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Cowboys Fizzle, While Redkins Dazzle 

The Washington Redskins absolutely dominated the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday during a 27-6 routing that had the Cowboys ending their regular season on a sour note.

For the Redskins it was their fourth straight victory as they continue to play inspired football since the death of Sean Taylor.  On the flip side, the Cowboys continued their string of uninspired football and many are fearful of their latest efforts, and what seems like an overall complacency that has set in.

In their last three games, the team has scored only 32 total points after averaging 30 points or more for the first 13 games of the season. They have now lost two of their last three games, with both losses coming against NFC East rivals. At a time when most teams are playing their best football of the season, the Cowboys are playing their worst. They now head into their bye week wondering what happened to the team that was once considered the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl only three weeks ago.

Dallas fans hoped to see Jason Witten and Tony Romo set new franchise and NFL records, but instead were treated to some less notable records instead. They set the franchise record for worst rushing yards (-1) and worst total yards (147). They allowed an aging and unproductive Clinton Portis to become the first running back to rush for 100 yards this season.

For the first time this season, the Cowboys looked frustrated, angry and bewildered by their lackluster play during their last three games. Tony Romo finally had the smile wiped off of his face as he threw his helmet in disgust as his frustration clearly got the best of him.

Even Wade Phillips admitted to playing "uninspired" football. "I told our guys and I feel this way, the word for us is 'uninspired,'" Phillips said. The trouble with playing uninspired football in the NFL, is that it often leads to disappointment and heartbreak.

Maybe it was Patrick Crayton who said it best...

"We were very, very uninspired," Crayton said. "You don't ever want to play like that. Yeah, people said we had nothing to play for, but I don't ever like to lose and we did have something to play for. We had a chance to go 14-2 and have the best (regular-season) record in franchise history. We can't play like this. But we've got two weeks to get it right."

The Cowboys were without Andre Gurode, Terrell Owens and Terrence Newman, who were all nursing injuries, but most of their starters were in the game throughout most of the damage inflicted by the Redskins. Marion Barber fell 19 yards short of his first 1,000 yards rushing season, and Jason Witten fell four catches short of breaking the NFL record for catches by a tightend. Terry Glenn started the game for the first time this season, but was hit hard and often and had no catches on the day.

Well, the Cowboys now have two weeks to figure things out and try to find something positive that they can take from this game. Ironically, these same Redskins could face the Cowboys again in the Playoffs. The Cowboys need to get healthy and do some serious soul searching. Wade Phillips who has never won a post season game in his career, must get this team firing on all cylinders before we face the best the NFC has to offer. The Cowboys season is far from over, but they need to start playing football like they did at the start of the season if they want to advance.

Posted by Joe D. at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Cowboys Bounce Back in Carolina for 20-13 Win

Tony Romo showed no ill effects of his right thumb injury that he sustained last week against the Eagles, as the Cowboys hung on for a 20-13 win against the Panthers to improve to 13-2 on the season.  Carolina dropped to 6-9 and was eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.  With the win, the Cowboys move just one step away from clinching home-field advantage in the NFC Playoffs.  A Green Bay loss against either the Bears on Sunday or the Lions on the following Sunday clinches it, as well as a Dallas win against the Redskins in the final game of the regular season.

The Cowboys got off to a fast start early on.  On their second drive of the game, Tony Romo led Dallas on a long 13-play drive that was capped off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead early. 

Then it was the Marion Barber Show early in the 2nd quarter.  He chewed up 63 yards on an 80-yard drive that ended in a Marion Barber 5-yard touchdown plunge to extend the Dallas lead to 14-0.  However, on the previous play, Terrell Owens was injured on a first down catch at the Carolina 5.  He has a high ankle sprain.  X-Rays were negative and an MRI is scheduled for Sunday.  He may not be ready next week, but could return for the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

The Panthers struck back quickly though, as former Cowboys backup quarterback Matt Moore found Dante Rosario for 13 yards and then after a 39-yard run from DeAngelo Williams, found Steve Smith in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown to cut the Cowboys lead to 14-7. 

The Cowboys tacked on a field to make it 17-7 at halftime.  The Cowboys missed an opportunity to make it even bigger as they didn't have enough time to get their field goal unit on the field with no timeouts left. 

In the 2nd half, the offenses were stagnant and the defense tightened.  Carolina outscored Dallas 6-3 in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough.  Two first downs by Marion Barber III sealed the 20-13 win for Dallas.

Tony Romo looked more like himself against Carolina, completing 28/42 passes for 257 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. 

Marion Barber III had a season-high in rushing.  He carried the ball 22 times for 110 yards while Julius Jones ran it 9 times for just 25 yards.  It is becoming clearer every week that Marion Barber is our true starter in the backfield, despite only being in the game on every other offensive possession.

Patrick Crayton reeled in 7 catches for 65 yards while Jason Witten caught 6 passes for 53 yards.  Before leaving the game with a high ankle sprain, Terrell Owens had 5 receptions for 48 yards and a TD.

Nick Folk was 2/2 on field goals in the game.  He connected from 42 and 23 yards out.  He was also 2/2 on extra points.

The Dallas defense is improving regularly every week now.  Again they were stifling, even without Roy Williams or backup safety Pat Watkins.  Terence Newman was even hurt for much of that game as well.  They held Carolina to just 216 yards of total offense.  The defense recorded 5 sacks.  DeMarcus Ware had 2 sacks, while Greg Ellis and Tank Johnson recorded 1 sack each, although Tank was called for leading with his helmet.  Chris Canty and Jay Ratliff each got credit for 0.5 sack each.  Anthony Henry made the only interception for the Cowboys in the game.

In addition to Terrell Owens' s injury, Terence Newman, Bradie James, and Jay Ratliff were also injured.  Although all three returned to the game, Terence Newman did not look like himself for the rest of the game.

So with only one game left in the regular season, the Cowboys will still maintain their lead over the Packers in the race for home-field advantage.  It was a little closer than I would've liked it to be, but a win is a win.  The final game of the regular season is at Washington on December 30.  If we get help from the Bears this Sunday we won't have to worry about winning that game, which would be nice to rest a lot of the starters that have been injured the last couple of weeks.

HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!!!!!!  MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eagles Down Cowboys 10-6, but Cowboys Still Clinch Bye

The Dallas Cowboys offense was stagnant the whole game, and although the defense kept them in the game, Romo couldn't get the ball into the end zone, and Dallas lost 10-6.  Before this game, Tony Romo passed for a touchdown in a team record 17 straight games.  With the Seattle loss, the Cowboys still clinch a bye, but are now tied with the Packers for the best record in the NFC, making these final two games of the regular season extremely crucial to win.

The Cowboys took a 3-0 lead off of an Eagles fumble after Tony Romo threw an interception in the end zone.  It was a 33-yard field goal from Nick Folk.

Before the half, Donovan McNabb found a wide open Reggie Brown in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown catch to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead heading into halftime. 

The Dallas offense didn't get any better as the game went along.  Romo drove down the field but had to settle for a 23-yard Nick Folk field goal to cut the Philly lead to 7-6, but an injured right thumb on Romo's throwing hand may have prevented him from throwing the ball accurately all day, as Romo was only 13/36 for 214 yards with 0 TD's and 3 INT's.  The Eagles went on to win the game 10-6.

Injuries were a big part of the day for the Cowboys.  In addition to Romo's thumb, which he will have on MRI for on Monday, Chris Canty, Andre Gurode, and Pat Watkins all went down with injuries.  Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano were playing with injuries too.  Until today the Cowboys were completely healthy with the exception of Terry Glenn, who might come back next week, so this really hurts.

The Cowboys' running attack never got going.  Marion Barber III and Julius Jones each carried the ball 7 times, for 32 and 5 yards respectively. 

Jason Witten had another big game, catching 8 passes for 113 yards.  Terrell Owens was again shutdown, catching 2 balls for 37 yards.  Patrick Crayton made 2 receptions for 54 yards.

Nick Folk connected on both of his field goal attempts, making a 33 and 23-yarder.

The Dallas defense kept us in the game all day long, coming up with huge stops throughout the game.  Bradie James, DeMarcus Ware, Jay Ratliff, and Anthony Spencer each had a sack.  Spencer also forced a fumble that was recovered by Marion Barber III.

What a demoralizing game this was to watch.  The good news is that we hold the tiebreaker over the Packers and that we still control our own destiny.  The defense looked a lot better in this game but the offense sputtered.  The final two games of the season are virtual must-wins now if the Cowboys are to have home-field throughout the playoffs, and it looks like we will have some injuries to deal with.  Our final two games are both on tyhe road at carolina and then at Washington.  Hopefully we can bounce back from this and treat it as a learning experience, entering the playoffs on a roll.

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The Legend Continues for Romo as Cowboys Clinch NFC East with Amazing Comeback Win

The Dallas Cowboys clinched the NFC East, their first since 1998 with a somewhat miraculous 28-27 win over the Detroit Lions. They are now 12-1 on the season, while the Lions have suffered their 5th straight loss and dropped to 6-7 on the season, making their playoff hopes even bleaker.  It may not have quite been like in Buffalo, but it was still really good.  Neither team really looked like they could stop the run or pass, but there would be a few plays late in the game that would come back to haunt the Lions.

