happened. For the first time in 20 games, the Detroit Lions have won and may be the happiest 1-2 team in NFL history. They did it by playing hard and refusing to be beaten again. On the other side, I don’t know if there has ever been another team to lose a game, come out with the same record as the winning team, and feel worse than the ‘Skins do right now. With everything that has gone on this year, Jim Zorn could be in trouble.

Green Bay (2-1) def. St. Louis (0-3), 36-17: Not too much to say about this game. This was one of those where the Rams stayed relatively close throughout, but you never got a sense that the Packers felt at all threatened or that anyone thought the Rams would pull out a victory. Now the Pack have a huge game against the Brett Favre-led Minnesota Vikings.

Minnesota (3-0) def. San Francisco (2-1), 27-24: There are no moral victories in sports, but this is about as close as you can get to it. The Niners proved that they will be around in December. They would have won if not for an amazing pass by the aforementioned Favre and a miraculous catch by the recently cut Greg Lewis. This was a pretty entertaining game between two pretty good teams. One of the few negatives for San Fran was Frank Gore’s ankle injury.

New England (2-1) def. Atlanta (2-1), 26-10: The Pats really took over in the second half and won this game behind a surprisingly strong running attack. Tom Brady still looked a bit off, but probably the best he’s looked all season. These are the types of games that Atlanta still has not learned to win and they will not be a championship team until they do.

New York Jets (3-0) def. Tennessee (0-3), 24-17: Who would have thought that the Titans would have already equaled their 2008 loss total by Week Three? It is one thing to lose when you are playing bad, but it has to be excruciating when you know you’re a good team and you’re playing well enough to win. However, when the quarterback’s last thirteen passes fall harmlessly to the turf, something’s not working. The Jets continue to play great defense and decent offense as they keep on rolling.

Philadelphia (2-1) def. Kansas City (0-3), 34-14: Kansas City’s offense just looks completely lost at times. Philly put up far too many points for Kansas City to keep up because the Chiefs don’t have any DeSean Jacksons or LeSean McCoys. Kevin Kolb once again played pretty well in relief and now that Philly has their bye week coming up, they can rest up some nagging injuries and Donovan McNabb should be back under center in Week Five.

New York Giants (3-0) def. Tampa Bay (0-3), 24-0: This was like a college game where the obviously better team gets called off by the coaches, so as to not embarrass the inferior team. This was domination in every sense of the word. I’ve said for weeks now how bad Tampa’s secondary is, but on Sunday the G-Men shredded them on the ground going for over 200 yards. Nothing much to see here.

Baltimore (3-0) def. Cleveland (0-3), 34-3: You can pretty much copy and paste everything I wrote from the Giants-Tampa game and just replace Giants with Ravens and Tampa Bay with Cleveland. The Browns are horrible and the Ravens are really, really good. Again, nothing to see here.

Jacksonville (1-2) def. Houston (1-2), 31-24: Houston has to be the most schizophrenic team in the entire NFL. I am fully aware that these two teams always play each other pretty close, but Houston was coming off of a big win and, with their next few games, had a good shot to go into the middle of the season with one or two losses. Jacksonville came in and capitalized on Houston’s mistakes and picked up a much needed victory.

New Orleans (3-0) def. Buffalo (1-2), 27-7: This game was actually a lot closer than the score indicated as Buffalo’s defense played very well for most of the game. Their teammates on offense didn’t. Trent Edwards missed a couple of deep balls and they were just pretty stagnant all day. Drew Brees & co. picked it up towards the end of the game, although they didn’t explode as they had in Weeks One and Two.

Chicago (2-1) def. Seattle (1-2), 25-19: First of all, whoever thought it was a good idea for Seattle to wear those HORRIBLE jerseys should be fired and banished from the league. Secondly, I thought that Jim Mora Jr.’s little rant on his kicker Olindo Mare was ridiculous. Nobody is perfect. Kickers are going to miss sometimes. Yes he should have made the kicks, but Mora Jr. just completely threw his kicker under the bus and it just really bothered me.

As for the actual game, Seneca Wallace played pretty well in relief but made the bad under pressure-pass that was intercepted deep in his own territory. Other than that Seattle played well enough to win, but Jay Cutler and Devin Hester stepped up in the end.

Cincinnati (2-1) def. Pittsburgh (1-2), 23-20: Right now, the Steelers have two big problems. They have moved the ball pretty well all year, but they are having problems putting the ball in the paint when they get into the redzone. They should have had a much larger halftime lead than they did. The other is Troy Polamalu’s injury in late game situations. Pittsburgh is having trouble stopping teams late in the game.

As far as Cincy goes, they deserve a ton of credit. They couldn’t do anything for the first 29 minutes of this game. They kept their composure against a team that has had their number for years and won the game. Huge win for the Bengals.

Denver (3-0) def. Oakland (1-2), 23-3: It’s time to give Denver credit. Regardless of how good anyone thinks they are or who they’ve played, they are now 3-0, which is more than most teams can currently say. They just destroyed Oakland as the Raiders continued to show their ineptness.

San Diego (2-1) def. Miami (0-3), 23-13: This one was relatively close as the Chargers let the Fins hang around for a while, but that all came crashing down (even though Chad Henne played relatively well, save for the interception) when Chad Pennington went down for the year. The Chargers again just looked alright, but they now start to get ready for a big game next week against the Steelers.

Indianapolis (3-0) def. Arizona (1-2), 31-10: Indy continued to produce the huge plays on Sunday night in the desert. The Colts also looked pretty good on defense against a great offense that has looked suspect all year. Arizona has to become more consistent on both sides of the ball if they want to make it back to where they were last year, much less the playoffs.

Dallas (2-1) def. Carolina (0-3), 21-7: This was a pretty sloppy game that was decided by turnovers, although they weren’t Jake Delhomme’s fault. As Dallas moves on, they really need to clean things up if they are going to be serious contenders in the ridiculously tough NFC East. For Carolina, they just desperately need a win. They get a much needed bye next week.

Top 12 Teams (last week’s rankings in parenthesis)

1. New York Giants (1): They keep moving along with a dominating win over a bad team.
2. Baltimore Ravens (2): Again, the exact same thoughts as with the Giants.
3. New York Jets (3): Picked up a pretty good win against a tough Tennessee team.
4. Indianapolis Colts (9): Big move for the Colts as they put on a pretty dominant performance themselves against a good team.
5. New Orleans Saints (6): Victory didn’t come as easily for them as it has earlier on in the year, but these are the kind of victories that are the most valuable.
6. Minnesota Vikings (7): Great victory against a very game San Fran.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (10): Good bounce back game as they head into their bye to get healthy.
8. New England Patriots (8): Same as Philly, except they did it against a good team.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers (5): They are playing well enough to win, but their own mistakes combined with the huge bull’s-eye on their back is costing them.
10. San Diego Chargers (12): For one reason or another, they keep playing down to their competition.
11. Green Bay Packers (NR): It seems this year, to me at least, like they are missing something. I just have no idea what it is.
12. Cincinnati Bengals (NR): If not for a fluke play, they would be 3-0 right now. Think about that for a second.

That’s all for right now. As always, picks will be in on Friday.

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Classic Dumb Statements About Young San Diego Chargers Players

I love history. I was sitting back and thinking about some of the stupidest things I’ve read about about three of my all-time favorite Chargers: Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, and LaDainian Tomlinson.

Philip Rivers

Phil Simms, in the process of touting his son Chris Simms, explained that the Miami Dolphins would be foolish to trade for a loser like Rivers.

Simms isn’t particularly impressed by Rivers’ ability, either — even if the quarterback finished his career at N.C. State ranked second among passers in NCAA history. That’s because Rivers is not particularly fast — he ran a 5.08 in the 40-yard dash before the draft — and he lacks a consistent deep ball.

“He’s not the play-maker,” said Simms, who suggested the Dolphins would be better off convincing Notre Dame junior quarterback Brady Quinn to enter the draft. “But the market for Philip Rivers will be driven up by hype, by people who say the Chargers’ best quarterback is sitting on the bench. That’s a very easy thing to say when there’s no proof of it otherwise.”

-Jeff Darlington, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer, Thursday, December 08, 2005

Mr. Simms, those words are among the stupidest ever said. When you argue that there is no proof that Rivers is any good. That was true.

