We run LA: USC 28, ucla 7

The Crosstown Rivalry.
The Battle for Los Angeles.
USC versus UCLA.

The 2009 edition of this rivalry seemed to be getting more hype as the potential changing of the guard game for football bragging rights in Los Angeles. If you read the LA Times before the game, you'd think UCLA could have rolled the Trojans in this one.

For Bruins and Trojans, it's all about LA

One team is surging, the other trying to regain its balance after embarrassing losses and weeks of public flogging.

But for the first time in years the roles are reversed.

When USC and UCLA play for the 79th time tonight at the Coliseum, Coach Pete Carroll and his recently staggering Trojans will try to hold off a Bruins team eager to show that the school's infamous "monopoly" marketing campaign was no joke.

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UCLA-USC prediction:

Too close to call (almost)

And yet, after the Trojans suffered two of the worst losses in the program's history in the last three games against Oregon and Stanford, and the Bruins came in winners of three straight, it was the Trojans who looked to have the hot hand while the Bruins stumble around for 60 minutes.

+ Turnovers
The game was seemingly a pretty even affair with the exception of four Trojans takeaways to stifle several UCLA scoring chances. USC picked off Bruin quarterbacks three times and recovered one fumble, with two of the picks coming after UCLA had driven more than 30 yards on the drive. And that's really where the game was won for 'SC as three of the four turnovers led to scoring chances for 'SC.

Interception #1
The Trojans' Malcolm Smith returned a Kevin Prince interception for a 62-yard touchdown to open the scoring, 7-0 Trojans, in the first quarter. When the Trojans have been winning this season, they have been doing it with defense. The Trojans set an early precedent against the Bruins that they would be aggressive while UCLA's offense was at work.

Fumble
UCLA took over after a Trojans punt late in the first half with delusions of grandeur ideas of getting on the board by halftime. They used defensive pass interference to get near midfield, and completed a pass for 14 yards. The next pass play, from Kevin Prince to Nelson Rosario went for 12 yards before Josh Pinkard recovered Rosario's fumble, halting the Bruins' chances. Instead, USC was able to drive 37 yards in five plays to set up a 50-yard field goal attempt. While the try fell short, USC's hurry-up offense proved potent, with quarterback Matt Barkley able to connect on a few out routes, and the receivers were able to get out of bounds to stop the clock.

Interception #2
The Trojans were forced to punt early in the third quarter, giving the Bruins the ball on their own 24 yard line. The Bruins ran the ball for two yards before Prince threw his second interception, this time to Will Harris, who gave the Trojans offense the ball deep in Bruins territory. It took USC seven plays to move 29 yards for the Allen Bradford 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Trojans 14 points off turnovers.

Interception #3
UCLA again forced a Trojans punt, with the Bruins taking over on their own 22. After driving across midfield to the Trojans' 47-yard line, quarterback Kevin Craft - who replaced Prince after he was knocked out of the game - floated a ball to Pinkard, who picked the pass at the 20 yard line to halt a potential Bruins scoring drive. The Trojans couldn't muster any offense on the ensuing possession and gave up the ball on a three-and-out, the fourth three-and-out for USC in the game.

Any time you win the turnover battle, 4-1, it's very difficult not to win the game. The Trojans defense set the table, and the offense finished dinner by converting turnovers into points.

+ USC Offense
The Trojans offense, for years though of as a big-play machine that cranked up 60-yard runs an 75-yard bombs directly to the end zone, didn't propel that seemingly now outdated stereotype. In fact, until the final five minutes of the game, the Trojans offense didn't have a drive of more than 37 yards in the entire game, and that drive led to the missed field goal at the end of the first half.

USC punted eight times on Saturday night. None of the Trojans drives lasted more than nine plays. The offense didn't get into the end zone until midway through the third quarter, and yet USC still seemed to be in control the entire time. The average drive moved just 20.1 yards (and only 13.8 yards per drive until the final two drives moved a combined 120 yards).

Matt Barkley was average at best for most of the game. There were times he tried to force balls, which he was able to complete on occasion. Other times he either missed or ignored an open man down field for an underneath target. I doubt he is not confident in going for the home run, however, he did pass up several chances to swing for the fences. Having said that (thank you Curb), he was able to work the short game to help move the chains. Of his 206 passing yards, 91 of them came in the fourth quarter, which is either a good thing that he was able to produce when it mattered most, or a scary reality that he was only able to amass just 115 yards through three quarters. Take your pick. Is the glass half full or half empty?

It just wasn't that great a game for the offense, but thanks to adding on some extra points in the final frame, the numbers didn't look too bleak.

