NFL FanHouse

Cowboys Cruise Past Hapless Raiders

FanHouse Newswire — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:39:00 EST

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) --Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys had their way with the Oakland Raiders, piling up their most yards of the season and getting another solid performance from the defense.

Now comes the big challenge for the NFC East leaders: Keeping it up.

Dallas beat Oakland 24-7 on Thursday for its sixth win in seven games, guaranteeing it will remain atop the division going into the final month. Because Decembers have been such disasters for the Cowboys over the past decade-plus, they can only hope this performance indicates things will be different this season.

"I think we have a lot to prove - just for this season, though,'' Romo said. "I don't think any other season has any bearing whatsoever. For us, it's strictly about right now and this next game. We'll go from there.''

Despite a back injury sustained four days before, Romo threw for 309 yards. He got more than 100 yards receiving from each of his two favorite targets, Miles Austin and Jason Witten, and threw a touchdown to his highest-paid receiver, Roy Williams.

MILES AHEAD: If you need proof of just how uncertain NFL scouting can be, look no further than Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin and his Raiders counterpart, Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Austin, an undrafted rookie out of tiny Monmouth, continued his spectacular and surprising season Thursday, racking up seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown in Dallas' 24-7 win over Oakland. His TD grab was his eighth of the season. On the losing side, Heyward-Bey, the No. 7 pick in last April's draft, hauled in his eighth catch -- matching Austin's season-TD total -- and his first professional TD in his 10th game. -- Read MoreDallas (8-3) also had nice balance with more than 60 yards each from running backs Felix Jones, Tashard Choice and Marion Barber.

The defense kept Oakland (3-8) from crossing midfield in the first half, crushing whatever good vibes the Raiders generated by a victory over the division-leading Bengals on Sunday. They got within 17-7 early in the second half on the first career touchdown catch by top draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey, then hardly threatened again.

"Trying to win two games for us has been like trying to climb Mount Everest,'' cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "We haven't been able to get any momentum going.''

Coming off two lousy offensive performances, the Cowboys more than made up for it.

They gained 494 yards, sparked by lots of big plays - five of at least 40 yards, and eight of at least 25; no NFL team had done that since New Orleans in October 2006.

Witten had his two longest catches of the season and his first 100-yard outing since last Thanksgiving, and he'd been questionable to even play because of a sprained left foot. Choice had a 66-yard run that was the club's longest since 2006, Jones added a 46-yarder for a touchdown, and Romo was an efficient 18 of 29 with two touchdown passes and no turnovers.

Still, there were things to worry about, like turning all that into only 24 points because of penalties and converting only four of 12 third-down attempts.

"We still have a lot of work to do,'' said Choice, whose big run came out of Dallas' version of the wildcat formation. "A lot of things that we've messed up on we have to get better. We have to stay focused coming into December.''

The defense remains an overshadowed strong point. They went from giving up 68 yards rushing in the first quarter to just 56 the rest of the game, and linebacker Anthony Spencer had his first two sacks of the season. It was especially sweet for him because his predecessor, Greg Ellis, was watching from the Oakland sideline. Ellis made a few plays early but missed the second half because of swelling in his left knee.

Romo is 4-0 in Thanksgiving starts, but this is the time of year his golden touch turns to rust. He is 5-10 after Thanksgiving, counting two playoff losses. Last season, the Cowboys came out of the holiday at 8-4, then went 1-3 and missed the playoffs. The year before, when Dallas went 13-3, two of the losses came in December.

The Cowboys are going to have to earn their way into the playoffs as their final five games are against division leaders New Orleans and San Diego, plus division rivals New York, Philadelphia and Washington.

"I think you put yourself in position well before December,'' Romo said. "You have to maintain a level of consistency, then you raise it up going into January - if you're good enough to do that.''

Austin is one of Dallas' new wrinkles this time around. The Cowboys' 6-1 run coincides with the seven games he's started.

Defenses had done a better job of smothering him in recent weeks, which might've lulled the Raiders into going with single coverage. He responded with seven catches for 145 yards and a 9-yard touchdown.

"I don't think me having a great game means that we're going to have a great game,'' he said. "I would say it is all of us.''

Oakland quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was 18 of 35 for 200 yards and the 4-yard touchdown pass to Heyward-Bey. On that drive, Gradkowski was 5 of 5 for 69 yards, plus a 21-yard scramble, he just couldn't keep it up.

"There were plays out there to be made early on. We didn't make them,'' Gradkowski said. "I take the blame. I missed a couple early throws on that would have given our team energy.''

Oakland's powerful punter Shane Lechler failed in his bid to hit the overhead video board, in warmups or in his nine tries during the game.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Cowboys Cruise Past Hapless Raiders originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:39:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Heyward-Bey Scores, Austin Dominates

Chris Burke — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Raiders

If you need proof of just how uncertain NFL scouting can be, look no further than Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin and his Raiders counterpart, Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Austin, an undrafted player out of tiny Monmouth, continued his spectacular and surprising season Thursday, racking up seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown in Dallas' 24-7 win over Oakland. His TD grab was his eighth of the season. On the losing side, Heyward-Bey, the No. 7 pick in last April's draft, hauled in his eighth catch -- matching Austin's season-TD total -- and his first professional TD in his 10th game.

More: Check Box Score | Game Recap

Heyward-Bey finally scored in the third quarter of Thursday's game, hauling in a 4-yard Bruce Gradkowski pass in the corner of the end zone -- the catch was Heyward-Bey's only one of the day. The rookie took the TD ball to the Oakland sideline with him, where he was congratulated by his teammates.

But DHB's breakthrough paled in comparison to Austin's effort. Austin, who has developed into Tony Romo's favorite target, topped the 150-yard receiving mark for the third time this year -- to put that in context, Austin had just 354 yards receiving in his first three seasons with the Cowboys.

"They were playing man to man and he beat them a lot man to man," coach Wade Phillips said of Austin. "He is hard to cover in bump and run. It was one of those games he was open a lot and we got him the ball."

Austin got his six Thursday when Romo hit him from nine yards out in the second quarter. Austin also had a 49-yard grab in the first quarter, then made two long catches to set up Felix Jones' touchdown run before halftime.

"I don't think me having a great game means that we're going to have a great game," Austin said. "I would say it is all of us."

Heyward-Bey Scores, Austin Dominates originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slumping Broncos Search for Answers

Nancy Gay — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Broncos, Chargers, Cowboys, Giants, NFL Coaching, NFL Analysis

The five stages of grief are being played out in NFL-mad Denver, where Broncos fans -- teased into believing a stunning 6-0 start had canceled out the challenges of a first-year head coach, new quarterback and assorted volatile team personalities -- are well into the process of re-evaluating a season gone horribly wrong.

Broncos players, many of whom came away from Sunday's disheartening 32-3 AFC West home loss to the San Diego Chargers embarrassed, confused and bickering, know they have to regroup in a hurry.

This was a short week, and a Thanksgiving Day game at Invesco Field looms against the revitalized New York Giants (8:20 p.m. ET). Both teams are 6-4, a game behind their division leaders, the Cowboys and the Chargers, respectively.

Both have been subjected to pride-swallowing four-game losing streaks.

Unfortunately for Denver, the run of futility is ongoing (New York broke its losing streak with a Week 11 overtime win over Atlanta). And unforgiving fans, many of whom streamed out of last Sunday's rout in the third quarter, don't figure to be empathetic if the Broncos lose control of another contest.

Or lose control among themselves.

Flashback to Sunday night: Wide receiver Brandon Marshall, not renowned for his self-control, went facemask-to-facemask with rookie Knowshon Moreno after the running back fumbled at the Chargers' goal line. Moreno responded with a two-handed shove and near-bedlam broke out.

Before kickoff of that game, rookie head coach Josh McDaniels, 33, got chippy with a Chargers defensive player who engaged him in some pre-game smack. McDaniels responded by saying that the Broncos "owned" the Chargers.

Sure they did, a month ago in San Diego, when the Broncos established themselves as a second-half power, outscoring opponents 76-10 in the final two quarters during their six-game winning streak.

"It's all fun and games. We didn't look much into it," said Chargers linebacker Shaun Phillips, who got his revenge by forcing a fumble when Broncos backup quarterback Chris Simms dropped back on his first pass attempt. "As a coach, I hope he has that [confident] mindset.

"But to say you own us? You beat us one time. How much has he really done in this league? He had a team 6-0, and how he's looking up at us, in second place."