The Cowboys got the ball to start the game and Romo navigated Dallas to the Detroit 32, but after an incomplete pass to Sam Hurd, the drive stalled and Nick Folk missed a 50-yard field goal that would've given Dallas a 3-0 lead early.

After the Lions got the ball they surprised the Cowboys with a running attack that the Cowboys couldn't stop.  T.J Duckett scored a touchdown on a 32-yard run to give the Lions a 7-0 lead early.

After a 3 & out on the next Dallas possession and a 19-yard field goal to give Detroit a 10-0 lead, the Cowboys utilized Marion Barber III very nicely in a balanced attack that ended with a tough Marion Barber touchdown run to cut the lead to 10-7.

After a Jason Hanson 36-yard field goal to make it 13-7 Lions, Detroit forced yet another 3 & out.  John Kitna marched his team down the field yet again, resulting in a 2-yard touchdown from Kevin Jones to amazingly make it 20-7 Lions.

The Cowboys would grab momentum right before the end of the half though, as Tony Romo worked the 2 minute drill and found Marion Barber III wide open for an 8-yard touchdown to slice the lead for Detroit to 20-14 at halftime.  Terrell Owens didn't even have a ball thrown to him in the 1st half, but would be worked into the offense in the 2nd half.

The Cowboys forced the Lions into a 3 & out to start the 2nd half, but couldn't get anywhere on offense and it would come back to bite them. After a rare bad punt from Mat McBriar giving the Lions a 41-yard field, the Cowboys' defense was exploited again, and Kevin Jones ran in a 3-yard touchdown, his second of the day to make it 27-14 Lions. Now the Cowboys had to bear down, and they did just that.

Romo led the Cowboys down the field, but on 3rd & goal from the 3, Marion Barber was stopped short of the end zone.  Now it was decision time, either kick the field to cut it to 10, or go for it to make it a 6 point game. Wade Phillips decided to go for it and it payed off.  Marion "The Barbarian" went untouched into the end zone and it was a one possession game again at 27-21 Lions.

The Dallas defense still couldn't get the stop that they needed to get the ball back, but Jason Hanson missed a 35-yard field goal attempt that would've given the Lions a 30-21 lead with 10:45 left to play in the 4th quarter. 

Just when it looked like the Cowboys were about to take the lead, the unthinkable happened. Romo drove all the way down the field, but on a 1st & goal completion to Jason Witten, he fumbled the ball trying to stretch it over the goal line and Greg Blue recovered it for Detroit and at the time it looked like he saved the day. 

Pinned deep at their own 1, Detroit completed a 3 & 10 and also a 3rd & 8 to keep the drive alive.  However, the Cowboys stopped a 3rd & 9 that would've ended the game and the Cowboys had one last chance to win. Tony Romo would have to execute the 2-minute offense once again if the Cowboys were to win the game, and he did.

Faced with a 3rd & 6 from his own 40, Romo tried to scramble up the middle for the 1st down, but fumbled the ball. Detroit had a magnificent chance to end it right there, but Kyle Kosier recovered it for the Cowboys to keep them alive. On 4th & 6, Romo found Marion Barber for a 13-yard completion to keep their hopes alive. From there, Tony Romo methodically worked it down field and then found Jason Witten for the game-winning score, a 16-yard strike to give the Cowboys an amazing 28-27 win!

Tony Romo completed 35/44 passes for 302 yards with 2 TD's.

Marion Barber III carried the ball 7 times for 43 yards and a TD, and also made 10 receptions for 61 yards and a TD for 2 touchdowns on the day.  Julius Jones rushed 8 times for 29 yards.

Jason Witten caught 15 passes for 138 yards with 1 TD, while Patrick Crayton had 3 catches for 46 yards.  Terrell Owens was silent this game and only caught 3 balls for 21 yards.

Nick Folk missed his only field goal attempt, a 50-yarder, but was 4/4 on extra points.

The Cowboys defense didn't come up with any takeaways, and the only sack came from Greg Ellis on the last play of the game. He also forced a fumble on the play as well.

Man what a game this was! We make John Kitna eat his words about the Cowboys and his 10-win season prediction at the same time. With this win, the NFC East is clinched, and now we can worry about securing our 1st round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.  A Seattle loss to Arizona in a game that is being played now, would give the Cowboys a guaranteed bye.  If Seattle wins, we could just clinch that next week at home against the Eagles. 

HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Favre Remains Winless in Dallas as the Cowboys Lead the NFC and Clinch a Playoff Spot 

After months of speculation, the Dallas Cowboys came out with a win and the NFC lead in last night's showdown over the Green Bay Packers. The final score of 37-27 doesn't begin to tell the story of the rollercoaster ride both teams experienced.

It was a record breaking night for the Cowboys as they are now 11-1 with 4 games left to play in the season. Tony Romo continued to break franchise records left and right and ended the night going 19-of-30 for 309 yards with 4 touchdowns.

Romo now stands at 33 touchdown passes for the season, surpassing Danny White's record of 29 and tying Troy Aikman's record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass, 16. Romo also passes Don Meredith with most games with 4 or more touchdowns.

Terrell Owens had a record-breaking night as well with his 14th touchdown catch of the season, tying Frank Clarke's high set in 1962. Owens finished the night with seven catches for 156 yards and one touchdown tying another mark with a TD catch in seven straight games.

Patrick Crayton contributed with two touchdowns and tight end Anthony Fasano caught his first career touchdown.

The defense certainly kept the Packers in check, recording three sacks and nine quarterback pressures against Favre and Rodgers. Favre was held to 5 of 14 passes for 56 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

But the biggest story last night was probably when Brett Favre was taken out of the game in the second quarter. He took a hit by cornerback Nathan Jones which left Favre holding his right arm and his fingers numb. It was later reported that he had separated his shoulder. Favre holds the record of consecutive starts by an NFL quarterback with 249.

With Favre sidelined, out comes the backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was 18-of-25 for 201 yards and a touchdown. Not bad for a backup, but clearly not enough to catch the Cowboys. At one point in the Packers came within a field goal, but soon after Romo tacked on another touchdown and Nick Folk completed his third field goal.

The Dallas Cowboys now stand alone in first in the NFC at 11-1. They also clinched a playoff spot after the win. If the Giants lose against Chicago this weekend it would mean the Cowboys clinch the NFC East division.

HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!

Posted by LoneStarStruck at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Cowboys Carve Up The Jets In Thanksgiving Classic! 

I don't think there was a soul in Dallas who believed the Cowboys would lose to the lowly Jets on Thanksgiving Day at Texas Stadium. They were right. Once the snow flurries started falling, once you smelled the aroma of a great Thanksgiving dinner coming from the kitchen, once you saw the "Silver and Blue" take the field, you knew that destiny was on the side of the Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys absolutely demolished the New York Jets by a lopsided score of 34-3 and set a new franchise record with a 10-1 start to their magical 2007 season. The game was an amazing showcase of the superior talent-laden team led by the NFC's top quarterback, Tony Romo.

Romo, actually led the Cowboys upfield during their first possession of the game on a quick scoring drive that was completed by a Marion Barber touchdown to put the Boys up 7-0. That was all they needed, but there was even more excitement to come in the next three quarters.

Some of the stars on offense included Jason Witten who caught 4 passes including a 25-yard touchdown strike from Romo. Terrell Owens kept his scoring streak alive with six catches of his own including a 22-yard TD in the fourth quarter of the game. Romo was his spectacular self, completing 21 of 28 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground, Barber and Jones combined for over 165 yards rushing. It was the second time this season that Barber topped the century mark in rushing.

As great as the offense was on this day, it was the defense that was the stars of this show!

What a display of toughness and grit the Cowboys defense served up to the shell-shocked Jets. The defense held them back to the point where they had more punts than third down conversions. OUCH!

Terence Newman sizzled as he picked of Kellen Clemens and took it all the way home for his first ever touchdown on an interception. T-New is back on top of his game!

The line was absolutely devastating against the Jets offensive line. They were led by exceptional efforts from Greg Ellis who had a couple of sacks, and Chris Canty who added another. Pat Watkins was in on five tackles as was De Marcus Ware.

There were so many great efforts in the game, that for the first time in the history of the Galloping Gobbler Award, it was awarded to the following five Cowboys; Tony Romo, Chris Canty, De Marcus Ware, Terence Newman, and Greg Ellis. WOW! 

The next game for the Cowboys, might be the biggest game of the year as they kick-off against a red hot Green Bay Packers team that is also 10-1, and being led by a resurgent Brett Favre. It is going to be a clash of the titans. Unfortunately for so many football lovers out there, the game is only being showcased on the NFL network which means millions of viewers will be blacked out. Shame on the NFL who are going to keep millions of fans from watching what could be the best game of the year in 2007.

The game will haves big ramifications for both teams, because at stake is home-field advantage for the playoffs. Both teams will have plenty of time to rest up for the years biggest showdown!

GO COWBOYS!

Posted by Joe D. at 09:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Owens' 4 TD's Nips Redskins in 28-23 Win

The Dallas Cowboys improved to 9-1 on the season for the first time since 1983 as they won a barn-burner against the Washington Redskins 28-23 at Texas Stadium on Sunday.  The win tightened the Cowboys grip on the NFC East even further, as they will now hold the tiebreakers over the Giants, Eagles, and Redskins, no matter what happens the rest of the year.  This intense rivalry lived up to it's name as it came down to the very end in a nail-biter.

Early on in the game, the Cowboys were haunted by bad snaps from center Andre Gurode.  Dallas' first drive of the game started very promisingly, as the Cowboys drove down to the Redskins' 30, but a bad snap that went off off Romo's helmet and into Julius Jones' hands for a loss of 3 yards stalled the drive.  Nick Folk would miss a 51-yard field goal on the ensuing play that gave Washington great field position at the Dallas 41.  On the 4th play of the drive, Jason Campbell found Chris Cooley for a 19-yard TD connection to give the Redskins a 7-0 lead early.

"If you snap it good every time, it's not exciting for the fans," said Romo.

Another bad snap from Andre Gurode resulted in an interception when Romo recovered the ball and forced a pass to Terrell Owens.  Dallas would get the stop on the next Washington possession and their luck would begin to change.

After former Cowboy Shawn Suisham missed a 49-yard FG for the Redskins, Dallas would finally get on the board.  Andre Gurode snapped yet another ball over Tony Romo's head, but this time he was able to find Terrell Owens for 5 yards and a 1st down to keep the drive alive.  9 plays later Romo found Terrell Owens from 4 yards out to tie the game at 7 late in the 1st half..  It was a 13-play 60-yard drive.

Washington still had time though, and after a good return, they were able to get into field goal range.  Suisham hit a 45-yard FG as time expired in the first half to give Washington a 10-7 lead heading into halftime.

The Cowboys' defense clamped down in the 2nd half.  After forcing a fumble and a punt on Washington's first two drives of the second half, the Cowboys caught yet another huge break.  On the 5th play of the drive, Tony Romo was picked off for the 2nd time in the game, this time by Rocky McIntosh.  He would return it to the Cowboys 3, but Wade Phillips challenged the play and it was ruled incomplete.  After this great turn of events, Romo marched Dallas down the rest of the field, throwing a 31-yard pass to Terrell Owens to give the Cowboys their first lead of the game at 14-10.  It was a 90-yard drive over 8 plays.

After the Redskins added a field goal to make it 14-13 Dallas, Romo drove Dallas 70 yards, ending on a 46-yard strike, again to T.O. for his third of the afternoon, to extend the lead to 21-13. 

Washington nailed another FG to make it 21-16, but Tony Romo had the answer again.  For the fourth time, Tony Romo found Terrell Owens, dialing long distance on a 52-yard bomb to give the Cowboys a 28-16 lead.  The lead seemed safe with only 7:50 left to play in the 4th quarter with the way things were going, but it wasn't.

Jason Campbell led Washington on a methodical 12-play drive that took 4:05 off the clock, ending in a 5-yard TD pass to Santana Moss to cut Dallas' lead to 28-23. 

The Cowboys would go 3 and out on the next drive, and Washington had another opportunity to go ahead.  Jason Campbell led his team down the field, but with the ball at the Dallas 19, cornerback Terence Newman intercepted a pass intended for Antwaan Randle El, and Dallas had the ball again.

They couldn't get the 1st down that they need to end the game though, and the Redskins had one last gasp.  Terrell Owens would knock down a hail mary pass that fell a few yards short of the end zone and the Dallas Cowboys would escape with a huge victory.

"My assignment was to knock the ball down and I knocked the ball down," Owens said. "Interceptions are not going to do me any good. If that's a drop, that's a drop."

Tony Romo completed 22/32 passes for 293 yards with 4 TD's and an INT.  He once again showed his poise and made the necessary plays to win the game.  HE helped the Cowboys convert on 8/13 3rd downs in the game.

Julius Jones and Marion Barber III were held in check for the most part.  Julius Jones had 9 rushes for 27 yards while Marion Barber III carried it 15 times for 43 yards.

Terrell Owens had another huge day for the Cowboys.  He caught 8 passes for 173 yards and accounted for all 4 touchdowns for the Cowboys.  Jason Witten also had 8 receptions for 67 yards.

"This is one of the greatest games, really, that I feel like I've played in, just me coming through in the clutch," Owens said. "I pride myself in trying to make plays for the team. When my number's called and opportunities are there for us to make plays, I know that's my job."

"What can you say about a receiver who catches eight passes, four for TDs?" Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said.

The Dallas defense was pretty solid once again.  Although they only had one sack which was credited to DeMarcus Ware, it produced a fumble recovery for Chris Canty.  Terence Newman may have come up with the game-saving play, intercepting Jason Campbell deep in Cowboys territory to all but seal the game.

Nick Folk missed his only field goal attempt on the day, a 51 yarder.

This game was just what you expect when the Cowboys and Redskins play, and luckily we were able to come out on top in this heart-pounding nail-biter.  The next game will be on Thanksgiving Day against the New York Jets at Texas Stadium.  Faced with adversity, this team always seemes to find a way to win.

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 05:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cowboys Stomp Giants 31-20;  Take 3 Game Lead in NFC East

The Dallas Cowboys toppled the New York Giants 31-20 on Sunday at the Meadowlands to improve to 8-1 on the season.  The win meant much more than that though, as the Cowboys now have a 3-game lead in the NFc East with 7 games left to play and have put a stranglehold on the division.  This game was exactly what most expected, a back-and-forth affair that stayed competitive right to the end, and this game definitely lived up to it's hype.

"It's another step along the journey that we're trying to go through to get where we want to go," said Romo.  "A win like tonight just adds to your confidence. When you do something like this, you have a chance to do something special."

The Cowboys drew first blood early, scoring on their opening drive for the 3rd straight game, as Tony Romo led a 7 play drive for 65 yards that ended in a 15-yard pass to tight end Tony Curtis to give Dallas an early 7-0 lead. 

It was very short-lived though, as Eli Manning fought back, finding Jeremy Shockey in the end zone from 8 yards out to square the game at 7.  It was an 8-play 67-yard drive.

After Nick Folk drilled a 44-yard FG to give the Cowboys a 10-7 lead in the beginning of the 2nd quarter, the Cowboys got the stop that they were looking for.  However, deep in his own territory, Romo threw an interception to Gebril Wilson, and Ruben Droughns capitalized, scoring on a 1-yard TD run to cap off an 11-play 60-yard drive to give New York a 14-10 lead. 

Late in the 1st half, Tony Romo mastered the two-minute drill, leading the Cowboys down the field in 7 plays for 68 yards, that ended with a 20-yard pass to Patrick Crayton to give the Cowboys a 17-14 lead.  It looked like it would go into halftime that way, as the Giants were content with heading to the locker room, but linebacker Kevin Burnett committed a bad taunting penalty that gave the Giants life, and Justin Tynes kicked a 40 yard FG to tie the game at 17 with :01 left in the 1st half. 

After stopping the Giants on their 1st possession of the 3rd quarter, the Tony Romo to Terrell Owens connection hooked up again, striking on a 25 yard pass play to give Dallasa 24-17 lead, ending a long 12-play 86-yard drive.

Penalties would then begin to kill the Giants.  They had an 83-yard kickoff return called back because of a hold, three separate delay of game penalties on offense, and a touchdown called back because of a hold.  New York would settle for a FG to cut the Cowboys' lead to 24-20. 

The Cowboys added another TD, again it was Terrell Owens, this time catching a 50-yard bomb to make it 31-20, which would prove to be the final nail in the coffin, as Dallas cruised from there.

"If he gets moving, he's tough to catch up to," Romo said. "I just tried to give him some air and let him go get it."

Tony Romo shined once again, showing that he is worth every penny of his new contract.  He completed 20/28 passes for 247 yards with 4 TD's and an INT.

Julius Jones carried the ball 11 times for 48 yards while Marion Barber III rushed 12 times for 34 yards.  It was a relatively quiet day for the Dallas running game. 

Terrell Owens once again came up big in a giant game, catching 6 passes for 125 yards with 2 TD's.  Patrick Crayton had 5 receptions for 66 yards and also caught a touchdown pass.  Sam Hurd hauled in 2 balls for 21 yards while Tony Curtis' only catch of the game was a 15-yard TD.  Jason Witten was held in check and only grabbed 2 balls for 12 yards.  It didn't seem to matter though, as Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton helped enormously to pick up the slack.

Nick Folk made his only FG attempt, nailing a 44 yarder right down the pipe.

The Cowboys' defense came up with 5 sacks on the day, with DeMarcus Ware, Chris Canty, Tank Johnson, Greg Ellis, and Anthony Spencer getting 1 sack each.  Tank Johnson looked very impressive in his first game as a Dallas Cowboy.  Look to see good things from him for the rest of the season.

The Cowboys did commit 10 penalties for 84 yards, and that is something that will need to be limited in future games.

"Obviously today, we had more penalties than we would like and we have to eliminate those," T.O. added. "That was everybody's emotions running high. There was a little trash-talking by them. We came here. The game was played and I feel like we made a statement."

Overall it was a great effort and we got done what we needed to accomplish.  The Dallas Cowboys finally return home to Texas Stadium next Sunday to conclude their stretch of three straight divisional games against the Washington Redskins.  It will be Dallas' first home game in almost a month since they played the Vikings in Week 7.  Now lets finish this stretch strong, so that we go into Thanksgiving on a really high note. 

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 06:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Cowboys Ground Eagles In Dominating 38-17 Win

The Cowboys continued their winning ways as they crushed the Eagles 38-17 in Philadelphia.  It was only their 2nd win in 9 tries in Philly.  It all started with the first snap of the game, and the Cowboys never looked back from there.

On the very first play from scrimmage, Marcus Spears and DeMarcus Ware sacked Donovan McNabb and forced a fumble that Bradie James recovered at the Eagles 37 to put Dallas in business right off the bat. 

It wouldn't take long for Romo to capitalize off the turnover.  On the 6th play of the drive, Julius Jones ran a draw play right up the middle from 2 yards out to give the Cowboys an early 7-0 lead.

The Eagles responded immediately though.  McNabb led the Eagles on an 8-play drive that ended in a 3-yard Brian Westbrook touchdown to tie the game up at 7.  From there on out, it was all Dallas.

On the next Cowboys drive, Romo once again led his team down the field, Finding tight end Tony Curtis from a yard out to give the Dallas the lead back at 14-7, capping off a 9-play 72-yard drive.

Late in the 1st half while the Cowboys were once again threatening, Romo threw his only interception of the night to Lito Sheppard, however, McNabb returned the favor back as Ken Hamlin picked one off at the Philly 28.  Three plays later Marion Barber III made a 5-yard TD run to make it 21-7 Dallas headed to halftime as the Lincoln Financial Field crowd was booing the Eagles off the field.

On the openiong drive of the 2nd half, Romo led the Cowboys down the field yet again, as the Eagles defense was rendered helpless.  On the 4th play of the drive, Tony Romo drilled a 45-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens to make it 28-7 and the rout was on.

After the Eagles added a FG to cut the lead to 28-10, Dallas got it right back.  Romo found Jason Witten in the right corner of the end zone for a 20-yard TD to make it 35-10 Cowboys.  It was a very acrobatic catch, but was nothing compared to the next play that he would make.  After Romo threw a strike to Witten, he got hammered and had his helmet knocked off, yet kept on going all the way down to the Eagles 6 yard line for 53 yards.  His nose was even bleeding after the play.  What a warrior!  Dallas would tack on a field goal to make it 38-10, and then the Eagles would add a meaningless TD late to make the final score 38-17.

Tony Romo showed that he was worth every bit of his $67.5 million contract, completeing 20/25 passes for 324 yards with 3 TD's and just 1 INT.  He seems unstoppable no matter who he is facing these days.

Julius Jones carried the ball 13 times for 57 yards and a touchdown while Marion Barber III rushed 16 times for 56 yards with a TD.  Each also caught 3 passes, Barber for 50 yards and Jones for 22.

Terrell Owens played a masterful game and was much better in his 2nd return to Philadelphia, catching 10 passes for 174 yards and a TD.  Jason Witten had 3 receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown.  Tony Curtis's only catch of the night was for just a yard but resulted in the 2nd touchdown of his career.

The defense accumulated 3 sacks on the night to go with 2 INT's, one from Anthony Henry, who just came off of an ankle injury.  The Dallas defense also forced 2 fumbles and recovered one of them.

Nick Folk converted all 5 extra-point attempts and also hit connected on his only field goal attempt, a 22 yarder.

Isaiah Stanback made his debut with the Cowboys tonight, returning kickoffs and doing a decent job.

It was a great dominating performance from the get-go tonight.  The Cowboys will now travel to the Meadowlands to face the hot Giants next in a battle for 1st place in the NFC East.  It will be huge in the standings and could determine who wins it.  But for now let's savor this win.

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 06:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Blocked FG Return for TD Sparks Cowboys to 24-14 Win

The Cowboys bounced back from their first loss of the year to beat the Vikings 24-14 at Texas Stadium to improve to 6-1 headed into their bye week.  It was a fast start to the game but proved to be a battle all the way to the 4th quarter. 

"If there's any kind of doubt about what kind of heart or character they have, we saw it again," Dallas coach Wade Phillips said. "For some reason, we've been behind every game. We seem to keep our poise."

Dallas got on the board early.  After receiving the ball to begin the game, Tony Romo marched the Cowboys right down the field, completeing 9/10 passes on the 14-play drive, ending with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens for a 7-0 Cowboys lead.

If would be short-lived though.  On Minnesota's first drive, Adrian Peterson, the hometown kid from Palestine, Texas, sliced right through the Dallas defense for a 20-yars TD to tie the game at 7 all.

With 5:30 left in the 2nd quarter, and the Cowboys threatening to score again, Tony Romo was sacked at the Vikings 17 and fumbled the ball.  Kevin Williams picked it up and returned to the end zone for a touchdown, but a holding penalty brought it back and Minnesota didn't score on the drive.

They would make up for it though.  After Tony Romo completed a short pass to Patrick Crayton, Crayton fumbled the ball and Ben Leber picked it up and took it to midfield.  Just as he was being tackled, he flipped a lateral to Cedric Griffin, who returned the rest of the way for the touchdown, even after fumbling at the Dallas 27 to give the Vikings a 14-7 lead at halftime.  Nick Folk missed a 50-yard field goal at the end of the half that would've cut the lead to 14-10.

Tony Romo was 28/32 for 231 yards at halftime.  He injured his hamstring on a play trying to stop the Vikings from returning the Patrick Crayton fumble for the TD, but stayed in for the rest of the game, so that's a relief.

Marion Barber III would tie the game at 14 halfway through the 3rd quarter when he punched in a 1-yard run just across the goal line.  The Vikings challenged, but it was upheld.

Things would then really begin to favor the Cowboys after some bad breaks in the 1st half.  With Brian Longwell attempting a 48-yard FG that would've given the Vikings a 17-14 lead, Chris Canty dove in and blocked the kick.  The ball popped high into the air, and Patrick Watkins returned the ball 62 yards for a touchdown that gave Dallas a 21-14 lead that they would not relinquish.  It was the Cowboys 1st blocked FG returned for a TD since the 1983 season.  That is unbelievable.

The Cowboys would then force an Adrian Peterson fumble and convert it into a field goal to make the final score 24-14 Cowboys.

Tony Romo completed 31/39 passes for 277 yards and a TD.  Only 3 of those completions came in the 2nd half.  He still looks very good and I don't think that it will be too much longer before a deal gets done, but we'll see.

Marion Barber III carried the ball 19 times for 96 yards and a touchdown while Julius Jones rushed for 28 yards on 9 attempts.

Terrell Owens caught 7 passes for 103 yards and a TD and Jason Witten grabbed 10 balls for 86 yards.  Julius Jones had 4 receptions for 30 yards and Patrick Crayton had 2 catches for 19 yards.

The defense looked stellar yet again this week, only giving up a touchdown on Minnesota's opening drive of the game.  Greg Ellis had 2 sacks while Bradie James contributed had one.  Jason hatcher forced a fumble from Peterson that allowed the Cowboys to gain a 2 possession lead too.  The special teams also came up big with Chris Canty's amazing block on the field goal attempt and Patrick Watkins return for the touchdown.

Nick Folk made 1/2 field goals today, connecting from 45 yards out but missing on a 50-yard attempt at the end of the half.  He has still made 13/15 FG's on the season.

This was a great way to head into the bye week.  Maybe not the prettiest win, but we'll take it.

"The bottom line is we executed," Romo said.

The next 3 games will be critical, as they could decide who will win the NFC East.  Our next game isn't until Sunday night, so hopefully this will give the players that need the rest a chance to get their feet back under them. 

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!       

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 01:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Patriots Wear Down Cowboys' 'D' in 48-27 Win

The Dallas Cowboys dropped to 5-1 on the season after a hard fought loss to the Patriots at Texas Stadium Sunday afternoon.  It was actually a much closer game than the score would indicate.

"Well, they are that good," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said of the Patriots as he opened his post-game press conference. "I think the final score looks a little worse than it was. But they're a great team. We had our chances . . . we could've stayed in the game. But they played better than we did. They're an outstanding team."

"We wanted to be one of the elite teams in the league," Phillips said. "Obviously, we're not. This was certainly a wake-up call for us."

The Cowboyas started off slow, going 3 and out on their 1st 3 possessions of the game, while the Patriots scored touchdowns on 2 of their 3 possessions, making it 14-0 quickly.  Tom Brady executed a 14-play drive that ended in a 6-yard TD pass to Randy Moss and a 6-play drive that was completed with a 35-pass touchdown pass to Wes Welker. 

On Dallas' next possession, Tony Romo led the Cowboys on a long 11-play drive, but it only ended in a Nick Folk field goal to cut the lead to 14-3. 

The Cowboys would jump right back into the game after Greg Ellis sacked Tom Brady on a 2 and 10 and forced a fumble, which Jason Hatcher promptly picked up and returned 29 yrads for the touchdown the cut the lead to 14-10 just like that.

The Patriots then executed another great offense drive, running 12 plays and marching 72 yards on a drive that ended in a 12-yard Wes Welker TD, his 2nd of the game to make it 21-10 Patriots.

Before the half, Tony Romo got it back.  With less than 1:00 left in the 1st half, Tony Romo threw a 12-yard TD pass to Terrell Owens to make it a 21-17 game at halftime. 

The Cowboys would take their 1st lead of the game on their 1st possession of the 2nd half.  After stopping the New England offense, Tony Romo conducted a 7-play drive that finished with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton to give the Cowboys a 24-21 lead.  It would be very short-lived though. 

On the next Patriots drive, New England was driving once again, and a crucial play in the game unfolded.  On 2nd and 7 from  the Dallas 16, Tom Brady tried to find Randy Moss in the end zone.  However, Moss bumped into Pat Watkins, and Watkins was called for pass interference on the play.  It was a bad call that came back to bite the Cowboys on the next play, as Tom Brady found Kyle Brady for the 1-yard score to put the Patriots back on top 28-24. 

The Cowboys were only able to tack on another field goal the rest of the game and New England outscored Dallas 17-3 in the 4th quarter, rolling to a 48-27 win.

Tony Romo had a much better game than last week, completing 18/29 passes for 199 yards with 2 TD's and an INT.

"I thought we were moving the ball pretty well there in the second quarter," said Tony Romo.  "I thought we had some things going. We grabbed a little momentum there before halftime."

The running game could never really did get going, as the offense wasn't on the field that much.  Julius Jones carried the ball 6 times for 51 yards while Marion Barber III carried it 8 times for 47 yards.

Terrell Owens finished with 6 receptions for 66 yards and a TD, Patrick Crayton had 5 catches for 46 yards and 1 touchdown, while Jason Witten caught 3 passes for 47 yards.

Although the defense allowed 48 points, they still played solid, except on 3rd downs, where they had some trouble getting the stops they needed.  They did record 3 sacks and force 3 fumbles, the only one that they recovered being returned for a TD.

Penalties killed the Cowboys all game long.  They committed 12 totaling 98 yards.

Nick Folk made both of his field goals, his longest being 38 yards.

Not the best game we could've played obviously, but we kept it close until the 4th quarter, proving that we could hang with the Pastriots and that we can beat them, even if we didn't on Sunday.  Now it's time to focus on the Vikings before our bye week to try to go to 6-1.  We're still in good shape.

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 02:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Yes!!!  Folk Kicks Game-Winner as Time Expires in Thrilling Comeback Win!

An NFL game is 60 minutes long.  Apparently someone forgot to tell the Buffalo Bills that.  The Dallas Cowboys stunned the upset-minded Bills and their crowd after Nick Folk kicked the game-winning 53-yard field goal as time expired in a classic that improved the Cowboys' record to 5-0 headed to a battle next Sunday against the also 5-0 New England Patriots at Texas Stadium.

What more can I say about this game?  Tony Romo had what was the worst game so far in his young career stat wise, completing 29/50 passes for 309 yards and 2 TD's, but threw 5 interceptions and also fumbled once, committing 6 turnovers for the game.  It was very hard for Cowboys fans to watch, but he did his job on the last two drives of the drive to give us a chance to win.  That's all I was asking for tonight, and it turned out great.  Not many teams could've overcome what the Cowboys did tonight.

"That's a sign of a pretty resilient team," Romo said. "I think our team, outside of me, played an outstanding football game. They dug me out of it. It was tough to go through that, especially on Monday night.

"No one is going to care when it's all said and done how you won the game."

On the 3rd play of the first Cowboys' drive, Romo threw an interception to George Wilson who returned it 37 yards to the house to give the Bills a 7-0 lead.  The Cowboys would answer though, as Tony Romo found a wide-open Jason Witten for a 22-yard TD pass to tie the game at 7.

After tacking on a field goal to give the Bills a 10-7 lead, Buffalo had Dallas pinned deep in their own territory again, Chris Kelsay picked off Tony Romo in the end zone to give the Bills a 17-7 lead. 

Tony Romo did get the Cowboys into field goal range with :03 left and Nick Folk nailed a 47-yarder to cut the Buffalo lead to 17-10 at halftime.  Not too bad considering it could've been a lot worse with Romo's 4 INT's in the 1st half.

In Dallas' first drive of the 2nd half, Romo looked more poised, leading the Cowboys on a 14-play drive.  However, it stalled at the Buffalo 12 and Nick Folk kicked a 29-yard FG to cut the deficit to 17-13.  The ensuing kickoff was tough to watch though, as Terrence McGee ran the kickoff back 103 yards for the Bills touchdown and a 24-13 lead. 

It remained that way until early on in the 4th Quarter when Nick Folk kicked yet another FG, this time a 37-yarder.  To make it a one-score game at 24-16.

Things would start to get crazy now.  Just when it looked like the Cowboys might be driving a another score to move closer or possibly take the lead, Tony Romo fumbled at his own 49 and turned the ball over for a 5th time.  The fumble was recovered by Buffalo's Kyle Williams at the Dallas 48.

The Cowboys defense, which was stellar all night, got a huge stop and bailed Romo out again as Terence Newman picked off Trent Edwards pass at the Cowboys 5 and returned it 70 yards to the Buffalo 25, but fumbled.  It was recovered by Dallas nose tackle Jay Ratliff at the Bills 17.  The Cowboys couldn't cash it in though, as Romo threw his 5th pick and committed his 6th turnover on the night.  The pass was picked off by John DiGiorgio at the goal line and returned for 38 yards.

The Dallas defense again stepped up, forcing a 3-and-out, and giving their offense one more shot to tie the game up.  Starting from his own 20, Romo led the Cowboys on what was his best drive of the night, completing 9/11 passes, the last one to Patrick Crayton for a 4-yard touchdown to make it 24-22.  Now Dallas only need the 2-point conversion to tie the game up, but Terrell Owens couldn't hang on to a Romo pass that was ripped out of his hands with :20 left in the game by Jabari Greer. 

So with :20 seconds left the Cowboys had the slim shot of an onside-kick recovery, and then either driving into field goal range or completing a hail-mary to win the game.  Then, it happened.

 Nick Folk made the onside kick, Sam Hurd tipped it ahead, and Tony Curtis, the Cowboys backup tight end, recovered it to give the Cowboys hope.

After a near catch by Terrell Owens that would've given the Cowboys a chance to win the game with :01 left, Tony Romo completed two short passes to get Nick Folk into FG range.  With :02 left and the game on the line, Nick Folk would be attempting a 53-yard game-winner.  With the Buffalo crowd up on their feet and cheering as loud as they could, Nick Folk calmly nailed the 53-yarder right down the middle to win the game for Dallas.  But wait!  Bills Head Coach Dick Jauron called a timeout right before the snap.  Nick Folk would have to do it again.  The 2nd attempt looked like a carbon-copy of the first one, nailed right down the middle, and this time, the Cowboys won the game!  Buffalo was even offsides on the play too.

"Oh, it's great," Folk said. "It shows you how good we can be and what we can do if we don't make mistakes. And even if we do make mistakes and we stick together as a team, we still stay in the game."

"I haven't been around anything like that, and that's 31 years I've been in the league," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said of his triumphant return to Buffalo, where he was 29-19 from 1998-2000

The Cowboys never really did establish the running game.  Julius Jones carried the ball 12 times for 41 yards while Marion Barber III ran it 8 times for 28 yards.

Cowboys receivers still had a decent day though, despite Romo's troubles.  Jason Witten had 9 catches for 103 yards and a TD, while Patrick Crayton had 6 catches for 73 yards and a TD.  Marion Barber III had 6 receptions for 45 yards while fullback Deon Anderson caught 4 passes for 39 yards.  Terrell Owens only had 2 catches for 25 yards.

On defense, the Cowboys were stifling once again, only allowing 3 points the whole game.  the other 21 came on 2 INT returns for TD's and a kickoff return for a touchdown.  Terence Newman had the only interception and turnover that the Cowboys forced for the game.  The Dallas defense also recorded 3 sacks, 1.5 from DeMarcus Ware, 1 from Jason Hatcher, and .5 from Jay Ratliff.  The Cowboys also only gave up 229 yards of total offense to Buffalo.

Nick Folk was 4/4 on field goals.  He connected from 47, 29, 37, and the big one from 53 yards out that gave the Cowboys a come-from-behind win in dramatic fashion as time expired that made him the game hero.  He even had to make it twice.

Man what a game!  No Cowboys fan is going to forget about this one for years to come.  An instant classic in my book!  Now we can finally focus on the matchup that we've all been waiting for this Sunday! 

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 01:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Cowboys Bulldoze Rams 35-7 to Improve to 4-0

The Dallas Cowboys continued their perfect season today, trouncing the Rams 35-7 at Texas Stadium Sunday, improving to 4-0 on the season for the 1st time since 1995, the year of their last Super Bowl Title.

"Four-and-oh is nice," Phillips said. "It doesn't put us in the Super Bowl, it doesn't put us in the playoffs. But it's good that we're there." 

The game started off slowly for the Cowboys, as they managed just 3 1st downs in their first 4 possessions, punting all three times.  Things would begin in the 2nd quarter though, as things began to get exciting.  On Dallas' 1st drive of the 2nd quarter, after throwing his only INT of the game, he led the Cowboys down the field on an 8 play 80-yard drive that ended in a Julius Jones 2-yard TD run to make it 7-0 Cowboys.

After forcing another Rams punt and getting the ball back, the Cowboys promptly went 3 and out.  Matt McBriar Boomed a 56-yard punt down to the St. Louis 15, but Dante Hall returned it all the way to the end zone for an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown to tie the game at 7.  It was the only thing that prevented a Dallas shutout, as that was the Rams' only score on the afternoon.

With 2:11 left in the 1st half, Tony Romo essentially took over the game himself, on a drive that will certainly be on every sports show and possibly be on the blooper reel.  (Yes, that includes SportsCenter, and yes, I was laughing very hard too)  Facing a 3rd & 3 from midfield, Andre Gurode sailed the snap way over Romo's head.  After bobbling the ball and dropping it at his own 25, Romo managed to pick it up at his own 17, elude one man at the 30, and run out of bounds at the St. Louis 46 for a Cowboys 1st down.  That could be one for the ages.  Romo then capped off the drive, scrambling up the middle for 15 yards and the touchdown to give the Cowboys a 14-7 heading into the locker room.

"That was a trick play we were working on," coach Wade Phillips said, laughing.

"When I first kicked it, I thought, 'Uh-oh, maybe I should've fallen on it,'" Romo said. "You have a sense that people are around you or you don't. And no one was around me."

In the 3rd quarter it was 3 drives and 3 TD's for the Cowboys.  They didn't take long either, with the longest drive being 5 plays.  Romo threw a 59-yard strike to Patrick Crayton to make it 21-7, slinged a 37-yard pass to Crayton to make it 28-7 Dallas, and found a wide open Jason Witten from 17 yards out to make the final score 35-7 Cowboys.

Tony Romo looked sharp once again, completing 21/33 passes for 339 yards, 3 TD passes, and an INT.  He also rushed for his 2nd touchdown of the season. 

Julius Jones rushed the ball 13 times for 52 yards and a TD, while Marion "The Barbarian" Barber III carried it 8 times for 50 yards.  Tyson Thompson also carried the ball 8 times, gaining 47 yards. 

Patrick Crayton had a career day at wide receiver, catching 7 passes for 184 yards and 2 TD's.  Jason Witten had 6 receptions for 71 yards and a TD, while Terrell Owens caught 3 balls for 33 yards. 

Nick Folk made all 5 extra points and attempted no field goals.

Ken Hamlin came up with the Cowboys only forced turnover of the game, picking off a weak Marc Bulger pass to the end zone.  The defense held the Rams to a total of 187 yards for the game.

The Cowboys, who are the most penalized team in the NFL, only committed 2 penalties for 10 yards in today's game, which is a very encouraging sign. 

So much of Issac Bruce's guaranteed victory.  The Cowboys now travel to Buffalo next Monday Night to take on the 1-3 Bills in Buffalo.

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 05:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Cowboys Crush Bears 34-10, Become True Force to be Reckoned With

The Dallas Cowboys became the team to beat in the NFC after the Cowboys annihilated the Bears 34-10 at Soldier Field and improved to 3-0.  The Bears dropped to 1-2.  The offense was doing its usual thing, even against a stout Bears defense, and Anthony Henry even returned one for a TD on defense. 

At the end of the 1st half, it was tied 3-3, but still with plenty of action.  It had a blocked FG, a couple of interceptions, dropped passes, and very questionable officiating.  The 2nd half was a much different story...  for the Cowboys anyways.

After receiving the ball to begin the 3rd quarter, Tony Romo navigated Dallas down the field on a 9-play 89-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard pass to Jason Witten in the back of the end zone for a 10-3 Cowboys lead.  However, on the ensuing Chicago drive Cedric Benson scored from 1 yard out to tie it at 10.  From there on out, it was all Cowboys.

Tony Romo, not phased by the score, but facing a 3rd and 11 from his own 8 yard line, he threw a bullet to Terrell Owens who took it up to the 43 yard line to provide breathing room.  Romo then completed the drive, with a pass in the flat to Marion Barber III who made a powerful run in which he made a couple of would-be Bears' tacklers miss for a 17-10 Cowboys lead. 

After recovering a fumble on Chicago's next possession and cashing that into a field goal to make it 20-10, Anthony Henry picked Rex Grossman off again, this time returning it 28 yards for the touchdown to give the Cowboys a 27-10 lead. 

Dallas then finished off the scoring when Marion Barber III recorded his 2nd TD of the night on a 1-yard plunge on 2nd and goal to make the final 34-10 Cowboys.  He previously broke a 54-yard run down to the Chicago 1 to set it up.

Tony Romo had another spectacular night, completing 22/35 passes for 329 yards with 2 TD's and an INT that really wasn't his fault.

"I think this journey that we're going on has been pretty fun, and I think it's going to be really exciting for the rest of the year," Romo said.

"I think we're a very explosive offense," Romo said. "The funny thing is last year I think we were a good offense as well, but I was probably more of 67 completion percentage type guy, this year we're going down the field in chunks. And you're not going probably going to have as high completion (percentage) but you're probably going to score more points with the way we're doing things."

Marion Barber III carried the ball 15 times for 102 yards with a TD while Julius Jones rushed it 7 times for 26 yards. 

T.O. had 8 receptions for 145 yards  while Jason Witten caught 6 passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.  Julius Jones caught 2 passes for 29 yards, while Partick Crayton, despite his broken pinky finger, made 3 catches for 27 yards.  Marion Barber III's only reception was a 10-yard hard-nosed TD.  He had 2 TD's on the night.

"I feel like it was mission accomplished coming in here and playing against a great defense," Owens said. "They gave Tony some fits. They bring a heck of pass rush and Tony was able to escape and use his ability to get out of some of those jams and find some open guys down the field."

The defense was once again stellar.  Anthony Henry recorded 2 more INT's, and even returned 1 for a TD.  Roy Williams also had an interception and also recovered a fumble.  Overall the Dallas defense held Chicago to 239 yards on offense.

Nick Folk was 2/3 on FG's, having one blocked but connecting on a 44 yarder.

So where's Tony Romo's contract extension now?  I think he's shown more than enough to get signed long-term.  Our defense is only going to keep getting better, and with our explosive offense, we're going to be a very difficult team to beat.  It was a great effort all around in this blowout win that I hope you guys enjoyed tonight.  It was very exciting.  Now we get to heaad home to the friendly confines of Texas Stadium to face the Rams next Sunday.  Can't wait.

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 12:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cowboys 'D' Shines in 37-20 Win

The Dallas Cowboys improved to 2-0 on the season for the 1st time since 1999 as the Cowboys pounded the Miami Dolphins 37-20 Sunday at Dolphins Stadium.

With the score tied at 3 in the 2nd quarter, Tony Romo led his team on an impressive 12-play drive that ended in a Marion Barber 1-yard TD to give the Cowboys a 10-3 lead.  Miami kicked a late FG to make it a 10-6 Cowboys lead at halftime.

Coming out of the gates in the 3rd quarter, the Dallas Defense struggled, giving up a 10 play drive that resulted in an 18-yard TD pass from Trent Green to Marty Booker to make it 13-10 Dolphins. 

After the Cowboys stopped the Dolphins on their next possession and forced a punt, Patrick Crayton returned the 2nd punt 49 yards to the Miami 30, a 55 yard difference in field position.  Tony Romo took advantage, taking only 3 plays, he found Tony Curtis from 2 yards out for the touchdown to put Dallas ahead 17-13.  From there on out, the Cowboys defense was absolutely stifling, despite missing Terence Newman and Greg Ellis in the game. 

After Ken Hamlin returned an INT to the Miami 15, the Cowboys converted it into a 28 yard field goal for a 20-13 Cowboys lead.

On the Dolphins' next possession, center Samson Satele fumbled the snap and it was recovered by Jay Ratliff just across mid-field.  However, a long drive ended only in a field goal due to penalties and the Cowboys took a 23-13 lead. 

After yet another thrown INT, this time picked by Anthony Henry who returned it to the Miami 39, Tont Romo and Terrell Owens connected on a 34-yard strike to put the Cowboys up 30-13.  Miami would score another TD, but Anthony Henry recovered the onside kick and on the ensuing play from scrimmage, Marion Barber III ran 40 yards for the touchdown that put the final nail in the coffin of the Cowboys' 37-20 win.  The game ended fittingly on a sack by Chris Canty.

Tony Romo wasn't nearly as lethal as last Sunday, but he still put up solid numbers completing 14 of 29 passes for 186 yards and 2 TD. 

Rushing the ball, Julius Jones carried the ball 15 times for only 32 yards.  Marion Barber III more than made up for it though, rushing the ball 14 times for 89 yards with 2 TD.