+ The Controversy?
Did you hear about the "big controversy" with this year's USC-UCLA game? I know I didn't. I got a phone call today from a friend asking what I thought about last night's controversy. I was shocked. What controversy? What did I miss from Row 82 at the Coliseum?

The controversy in question refers to the Trojans touchdown strike after UCLA's called timeout when USC was trying to kneel down to kill the rest of the clock. I didn't realize this was such a big deal for a team to keep playing after being challenged to do so. Consider this:

The Bruins got the ball after a Trojans' touchdown, putting USC up 21-7 with 1:30 left in the game. After a 19-yard pass play to get near midfield, Craft threw four incomplete passes, turning the ball over on downs. Throwing four times with 1:30 left in the game and trailing by 14 says that the trailing team - UCLA - is still trying to get points on the board and keep this game competitive. If they can add on a touchdown to pull within seven, they can look back and say, "See, we only lost that game by 7. It was a close game. We're narrowing the gap between these two programs." In reality, adding that touchdown could do a lot for UCLA, and they were right to go for it. Instead, they didn't get it. They turned the ball over on downs, and USC took over on the UCLA 47 with 0:54 seconds remaining.

The Trojans walked out to the 47, broke the huddle in the victory formation, and took a knee to begin the process of running out the clock. The whistles blew, and the clock stopped at 0:52. UCLA had called a timeout. No problem here. UCLA is essentially saying that they aren't done playing. They have timeouts left, and if USC wants to run down the clock, they are going to have to run the ball, thus creating a greater possibility of a fumble or any sort of turnover, than the "safe play" of taking a knee. UCLA wanted a chance to get the ball back for that extra score, so they called timeout.

Having said that, if UCLA called timeout, presumably because they still wanted to play, to score, and to leave their mark on this game, then the Trojans should have every right to do the same. UCLA expected USC to continue to try to run out the clock, a process made easy by handing the ball off to a running back and having him stay in bounds. Instead, USC play-faked the run, and Barkley aired it out to a wide open Damian Williams for a 48-yard touchdown strike. 28-7 USC.

After that play and the ensuing extra point, the sidelines cleared in a stand off that saw a referee thrown to the ground by someone from UCLA. It was a good play call because UCLA was expecting run, and the Trojans faked the run to add their extra touchdown. Why should they add the extra touchdown? Well, if the results of this game have such a big implication on recruiting, then the Trojans should want to add an extra score to entice recruits to "join a winner" if they plan on playing big-time football in Southern California.

It's not running up the score. It's not poor sportsmanship. It's nothing more than a competitive game between two rivals. One was ready to head to the locker room with a 21-7 victory, so Pete Carroll ordered the troops to take a knee. UCLA wanted the ball back, so the Trojans gave it to 'em -- by kicking off after an extra touchdown to sweeten the win.

+ USC Defense
The USC defense regained some swagger with a 7-point stunting of UCLA's offense. It doesn't negate the 55 points given up to Stanford in the previous game two weeks earlier at the Coliseum, but it certainly helps take some of the sting away. The Trojans defense was able to disrupt the Bruins passing game, limiting quarterbacks Kevin Craft and Kevin Prince to a combined 18-of-39 for 188 yards and three interceptions. The Bruins running game, well their traditional running game, was held to 60 yards. They were able to more than double their ground game total by using designed quarterback draws and other QB scrambles to tack on 74 yards against 'SC. That was really the only thing UCLA was able to do that USC couldn't control, but when the QBs had to make plays with their arms instead of their feet, the Bruins came up empty-handed.

The four-turnover performance tied the 2009 season-high for USC's defense, equalling the mark against Arizona State three weeks earlier. It was evidence that the Pete Carroll defense that has become so potent and feared since 2001 still has the potential to take over a game, and that the efforts seen against Stanford and Oregon are more aberration than atrophy.

+ Punting aplenty
With one game left in 2009, the Trojans have punted 53 times, averagin 4.8 (so, five) punts per game. That seems like a lot more than in years past. Looking at the numbers, the Trojans in the Pete Carroll era (since 2001) have done a good job of not giving up the ball in past seasons, as this year's 4.8 punts per game could wind up being the highest since before the back-to-back National Championships.