Did the Broncos grow arrogant and complacent during the 6-0 run? Is McDaniels in over his head? Denver fans are certainly wondering those things. The coach, for instance, tried and failed with a curious onside kick attempt midway through the third quarter. That bit of cunning gave San Diego the ball at midfield and allowed Chargers coach Norv Turner to perform some trickery of his own: a flea-flicker from Philip Rivers to Antonio Gates was tossed to LaDainian Tomlinson for the running back's 147th career touchdown.

It's hard to believe the Broncos once maintained a 3 1/2 game division lead, for so much has changed. The Broncos' once top-ranked run defense is now 18th in rushing yards allowed per game (115.3) and no longer dominates opponents up front -- the Chargers ran for more than 200 yards against them. Quarterback Kyle Orton, battling a severely sprained left ankle that took more abuse when he took over for a struggling Simms in the second quarter, is likely one sack and pileup away from being sidelined indefinitely.

And there is this bit of ignominy hanging over McDaniels -- if the Broncos lose, he will have eclipsed longtime Denver coach Mike Shanahan, and not in a good way. In his 14 seasons as Broncos head coach, Shanahan never lost five consecutive games.

In Denver, where the Broncos are playing host to their first Thanksgiving Day game since 1963, it's Mile High time to regain some footing on the NFL season, and composure within the city's favorite team.

"We have to check it now," defensive end Vonnie Holliday said. "We have to come down fierce with it and with a hard fist. We're a blue-collar team. We're not filled with 10 or 12 Pro Bowl guys. The first six games of the season, we won games together, guys going out and putting it on the line. It wasn't always pretty and it's not going to be pretty.

"We have to find a way to claw back and get back into the game. Defensively, we have to do that. Guys are passionate. I understand. But you have to be smart about it."

Slumping Broncos Search for Answers originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zebra Report: Mangini's Timeout Gaffe

Matt Snyder — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Browns, Cowboys, Lions, Redskins, Texans, Titans, Vikings, NFL Coaching, NFL Referees

Zebra Report is FanHouse's analysis of actual NFL rules and how they are to be applied ... because most fans think they could do a better job than the NFL officials, yet definitely could not. Click here for an introduction as to how we do things.

As the clock struck zero in the Lions-Browns game, there was a pass interference penalty called on Cleveland in the end zone. In the aftermath of the play, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford laid on the field injured. The officials called an injury timeout for Stafford. Also, Cleveland head coach Eric Mangini took a timeout to seemingly do nothing more than lambast the officials for what appeared a pretty obvious interference call.

There are three rules that apply here. First of all, the Lions are definitely entitled to one more play.

Rule 4-8-2: At the election of the opponent, a period may be extended for one untimed down, if any of the following occurs during a down during which time in the period expires: (a) If there is a foul by the defensive team that is accepted, the offensive team may choose to extend the period by an untimed down after enforcement of the penalty.

Secondly, the timeout by the Browns is what enabled Stafford to stay in the game. Otherwise he would have had to sit out the final play.

Rule 4-5-4c: When an injury timeout is called, the injured player must leave the game for the completion of one down. The player will be permitted to remain in the game if (inside the two-minute warning): (iii) the opponent calls a timeout.

Finally, the Lions were out of timeouts. The officials initially announced Detroit would be charged a team timeout. The announcers were adamant there was some mistake by the officials herein, but they were mistaken (shocker, I know). The Lions were bailed out by two different factors here. First of all, Mangini called a timeout.

Rule 4-5-4b: If a team has used its three charged team timeouts, an excess team timeout shall be called by the Referee, unless: (iii) the opponent calls a timeout.

Also, the Lions would be afforded the luxury of one "excess" timeout which comes with a 10-second runoff, yet no yardage penalty. In this case, the clock was already at zero, but the Lions -- see above -- were guaranteed one final play due to the defensive penalty. Of course, Mangini took this out of play anyway when he called a timeout.

Finally, there is no yardage penalty for the first "excess" timeout. There would have been for the second and every subsequent one thereafter. The officials in the Browns-Lions game got this entire interpretation correct.

Other officiating nuggets from Week 11

o. In the Titans-Texans there were two supposedly subjective calls that seemed not-so-subjective. First of all, a horse-collar tackle was called on John Busing when he tackled Chris Johnson to open the Titans' eventual game-winning drive. Replays clearly showed Busing had a hold of Johnson's jersey in the upper back region and definitely was not a horse-collar. Also, on a previous drive, one of the Texans defensive linemen clearly tripped Vince Young on a pivotal third-down incompletion. Adam Gretz informed me there was a discussion in the FanHouse live chat during the game in which some were insistent you could trip a ball-carrier. You can't:

Rule 12-1-7: No defensive player may trip an opponent.

These two blown calls once again brings to the forefront the issue of what coaches may or may not challenge. Obviously, there are very few penalties you can challenge and complete judgment calls (such as holding or pass interference) cannot be challengeable under the slippery slope premise. But, if something is cut-and-dry -- like a horse-collar, tripping, facemask or contacting a receiver inside five yards versus outside five yards -- it seems that it wouldn't do any harm to allow coaches to challenge the ruling on the field. After all, it's not like they have unlimited challenges. They'd still have to pick their battles.

o. An anonymous reader submitted this question: "I would like to know why it is not intentional grounding when a QB spikes the ball to stop the clock. There is no eligible receiver at the center spot, the QB is not outside the tackles and the ball does not cross the line of scrimmage. To me it should be a penalty."

There's a special exception here. Under the intentional grounding rule (8-3-1):

Item 3: Stopping Clock. A player under center is permitted to stop the game clock legally to save time if, immediately upon receiving the snap, he begins a continuous throwing motion and throws the ball directly into the ground.

o. A reader submitted this a few weeks ago: "In the Giants Chargers game, Eli Manning rolled away from pressure heading to the sideline. With no receiver open, he threw the ball away before stepping out of bounds. Officials ruled he was already out of bounds and it was a sack. Replays clearly showed the he was not out of bounds but the missed call cost the Giants 5 yards in a very close game, giving them 3rd and 14 instead of 3rd and 9. My question is: why such an obviously missed call is not reviewable?"

I'd have to guess that he's referencing a sack in the game log at the 4:06 mark in the fourth quarter. That's the closest thing I can find to the explanation in the email. In a reply exchange, the reader told me Tom Coughlin threw the red flag and was told he could not challenge the ruling on the field. I haven't been able to find a replay, but -- if it happened as was explained above -- I believe the officials were incorrect. And we actually have proof from a Week 11 game ...

o. Because here is a submission from co-worker Chris Sesno: "Jason Campbell was scrambling out of the pocket with about 25 seconds left and just inside of field goal range. He ran to sideline and as he was stepping out of bounds (about a 10 yard loss) he also threw the ball away -- and the pass didn't reach the line of scrimmage while in-bounds. They initially ruled he stepped out of bounds, thus they stopped the clock and marked the ball down after the loss of yards. Jim Zorn couldn't challenge since it was under two minutes, so they let the clock run for delay of game. After the delay of game, the refs reviewed Campbell's scramble and ruled that he threw the ball before he stepped out, it was close but definitely the right call. Then they spotted the ball 5 yards behind the original spot of the ball (before he threw away, and tacked on the 5 for delay of game). Then they went back and nullified the delay of game and moved the ball back up to the original line of scrimmage. With 15 seconds on the clock and third down, the skins tried a field goal and Suisham missed it from around the 29."

OK, let's sort this out. First of all, this appears to be the exact same situation as the Manning play above was described and this one was reviewed. So why couldn't Coughlin challenge the Manning play? You got me.

On this particular play, let us recall an issue I discussed last week. A delay of game penalty -- much like a false start -- is a "non-play." So the previous play can still be reviewed. You might recall in my explanation a few weeks ago when I covered this question, I pointed out there was nothing specific in the rules as to what would happen to the penalty if the play was changed. I said my guess was the penalty would simply be ignored and that's what happened here.

As to a possible grounding penalty, Campbell was outside the tackle box, but the ball crossed the out of bound line clearly short of the line of scrimmage. Here is the rule in question:

Rule 8-3-1: Item 1: Passer or Ball Outside Tackle Position. Intentional grounding will not be called when a passer, who is outside, or has been outside, the tackle position throws a forward pass that lands at or beyond the line of scrimmage, even if no offensive player(s) have a realistic chance to catch the ball (including when the ball lands out of bounds over the sideline or endline).

