Romo, Rodgers Keeps Shine On Dallas-Green Bay Rivalry

When the Cowboys schedule was released and it showed the Cowboys were going to play the Brett Favre-less Green Bay Packers, I was not impressed. It just wouldn't be the same. For years it was Favre vs Troy Aikman, and then it was Favre vs Romo. Rodgers vs Romo didn't exactly sound like a heavyweight matchup. Well, I was wrong.

Sunday night will see the league's two hottest quarterback's face off in a early season battle for NFC supremacy.

While Tony Romo has been his usual impressive self, completing 72 percent of his passes, Aaron Rodgers has played just as well. In leading the Pack to wins over Minnesota and Detroit, Rodgers has thrown for 506 yards and four touchdowns, while completing 70 percent of his throws.

The Cowboys won a shootout with Green Bay last November in Dallas, but it must be remembered that after Rodgers replaced an injured Brett Favre, the Cowboys were outscored 17-10. Rodgers shredded the Cowboys defense for over 200 yards.

Sure, Favre's not here for this one, but two good quarterbacks will still be on the field.

Cowboys & Eagles Look To Be Class Of NFC

Let's give credit to where credit is due. Let's give a hand to the Dallas Cowboys for finally winning a big game. At last, the monkey is off their back. It's off. So take that monkey and throw him off into the wild blue yonder.

No question as to how critical this game was for the Cowboys psyche. The Eagles had come in to Texas Stadium and ripped the wheels off the Cowboys wagon in that 10-6 game last December. Not just ripped them off, but threw them off the cliff as well. A team that could post 24 points in a blink of an eye was held without a touchdown for the first time in over 3 seasons.

And last week the Green Birds dismantled the Rams 38-3 and sounded plenty cocky coming into Monday's game. The usual barbs were traded through the media by best friends Terrell Owens and Donovan Mcnabb. No surprise there. And really, it wasn't any surprise to hear Adam Jones talking again either. For a guy that's been out of the league for a year, it's like he never missed a beat. Oh there was plenty of jabbering going on in the days leading up to the first division game. What else did you expect?

But tell me, if I told you that Dallas would get 37 points hung on them, would you mark that down as a win for America's Team?

If I told you that Terrell Owens wouldn't catch a pass in the second half, would you think that Romo could consistently find anyone else to throw to?

If I told you that the Cowboys would turn the ball over twice in a matter of 20 seconds, what would you think about Dallas' chances then?

The Cowboys overcame themselves after a 20 second display of misplay turned a 14-6 Cowboys lead into a 20-14 lead for the Eagles. Tony Romo threw for his 12th 300 yard game as a Cowboy and Terrell Owens torched the Eagles in the first half for 89 yards on 3 receptions, including a 72 yard touchdown. And the defense that had been getting pushed around all night came up big in the fourth quarter, stopping the Eagles three times.

This wasn't one of those games like last year against Green Bay when the Cowboys roared out to a big lead then had to hang on for a win. This time the Cowboys kept the pedal to the metal the entire way. Of course, they really had to, but it still shows you what this offense is capable of doing. Beating up on the Eagles defense hasn't come easy this century.

Rookie running back Felix Jones set a club record for most kickoff return yards in a single game, with 247 yards on six returns. Jones returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

Let me say what all of America has been saying, only they didn't have any facts to back it up. The Cowboys look good.
While that statement isn't turning any heads for originality, the fact that Dallas just beat the second best team in the NFC might.

This is a good Eagles team right now. Mcnabb is playing his best football since the days when he was throwing to a certain No. 81 while leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl. The offensive line is playing well and Westbrook is a threat out of the backfield (as if that wasn't already known). But the key is Desean Jackson. Jackson brings what the Eagles' offense badly needed: speed. Westbrook was the team's only major threat, so defenses would key on him and try to bottle the 5 year veteran up. It didn't always work out, Westbrook still broke some big gainers, but the Eagles offense was still too inconsistent to keep up with the big boys.