Year	Punts	Punts Per Game
2009	53	4.8
2008	47	3.6
2007	63	4.8
2006	49	3.8
2005	33	2.5
2004	51	3.9
2003	44	3.4
2002	65	5.0
2001	79	6.6

Here's the breakdown of USC's punting in 2009 by game:

vs. UCLA

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
J. Harfman	8	363	45.4	1	1	54
Team	8	363	45.4	1	1	54

vs. Stanford

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
J. Harfman	3	105	35.0	0	0	37
Team	3	105	35.0	0	0	37

at Arizona State

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
J. Harfman	8	297	37.1	1	1	51
Team	8	297	37.1	1	1	51

at Oregon

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
J. Harfman	6	232	38.7	0	0	48
Team	6	232	38.7	0	0	48

vs. Oregon State

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
J. Harfman	3	132	44.0	0	0	47
Team	3	132	44.0	0	0	47

at Notre Dame

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
J. Harfman	4	153	38.3	0	1	59
Team	4	153	38.3	0	1	59

at California

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
J. Harfman	3	120	40.0	0	0	47
Team	3	120	40.0	0	0	47

vs. Washington State

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
J. Harfman	3	139	46.3	0	2	51
Team	3	139	46.3	0	2	51

at Washington

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
B. O'Malley	4	164	41.0	0	0	53
Team	4	164	41.0	0	0	53

at Ohio State

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
B. O'Malley	5	188	37.6	1	0	41
Team	5	188	37.6	1	0	41

vs. San Jose State

USC Punting
	TOT	YDS	AVG	TB	-20	LG
B. O'Malley	6	208	34.7	0	3	45
Team	6	208	34.7	0	3	45

The Trojans may not be going to the Rose Bowl, and the string of consecutive Pac-10 championships will officially end next week, however USC still is the big dog in Los Angeles. I leave you now with this image of Rick Neuheisel declaring the LA football monopoly officially over (two years ago). How's that going?

Thankful for offense: Dal 24, Oak 7

Don't dismiss it as a game against the Raiders. The Cowboys desperately needed the confidence and swagger that comes with a half-dozen big plays after consecutive weeks of offensive ineptitude.

The Cowboys (8-3) used the struggling Raiders to cure what ailed them, unleashing all offensive weapons in a 24-7 win on Thanksgiving that should silence critics as the Cowboys enjoy a mini-bye before a division showdown in New York in December. Dallas racked up 494 yards of offense, including 195 on the ground, as everyone from Felix Jones to Roy Williams made significant contributions.

During the short week since the narrow win over Washington, the Cowboys offense has been under the gun due to its lack of big plays on offense since the Eagles game. They were nearly shut out in Green Bay, but added a meaningless TD late in the game. But on this day, the Cowboys offense came out gangbusters, airing it out and pounding on the ground.

It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, however. The Cowboys figured out half of the equation. They were able to make the big plays frequently, but too often they were unable to follow up on that momentum and translate some of those plays into big points. Here's a look at the big plays - plays of 20 yards or more - that the Cowboys made on Thursday against Oakland:

Cowboys Big Plays:

Quarter	Down & Dist.	Yard Line
1st	2nd & 6	Dal 24

(Shotgun) T.Romo pass deep middle to M.Austin to OAK 27 for 49 yards

This big play was immediately followed by a false start (-5), 1 yard run by Barber, Romo sacked, illegal use of hands (-10), McBriar punts from Oak 41 on 4th & 24.

Quarter	Down & Dist.	Yard Line
1st	1st & 10	Dal 23

T.Choice up the middle to OAK 11 for 66 yards (from RAZORBACK, direct snap to Choice)

The Cowboys followed up this long run by giving the ball back to Choice where he promptly was stopped for no gain. Not really his fault - no NFL player is turning down the ball - but Jason Garrett has to give him a chance to catch his breath, right? On the run for no gain, Dallas was flagged for holding (-10). The drive stalled, and Nick Folk kicked a consolation field goal from 36 yards.

Quarter	Down & Dist.	Yard Line
2nd	2nd & 4	Dal 27

T.Romo pass short left to M.Austin pushed ob at OAK 46 for 27 yards

Dallas finally bucked the trend of struggling to finish after the big play. The very next play, Romo handed off to Felix Jones, and the Cowboys home run hitter finally knocked one out of the park for the first time this season.

2nd

1st & 10

Oak 46

Felix Jones up the middle for 46 yards, TOUCHDOWN

Jones galloped into the end zone for the first TD of the game, celebrating by leaping around like a Gramatica trying to hurt himself. The fourth big play of the day for Dallas finally results in serious ramifications for the Raiders. Dallas led 10-0.

Quarter	Down & Dist.	Yard Line
2nd	1st & 10	Dal 28

(Shotgun) T.Romo pass short right to M.Barber pushed ob at OAK 30 for 42 yards Pass complete in the flat to Barber out of backfield.