This is a tricky one. From the language in the rule, I could see it going either way. Does the ball crossing the line of scrimmage once out of bounds mean Campbell's off the hook? Or was the last parenthetical statement only referring to offensive players? It seems to me it should have been intentional grounding, but it's entirely possible I'm reading this rule incorrectly (after all, I'm only trained in high school and we don't have the "outside the tackle box" exemption).

o. Finally, we had another tripping call for a blocker whipping his legs up at the defender. This time it was Jason Peters of the Eagles on Sunday Night Football. It was, again, identical to Jeff Dugan's trip in the Vikings' loss to the Steelers, but I've yet to hear anything further from all the Vikings fans who chastised the league and myself. Interesting.

Got a rules-related question? Whether it's elementary, high school or NFL, email TZR and he'll see what he can do.

Zebra Report: Mangini's Timeout Gaffe originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cowboys' Newman, Campo Have Confrontation on Sideline

FanHouse Newswire — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:56:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman and secondary coach Dave Campo had a brief physical confrontation on the sideline Sunday, though Campo and head coach Wade Phillips both downplayed the incident after Dallas' 7-6 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Newman was coming off the field after a series in the first quarter when Campo tried to stop him. Newman pushed away from the coach and they exchanged words.

"I was trying to stop him from keeping going and he thought I grabbed him. He just kind of bowed up," Campo said. "We were a little upset. It was between family. No harm, no foul."

When asked what happened, Newman refused to explain or even comment, other than saying, "I have no idea." When other reporters approached, he repeatedly said, "Nothing here fellas."

Phillips, who is also the team's defensive coordinator, described it as a "heated moment in the game, and we don't count any of that."

Campo wouldn't say why he was trying to stop Newman, who had only one tackle in the game.

The incident occurred after Washington's second offensive possession of the game. Jason Campbell completed a 26-yard pass to Devin Thomas to convert a third-and-13 on that drive before the Redskins were stopped on another third-and-13 and forced to punt.

Newman was penalized for illegal contact on the first play of the next Redskins drive, a penalty that wiped out a sack by Keith Brooking.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Cowboys' Newman, Campo Have Confrontation on Sideline originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cowboys' Late Touchdown All They Need

Matt Snyder — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:41:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Redskins, NFC East

Hey, a win is a win. That's all that matters in the end. The Dallas Cowboys get to see a "7" in the win column of the standings after surviving 7-6 over the Washington Redskins Sunday. It wasn't pretty, but the Cowboys gutted out an old school victory.

Coming into the week, the Cowboys had been amassing a large percentage of their yardage via the air attack, behind the arm of Tony Romo. In Week 11, they seem to have decided to transform themselves. Romo attempted 27 passes, while the Cowboys ran the ball 33 times for 153 yards and counted on their defense to win the shortened game for them. It worked.

More: Check Box Score | Packers' Injury Issues | Chiefs Upset Steelers

The Cowboys' defense did allow Jason Campbell to throw for 256 yards, but kept the Redskins out of the end zone. Shaun Suisham -- who was probably already the most maligned kicker in the NFL -- hit just two of his four field goal attempts and the Redskins were kept out of the end zone. Had Suisham made one of the two kicks he missed, the Redskins would be headed back to D.C. victorious. It wouldn't hurt Suisham to polish that resume a bit, considering it's only been a week since the Ravens released Steven Hauschka.

Still, the Redskins' defense was up to the task for most of the game. The Cowboys were being shutout when they took the ball with 7:06 left in the fourth quarter. On that drive, the Cowboys abandoned the run and ended up with their first points of the game. On the nine play drive, they ran the ball just once -- and that was a Romo scramble.

After a Patrick Crayton touchdown catch, the Redskins still had over two and a half minutes and trailed by a single point, but an interception by Anthony Spencer quelled the drive.

It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys stay married to such a drastic split between pass and run (it was 29 runs versus 20 passes before their touchdown drive) or if they'll see the results of the one drive where they took it to the air and adjust accordingly. Marion Barber gained 99 yards on 20 carries while Felix Jones ran 10 times for 49 yards. Regardless of how it happened, the Cowboys move forward with a 7-3 record and a one game lead atop the NFC East. They'll look to take care of business on Thanksgiving against the hapless Raiders.

The Redskins were already playing without Clinton Portis (concussion after effects) and lost Ladell Betts (reported knee injury) during the first quarter Sunday. Rock Cartwright, the third-string running back carried the load the rest of the way, but the 'Skins will be looking to get at least one of the two injured backs on the field before next week. They look to pick up the pieces as they head to Philadelphia for a date with the Eagles in Week 11.

Cowboys' Late Touchdown All They Need originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coach Killers, Week 10: Roy Williams

Tom Mantzouranis — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys

Every week, NFL FanHouse hits the lowlights from Sunday's action, looking at those players who did the most to move their head coaches that much closer to returning to the Bed and Breakfast business.

This is where the divide between fantasy and reality becomes apparent.

For fantasy owners who had him in their lineups, Roy Williams, who posted five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown -- his best game of the season and his best yardage day since Nov. 18, 2007 -- was probably a factor in a winning performance.

But for the Cowboys, Williams was a primary factor in a momentum-killing 17-7 loss to the struggling Packers.

To be sure, Williams' performance had some positives to it -- he outgained the game's next two leading receivers combined, he scored the Cowboys' only points, and he had the game's longest gain -- a 41-yard catch ...

... and that's where the negatives come in. That 41-yard catch? It could have been a 72-yard touchdown. With no score in the game and four minutes left until half, Williams motioned into the slot and ran a seam route one-on-one against safety Nick Collins, who couldn't turn his hips quickly enough to run effectively with Williams. Williams caught the pass about 32 yards downfield and had no one in front of him; had he kept his path straight ahead, it's almost definitely a six-point play. Instead, he cut left, directly into Charles Woodson, at the Packers' 30-yard line. Woodson got a hand on the ball and knocked it loose, and the Packers recovered.

Early in the third quarter, on a 2nd-and-13 from the Dallas 43-yard line with the Packers leading 3-0, Tony Romo lofted a pass to a wide-open Williams that would have picked up the first down and put the Cowboys in Green Bay territory. Except for one thing -- the ball went right through Williams' hands. Two plays later, the Cowboys punted, and the Packers scored to take a 10-0 lead.

Those two plays combined represented at best a 17-point swing (the lost touchdown, the missed opportunity for a field goal on the drop and the Packer touchdown that followed).

"The fumble, it's on me," Williams said after the game. "The one in the lights, that's on me, but if the lights weren't there that's a caught ball."

Oh, well then. Cowboys fans can rest easy -- it's not like the lights are on in every NFL stadium during every football game. Ahem.

"I'm going to account for that. I lost this game for this football team. That's the way I feel."

Williams says he's not T.O., and I believe him. I don't recall, after all, Owens ever taking responsibility for a loss, as Williams did in the wake of the Packers game. Still, that doesn't change the fact that earlier in this season Williams griped about his lack of production, saying "[Miles Austin] gets the ball thrown correctly his way. I'm stretching and falling and doing everything. Everybody [else] who's been here's balls are there. Our footballs (from Romo to Williams) are everywhere right now."

Williams was griping about the chemistry that he and Romo have, not about his role in the offense, and even if the film supports his opinion -- that he isn't/wasn't getting the ball in catchable situations -- it came off lousy, smacking of jealousy at a time when the team was winning and Miles Austin was emerging as one of the top threats in the league this season.

But Williams' performance against the Packers makes the words even lousier.

Williams calls himself the No. 1 receiver, but as I've discussed previously in this space, being a No. 1 receiver isn't about big numbers but game-changing plays. It doesn't matter if nine out of every 10 Williams targets are ducks that land in the first row. He's got to make the one available play. On Sunday, he had two huge chances to tilt the game in Dallas' favor, and he let both slip through his hands. Though it showed up in the box score where those two chances didn't, the touchdown he caught with 38 seconds left in a hopeless game was absolutely meaningless.

Miles Austin has put up the numbers and made the game-changing plays, and that's why he's getting the love this year. Meanwhile, Williams' words and lack of meaningful contribution have only intensified the negative spotlight on the Texas native.

Be careful with that glare, though, Cowboys fans -- Williams is sensitive to bright lights.