Notice that Dallas rarely came with more than four pass rushers last night. Wade Phillips and Brian Stewart felt like the secondary needed all the help it could get to slow down the speedster from California.

And with a big, talented offensive line, that's what the Eagles want to see. Against Dallas, four rushers is an equal playing field. We saw in last year's Sunday night game Dallas simply come after Mcnabb, and the result was a Philly offense that looked absolutely horrid. The return of Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown shortly will elevate this offense to even greater heights. Don't be fooled by last night. Jim Johnson's defense is very good. Johnson's unit might still be suffering from the whiplash effect of having had to play the worst offense in Week 1 (Rams) and then turn around and play the most prolific offense in the league only eight days later. So don't read into the defensive stats too much.

Sure, Philadelphia lost last night, but they shouldn't be hanging their heads over it. Some mistakes were made in the fourth quarter, that's for sure, but they are very easily corrected. Donovan Mcnabb should know better than to double pump a handoff. If the ball is going to BrianWestbrook, then give it to him. Apparently, all that happened there was that Mcnabb forgot the play call. Yeah, I'd say that's fixable.

Tell me of another team that can hang with the Cowboys.

Green Bay? The Pack have looked impressive so far. We'll see just how far Aaron Rodgers has progressed when he faces the Cowboys on Sunday Night. Through two games he still hasn't faced a pass defense that ranks midpack.

New York? We know Phillips likes to come after Eli Manning, and do you really think that Manning can keep his head screwed on tight the whole game again? Oh yeah, he beat them last season in that playoff game, but only had to put up 21 points to do it. Washington? You know, I find the Redskins a really entertaining team. It's early, but so far the team looks too mistake prone. But you never know. As many magic potions as Daniel Snyder has cooked up, it's possible that Jim Zorn is the perfect one. Arizona? Please, let's not even consider them unless they actually get into the postseason. Carolina? Before I say yes it would be nice to see them win a game by more than 4 points, but before I say no I'd like to see them get beat once. Playing close games historically comes back to haunt you in the end.

Notice I only listed five teams. The NFC is sporting little that's impressive right now, which leads me to conclude that the two best teams in the conference were on display last night.

And they did not disappoint.

Tony Romo's Play Mirroring Greatness

Cowboys fans waited a long time for a replacement to Troy Aikman. Six seasons to be exact.
Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, Drew Henson and Drew Bledsoe all had tryouts, but were sooner or later parked by the curb. Aikman's replacement came in the form of a smiling kid from Eastern Illinois University by the name of Tony Romo.

Though Romo appears poised to lead the Cowboys for many years, doubters and scoffers still abound.

This is for all of you naysayers.

Romo seems to be a magnet for attention off the field, being linked with Jessica Simpson and participating in almost every celebrity golf tournament, which has caused some view points on Romo's desire and dedication to the game to become skewered somewhat. No. 9 hasn't been fully accepted in all Cowboy circles. I'm not sure why, because between the sidelines Romo is putting up numbers reserved for legends. Granted, Romo has only 27 regular season starts under his belt, but he is on pace to put himself at, or near the top of some major individual statistical records.

Since he took over from Bledsoe, Romo has been described as too erratic. Well, he's so erratic that his career completion percentage of 65.1 is second only to Chad Pennington's 65.6.
If he played as many seasons as Dan Marino (17), Romo would find himself as the all-time leader in 300 yard passing games, with 87. I'll admit that, by then, his surrounding talent will have likely taken a step down from what it is now, so his current rate of seven 300 yard games a season probably won't continue. But still, from 2008-2019 he could average five 300 yard passing games a year and still tie Marino's supposedly untouchable mark of 63.
What about the all important QB rating? Romo's mark of 96.7 is bettered only by Steve Young's 96.8. Peyton Manning, who some suggest is the best quarterback to ever play the game, only carries a 94.7 rating.

