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More jumping on Cowboys bandwagon

ESPN asked 5 Burning Questions of Eric Allen, a great defensive back for the Eagles, and Joe Theismann, a gas-bag announcer who I believe once played football for a team in the NFL. The number one question - Are the Cowboys the favorties in the NFC?

Eric Allen: The Cowboys are the favorites because right now their defense is playing great, while the offense is being led effectively by Tony Romo. In addition to improved play in the passing game, the Cowboys are running the ball effectively with Julius Jones and Marion Barber III. It's amazing to step back and look at the transformation of this team from one that seemed like it wasn't going anywhere to the best team in the NFC over a span of a few weeks.

Joe Theismann: Yes, the Bears' recent return to earth offensively has placed the Cowboys in the No. 1 position in the NFC. Unlike the Bears, the Cowboys are consistent offensively and aren't too reliant on their defense and special teams. Rex Grossman's struggles mean the Bears are too reliant on their defense and special teams. The beautiful thing about the way the Cowboys are playing is that they look hungry on the field. This is a squad that wants to win badly and is trying its best to make every play on every down.


Everyone loves the Cowboys now.

Romo loves pressure, but sometimes his ideas are not the best.

As the New York Giants worked their way down the field late in the fourth quarter Sunday on a game-tying drive, Tony Romo, standing on the sideline, leaned over to passing game coordinator Todd Haley.

"Let them score," Romo said. "Give me one minute with two timeouts, and we'll win."


I understand the sentiment, but the best idea would've been to not let them score. As Han Solo said to Luke Skywalker when he shot down an imperial fighter - "Great, kid. Don't get cocky." Too late for that, Romo is already cocky. But he has reason to be, he's pretty good at working the 2-minute drill. Not only did he score with under a minute to play in the 2nd-half of the Giants game, he also led us to a FG with 1:13 to go in the 1st-half.
"I understand the situations on the field when it comes down to what the score is and how much time is left," Romo said. "There are certain times in games you might have to put the ball in a little smaller hole than you normally do. And there are certain times where you can't have a turnover here.

"I'm going to make mistakes. I'm not going to get the job done every time but if you understand the situation throughout the game, it gives you a chance to succeed."

Cowlishaw takes on MB3.

The Cowboys have the NFC's No. 1 offense inside the 20. They have scored touchdowns on 63 percent of their trips inside that area. The Giants are a distant No. 2 at 56.8.

The only team that is well out ahead of Dallas would be the same team that has a back who is out of sight when it comes to scoring. San Diego, with LaDainian Tomlinson and his 26 touchdowns, is tops in the league at 70.2 percent.


MB3 with his 13 TD's and nose for the endzone makes a huge difference. But, as I pointed out in this article, there are reasons why MB3 has looked so much better than JJ recently.
It should be noted - even by someone who wrote before the season that Barber should be starting - that the backs' opportunities are not equal. Barber is the one who gets the ball on third-and-long, the easiest place for backs to elevate their averages.

On third-and-6 yards or more, Jones has no carries. Barber has 12 for 102 yards.

And by starting, Jones faces defenses when they are freshest. Barber is more likely to play late and when in the lead. That's when opponents are worn down or losing interest or both.


So true, but that doesn't take anything away from what MB3 has accomplished. He's an integral part of this offense. Let's ask MB3 about it:
What does he make of it all?

"I got to run, man," Barber said, heading for the closest exit as if it were the goal line.

As long as he keeps running for glory, Cowboys fans won't care if the guy chooses never to run his mouth.

Word.

It's all Gramatica, all the time.

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