Coach Killers, Week 10: Roy Williams originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bozo the Coach, Andy Reid and the Belichick Precedent

Dave Goldberg — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:57:00 EST

Filed under: Chargers, Colts, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, AFC East, AFC South, NFC East, NFC North, NFL Coaching, NFL Analysis

What Bill Belichick did Sunday night has happened before. It justifiably earned Barry Switzer the nickname "Bozo The Coach'' for failing TWICE on fourth down in the late stages of a tie game. And the Eagles' Andy Reid did the opposite of the New England coach on Sunday, eschewing fourth-and-short twice to kick field goals in what turned out to be an eight-point loss.

Switzer's mistake didn't prevent Dallas from winning its third Super Bowl in four seasons in the early '90s, but it left Switzer at the top of the oft-debated list of worst coaches to win a title.

On Nov. 15, 1995, the Cowboys were playing in Philadelphia and faced a fourth down and 1 on their own 29 with the game tied 17-17 and just over two minutes left. Switzer decided to go for it and sent Emmitt Smith left over the massive Nate Newton.

Jay Mariotti: Spygate to Stupidgate: Belichick Blunders

He was stopped but it didn't count. The officials blew the whistle for the two-minute warning. No problem. The Cowboys tried again. Same play. Stuffed again. Three plays later, Gary Anderson kicked a 42-yard field goal that gave the Eagles a 20-17 win.

Headline in the New York Post the next day: "Bozo The Coach.''

The result brought the Eagles to within a game of the Cowboys in the NFC East with two games to play. But Dallas won its next two games, won the division, won both its playoff games and beat Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl -- the one in which Larry Brown ended up as the MVP on a team that featured Smith, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders.

But it was the end of an era. The Cowboys beat the Vikings in a wild-card game the next season, then lost next week to second-year expansion team Carolina. That win over Minnesota was the last postseason victory they've had.

Reid?

In Sunday's 31-23 loss in San Diego, the Philadelphia coach decided to kick a field goal trailing 14-0 in the second quarter with the ball perhaps six inches away from the Chargers' goal. In the third quarter, trailing 21-6, he had fourth and one at the San Diego 7 and had David Akers kick again. The Eagles lost, 31-23.

"There was too much time," Reid said of his decision on the first, the most obvious. "I thought it was important to come out of there with points."

That was four points. The second fourth-and-one kick was four points.

The Eagles lost by eight.

Bozo the Coach, Andy Reid and the Belichick Precedent originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cowboys Lay an Egg at Lambeau

Dan Graziano — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Packers, NFL Quarterbacks, NFL Analysis

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- You could smell this game as far away as Madison, and the part of it that stunk the worst was the Dallas Cowboys offense. On an afternoon in which everybody -- the officials, the head coaches, the offensive lines...everybody -- seemed to be conspiring to set the game of football back 40 years, it was the Cowboys who came up the smallest, committing 10 penalties and converting just 3 of 12 third downs in a 17-7 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field.

"This was an impressive win for Green Bay," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "But it was unimpressive the way we didn't execute, especially early, when we still had a chance to get the game going the way we wanted it to go."

But the most disappointing part for the Cowboys was that, by losing this game, they blew a very real chance to get the season going the way they wanted it to go.

More: Check Box Score | Cards Get Big Win | Chiefs Outlast Raiders

Dallas came in having won four in a row and claiming first place in the NFC East, a division nobody seems to want. Lining up against the Packers, who'd allowed a league-high 37 sacks and just last week became the first team this year to lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys appeared poised to continue their roll and move to 7-2. With the Eagles losing in San Diego, they'd have had a full two-game division lead and could have made a case for themselves among the NFC's elite, along with Minnesota and New Orleans.

Instead, they slipped on a penalty flag or eight and fell right back to the parity pack.

"You've got to play better than that," Dallas tight end Jason Witten said. "Our defense actually played pretty well, but as an offense, we let them down. How many plays did we have in the first half? Twenty-five? That's not enough."

If you somehow managed to stay awake through the first half Sunday, didn't know anything about the two teams but what you'd seen in that brutal first 30 minutes, and somebody had asked you, "Which of these teams lost to previously winless Tampa Bay last week?", you'd probably have said the team with the stars on their helmets. The Cowboys were awful. They were 0 of 5 on third downs in the first half, possessing the ball for just 11:10 and running a mere 21 plays (sorry, Jason) to Green Bay's 36.

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Dallas Cowboys' Mike Jenkins sits near the bench during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won 17-7. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)

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MINNEAPOLIS - NOVEMBER 15: Chad Greenway #52 of the Minnesota Vikings rests during a timeout at an NFL game against the Detroit Lions at the Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on November 15, 2009 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Dahlin/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chad Greenway

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INDIANAPOLIS - NOVEMBER 15: Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts looks on from the sidelines before the game against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Peyton Manning

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INDIANAPOLIS - NOVEMBER 15: Quarterback Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts throws the ball during the first quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Peyton Manning

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GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 15: Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh #84 of the Seattle Seahawks bobbles the ball while being covered by Bryant McFadden #25 of the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Glendale, Arizona. Houshmandzadeh made the catch but was ruled out of bounds on the play. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 31-20. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** T.J. Houshmandzadeh;Bryant McFadden

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GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 15: Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh #84 of the Seattle Seahawks looks down in the closing minutes of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 31-20. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** T.J. Houshmandzadeh

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GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 15: Wide receiver Nate Burleson #81 of the Seattle Seahawks can't make a catch while being covered by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie #29 of the Arizona Cardinals in the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 31-20. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nate Burleson;Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

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GLENDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 15: Beanie Wells (L) #26 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates a touchdown with Bertrand Berry #93 in the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 15, 2009 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Seahawks 31-20. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Beanie Wells;Bertrand Berry

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And it's not as if the Packers were setting the world on fire during this time. Green Bay committed seven penalties and was just 2-for-8 on third down in the first half, and only a last-second Mason Crosby field goal prevented what would have been a perfectly justified scoreless halftime tie. The Packers' offensive line was as Camembert-soft as advertised, and the Cowboys' defenders harassed Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers all day. There was more than enough incompetence to go around, including a cornucopia of it by Jeff Triplette and an officiating crew that called phantom penalties and couldn't figure out when the Cowboys and Packers were and weren't allowed to use their replay challenges.

But Dallas couldn't rise above the morass of mediocrity. On the rare occasions when Dallas actually possessed the ball, the Cowboys' own line wasn't able to keep Tony Romo from getting flattened. The most astounding stat of the game may be that the Cowboys yielded more sacks (5) than did the Packers (4).

"We let our defense stay out there and stay out there and stay out there," Jones said. "It was very disappointing, and a reminder to everyone that all these teams have very good athletes and very good players."

The Cowboys are still a good team, of course. They remain in first place, and as we begin to size up the playoff picture, there are reasons to like them better than teams like the Eagles, Giants, Falcons and even the Packers. But what they lost Sunday, in addition to a game, was the chance to puff out their chests and feel like they were somehow above that 5-4 fray. A win here, on the not-yet-frozen tundra, would have given the league reason to view them as a clear Super Bowl contender -- the kind of team that plans to play home games on those crucial January weekends.

And while they may yet be that, after losing this particular game, the Cowboys can consider themselves no better than one of many very similar NFC contenders.

"Just a minor hiccup," Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking said confidently. "That's the way we have to look at it. We've bounced back from our losses in a very positive way this year, and hopefully that's what we do this week coming up."

Oh, it's there for them if they want it. Their upcoming schedule is fertile ground for a recovery -- home games against the Redskins (just three games back!!) and the Raiders before a road game against the reeling Giants. The Cowboys still have a chance to get back on the horse they rode into Lambeau Field on Sunday morning. They need to tighten up their line play, remember how good their running backs are and keep finding ways to minimize the damage the all-or-(usually)-nothing Roy Williams does with his dropped passes and sloppy route-running. They need to play with the confidence they showed over the previous four weeks -- the confidence of a team that knows it's good and dares those stuck in the middle of the pack to try and stop it. They can do it.

It's just that, if they'd actually won this game Sunday -- which they very well could and should have -- that would have been a whole lot easier for them.

Cowboys Lay an Egg at Lambeau originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL FanHouse Week 10 Preview Recap

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Colts, Cowboys, Packers, Patriots, Steelers, NFL Fans, NFL Live Blogging

For weeks, people have asked if the Cincinnati Bengals are for real. The team keeps responding by finding ways to win games, but the questions keep coming in. This week, they get a chance to sweep the defending Super Bowl champions. Green Bay was picked by many to be a playoff team this season, but they've limped their way to 4-4, got worked by a former teammate, and now face a virtual must-win against red-hot Dallas. Meanwhile, the Colts and Patriots are stealing the spotlight for another high-profile meeting.