You then state that he is not play-maker, but there is no proof of that either? That was desperate.

Would you rather have Rivers or both Brady Quinn and Chris Simms on your team?

LaDainian Tomlinson

Dave-Te’ Thomas from www.footballsfuture.com thought that LaDainian Tomlinson reminded him of Philadelphia great running back Duce Staley.

Once he adjusts to running from a pro-set instead of a veer offense, watch him grow into a very effective back. Definitely starting material, but he has enough to only garner All-Pro consideration eventually, but this is no franchise back here, folks. His numbers are very impressive, but he’s a product of the team’s system. Too bad too many general managers are desperate for a running back, as he’ll go higher than his stock dictates.

I guess Jim Brown (the clown) was right, LT must have made it into the right system in the NFL too.

Drew Brees

ESPN’s Tom Jackson, who proclaimed Jay Cutler the best quarterback on the best team in the league at one point last season, once proclaimed that Drew Brees hadn’t shown him anything that could convince him that Drew Brees had the talent to play in the NFL.

Excuse me, but that calls for an LOL.

That goes to show you that Mr. Jackson is nothing more than a high profile fan who never saw Drew Brees’ first season as a starter.

Terrible.

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Chargers Unafraid to Run Despite Modest Gains

The Chargers may be channeling their aviator past with a 21st century iteration, but elements of the ground game are still readily apparent.

And whether the through-the-trenches chores are handled by LaDainian Tomlinson or Michael Bennett or Darren Sproles, “Air Turner” is merely a part of the service that moves the football for these San Diego Chargers.

No worries.

Philip Rivers will get his yards – he threw for 303 in Sunday’s 23-13 victory over the Dolphins – and the receivers will get opportunities to stretch their legs (Vincent Jackson, five catches, 120 yards, Antonio Gates, five/64 and Malcom Floyd, 2/65).

But Turner’s philosophy is really no different than a host of other head coaches, who have tried to make a living in the National Football League.

To have success over the long term, in this case an NFL season, teams have to run the football and balance that with a good mix of passes and play action.

So despite his option to direct Rivers aloft, losing the ability to run effectively would not only make Turner’s Chargers one-dimensional, it would put more pressure on a patchwork offensive line and not less.

Sunday’s game served prime examples of Turner looking to establish his ability to run and continue to hand the ball off regardless of perceived success.

Out of 63 total plays for the Chargers, Rivers made 33 pass attempts and was sacked twice while they rushed the ball 28 times. Positive yards skewed heavily to the passing game as Rivers eclipsed the 300-yard plateau for the second straight game, completely dwarfing the output by Chargers running backs.

Sproles led with 41 of the team’s 69 yards gained on the ground and only two of the team’s 17 first downs were achieved on a running play.

The Chargers’ lone offensive touchdown was scored on the ground, though, as Rivers’ unlikely five-yard scamper gave the team a 10-6 late in the third quarter. They would lead the rest of the game as Nate Kaeding added two more field goals and Eric Weddle iced it with a 31-yard TD interception return of a Chad Henne pass.

Despite the fact the Chargers have not rushed for at least 100 yards in any of their three games this season while giving up an average of 142 run yards in each of those games, Turner has clearly indicated he will continue to strike a balance.

On 15 first-down plays in Sunday’s first half, the Chargers ran eight times while passing on seven occasions. That increased in the second half, due in part to the fact they milked clock in the fourth quarter. The Chargers ran the ball on first down 10 times in the second half while attempting three first-down passes.

In maintaining that balance, though, Rivers was eventually able to strike downfield. After a three-and-out possession on their initial second-half drive, Rivers hit Floyd on the first play of their succeeding drive that was good for 47 yards.

A short pass to Antonio Gates worked for another 19 yards and Rivers ultimately ran it in for the score.

Their propensity to throw deep was evident again in the Chargers’ next drive as Rivers hit Jackson on a 55-yard bomb. That drive ended with a Kaeding field goal.

Another drive that featured a mix of short passes and runs produced another three point s from Kaeding before Weddle’s pick six.

The Chargers have proven they can move the ball in large chunks by throwing the ball but are also not afraid to balance that attack with the run, despite their modest success.