After big plays by Tashard Choice and Felix Jones, the veteran of the trio of running backs got loose out of the backfield for a big gain down the sideline. However, Dallas followed Barber's big burst with a false start, an incompletion, a 9-yard pass, and a sack of Romo for -5. Dallas sent on Folk to attempt a 49-yard field goal which clanged off the upright, resulting in no points despite the big play.

Quarter	Down & Dist.	Yard Line
2nd	1st & 10	Dal 37

(Shotgun) T.Romo pass short left to M.Austin pushed ob at OAK 43 for 20 yards

The drive was all about the arm of Tony Romo and the churning legs of Miles Austin. Everyone wanted the Cowboys to have a stronger running game after the loss in Green Bay, and while the ground game has responded, there's no doubt that it's the passing game that truly fuels the offensive fire in Dallas. After a run by Barber for no gain, the Cowboys went to the air again:

2nd

2nd & 10

Oak 43

(Shotgun) T.Romo pass short middle to J.Witten to OAK 22 for 21 yards (Pass complete on crossing pattern)

Dallas got into striking range with the first big play to a tight end of the 2009 season. For anyone keeping track, this was the Cowboys' 11th game of the year. Dallas kept things in the air as Romo looked for Austin on the next play. The speedy receiver was originally awarded a touchdown when it appeared he rolled over a defender and avoided being down, but replay overturned the 22-yard score into a 14-yard gain. Two plays later, Romo and Austin hooked up on a bubble screen for the drive-capping touchdown. Credit Doug Free with the block that gave Austin enough wiggle room to find the end zone.

Quarter	Down & Dist.	Yard Line
3rd	1st & 10	Dal 20

(Shotgun) T.Romo pass deep left to J.Witten to OAK 43 for 37 yards (Pass complete on a seam route)

Dallas looked like they would be starting the third quarter with the same high offensive energy that they displayed in the second quarter, however it didn't materialize on this drive. Barber ran for 0, Romo was sacked for a loss of 5, and one incomplete pass later, the Cowboys were punting from Oakland territory.

Quarter	Down & Dist.	Yard Line
4th	1st & 10	Dal 48

T.Romo pass short left to J.Witten to OAK 8 for 44 yards

The long pass to Jason Witten helped set up the gravy on the turkey in this Thanksgiving win. Choice scampered for 6 yards before Romo hooked up with Roy Williams for a 6-yard touchdown. Dallas led, 24-7.

Quarter	Down & Dist.	Yard Line
4th	3rd & 1	Dal 20

M.Barber runs right tackle to OAK 48 for 32 yards

Barbers big run helped even out his average for the day but did little else. Dallas had a 17-point lead at this point, and didn't necessarily need to add more points, which was good because they didn't. This play was followed by Barber for 1, Barber for 1, a pass to Felix Jones for 5, and another punt from Oakland territory.

Of punter Mat McBriar's six punt attempts, three of them came from within Oakland territory, and a fourth had a line of scrimmage at the Dallas 49. Sadly, that doesn't illustrate a great ability to capitalize on some of the big plays the Cowboys made, but it was certainly enough to beat the hapless Raiders.

There must be more to show for the 494 yards of offense than a mere 24 points against Oakland, however after back to back 7-point outings, this game will provide solid footing for a Cowboys team looking to reestablish its identity as a big play offense.

The Cowboys now get 10 days off before their rematch with the New York Giants at the Meadowlands. New York ruined the debut of Cowboys Stadium en route to a 5-0 start while Dallas was a mere 3-2, limping into the bye with an overtime win over the Chiefs. It seems the Giants and Cowboys are two very different teams since so early in the 2009 campaign. New York endured a four-game losing streak, as Dallas leapfrogged the rest of the division. However, the Cowboys are facing a must win game at Giants Stadium if they have any desire to win the NFC East. If New York wins, they hold the tiebreaker with two wins over Dallas. If the Cowboys win, they'll retain their division lead with a very rugged schedule still ahead. Should be a great battle.


A few more thoughts on a Thanksgiving thumping:

+ Defense
The Cowboys defense did a good job of stifling the Raiders offense until Dallas was able to build a substantial lead. However, they still allowed the Raiders to open up holes and move the ball on them. At the end of the day, they allowed seven points, so it wasn't all bad, but on more than one occasion someone in silver and black was one tackle away from going the distance.

Anthony Spencer led the way with a pair of sacks on Bruce Gradkowski. Spencer out-shined Greg Ellis, the man he replaced in the starting line up, with 8 tackles (6 solo) in the game. He along with Demarcus Ware (1 sack) and the rest of the front seven put frequent pressure on Gradkowski, hitting the QB 10 times throughout the game.