 Terrell Owens caught 5 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, while Jason Witten caught 2 balls for 27 yards.  Tony Curtis's only reception of the game was a 2-yard TD pass for his 1st in the NFL.

Nick Folk was 3/3 on FG's, including a 47 yarder in the infield dirt.

The defense was terrific for the most part, forcing 5 turnovers.  Anthony Henry had 2 INT's, with Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams picking off 1 pass each.  Jay Ratliff also recovered a fumbled snap.  The Cowboys committed 0 turnovers, which may have well been the difference in the game. 

Another great thing about this game is that we had no injuries. 

Next week the 2-0 Cowboys travel to Chicago for another Sunday Night Football game, this time against the Bears. 

Great start to the season.  The defense looked better and the offense hasn't slowed down.  Next week we go bear hunting.

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 08:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Romo Steamrolls Giants' Defense in 45-35 win!

The Wade Phillips Era got of to a good start Sunday night as the Dallas Cowboys defeated the New York Giants 45-35 in a wild shootout. 

Although the Cowboys dropped down 6-0 early on a 60-yard pass to Plaxico Burress from Eli Manning, they recovered and led the rest of the way. 

Trailing 6-3 early in the 2nd Quarter and going for it on 4th and 1 on the Giants 18, Romo gave it to Marion Barber III who got to the right sideline and dove into the end zone for the touchdown to give the Cowboys a 10-6 lead.  The very next drive Romo led the Cowboys down the field and hit Jason Witten for a 12-yard score to give the Cowboys a 17-6 lead with 17 unanswered points.  However, the Giants fought back, making it 17-16 by halftime.

The 2nd Half became The Tony Romo Show, as he torched the fatigued Giants defense.  The first drive coming out of halftime, he completed a 6 play drive that ended in a 22-yard T.O. circus catch for a TD to give the Cowboys some breathing room and a 24-16 lead.

After the Giants tacked on a field goal, Romo scrambled for 9 yards and a Dallas TD to give the Cowboys a 31-19 lead.  The Giants would then tack on another field goal to make it a 9 point game at 31-22.

The Cowboys all but put the game away in the 4th Quarter after Romo found a wide open Terrell Owens for a 47-yard TD to give Dallas a 38-22 lead.  New York struck back with 2 quick TD's, one to Ward and one to Burress to cut the "Boys lead to 38-35 with a little over 4 minutes to play.

Romo then proceeded to cap off his career night by throwing a 51-yard strike to Sam Hurd to put the Cowboys up 45-35 over the Giants and put the game away.

"We know we can't give up 35 points every game and expect to win," Phillips said. "But we scored more than they did. You have to play well enough to win the game and we did that. All I know is that we were up 10 points with two minutes left and we were kneeling the ball."

Tony Romo finished the night completing 15 of 24 passes for 345 yards with 5 TD's including 1 rushing with 1 INT.  Give this man his contract extension already.

"I think he showed what he can do," said Wade Phillips, who joined Barry Switzer and Chan Gailey as just the third head coach in Cowboys history to win his coaching debut. "(But) he practices like that. He's very accurate throwing the football. Tony did a good job of finding who was open."

Julius Jones rushed for 66 yards on 16 attempts while Marion Barber III carried the ball 11 times for 65 yards and a touchdown.  He also caught a pass for 29 yards.

Wide Receivers and tight ends for the Cowboys had a big night.  Jason Witten caught 6 balls for 116 yards and a TD, Terrell Owens had 3 receptions for 87 yards and 2 TD's, Partick Crayton caught 3 passes for 51 yards, and Sam Hurd caught a pass for 51 yards and a TD.

Nick Folk only attempted 1 FG.  He connected on it from 31 yards out.

Injuries were numerous in this game, especially for the Giants.  Eli, Osi Umenyiora, and Brandon Jacobs all left the game with injuries.  Cowboys nose tackle Jason Ferguson tore his right bicep and will be out for the season unfortunately.

This was a very entertaining game.  The secondary needs some work but hopefully Terence Newman can help that out by coming back next week if he can.  This was a huge division win and a great way to start the season.  Looking forward to next week's game.  Our next victim:  The Miami Dolphins.

HOW 'BOUT DEM COWBOYS!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 02:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Cowboys Lose Pre-Season Finale to Vikings, 23-14 

The Dallas Cowboys dropped their final pre-season game to the Minnesota Vikings 23-14, finishing with a record of 2-2.  The Vikings improved their record to 2-2 to close out their pre-season.  The Cowboys will now travel back to Dallas to start preparing for their season opener next Sunday night against the Giants at Texas Stadium, while the Vikings will stay in Minnesota to prepare for their season opener at home against the Falcons.

As expected, most all of the Cowboys starters sat out for the whole game, as the players gunning for a spot on the 53 man roster were given a chance to prove their worth.

The Cowboys opened up the scoring early, as Jerheme Urban scored on a 96 yard punt return for a touchdown.  It was a ball that he should have never fielded, but was able to get to the sideline, barrel threough the punter, and cut back across the field for the final 40 yards for the TD.  Minnesota challenged the play on whether or not Urban stepped out of bounds, but the play stood as Dallas took a 7-0 lead.

Minnesota would later tie the game at 7 early in the 2nd quarter when Artose Pinner punched one into the end zone from a yard out.  The Vikings would later take a 14-7 lead after they were given great field position off of a fumble by Cowboys' QB Mike Moore deep inside of his own territory.  Brooks Bollinger threw a 4 yard pass to Sindey Rice for the touchdown.

 The Cowboys took the ball late in the first half as Matt Moore drove Dallas 57 yards on 9 plays ending the drive with a 5 yard pass to Tony Curtis to tie the game at 14.  It would be Dallas' last score of the game.  Minnesota tacked on 3 more field goals for the 23-14 final score.  The Cowboys finished with 5 turnovers that resulted in 17 points off of turnovers for the Vikings.  Dallas also committed 7 penalties for 45 yards.

The Cowboys quarterbacks did pretty good overall.  Brad Johnson completed 5 of 7 passes for 44 yards, while Matt Moore went 14 of 19 for 94 yards and a TD, but had 2 lost fumbles that the Vikings converted to 10 points.  It will be interesting to see what the Cowboys decide to do with him.  Richard Bartel completed 11 of 13 passes for 81 yards and an INT.   

Nick Folk never really did get to prove anything on the field tonight.  He did handle the kickoff duty but didn't have any field goal attempts.  He made both extra points. 

Some players that I thought made a good impression were Jerheme Urban, although did have a lost fumble, did have that 96 yard punt return for a TD.  I wouldn't count on seeing him returning punts and kickoffs regularly if he makes the team though.  Tony Curtis caught 5 passes for 44 yards and a TD and looked very good.

On defense, Remi Ayodele had 5 tackles and Stephen Bowen had 3 tackles and a sack.  Courtney Brown had an INT to go with one tackle at CB.  There are going to be some interesting and difficult decisions to be made by Wade Phillips and the Cowboys' coaching staff.

So the pre-season is finally over, and it is time to get ready for the regular season.  These games actually count toward your record.  Players who we saw in the pre-season won't be here by the Saturday deadline to cut the team down to the 53 man roster.  Now begins the what will seem like  a forever 10 day wait leading up to the Sunday Night Fooball season opener for our Dallas Cowboys.  The pre-season records mean nothing, and the stats mean nothing.  Now lets wipe the slate clean, and get off to a great start against the Little Giants September 9th.  Can't wait for it!  Looking forward to a great season!  Go Cowboys!!!

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Well, sooner or later, you knew it was going to happen. The opposition finally broke through the Cowboys starting defense and scored a touchdown for the first time this preseason. In fact they threw for two scores.

The Cowboys suffered their first loss of the preseason, when the Houston Texans upended Dallas by a score of 28-16.

The Texans came out of the gate with a fast-paced offense that featured pinpoint passing and a power running game. The Cowboys were simply not ready.

They looked very soft in all aspects of their game. Take a look at some of these key stats and you'll see what I mean...

Rushing
Julius Jones and Marion Barber combined for 16 carries and 48 yards rushing, and that includes a 12-yard run by Julius. Their average gain per rush was only 2.7 yards. Brutal...

Kicking
Martin Gramatica missed a key extra point after the Cowboys first touchdown, that was sort of a glimpse into what kind of a game lay ahead for the Cowboys. With the miss, Gramatica may have just handed over the place kicking job to rookie, Nick Folk. (something that was predicted right here back in March)

Offensive Line
Their 3rd down efficiency was a very soft 5-11, and the one time they went for it on 4th down, they didn't make it. The quarterback was sacked three times.

Passing
Tony Romo wasn't really that bad, but he clearly needs to be sharper and make better decisions if we are to be ready for the Giants on opening day. He finished with 14 completed passes on 22 attempts, and threw for two touchdowns and an interception. Brad Johnson wrapped it up completing 5 of 6 passes.

Special Teams
Allowed a first possession touchdown on a 91 yard punt return. Our total punt return yardage was only 2 yards, compared to 105 yards for the Texans. Ouch!