Problems have arisen, though, in their near inability to convert deep pushes into the red zone into touchdowns. Kaeding has converted eight of nine field goal attempts this season, but seven of those have been inside 30 yards.

That is contrasted by just four red-zone TDs.

A healthy LT should help increase those numbers, but he still hasn’t returned from an ankle injury. That puts the load on Sproles and Bennett, neither of whom has shown the ability to be an every-down, 100-yard rusher.

Results aside, though, Turner will unlikely abandon the running game any time soon. That also could very well mean that he’ll need to be satisfied with trotting Kaeding onto the field in return for points.

At some juncture, though, and hopefully very soon with a game in Pittsburgh this coming Sunday, Turner will allow Rivers to let it fly inside the red zone.

 

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No Love For Romo: Cowboy QB Is Good. Does He Have to Be Great?

Why is there so much criticism of Tony Romo? He is not Tom Brady, but nobody is Tom Brady. Expectations for Romo are far too high. Dallas has a good QB. He is unquestionably the best QB they have had since Troy Aikman.

Much in the same way that Philly fans have lambasted solid, consistent, pro-Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb, the media has decided that Romo is yesterday’s news and has been a disappointment thus far.

Romo has a career 95 passer rating and has thrown nearly twice as many TD’s as INT’s. This has not been enough, however, for some in Big D. They say he has come up short in big games.

The truth is that the Giants and Eagles have simply been better and more consistent teams than the Cowboys. Romo is not getting the chance to prove himself in the playoffs because Bum’s son is his coach and the Cowboys have been the third best team in the division.

At one point, Peyton Manning had not come up big in the big spots. The same could be said for many other QB’s, including many in the Hall of Fame.

Dallas fans need not to have short memories. The Cowboys struggled to find consistency at this position for a long time (Quincy Carter anybody?), and their are many teams (Cleveland Browns) who would kill for that kind of consistency and production from that position.

So enjoy it while you can. The Romo era may prove to be a golden one in the future. Romo still may come up big in a huge spot (he is only 29). Most of all, however, Romo is a good player and seems to be a good guy. If he is given the chance, he may yet prove to be a great player.

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Dallas Cowboys Should Fire Wade Phillips Immediately After Game

The 4th Quarter is here, and Jerry Jones can’t be amused right now.

Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett are lucky that their team’s highly-engaged owner did not walk onto the field early in the fourth quarter to fire them both on the spot.

At the time of this article’s publication, the Dallas Cowboys maintain a six point lead…

…but that’s the problem. It shouldn’t even be a game at this point.

The offensive play calling on the Cowboys’ critical 1-yard-line set of downs was not bad. It was not horrific. It was nothing less than self-defeating.

Every coach makes mistakes.

But sometimes there are mistakes that are so inexcusable, that they speak directly to the character of the decision maker.

This set of downs was one of them.

Let’s face it, though. The rest of the game has been littered with sloppiness and thoughtless penalties. Carolina has practically handed this victory to the Cowboys (thanks to an equally sloppy performance), and the Cowboys have refused to capitalize.

One cannot blame Phillips for the embarrassing field goal shank by Nick Folk. But it was John Phillips inexcusable penalty on 4th-and-inches that forced the kicking unit back on the field when a touchdown was critical.

Good coaches take responsibility for the discipline of thier squad. This will be the third straight game in which the Cowboys have taken more penalties than their opponent.

But the ‘Boys have outdone themselves tonight with 80 yards of penalization, with a lot of time left on the clock. That’s bad. The timing and momentum-killing nature of those infractions has been even worse.

Cowboys fans should be particularly disappointed in their coaching staff, because the leaders on the field have really stepped up tonight. Romo has surely re-established his sense of confidence. Felix Jones came up big in the first half. Roy Williams has made a handful of big catches.

This one can’t be pinned on Romo.

Even if the Cowboys win this one, Jerry Jones will have to put his coaching staff on alert.

Dallas will not get to play a cupcake of a game at home every week, and they can only play Tampa Bay once. An undisciplined and poorly-called performance like tonights will register a loss against New York or Philadelphia—at home or away.

Who knows how this game will end. It will probably be a Cowboy victory.