Romo's career average gain per attempt is 8.36 yards, which is third to hallowed stars from the past, Otto Graham and Sid Luckman. Skeptics will point out that he is benefiting in that area from a very balanced, offensive attack. Handing off to Marion Barber and throwing to Terrell Owens is easy, so they say. It must be remembered that Aikman guided maybe the most efficient offense in the history of the league in 1995 but only averaged 7.6 yards per attempt.
Romo's not merely setting individual records, though. Remember back in the Dave Campo era, when one road victory was deemed acceptable? And that one win was over a Redskins team that found it entertaining to find new ways to lose? That is a thing of the past, for sure. With Romo at the helm, the Cowboys are 11-2 away from home. In the process they tied a club record for most consecutive road wins (10), which is the third best mark in NFL history. The irony of the losses is that both have been to the Redskins. Whoever said facts aren't amusing obviously missed that one.

11-2 is pretty good. However, it could, and maybe should be better. Loss No.1 happened because a 35 yard field goal attempt was blocked, and the other defeat came while Dallas was resting most of their starters for the playoffs.

How easily he could be a lucky 13-0 on the road.

Sure, Romo makes a flash off the field, but at least he's doing a great job on it. Because twenty years from now, that's what people will remember him for.

Cowboys-Eagles: Ryan's Top Five Cowboys Losses

#1 1995: (The Fourth & 1 Play) Eagles 20 Cowboys 17

It doesn't get any dumber than going for it on fourth & 1 while at their own 29 yard line on a cold day that's already seen you blow a big lead. Seeing Emmitt Smith get stuffed for a second straight play that ultimately won the game for Philly will forever be recalled in Eagles lore, and is a moment to forget if you carry the silver and blue banner. Fortunately, the worst decision in team history didn't blow up in Barry Switzer's face as the team did not lose another game that season on the way to capturing Super Bowl XXX.

#2 1996: (Aikman's INT) Eagles 34 Cowboys 24

After a back and forth game, it looked as if the Cowboys might sneak away with a big victory over their rival. But with less than half a minute remaining and the Cowboys sitting inside the Philly 10 yard line trailing 27-24, Troy Aikman's pass was intercepted in the end zone and returned 102 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.

#3 1999: (Irvin's Injury) Eagles 13 Cowboys 10

When Michael Irvin fell to the ground on that gray day at Veterans Stadium it signaled the death of the Cowboys. A spine injury on the play ended his Hall of Fame career and shut down the Cowboys offense for the rest of the season. A team that had put 100 points on the board in the first three games of the season, could only muster 10 that game. As Irvin was rolled off the field on the stretcher, the Eagles fans cheered gleefully. Dallas finished 8-8 on the year.

#4 2000:(The Pickle Juice Game) Eagles 41 Cowboys 14

Seeing Troy Aikman get battered and beaten on a day when the temperature on the field was reported to be 150 degrees was simply awful. The Eagles did everything right, while the Cowboys did everything wrong. Aikman left with a concussion, Joey Galloway was lost for the year with an injury, and Duce Staley ran over the Cowboys defense for 200 yards. How? According to Eagles players, they kept themselves hydrated by drinking a mixture of pickle juice and water. The Cowboys reportedly tried it once after but it obviously didn't work, as they would finish the year 5-11.

#5 1980: (The Collapse) Eagles 20 Cowboys 7

Hate was projected to be boiling over on this frigid day at Veterans Stadium. This wasn't no ordinary division game. The winner was headed to the Super Bowl. Dallas was thought to be the favorite after whipping the Eagles only three weeks previously, and due to their experience in playoff games. But the Cowboys simply never got off the bus, as running back Wilbert Montgomery rushed for 194 yards on only 26 carries and carried the Eagles to a 20-7 victory and a date with Oakland in Super Bowl XV. Tony Dorsett lost a fumble, and Danny White threw an interception as well as couching the ball up once. In swirling wind conditions, White and Ron Jaworski combined to complete only 21 of 60 passes.
This was the first of three consecutive NFC Championship Game defeats for the Cowboys.