We'll chat about all of this at 12 P.M. Eastern, and we invite you to join us after the jump!

&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=859ac6836f" &amp;amp;gt;NFL FanHouse Week 10 Chat&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;

NFL FanHouse Week 10 Preview Recap originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday Night Live Chat: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Adam Gretz — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFL Live Blogging

After a one-week hiatus, Sunday night football returns with a classic NFC East rivalry as Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles host Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys. As always, we'll be discussing all of the action on the field (and the rest of Sunday's games) in our Sunday Night Football Live Chat. So grab some Yuengling and a cheese steak and join us, won't you?

Fun starts at 8:15 PM ET.

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Sunday Night Live Chat: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FanHouse Preview: Cowboys at Eagles

R.J. White — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFC East, FanHouse Previews

When the Eagles and Cowboys step on the same field, you know you're in for a battle. This will be the 100th meeting in the series, with the Cowboys entering the fay with a 55-44 lead in the previous 99 games. The Eagles have the leg up in recent years though, culminating in a Week 17 beatdown last year that wound up earning Philly a playoff berth over Dallas. (Not that Tony Romo would have done much had he made the playoffs anyway.)

Both teams are 5-2, and with the Giants losing to both these foes in recent weeks, this game will determine who has the inside track at winning the NFC East. So if you though this would be just another regular ol' 100th meeting between hated rivals, think again.

More Coverage: Westbrook Reportedly Out for Eagles
The Once-Over: Breakdowns of All Week 9 Games

Three Key Questions:

1. Can Miles Austin be stopped?

2. Will the Eagles second line of defense at linebacker be able to contain the Dallas rushing game?

3. Can Donovan McNabb's offensive line keep the pressure off their quarterback?

Player in the Spotlight: Brian Westbrook. He's often been labeled a fragile, injury-prone player, and that stigma has come to pass this year. He received 13 carries in each of his first two games before missing Week 3. He then returned after the bye to take six carries in each of his next two games before suffering a concussion early in Week 7. He missed the Giants game last week, but looks ready to go for this important contest. Which is great for the Eagles, as he's routinely been trouble for the Cowboys, and his presence will be key to an Eagles victory.

Dallas's Path to Victory: The emergence of Austin has brought Romo's A-game back, but with the Eagles likely to take away the deep threat, this game will come down to how well he connects with tight end Jason Witten, who's having a quiet year by his standards. If those two aren't on the same page (and it's probably foolish to think Romo and Roy Williams will be clicking), then Romo will start forcing balls to Austin. If that happens, the Eagles will take full advantage. The Cowboys aren't likely to contain the Eagles' passing game, so keeping up with them will be essential to making this a game. Dallas must be able to keep the running game in play in the second half, and it'll take a few defensive stops and smart decisions by Romo to get them tere.

Philadelphia's Path to Victory: It'll be tempting to stick to the air against the Cowboys secondary, but mixing in the rushing game will be crucial to making sure the Dallas pass rush doesn't tee off on McNabb. Luckily for Philly, the ground attack came out in full force last week, rushing for 180 yards thanks to big efforts from rookie LeSean McCoy and fullback Leonard Weaver. With Westbrook back, Philly will try to run a balanced offense to slow down the rush and count on the defense to capitalize on any Romo mistakes. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott will keep the pressure on Romo and try to expedite the process.

Prediction: This game should be close at halftime, but I can see the Eagles pulling away in the third quarter and maintaining a two-score lead in the fourth quarter. Once Dallas's offense goes pass-happy, this game is over. I like the Eagles to take a one-game lead in the division, but as we see time and time again, anything and everything is in play in this matchup. Eagles 31, Cowboys 24.

FanHouse Preview: Cowboys at Eagles originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Harbaugh: Cowboys Are Everything That's Wrong With the NFL

Josh Alper — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, NFC East

On the eve of a Sunday night NFC East showdown in Philadelphia, the Cowboys have gotten some bulletin board material via a comparison of their franchise and the Eagles. Strangely enough, the inflammatory statements weren't made by anyone with current ties to the Eagles, but by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

Harbaugh, a former Eagles assistant, was asked for a new book what made the Eagles more successful than the Cowboys over the last 10 years. Matt Mosley of ESPN.com shares the answer.

"Why is that? Because what Andy Reid and his program stand for is the opposite of what the Cowboys stand for. The Cowboys are a star system. It's all about building around individuals first and collecting talent, collecting great players. Andy has always been about building a team. And over the long haul, it's a team sport, and one of the greatest examples of that is what's happened with the Eagles and the Cowboys over the last 10 years. The Cowboys stand for everything that's wrong with the NFL."

Yee-owch. No one can accuse Harbaugh of pulling his punches, but is he right?

He's certainly right about the Eagles having a better decade than the Cowboys. It's not even particularly close. They've been to five NFC title games and a Super Bowl while the Cowboys are looking for their first playoff win since 1996. Even the most diehard Cowboys partisan would have a hard time accepting that part of the argument at face value.

Parsing further, however, doesn't do much for Harbaugh's thesis. Building a team is about collecting talent. That doesn't mean buying great players as if you're buying trading cards, but finding the line between the two is awfully difficult. Presumably one of the players that fits Harbaugh's star system dig is Terrell Owens, but he was Reid's before he was Jerry Jones's. Why does one side get credit for the move while the other gets slapped in the face for it? And where, exactly would Michael Vick fit into the reckoning?

Furthermore, the ultimate prize has eluded both the Cowboys and the Eagles. All of those trips to the playoffs have resulted in the same number of Super Bowl wins that the Cowboys have picked up in the last 10 years. Whatever missteps Jones has made in the last decade, and there are many to choose from, he's got three Lombardi Trophies to look at when another season ends in a bitter defeat.

Stockpiling talent, be it through the draft or with veteran acquisitions like Charles Haley, and developing stars certainly worked out for them in those days. The Eagles have had a very good run and Harbaugh may well be right about the reasons why, but that doesn't make the Cowboys everything that's wrong with the NFL.

The Cowboys are relatively successful on the field and fabulously successful at the box office. That doesn't superficially look like everything that's wrong with the NFL, and deeper digging doesn't do much to support the point. Does Harbaugh really think the Lions, Raiders or Redskins, to name three examples, have exemplified what's right about the NFL more than the Cowboys?

I'd guess not, because Harbaugh's a smart guy who probably went a bit too far in trying to pay Reid a compliment.

John Harbaugh: Cowboys Are Everything That's Wrong With the NFL originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday-and-Long: Don't Sleep on the Dallas Cowboys

Dan Graziano — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Steelers, NFC East, NFL Analysis

In case you hadn't noticed, sports these days are all about Goliath. In 2009, the Steelers, Lakers, North Carolina Tar Heels and now the Yankees have all won titles in their respective sports. Cinderella is yesterday's news. The teams that win these days are the teams that always win, and if you think that's boring, well, tough. You can kiss one of Derek Jeter's five World Series rings.

So with that in mind, we need to be really careful about overlooking the Dallas Cowboys.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. All you ever hear about the Cowboys is what's wrong with them. Terrell Owens was a pain. Roy Williams is a loudmouth, too, and isn't good enough to replace T.O. Tony Romo's too concerned with his golf game and his high-wattage love life to ever attain his potential. The new stadium is ridiculous...

But you know what else? The Cowboys are 5-2. And if they win in Philadelphia on Sunday night, they'll be 6-2 and in first place all by themselves. Their defense is playing great. Their three-headed rushing attack (you know, the one with which they were torching the Giants in Week 2 before they inexplicably decided to start throwing the ball late?) looks healthy. Romo's found something with Miles Austin, and just when you thought it was safe to hang their plaque in the underachievers' hall of fame, here the Cowboys are, clacking helmets with the top teams in the league.

I have a couple of stats that indicate that this may not be a fluke. The first is a basic one: the Cowboys score a lot more points than they give up. Dallas ranks seventh in the NFL and fourth in the NFC in point differential (points scored minus points allowed) as shown here:

1. New Orleans +119
2. Indianapolis +106
3. New England +100
4. Philadelphia +70
5. Minnesota +70
6. Baltimore +62
7. Dallas +61

My second stat doesn't have a name that I know of, and I'm open to suggestion, but this one is intended to measure the extent to which a team controls the running game on both sides of the ball. It's another simple calculation. We take the team's average yards per rush on offense and subtract the average yards per rush it allows on defense. The principle is that if you're good at running the ball but no good at stopping it, that catches up with you eventually.

Dallas posts a score of plus-1.2 in this made-up category, averaging 5.4 yards per carry (second-highest in the league behind Tennessee and the curve-wrecking Chris Johnson) while allowing only 4.2 yards per carry to its opponents. That plus-1.2 is tied for best in the league with Tennessee (and its aforementioned curve-wrecker). And while this stat doesn't appear to be a great indicator through eight weeks of this particular season (Jacksonville is right behind at plus-1.1 while the 5-3 Texans rank last with a minus-1.4, and top teams such as New Orleans and Minnesota score plus-0.1 and 0.0 respectively), it holds up over 16 games, historically, and it bodes well for the Cowboys' chances going forward.

Now all they have to do is win in Philly on Sunday night, and this will all make tons of sense.

Special Explanatory Note of the Week

Why is Chris Johnson a curve-wrecker? Well, he leads the NFL so far this year with 10 runs of 20 or more yards. Adrian Peterson is second in that category with eight such runs. Maurice Jones-Drew and Cedric Benson have six each, and no one else has more than five.

What's more, there have been 20 runs this year of 40 or more yards, and Johnson has five of them. Jones-Drew and Frank Gore have three each, three backs have two each and no one else has more than one.

Those kinds of numbers skew an average, and Johnson is averaging 6.92 yards per carry while leading the NFL with 824 rushing yards. That average is the highest any NFL rushing leader has posted through eight weeks since the merger, well ahead of Jamal Lewis' 5.89 average through the first eight weeks of the 2003 season. If it holds up (and even if it slips a little), Johnson would become the sixth man in NFL history (and the first since 1973) to lead the league in rushing with an average of at least 6.0 yards per carry. The others:

Beattie Feathers, 1934 Chicago Bears, 1,004 total yards, 8.4 ypc
Jim Brown, 1963 Cleveland Browns, 1,863 total yards, 6.4 ypc
Barry Sanders, 1997 Detroit Lions, 2,053 total yards, 6.1 ypc
Joe Perry, 1954 San Francisco 49ers, 1,049 total yards, 6.1 ypc
O.J. Simpson, 1973 Buffalo Bills, 2,003 total yards, 6.0 ypc

Which also makes this the very rare and difficult-to-repeat "Beattie Feathers Note of the Week."

Hat-Tip of the Week: Pittsburgh Steelers

For their handling of the Ryan Clark situation. The Pittsburgh safety said Wednesday he still hasn't decided whether he'll play Monday in Denver, where the high altitude combined with his sickle-cell trait nearly killed him and forced the surgical removal of his spleen and gall bladder after he played there two years ago. The Steelers get kudos for being up-front and not playing typical NFL-team injury games with this situation, and for making sure Clark doesn't feel any pressure to play if he doesn't feel up to it. The more you see from the Steelers and the way they operate, the more you realize why they're so (a) successful and (b) respected.

Seats Over Heat -- The five NFL head coaches most likely to be the next to lose their jobs:

1. Tom Cable, Raiders. Honestly, at this point, what could they be waiting for?
2. Eric Mangini, Browns. The only thing that could save him is that the Browns always seem to do the wrong thing.
3. Dick Jauron, Bills. Can't be but one long losing streak away.
4. Jim Zorn, Redskins. Chances he's coaching the team in 2010 are the same as the chances you are.
5. Jeff Fisher, Titans. Incredible record, incredible longevity, but if they don't finish huge, this could be the end.

Three for the Road -- Road teams in the NFL this year are a combined 52-64, for a .448 winning percentage. With that in mind, here are three road teams I think will buck the trend and win this weekend:

1. Arizona at Chicago. Bears are 3-0 at home, Cardinals are 3-0 on the road. Something's got to give. I say it's the Bears' (extremely) offensive line.
2. Dallas at Philadelphia. See above. Basically, Philly is the more exciting team, Dallas is the more solidly built. I'll take the Cowboy RBs to wear down the Eagles' D in a classic.
3. Pittsburgh at Denver. No, I'm not stubborn. I admit I was wrong about the Broncos before the season. But I'm not wrong about the AFC North, and Denver showed last week it can't play there.

(Ed. note: Last week, on twitter, I picked Vikings over Packers, Rams over Lions and Giants over Eagles. So, so far on this project we're 2-1.)

It's Just a Fantasy -- Three guys I wish I had on my fantasy team this week:

1. Aaron Rodgers vs. Tampa Bay: Sweet relief! A week without facing a real pass rush!
2. Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Kansas City: Every week, I wish for MJD. But against the Chiefs? Hide the women and children.
3. Michael Crabtree vs. Tennessee. Was he a fool for his holdout? Sure. Greedy? You betcha. But they all are, and this one also happens to be a freak of nature. The bet here is he never looks back.

Traveling Man

The game I'll be covering this week is Houston at Indianapolis. A chance for the upstart Texans to pick up a statement win (not to mention a division win) against the high-flying, undefeated Colts. Can Houston adjust without Owen Daniels? Do they have anybody in the secondary who can even slow down Reggie Wayne, let alone stop him? Good questions, and I don't know the answers (though I have a hunch on the second). But let's just say I'm not expecting a 6-3 game.

Thursday-and-Long: Don't Sleep on the Dallas Cowboys originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roy Williams Still Calls Himself No. 1 Receiver in Dallas

Shane Bacon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys

It's that time of year again. Nope, not the changing of the leaves or the holiday season, it's that time of year when a Cowboys wide receiver isn't happy with quarterback Tony Romo, and allows himself the privilege of complaining to the media about it instead of, you know, talking to TONY ROMO!

Roy Williams, who was supposed to replace previously unhappy Terrell Owens as the top wideout in Dallas, has continued his career of underachieving, this year to the tune of 41.5 yards per game and just two touchdowns. While Roy has struggled, Miles Austin, an undrafted receiver out of Monmouth has done incredible stuff, including breaking the record in Dallas for yards receiving in a game (250 in week five) and scoring six times, five of which have come in the last three games.

None of those numbers matter, however, because Roy is the best in Dallas and Roy should get more looks. According to Roy.

After putting in a lot of extra offseason work with Romo, Williams is stunned they haven't made more progress.

"It's just not even close," Williams said. "It's not even funny. Not even close."

"I'm the No. 1 receiver," Williams said. "But things are just going No. 2's way."

While ESPN's Tim MacMahon makes a great point (Miles has more yards, 482, in his first three career starts than Williams has in the 16 games, 447, since joining Dallas), Williams thinks it's something else. For some reason, when Romo looks to Williams, he makes a bad throw.

"He gets the ball thrown correctly his way," Williams said of Austin. "I'm stretching and falling and doing everything. Everybody [else] who's been here's balls are there. Our footballs [from Romo to Williams] are everywhere right now."

You have to be fairly dense to think this is anything more than bad luck for Williams, or just bad routes. Romo has split seconds to think of where to place the ball, so unless Williams is running bad routes, or the two just aren't on the same page, it is passes being tossed similar to how they are thrown when they go to Austin (or Jason Witten, or Patrick Crayton) and it is up to Williams to make a play on the ball.

So far, Austin has been incredible and the Cowboys are doing well because of it. I guess the 'ol saying is true -- there's no I in team, but there sure as hell is one in Roy Williams.

Roy Williams Still Calls Himself No. 1 Receiver in Dallas originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surging Cowboys Turn Focus to Eagles

Nancy Gay — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Seahawks

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A month ago, the Dallas Cowboys were a 2-2 mess; inconsistent on offense, generous on defense and seemingly already out of contention in the cutthroat NFC East following a mistake-filled thrashing by the then-undefeated Broncos in Denver.

Flash forward to Sunday's lopsided 38-17 victory over the battered Seattle Seahawks -- the Cowboys' third consecutive win in their swank $1.2 billion home -- and Dallas' turnaround from bashed to brilliant seems accomplished.

Quarterback Tony Romo completed passes to 10 different receivers, including touchdown throws to the increasingly popular Miles Austin (five catches, 61 yards), as well as to the forgotten Sam Hurd and the once-missing Roy Williams. Romo's performance, where he hit on 21-of-36 passes for 256 yards, capped off the first three-game span without an interception in his seven-year career.

More: Gutsy Hasselbeck Keeps Fighting | Check Box Score

Running back Marion Barber, still fighting myriad injuries, rushed for another touchdown. The Cowboys pass rush pummeled Seattle's patchwork offensive line and manhandled the Seahawks' fourth starter this season at left tackle, former Chief Damion McIntosh, on two of Matt Hasselbeck's three sacks.

Toss in an 82-yard Patrick Crayton punt return for a touchdown, his second in as many games, and Dallas (5-2) looks like a complete team at the halfway point. Or, at least, one that appears to have solved most of its earlier problems.

"I like that this team is explosive in that we're kind of rocking along and then we're ahead," said coach Wade Phillips, whose group scored 24 unanswered points on the Seahawks (2-5). "That we're able to do that can make you a good football team. It was 14-10 after awhile, and all of a sudden it was out of hand."

Dallas now sits atop the division standings with the Eagles -- and the two rivals have a Week 9 showdown in Philadelphia -- thanks to a complete offense-defense-special teams effort that fulfilled everyone's desire to pull this talented-filled franchise from the cliff's edge.

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"We just have to keep the same mentality each week," said linebacker Keith Brooking, the 12th-year veteran, who has been preaching the merits of keeping an even keel during this stormy Cowboys season. "A lot of people are real excited about the Cowboys right now, and they're gonna tell you how great they are, how you've won three in a row. The world's great.

"But we're not there. Our division is close, it's tight. You can never think that way. You have to keep your blinders on."

Dallas may not be where Brooking wants his team to be, but it is close. So close, the only point of contention seems to be when -- or if -- Romo will ever find his groove with Williams, the high-dollar receiver, a player for whom the Cowboys traded three draft picks and then awarded a five-year contract extension with $20 million guaranteed last season.

"It's tough right now," conceded Williams, who has just 29 receptions for 393 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games with Romo as his starting quarterback. "But it's fun to win, it's fun to see other guys do the things that they do, and I'm just happy to be a Cowboy, man. People don't understand that."

Sunday, Romo tried to find Williams deep on multiple occasions but failed -- those balls sailed wide, or high. Williams was targeted seven times and caught two balls for 19 yards, including a 7-yard scoring pass with 35 seconds remaining before halftime that pushed Dallas to a 21-10 lead.

If two catches sound lousy, consider Williams' Week 7 performance in the 37-21 victory over Atlanta, when the former Lions' first-round pick caught one pass for 16 yards and dropped two other balls. The chemistry with Romo just isn't happening, and Williams can't explain it.

"I don't know what it is -- we worked early in the offseason, came in a month early before everybody," Williams said with a shrug. "He throws to me every day, and it's just not there right now."

Again, this is like searching for flaws on what is nearly a perfect diamond. Romo-to-Austin has been a season-changing combination the past three games, and Dallas' underneath passing scheme Sunday took great advantage of Seattle's lack of depth at linebacker. Williams is a vertical threat, so when the Cowboys are moving the chains with screens, quick outs and slants, Williams looks like an afterthought.

"I missed him on a dig route early in the game," Romo said of Williams. "I've got to bring the ball down. I just missed him. He's running good routes. We're going to be fine. I know what Roy is doing."

So it's good feelings all around in Dallas-Fort Worth, just as Brooking said. And, also just as Brooking said, this is a surging team that can't let its guard down.

The Cowboys next make their annual trip to Philadelphia, where they were destroyed, 44-6, in Week 17 last season, eliminating Dallas from the playoff hunt. That makes Brooking's admonition of keeping a level head all the more important during the week-long buildup to the rematch.

Sunday, the Eagles (5-2) embarrassed the New York Giants, 40-17, so the Cowboys' path to revenge looks even more daunting.

"Last year is last year," Romo said. "We had to deal with that [Eagles game] all offseason. We had to grind it out to get better and improve, and not let that happen again. We've taken a lot of steps to be the ballclub that we're hopefully getting to be.

"For us, it's just about improving and getting better."

Surging Cowboys Turn Focus to Eagles originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Terrell Owens Sets Goal: To Outperform Roy Williams

Knox Bardeen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:25:00 EST

Filed under: Bills, Cowboys, AFC East, NFC East

After entering the National Football League in 1996 as a third-round selection, Terrell Owens has put up some big-time numbers in his 14-year career.

He's the NFL's active touchdown leader with 142 scores. He's second among active receivers to Isaac Bruce with 14,364 career receiving yards. He's also been a six-time Pro-Bowler. But, when asked what his goal for 2009 entailed, Owens didn't shoot for the moon like you would expect a player with his accolades to do. In fact, all Owens wants to do is outperform Dallas wide receiver Roy Williams.

Owens opened his media briefing with a laugh and said: "I've been looking at my stats compared to Roy E. Williams' stats over there in Dallas, and my goal is to have better stats than him at the end of the season."

Asked if he regrets signing with Buffalo, Owens said:

"No, not at all. Everything happens for a reason. There are times, I'm human, and it's frustrating. I never want to go back and rethink things. But that's the nature of it."

As it stands right now, Owens has 242 yards receiving on 18 catches and one touchdown. He's played in all seven of the Bills' games thus far and averages 13.4 yards per reception.

Williams, on the other hand, has only played in five of Dallas' six games and has 12 receptions for 230 yards and a touchdown. Williams averages 19.2 yards per reception.

The first glaring detail upon looking at the schedules for both teams shows that Dallas has 10 games remaining -- Buffalo only nine. If both receivers play in all of their remaining games, it would seem that Williams has an advantage. But remaining games don't paint the full picture.

By taking a look at the strength of schedule for both teams' remaining games in reference to receiving yards allowed, you'll see that Buffalo has a much easier time. In the nine games left for Buffalo, they only face three defenses in the top-10 in receiving yards allowed. The average rank of the defenses left to face is 18.4. Dallas, unfortunately for Williams in this competition he didn't ask to compete in, faces seven top-10 receiving defenses with an average rank of 8.5.

Owens definitely has an easier road to travel and should be able to easily win this "bet", even though he has one less game to play. He also probably knew that the schedule favored him before he opened his mouth. Because you wouldn't think that Terrell Owens would stir up trouble aimlessly, without thinking about the consequences of his actions -- would you?

Terrell Owens Sets Goal: To Outperform Roy Williams originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Miles Austin Filling Dallas' T.O. Void

Thomas George — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, NFL Notebook

IRVING, Texas -- After Tony Romo had his "Eli moment'' Sunday, Miles Austin enjoyed a few "T.O. moments.''

Romo made like Eli Manning in Super Bowl XLII when he ducked and dodged Atlanta Falcons pass rushers and spun and flicked a 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Patrick Crayton just before halftime. It was the last of 17 straight Cowboys points in the half, and gave Dallas a 17-7 lead en route to a 37-21 victory.

"You have to do something out of the ordinary once in a while,'' Romo said.

Austin, meanwhile, is making the extraordinary routine.

More: Ware Gets Contract Extension | Niners Name Smith Starting QB
Fantasy Football Reality Check: Miles Austin Becoming a Beast

His answer -- and the Cowboys' -- after a three-turnover sequence in the second quarter said plenty about both the player and the team.

Atlanta led 7-3 when Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins intercepted Matt Ryan at the Dallas 46. Two plays later Cowboys running back Felix Jones lost a fumble at the Atlanta 42. On the next possession, Ryan was stripped of the ball in pocket and Dallas recovered.

Three turnovers in three minutes.

Right then, right there, the Cowboys decided to go for the Falcons' throats, to unleash Austin, to line him wide right and simply let him run across the field and past the entire Falcons defense. To dominate. To make the Falcons defense back off and play in a hesitant fashion the rest of the way.

It worked -- Romo hit Austin for a 59-yard scoring bomb that put the Cowboys ahead for good.

Austin was able to do what T.O. occasionally used to for Dallas, and what the Cowboys first envisioned Roy Williams would do.

Dallas is embracing Austin.

The franchise has taken a 2006 undrafted free agent, who has been groomed for three seasons, and tossed him into a lead role. In Austin's first start, in Week 5 at Kansas City, he set the franchise single-game record for receiving yards with 250. His 171-yard follow-up Sunday against Atlanta gave Austin 421 in two games -- the second-most yards combined in consecutive games in NFL history.

"He's got a clear picture on how to work and what it takes to be successful and he's very humble,'' Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said of Austin.

Romo said that Austin has just been waiting for his opportunity -- he has it now.

