Gameday! As you get ready for kickoff, here is some of the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys going to play the New England Patriots.
The weather should be just about ideal. A mostly sunny day with temperatures at kickoff in the low to mid sixties. When you have perfect weather like this to visit an NFL foe, there is nothing better than ruining the day for the host team.
On a bit of a random note, I am trying to figure out if the name of the town where Gillette Stadium is located is Foxborough or Foxboro. The answer, apparently, is yes.
One of the recurring themes, picked up at MassLive.com, is how Rob Ryan is throwing the kitchen sink at the New England offense. It is undoubtedly the biggest concern for the Patriots, but you have to get a chuckle out of this comment.
"Is this a full-fledged double-sink with a disposal?" offensive lineman Matt Light said. "That's a heck of a sink. I've never caught a sink, but my wife has thrown a plate or two at me."
More illuminating stuff after the break
Dallas Morning News takes a look at how the two teams match up and observe how good it is to have Miles Austin back. They also present their keys to victory. Which leads to my observation that most "keys to victory" lists are pretty much valid no matter who you play. As an example, I present this quote from MassLive's article on what to watch for in the game:
It seems the key to beating the Cowboys is by creating pressure on quarterback Tony Romo and forcing him into mistakes.
So haven't we at BTB been saying the exact same thing about Tom Brady all week?
In the Boston Herald, Bill Belichick talks about the Cowboys D and whether DeMarcus Ware can be compared with Lawrence Taylor. They also have the AP article that opines that the Patriots will avoid a letdown.
ESPN looks at Tom Brady and Tony Romo versus the opposing defenses.
Pro Football Weekly examines the matchup between BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Dallas' run defense.
Speaking of things defensive, the FW Star Telegram has an article about how the Big Robowski is looking forward to playing the Patriots.
NFL.com talks to Felix Jones about his not-fully-healed shoulder.
Maybe it's the recent training camps in the Alamodome, but I have noticed that some of the best articles each week are in the San Antonio Express. Their take on five things to watch in the game is worth a read, if for no other reason than that the writer refers to the matchup between Sean Lee and the TE duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez as a Tight End Tango. They also have a well thought out piece about questionable moves made by both players and coaches, and a scouting report that is not just a quick copy and paste of a wire service report.