Dallas Cowboys News: Trade Deadline, Injury News, Romo Talks Super Bowl, More

Tony Romo says critics will eat humble pie when Dallas eventually wins a Super Bowl - NFL.com
Tony Romo remains unfazed by criticism from former Cowboys star Deion Sanders.

"This team is going to win a Super Bowl at some point," he said. "And it's going to be exciting when that time comes. And when we look back, we know who was on what side of the fence during the tough moments. That's exciting for us as competitors knowing that we get a chance to get better and go out there and have a chance one day."

Nothing brewing as trade deadline approaches - Star-Telegram
A source told Clarence Hill that there is nothing in the works for the Cowboys as Tuesday's trade deadline approaches. This of course doesn't deter anybody from speculating, like Gil Brandt in the next entry.

Deals that should get done before deadline - NFL.com
Gil Brandt throws Bradie James to the Eagles: Brandt proposes a deal of Rodgers-Cromartie for Bradie James that could help both teams. The Eagles would go from zero to one capable linebacker and the Cowboys would get an extra corner. Uhmm ... no.

Dallas Cowboys welcome back Orlando Scandrick, and his angry attitude - Idaho Statesman
Carlos Mendez writes that the return of Orlando Scandrick this week will bring the Cowboys defense another level of intensity.

"He’s always got some kind of attitude on around him," linebacker Victor Butler said. "The way he walks. He’s a football player — he wants to hit hard, he wants to cover hard. He’s a perfectionist, too. If someone’s not right, he’s going to yell at them. You need that kind of leadership on the field."

Ware seeing a lot of single blocking for first time since rookie year - Star Telegram

One of the examples of how Rob Ryan's schemes have impacted the Cowboys defense is Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware getting fewer double team blocks than anytime since his rookie year, Clarence Hill writes.

"I have faced a lot of one on ones," Ware said. "I will be on the left and the cornerback would be on the right, the running back would have to pick him up. It creates a lot of one-on-ones which I like."

Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete pleased with development of rookie RB DeMarco Murray - The Dallas Morning News
In looking at the running back performance, many people forget that Murray didn't play until the final week of training camp because of a hamstring injury. But the coaches like what they've seen from the rookies since:

"DeMarco is doing very well. After missing the entire training camp and coming in and getting about three or four days of practice before the start of the season, I think he's done very well in his first couple of days," RB coach Skip Peete said. "I think he is kind of where he is right now. He's progressing and it takes time to come back from a hamstring injury, which he had, and I think he's progressing just as we anticipated."

Cowboys know settling for field goals inside 20-yard line isn't a winning formula - The Dallas Morning News
Brandon George points out that the Cowboys haven't been able to run the football when they need to the most. The Cowboys have had 15 red zone possessions so far this year, but have only scored five TDs (and seven field goals). Their TD percentage of 33% is tied for the lowest in the league.

Tony Romo not thinking about shootout - ESPN Dallas
Todd Archer writes that Romo said he will not go into Sunday’s game thinking he will have to outgun Tom Brady.

"We have to execute on each play, what gives us the best chance to move the ball on a specific play," Romo said. "That’s the only thing you can think of as a quarterback. If I go in trying to battle another team’s offense, then you’re doing stuff wrong. You’re going to get in trouble. For me, it’s strictly about going out there and executing each play and what gives us the best chance on that play going forward."

Is New England D really as awful as its rankings? - ESPN Dallas
The Patriots defense ranks last in the league in yards per game and passing yards per game Patriots and 14th in points allowed per game. Jason Garrett thinks those numbers are misleading. "I still think they’re awfully good," Garrett said.

"I think if you look at those numbers, they can be a little bit deceiving because they’ve played from ahead so much and teams are throwing the ball. That’s why we don’t get too caught up in statistics. "There are certain statistics that we feel are very important, but some of the yardage statistics are not quite as important to us. I feel like this is a good indication of why."

Tom Brady Wary of Opportunistic Cowboys Defense's Ability to Make Interceptions - New England Patriots - NESN.com

It should come as not much of a surprise that three weeks after throwing four interceptions in a single game (for the sixth time in his career), Tom Brady still has interceptions on his mind.

"I would say this defense really thrives off interceptions," Brady said. "They had a ton of them last year [20], so they can all intercept the ball. You make a bad throw, they're gonna make you pay. Long arms and soft hands is not a good combination for a quarterback... unless it's a receiver," Brady said. "But not for defensive backs, and they seem to come down with most of the balls. I think all those guys are really looking to intercept the ball," Brady said.

Belichick on 'Boys: Fastest team - ESPN Boston
Patriots coach Bill Belichick stressed how the Cowboys' overall team speed can be a factor, especially on defense:

"They just get there quicker than a lot of other people," said Belichick. "Every team we play, they're chasing it, too. These guys are just faster, they just get there quicker. Obviously, every team has its weaknesses -- hopefully -- that you try to attack. We’ll try to attack these guys, like any other team. One thing that’s hard to do is outrun them. There’s just not many guys that can take the ball and take off that they can’t catch. They track everybody down."

Patriots coach Bill Belichick says the Cowboys' speed on defense could be a problem - masslive.com
One thing that has stood out to the Patriots in early film sessions is how fast the Dallas Cowboys’ defense is.

"They’re fast. They don’t give up many plays," Belichick said. "You look at a lot of plays and the play starts you think, 'There’s a hole, this looks like a pretty good play’ and all the sudden four guys hit him for a two-yard gain. They close very quickly. Spencer and Ware on the edge, I mean they’re a problem. The inside linebackers, especially Lee, run well. Their defensive linemen are active. They run really well."

Injury Report (via the NFL Media department) for the game against the Patriots: