Todd Archer puts the Cowboys slow starts under the microscope. Jason Garrett thinks we just need to find our rhythm while Patrick Crayton wants us to throw a few more haymaker punches early instead of just probing jabs. Everybody’s talking about it but no one has a real solution, except for the start MB3 contingent, and I think they have a legitimate point. My prescription is a little more creativity in the first couple of series and for Romo to take over and make it happen like he does the rest of the game.
I thought it was funny that fans and media are hyper-aware of our failures to score, but Romo had to ask about the first game of the year.
"We're going to start scoring some points in the beginning of games, it's just not happened through five, six games," quarterback Tony Romo said. "Didn't we get points in the first game of the year?"
The answer is yes, but it was a Nick Folk FG. No TD’s.
No news on the Tank Johnson front.
The Cowboys were expecting to hear something from the NFL on Tuesday regarding when suspended defensive tackle Tank Johnson will be eligible to play for his new team.
The Cowboys were left without a definite answer, but are hoping to hear something as early as Wednesday morning.
The club is holding out hope, though it appears slim, that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will reduce Johnson's eight-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy to six games. If that happens, Johnson would be eligible to play this Sunday against Minnesota.
There’s also the possibility that he Goodell lets Tank start practicing with the team. That would help, then when he does come off suspension he’ll be able to get in the game right away.
Mickey Spags is disturbed by the play of the secondary, especially the safeties.
There is one thing nagging at me, one thing that I continue having trouble working through: In the two games facing Tom Brady and Eli Manning, the Cowboys have yielded 700 yards passing and 83 points.
That's got to mean something, no?
Yes, it means that good QB’s with good receivers can move the ball on us. I worry about the whole unit, not just the safeties. Nate Jones was incapable of covering Wes Welker. I still say if Anthony Henry had played and we could have moved Terence Newman into the slot, we might, I repeat might, have had a chance.
I guess it’s time to move on to the Minnesota Vikings and let the Patriots game go. With the eye-opening performance of RB Adrian Peterson last week against the Bears defense, it puts a whole new spin on the game. Here’s what I know on the surface about the Vikings. They have a kick-butt running game and they are the beasts against the run. On the flip-side, they have a young QB and a suspect passing game, they also stink against the pass.
Rick Gosselin goes much deeper in this article. Update [2007-10-17 17:49:15 by Dave Halprin (Grizz)]: I fixed the link to go to Gosselin's article. Hat tip to lee3022 for alerting me. [END UPDATE]
If you want to get some early looks at what’s going in Viking-land, visit SB Nation’s Vikings blog, Daily Norseman. Gonzo, the site’s blogger, loves him some Adrian Peterson. Plus, he has some pics of Scarlett Johansson, one of my personal faves.
Here’s more on the Ron Springs situation. Man, I hope he gets better. The Ron Springs/Everson Walls story was one of the most heartwarming things you’ll read about involving sports. It’s got to have a happy ending.