Just win, baby.
Dallas worked out Al Davis' motto today, relying on a late, nine-play, 60 yard drive to push them ahead of the game Redskins 7 to 6. Tony Romo's 10 yard pass to Patrick Crayton with 2:50 left let the Cowboys Nation exhale after a frustrating afternoon where nothing offensively seemed to work.
Quick Notes:
Romo was 7 of 8 on that drive.
Jason Garrett didn't call a single run. We can debate the reasons. Perhaps he didn't want to take his erratic-throwing QB out of his delicate rhythm. Whatever the case, it worked.
Miles Austin, Jason Witten and Patrick Crayton made plays. Roy Williams? I think we can officially declare him a divo.
The defense again surrendered yards, but proved stingy with points. They played 60 minutes and every one counted.
The Doug Free experiment looks okay, one week in. The Dallas run mix, which was heavy in the first half, saw more runs called to his side than to Flozell Adams'
I think you can see the problems with a ball-control offense. The line takes too many flags. You can't rely on 10 to 12 play drives because a hold or an procedure will arise somewhere in the mix. Having Marion Barber fumble at the 12 didn't help.
It's time for Joe DeCamillis to float the prospect of David Buehler as the lone kicker. Nick Folk has been off all year. He was missing kicks in preseason and has consistently missed this year. He again missed a sub-40 attempt today.
This is the way Washington plays. They drag teams down into the mud and rubber dirt with them. Dallas won. For all the ugliness, they're 2-1 after one tour through the East. That's big.
Take a shower. Have another stiff drink and start thinking about Thanksgiving. Dallas escaped like this in Kansas City and regained its offensive mojo. The team had no time to take a breath and relax but may find its bearings again.
More tonight.