But we all know how this season will end if Dallas exhibits such poor play calling and inexcusable discipline…

… there is no margin for error in the NFC East.

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Once Again, Chad Pennington is Done For the Season

Now the Miami Dolphins know why the New York Jets couldn’t wait to remove Chad Pennington from their Florham Park training facility last summer.

The same man who won his second “Comeback Player of the Year” award last season when he led the Dolphins to an improbable 11-5 year and an AFC Eastern division title is, once again, out for the season.

This time around, it is a torn capsule that will sideline the game’s biggest excuse maker, marking the fourth time in 10 years that Pennington will miss considerable time because of an injury.

Talk about broken bones syndrome; at times, it seems like Pennington invented it.

For eight years the Jets waited, waited, waited, and waited for Godot to show up with the keys that would take them to the Lombardi Trophy room, but that never happened.

Instead, all the Jets got was nearly a decade of injury, playbook confusion, and a vanilla offense that was so feckless it would make any fan want to throw a shoe through the TV set.

Images of Pennington waving his rally towel while standing on the sideline with his arms wrapped tighter than a mummy are seared into Jet fan telememories; the vision of Pennington actually completing touchdown passes merely the stuff of perfervid delusions.

Alas, once he showed some moxi in Miami, it had to make Dolphin fans into believers that Pennington could be good enough to take them into the postseason for a second straight year. Nevertheless, they too are left at the altar, wondering and waiting to see what the future has in store for them too.

Sure, Pennington is a “good guy” and “media savy,” but those qualities don’t buy any team victories in a business fueled by consistently winning games. 

Some have pointed to Pennington’s statistics as a demonstration of his worthiness on the gridiron: he owns a 66 percent completion rating, and a QB rating of 90. But, the fact is, most of Pennington’s passes are less than seven yards. This year alone, he is averaging about five yards per pass.

In eight years with the Jets, and two with the Dolphins, the playbook was drawn to compensate for Pennington’s deficiencies as an NFL quarterback, mostly his arm strength.

He lacked the necessary zip to get passes through tight coverage, and the power to loft the ball more than 30 yards down field. Therefore, the only way to keep Pennington successful was short bubble screens and dump off passes to his running backs, full backs, and even tight ends.

Did the years of shoulder damage play a role in Pennington’s lack of arm strength? Mostly likely, the answer is yes. Any player who has to go through two rotator cuff surgeries and a surgically repaired hand is going to see most of his athletic ability shrink.

Like his time with the Jets, Pennington will tell the Miami press and fans that he is “sick to his stomach” and that he can’t help his teammates win on the field, but the fact remains that he has to be on the field to actually be a leader of men, as one CBS commentator once labeled Pennington a year ago.

What is in store for Pennington’s football future? Who knows, but one thing is for certain: his days as a starting quarterback are over. No team can afford to waste their time on banking their entire season on a quarterback who can’t stay on the field longer than a handful of games each season.

Therefore, a backup quarterback role is likely in store for Chad. If not that, then maybe the Canadian Football League or the UFL. 

In many ways, it is tragic to see this happen to one player. For all of the problems that Pennington has when he takes the field, it is unfortunate for him that he can’t catch a break and stay on the field for an extended period of time.

In fact, Pennington made his 19th consecutive start in San Diego on Sunday, which set a career high for him! Now, his career may, indeed, be near its end.

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Report: Frank Gore With High Ankle Sprain, To Miss Three Weeks

The San Francisco 49ers, with a record of 2-1, looked to be the team to beat in the NFC West after the first three weeks of the season.

Those two wins were thanks in large part to big games by the 49ers’ former All-Pro running back, Frank Gore. After his first carry of Week Three, Gore was injured and San Francisco went on to lose its first game of the season. The Niners may have to get used to his absence for a little while longer.

According to reports, Gore will miss up to three weeks with a right angle sprain.

After the final-second loss to Brett Favre and the Vikings, the team is going to adjust the offensive play calling for the next few weeks with their star running back out.

San Francisco could hold their division lead in Gore’s absence, as the next three games will not be played against any of the top-tier defenses in the league.

The 49ers face a division foe in the St. Louis Rams, followed by the Atlanta Falcons and the Houston Texans.

 

Matt Miselis is a writer for BleacherReport.com

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