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Redemption is the Dallas Cowboys' latest game
Posted Sunday, Sep. 26, 2010
by Randy Galloway
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
HOUSTON -- For this one Sunday in September, and going against a growing mountain of doubt, the Dallas Cowboys suddenly flipped-flopped the stinging perception of overhyped, under-coached and already 6-feet-under after two awful games.
Complete dominance of the Houston Texans could have been a told-you-so temptation, but it's worthy of note that the final score of 27-13 spoke the loudest.
The postgame locker room was void of gloat, with maybe a relieved Jerry Jones delivering the most appropriate comment.
"I fully understand why everyone was counting us out," he said, shaking his head and not his finger at the doubters. "You had to think we were better than we had shown, but we obviously needed to demonstrate that."
That it came here, with a Reliant Stadium record crowd ready to anoint the Texans as the new football kings of all things Lone Star, can serve as the season's monumental moment, or...
OK, count the Cowboys back in the hunt, but the trust factor remains on hold, the same as the season with an early open date coming up next weekend.
In attempting to explain the situation for this game, linebacker Keith Brooking had to talk himself out of talking in a circle.
"We hadn't panicked," he said. "There was no panic. We needed a win desperately. It was very frustrating the way we had played, and the way we lost those first two games. That had to change. We were up against it today. It was desperation..."
Pausing, Brooking then grinned and said, "that sounds like panic, doesn't it?"
Whatever it was, it worked.
The Texans are way better than the Redskins, and better than the Bears. Yet in the strange ways of the NFL, this was no contest.
Redemption came from every area of the team.
Wade Phillips was not only under siege as the docile head coach, but also as the defensive coordinator after the Bears schooled him a week ago. The powerful Houston offense was limited to one meaningless touchdown, and only that with the Cowboys in a prevent defense.
Phillips may not get credit for the inspirational boost of the team for this one (a lot of credit was going to assistant coach Joe DeCamillis for his pre-game speech), but, hey, no one in the history of football covers for his players more than Wade. Too much so, sure. But Wade has their back.
And the redemption roll call goes right down the line after Wade.
Jason Garrett: Excellent offensive game plan. Mixed in the run some, but mostly had the Texans' defense on the run with a passing game that went after weak links.
Tony Romo: Games like this show why he flirts with elite status in the NFL.
David Buehler: Honk if you thought he'd nail that 49-yard field goal late in the first half. Those were three vital points and served as a momentum swing.
DeMarcus Ware: Three sacks, as he finally came to life against a backup left tackle. What didn't happen in the first two games, happened.
The defense overall: Back in gear after the Bears debacle. Go figure when you compare the offensive units of Chicago and the Texans. It doesn't figure.
The offensive line: The Cowboys can win with this bunch that showed up Sunday. I mean win week after week.
Also on the redemption list would be the large number of Cowboys fandom in the Houston area. With nine minutes left in the game, and the Cowboys cruising, the "Let's Go Cowboys" chants rained down under the dome as Texans fans already headed for the exits.
But No. 1 for redemption, by far, was none other than Roy Williams, long considered the biggest and most expensive failure in a Cowboys uniform.
Five catches for Uno Uno. Two touchdowns and 117 yards total.
Best games ever for Roy the Cowboy. Shock me.
Both TD catches came on plays from film study of the Texans, although on the second one -- the 63-yarder in the fourth quarter that iced the game -- Williams admitted he couldn't get the call he requested from Romo.
"I wanted the fade [route], and told him twice," he said. "He kept saying 'flash.'
"So we ran the flash."
A cornerback jam didn't contain Williams (it's supposed to be an ongoing problem), and then he was by the corner and flashing down the sideline. Romo, on this day, wasn't missing targets. In fact, there was maybe only one of those all afternoon.
Romo, of course, catches his share of fan and media abuse, but Roy even tops him in that department.
"I give him credit," Romo said. "He just comes in and goes to work. Really, he's the kind of guy that you don't know how [the abuse] is affecting him. It's a good trait to him [to] be able to keep going forward. He puts it all aside and keeps working. He does work at it."
Williams is considered Mr. Jones' wasted investment, and Jerry knows that, which is why he said:
"I'll say this for Roy, that in 22 years of being here, I don't think I've seen a better one at handling the criticism by manning up and staying with it."
That was also the Cowboys here Sunday: Manning up, staying after it, and overwhelming a good team on the road.
For a much-needed change, the extensive preseason hype actually looked about right.
Randy Galloway, 817-390-7697
Posted Sunday, Sep. 26, 2010
by Randy Galloway
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
HOUSTON -- For this one Sunday in September, and going against a growing mountain of doubt, the Dallas Cowboys suddenly flipped-flopped the stinging perception of overhyped, under-coached and already 6-feet-under after two awful games.
Complete dominance of the Houston Texans could have been a told-you-so temptation, but it's worthy of note that the final score of 27-13 spoke the loudest.
The postgame locker room was void of gloat, with maybe a relieved Jerry Jones delivering the most appropriate comment.
"I fully understand why everyone was counting us out," he said, shaking his head and not his finger at the doubters. "You had to think we were better than we had shown, but we obviously needed to demonstrate that."
That it came here, with a Reliant Stadium record crowd ready to anoint the Texans as the new football kings of all things Lone Star, can serve as the season's monumental moment, or...
OK, count the Cowboys back in the hunt, but the trust factor remains on hold, the same as the season with an early open date coming up next weekend.
In attempting to explain the situation for this game, linebacker Keith Brooking had to talk himself out of talking in a circle.
"We hadn't panicked," he said. "There was no panic. We needed a win desperately. It was very frustrating the way we had played, and the way we lost those first two games. That had to change. We were up against it today. It was desperation..."
Pausing, Brooking then grinned and said, "that sounds like panic, doesn't it?"
Whatever it was, it worked.
The Texans are way better than the Redskins, and better than the Bears. Yet in the strange ways of the NFL, this was no contest.
Redemption came from every area of the team.
Wade Phillips was not only under siege as the docile head coach, but also as the defensive coordinator after the Bears schooled him a week ago. The powerful Houston offense was limited to one meaningless touchdown, and only that with the Cowboys in a prevent defense.
Phillips may not get credit for the inspirational boost of the team for this one (a lot of credit was going to assistant coach Joe DeCamillis for his pre-game speech), but, hey, no one in the history of football covers for his players more than Wade. Too much so, sure. But Wade has their back.
And the redemption roll call goes right down the line after Wade.
Jason Garrett: Excellent offensive game plan. Mixed in the run some, but mostly had the Texans' defense on the run with a passing game that went after weak links.
Tony Romo: Games like this show why he flirts with elite status in the NFL.
David Buehler: Honk if you thought he'd nail that 49-yard field goal late in the first half. Those were three vital points and served as a momentum swing.
DeMarcus Ware: Three sacks, as he finally came to life against a backup left tackle. What didn't happen in the first two games, happened.
The defense overall: Back in gear after the Bears debacle. Go figure when you compare the offensive units of Chicago and the Texans. It doesn't figure.
The offensive line: The Cowboys can win with this bunch that showed up Sunday. I mean win week after week.
Also on the redemption list would be the large number of Cowboys fandom in the Houston area. With nine minutes left in the game, and the Cowboys cruising, the "Let's Go Cowboys" chants rained down under the dome as Texans fans already headed for the exits.
But No. 1 for redemption, by far, was none other than Roy Williams, long considered the biggest and most expensive failure in a Cowboys uniform.
Five catches for Uno Uno. Two touchdowns and 117 yards total.
Best games ever for Roy the Cowboy. Shock me.
Both TD catches came on plays from film study of the Texans, although on the second one -- the 63-yarder in the fourth quarter that iced the game -- Williams admitted he couldn't get the call he requested from Romo.
"I wanted the fade [route], and told him twice," he said. "He kept saying 'flash.'
"So we ran the flash."
A cornerback jam didn't contain Williams (it's supposed to be an ongoing problem), and then he was by the corner and flashing down the sideline. Romo, on this day, wasn't missing targets. In fact, there was maybe only one of those all afternoon.
Romo, of course, catches his share of fan and media abuse, but Roy even tops him in that department.
"I give him credit," Romo said. "He just comes in and goes to work. Really, he's the kind of guy that you don't know how [the abuse] is affecting him. It's a good trait to him [to] be able to keep going forward. He puts it all aside and keeps working. He does work at it."
Williams is considered Mr. Jones' wasted investment, and Jerry knows that, which is why he said:
"I'll say this for Roy, that in 22 years of being here, I don't think I've seen a better one at handling the criticism by manning up and staying with it."
That was also the Cowboys here Sunday: Manning up, staying after it, and overwhelming a good team on the road.
For a much-needed change, the extensive preseason hype actually looked about right.
Randy Galloway, 817-390-7697