Defense
The Texans were 3-3 (100% Efficiency) in the Red Zone. By the end of the second half, the Texans had already put up 21 points. Allowed an alarming 144 yards rushing to an aging Ahman Green and company. They did not force a fumble or an interception, in fact they were never anywhere near the ball when Houston had possession.

The Cowboys also drew seven penalties in the game for a loss of 48 yards.

OK, there were some positives in the game as well...

I gotta give credit where credit's due. Sam Hurd looked absolutely amazing in the field and proved that he can be as elusive as any of the elite receivers. He led the team in receiving with 68 yards on 4 catches, and he may have moved up in the depth chart after an impressive performance.

Terrell Owens had only 1 pass, but it was good enough for the Cowboy's first touchdown of the game. He was the victim of constant double and sometimes triple coverage, and it was clear that Houston's game plan was to take him out of the game.

Jason Witten also grabbed a pass for a TD and finished the day with 3 catches and 47 yards.

Matt McBriar was his usual dependable self, and had a nice game too.

Bottom Line:

It's preseason, and this game doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. What's important is that the Cowboys learn something from this and apply it towards their next contest. I expected to see a much more vaunted defense from a Wade Phillips coached team. The Cowboys have the players and the talent to keep the pressure on opposing offenses, but that clearly wasn't the case in this game.

The offensive line struggled and drew far too many penalties in the game. You could blame them for the soft numbers compiled by the usually effective tandem of Jones and Barber.

I am absolutely certain that next week, these same Cowboys will be a much more focused team with a nose for the ball on defense, and a nose for the end-zone on offense.

You just wait and see...

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Cowboys Whip Broncos En Route to 31-20 Victory!

The Dallas Cowboys had plenty of things to be excited about as they cruised in their 31-20 crushing of the Denver Broncos.  The Cowboys improved to 2-0 on the pre-season while the Denver Broncos dropped to 1-1.  It really wasn't even that close though.  As expected, most of the starters for both teams went for the entire 1st half. 

It all started early for the Dallas Cowboys.  Although the opening drive started slowly,  Tony Romo converted a 3 & 10 and navigated the 'Boys down the field all the way from his own 20 to the Denver 33 yard line without a hitch.  Martin Gramatica missed a 51 yard field goal that sailed just wide of the right upright.  This drive didn't get to the Cowboys though, as they scored on every possession that followed in the 1st half.

After the Cowboys defense forced a 3 and out and Denver punter Todd Sauerbrun shanked a 15 yard punt to the Dallas 40, Tony Romo worked his magic.  He marched the Cowboys down the field on a 12 play, 60 yard drive taking 6:08 off the clock that ended in a Marion Barber TD to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead.

On the 3rd play of Denver's ensuing possession, Travis Henry fumbled the ball on 2nd & 20.  It was recovered by Marcus Spears at the Denver 7 yard line.  Just two plays later, the Cowboys would capitalize off the mistake as Julius Jones powered his way into the end zone for a touchdown to give the 'Boys a 14-0 lead. 

After yet another Denver punt, Dallas had the ball again.  However, 4 plays into the Cowboys' next drive, Romo's pass intended for Miles Austin would be intercepted by Dre Bly after Austin slipped and couldn't get back to the ball in time.  Bly returned it to the Dallas 37.  The Cowboys defense stiffened up once again, and held Denver to only 3 points, cutting the Dallas lead to 14-3. 

The Cowboys answered immediately, as Romo wasn't phased by the pick.  He orchestrated a brilliant 6 play 69 yard drive that chewed up only 2:22 off the clock.  The drive ended with a 5 yard TD plunge by Marion Barber, his 2nd of the game and pre-season that gave the Cowboys a 21-3 lead.. 

The Cowboys got the ball back again, just hanging on to a punt that was muffed by Patrick Crayton.  On the next play though, Sam Hurd fumbled a completed pass by Tony Romo that was recovered by Nick Ferguson at the Dallas 28.  The 'Boys 1st team defense once again toughened up and held Denver to only a field goal to cut the lead to 21-6.

Dallas kicker Nick Folk was able to nail a 52 yard field goal with just 25 seconds left in the 1st half to give the Cowboys a 24-6 lead heading into halftime after Tony Romo executed a nice 30 yard two minute drill.

Tony Romo wasn't nearly as accurate against the Broncos as he was against the Colts, but still had a solid performance.  He completed 11 of 18 passes for 122 yards with one INT.

"I thought it was good tonight," Romo said. "We moved the ball pretty good. I thought we put a lot of points on the board in the first half and that was good to see. You have to give Denver credit, too. They have a really good secondary. They're going to be a good team this year. You can see that."   

Marion Barber had 11 carries for 57 yards to go with 2 TD's while Julius Jones carried the ball 9 times for 31 yards with a TD.  Overall, the Cowboys had a great night running the ball, accumulating 190 yards.  The Broncos only rushed for 35 for the whole game.  The Cowboys had 368 total yards in offense compared to the Broncos 269 yards.

"I think we gave another good effort," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said in his post-game press conference. "In the first half, I thought our offensive line and defensive line, at key times, made some good plays. They asserted themselves a little bit. We held a really good running team (to) not much rushing yards. I was a little worried about that."

Although the Cowboys 1st team receivers didn't score a touchdown, they still made their presence felt.  Patrick Crayton had 3 receptions for 61 yards while Sam Hurd had 3 receptions for 36 yards.  Terrell Owens had 1 reception for 12 yards and even had a rush for 9 yards on a reverse play.

The 'Boys converted 6 of 7 3rd downs in the first half and were 10 or 16 converting 3rd downs for the game.  The Cowboys 1st team didn't commit any penalties in the 1st half, but the 2nd and 3rd teams committed 6 for 71 yards.

Jay Culter didn't have a very good night, completing only 7 of 13 passes for 58 yards.  Patrick Ramsey did a much better job leading the Denver offense in the 2nd half, completing 11 of 21 passes for 178 yards with 2 TD's and 1 INT.  

Ramsey threw a 90 yard strike to Brian Clark to make it 24-13 and a 15 yard pass to former Cowboy Quincy Morgan to make it 31-20, but it wasn't enough.

Rookie WR Isaiah Stanback caught his 1st touchdown at the NFL level when Brad Johnson made a great thread the needle pass to him towards the corner of the end zone.  That made it 31-13 Cowboys at the time.  The final score was 31-20 Dallas.

"Overall, I look at the things we did well tonight," Phillips said. "I'm looking at the individuals and how they played. But as a team, it's early in preseason. But as a team, we played well overall."

Brad Johnson completed 6 of 9 passes for 56 yards and 1 TD.

Cowboys CB Terence Newman didn't play tonight due to a bruised right heel. Dallas also lost TE Anthony Fasano due to a sprained right shoulder.

After the Cowboys 31-20 win over the Broncos, they head down to Reliant Stadium next Saturday to take on the Houston Texans (1-1).  The Denver Broncos return home to Invesco Field to battle the Cleveland Browns (1-1) the same day.

I hope everyone enjoyed the game.  The defense was stellar and the offense was able to march down the field once again.  Bobby Carpenter picked one off too. I'm liking the way that things are going.  Go Cowboys!!! 

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 09:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

New Cowboys Head Coach, Wade Phillips had plenty to smile about tonight as the Cowboys overpowered the defending Super Bowl Champions, Indianapolis Colts 23-10.

The Cowboys drew first blood when Tony Romo commanded an opening drive that led to a field goal to put the Boys' up 3-0. Romo also had another long scoring drive end in a field goal in his second and final series of the game for him. On the night, Romo completed 10 of 11 passes for 93 yards, but he missed a couple of huge opportunities by failing to see a wide-open Jason Witten and Anthony Fasano. During the game Pam Oliver asked both Jerry Jones and Tony Romo about his contract status, but both sides were very noncommittal.

The Cowboys first string defense did a fantastic job of keeping Peyton Manning at bay. The only touchdown the Colts scored came late in the game, long after the first and second string players were off the field. The defense also scored the Cowboys' first touchdown of the game when safety Keith Davis intercepted QB Jim Sorgi and ran it back 41 yards for a TD.

The Cowboys scored another touchdown when running back Tyson Thompson pushed his way into the endzone on a 2-yard run putting the Cowboys up 20-3 at the time.

Some of the players who really shined tonight include tight end Anthony Fasano who mad a great impact with his pass catching skills and his ability to get open. Marion Barber got off to a rough start, but turned it around in the second quarter and finished the night with 48 yards on 12 carries. Rookie QB looked impressive while racking up 88 yards on 7 of 9 completions. On defense, Pete Lougheed stole the show with 5 tackles, an assist, 2 sacks and forced fumble in limited play. He is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

Terrell Owens caught a pass but only played one series. Brad Johnson looked pretty bad tonight and was not able to mount any significant drive in two series. He also fumbled in his last series.

All in all, there were a lot of positives in this first of four preseason games. The win will do much to boost the confidence of the team moving forward. Next up for the Cowboys will be the Denver Broncos in Texas Stadium.

It was so good to chill out and watch a football game again! I hope that most of you got a chance to watch and root for our team. GO COWBOYS! 

Posted by Dustin O'Dell at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)