Austin is a big, fast receiver that can break tackles and outrun a secondary. His receivers coach, Ray Sherman, is as good as it gets at teaching the position in the NFL. Romo, his quarterback, is as confident and hungry as he has been as Dallas' leader.

And Garrett is increasingly eager to call his number -- out of nowhere, Austin looks like the remedy for Dallas' Terrell Owens hangover.

A FLICKER ... SOON A FLAME: Before Kansas City's 37-7 loss to the Chargers, the Chiefs' Larry Johnson defended San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson's slow start to the season, and after the game, Johnson used Twitter to blast his head coach, Todd Haley.

The latter was predictable.

It was not going to work out with Johnson and Haley -- Johnson has too much baggage in Kansas City, and he's too immature, sensitive and moody. Like they did with Tony Gonzalez, the Chiefs should have shipped Johnson out, rather than ask him to be a solution in a full-fledged rebuilding situation.

Haley came in swinging as Chiefs coach with grueling practices, blunt criticisms of his players, and with new general manager Scott Pioli drawing an iron curtain on the Chiefs' operations. Haley needed early success to prevent a Johnson blowup -- much like the reprieve new Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels gained with his 6-0 start after a heavy-handed arrival.

The Chiefs, however, are 1-6.

And their relationship will not improve with Johnson. This is just a flicker of an eventual fire that will burn the Chiefs.

IT TAKES A GREAT DEFENSIVE BACK TO KNOW ONE: Darren Sharper is one interception return for a touchdown shy of tying Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson's NFL record of 12.

Sharper had another one in the New Orleans big-play, 21-point comeback victory at Miami. He has now returned three picks for touchdowns this season.

Sharper was a senior at William & Mary when he first met Woodson, who was at the school to give a speech to the football program and participate in a football camp. Later, Woodson would play with Sharper's brother, Jamie, a linebacker, with the Baltimore Ravens.

Woodson, 44, played 17 NFL seasons from 1987 through 2003. Sharper, who turns 34 on Nov. 3, is in his 13th pro season.

"Three picks returned for touchdowns in one season is a lot. I think the most I had is two," Woodson said. "I think it is easier to do it at safety [where Sharper plays]. You are playing center field, and you have the entire middle of the field to work with. Most of my picks came in the last five years of my career when I moved to safety. It looks like Darren is taking advantage of being at safety. He is taking advantage of a lot of young quarterbacks in this league -- I see him doing a lot of damage ... to young quarterbacks over the next couple of years. I didn't realize he was that close to breaking this record.

"You take a good athlete and you put him at safety and if he is a smart player, there are many plays to be made. The Saints obviously trust Darren a lot and they are letting him be a quarterback back there on defense.

"You have to think that any interception records or yardage records on those are going to be broken as the league moves forward. The NFL is basically setting its rules up for offenses to throw the football. There are a lot of chances to do something great against these passing games. A player like Darren is suited for it.''

Miles Austin Filling Dallas' T.O. Void originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jerry Jones Locks In DeMarcus Ware With $40 Million Guaranteed

Michael David Smith — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:56:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has never been shy about spending big for superstars, and on Monday he spent very big to lock in one of the best defensive players in the league.

Linebacker DeMarcus Ware has agreed to a six-year contract extension that Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reports is worth nearly $13 million per season and almost $40 million in guaranteed money.

The contract ensures that the 27-year-old Ware will play for the Cowboys, who selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, through the prime years of his career.

Ware led the league with 20 sacks last season, and after starting slowly this season while playing with a stress fracture in his left foot, he has four sacks in the last two games. Ware has never missed a game in his five-year NFL career

Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said of Ware, "I've been lucky to be around a lot of good ones. He's at the top of the class, and it doesn't take long to call the roll. He's an all-around player, and he plays the run well, too. That's what you really like about him."

Now Jones has spent enough to ensure that Ware will be leading the Cowboys' defense for years to come.

Jerry Jones Locks In DeMarcus Ware With $40 Million Guaranteed originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suddenly Slumping Giants Slip Back to NFC East Pack

Dan Graziano — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:05:00 EST

Filed under: Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, NFL Analysis

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- This was to have been the Giants' get-right game. Sure, New Orleans beat them up last week, but the Saints are an undefeated team that was coming off a bye week and playing at home. The Giants spent the week shrugging off that loss and promising to be better this week at home against the Cardinals. The defense promised more blitzing and less trepidation. The offense promised to be sharper. To a man, the Giants were certain they'd come up with a big win Sunday night over the reigning NFC champs...and then they lost.

"For whatever reason, we've had two weeks in a row now where one area has not performed very well," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "So, back to the drawing board."

And back, whether they like it or not, into a three-team NFC East tussle where there's no clear favorite -- not even them.

More: Cards Flip the Script on Giants | Eagles Look to Close in on First Place

Through five weeks, the Giants stood 5-0 and appeared to be in control of the division. Preseason predictions about the Eagles as a serious threat and the Cowboys as sleeper faded. The Giants weathered injuries, showcased their depth and simply crushed second-rate opponents such as Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Oakland. Safety Kenny Phillips went down. Defensive end Justin Tuck played hurt. Brandon Jacobs dealt strangely with some confusing an undefined emotional issues regarding his running style versus Ahmad Bradshaw's. But it was all okay, because the Giants looked like a team built to handle all of it.

But with Week 7 just about in the books, the picture looks a lot different. The Giants are now 5-2. The Cowboys are 4-2. And once they plaster the sad-sack Redskins tonight in the Eagles will be 4-2 and ready to host the Giants next Sunday in the first game of a NY/Philly football/baseball doubleheader sure to set records for profane Northeast sports fan trash talk.

"Am I concerned?" Tuck asked. "I'm not the kind of guy who gets concerned in Week 7. The last time we lost two games in a row this early in the season, we ended up being Super Bowl champs."

There remain enough players in this Giants locker room from the 2007-08 title team that they feel they can trade on that. The Giants carry themselves with a champion's confidence because, well, a lot of them are champions. They're entitled to the perspective that comes with that.

The problem is, this year's Giants team has yet to prove anything. The 5-0 record was a mirage. They opened with a shaky win over a terrible Washington team. They gave up 250 rushing yards to the Cowboys in Week 2 and would have lost but for a couple of dumb late Dallas decisions. And then they rolled three of the worst teams in the league. Now that they're playing teams like New Orleans and Arizona, the shortcomings are showing up:

-The young receivers, Mario Manningham in particular, still drop too many passes. Teams continue to crowd up front to stop Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, daring Eli Manning to beat them in the passing game. Sunday night, Manning couldn't do it. Sometimes he struggled with his reads with safeties in the box. Sometimes he hit a guy in the hands and saw him drop it. Three times, he couldn't get the play off in time and got called for delay of game. Other than a miracle play on which rookie Hakeem Nicks caught a deflected pass and ran it in for a 62-yard touchdown, the passing game did nothing Sunday night. And the running game, thanks to an aggressive Arizona defense that was determined to stop it, remained stuck in the mud.

-Teams are able to gain yards down the field against the middle of the Giants' defense. Phillips' absence is being felt, as are those of defensive tackle Chris Canty, linebacker Michael Boley and cornerback Aaron Ross. The defense made more plays Sunday than it did the week before in New Orleans, but it didn't do enough to stop the Cardinal receivers and, perhaps more distressingly, rookie Cardinals running back Beanie Wells.

-The punting game was off! 84-year veteran Jeff Feagles had a rotten game, averaging just 34.3 yards per punt. Coughlin took the blame for that, saying he instructed Feagles to make sure to kick the ball out of bounds and away from Cardinals return man Steve Breaston, but Feagles said he always tries to kick the ball out of bounds and needs to do a better job.

It's all part of a weird and surprisingly substandard vibe the Giants are giving off the past couple of weeks. After two years as a dominant NFC force, they have looked lately like a team that still has a ways to go before we can call it a Super Bowl contender.

"We have to find a way to rebound and get back to where we were at the beginning of the season," defensive end Osi Umenyiora said. "This was a game we should have won."

The Cardinals, who have won the NFC title more recently than the Giants have, beg to differ. And the Giants' next six games are against the Eagles, Chargers, Falcons, Broncos, Cowboys and Eagles again -- teams whose combined record is 20-9. The Giants suddenly look vulnerable. They've succeeded in turning the NFC East into a real race when they didn't have to. And they enter Week 8 of the NFL season with just as much to prove as any other team in the league.

Suddenly Slumping Giants Slip Back to NFC East Pack originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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