Unfortunately, the defense was unable to force a meaningful turnover. Ware sacked Gradkowski on the final play of the first half, forcing the ball loose, and Jay Ratliff fell on it with no time on the clock. Not as big as the single turnover in last week's game - an interception by Spencer to halt the last real chance for Washington. A few defensive backs had opportunities to step in front of balls, but there were no glaring drops of interceptions.

Dallas is -4 on the season in the turnover differential, tied for 24th in the NFL with a mere 7 interceptions, and tied for 18th with 6 recovered fumbles. That's 13 takeaways in 11 games, not an impressive total by any stretch. The other division leaders in the NFC:
- New Orleans has 29 (20 INT, 9 fumbles recovered) ... +10
- Minnesota has 16 (7 INT, 9 fumbles recovered) ... +6
- Arizona has 16 (11 INT, 5 fumbles recovered) ... -5

Still plenty of work left to do on the defensive side of the ball. The Cowboys are middle of the pack in total yards allowed, but they are giving up only 16.5 points per game, which is third-best in the NFL, and tops in the conference.

Points Per Game Leaders (*including Thursday's games)
RK ... TEAM ... PTS/G
1. Indianapolis ... 15.7
2. New England ... 16.4
3. Dallas ... 16.5*
4. Cincinnati ... 16.7
5. Baltimore ... 17.1
6. Denver ... 17.2*
7. Washington ... 17.8
8. Pittsburgh ... 18.4
9. NY Jets ... 18.9
10. Minnesota ... 19.3

+ Miles Austin
It seemed during the middle of this season that Miles Austin was the only Cowboy capable of going off for a big play. While he got plenty of support from others on the offense, the young receiver still led the way with big plays. He finished with seven catches for 145 yards and a touchdown, giving him a total of 824 yards (currently 7th in the NFL) and 8 touchdowns in 2009. He is currently tied with Reggie Wayne for the most 20+ yard plays with 15. He still may not be the official #1 receiver for the Cowboys, but get ready for some well deserved Pro Bowl talk.

Austin has the third-most yards of any NFC receiver, and the second-highest yards per catch average in the conference. His 8 TDs is tied for second with Vernon Davis behind Larry Fitzgerald's 9 in the NFC. It's not just numbers, but it's how his play changes the game for Dallas. There might not be many others from the Cowboys offense joining him in the Pro Bowl, but Austin is well on his way to locking up an invite.

+ Roy Williams
Speaking of receivers, Roy Williams made an appearance in Thursday's contest, catching two balls for 15 yards and a touchdown. It wasn't much, but it's better than the bagel he put up last week. This week he didn't have any glaring drops, which could be considered an improvement. Perhaps the biggest contribution of Williams against the Raiders was that he drew the attention of Nnamdi Asomugha for most of the game. He was only targeted four times. It's a rough paradox of success for Roy: should Romo throw to him if he's covered by such a good cornerback, or is he expected to be able to beat that coverage regardless? Either way, Asomugha covering Williams left Austin able to roam free.

+ Nick Folk
Bad news for Nick Folk. I realize that his only miss on the day was from 49 yards, but that dropped his season field goal percentage to 73.7 (14 of 19), which has Dallas as the 25th most accurate field goal team in the NFL this season. In 2008, Folk's work was good enough (20 of 22, 90.9%) for fourth-best percentage in the NFL. The list of teams with uglier field goal percentages on the season so far: Carolina (73.3), Cincinnati (70.6), Jacksonville (64.7), Houston (64.7), Atlanta (62.5), Tampa Bay (50.0).

Folk is 6-for-6 from inside 30 yards, and still 3-for-4 from 30-39 yards out, however he has struggled from longer range this season. He is 4-of-8 from 40-49 yards in 2009, a 50% rate of success down from his 10-of-11 mark on 40-yarders in 2008. He's not missing by much, but as the Cowboys begin the tough test of a December schedule that has them facing three division opponents and two more division leaders, they'll need as many three-pointers as they can get.

+ Punting at the video board
Raiders punter Shane Lechler is averaging a whopping 51.5 average yards per punt, with a 44.5 net yards per punt in 2009. He punted nine times in Thursday's game, and if he didn't hit the board during the game, it's safe to say that no one is going to. He did cause folks in our section to hold their breath a few times as punts continue to rise toward the board, but Jerry's TV remains unscathed.

+ 3rd Downs
It's odd that the Cowboys were able to control this game so well, and were able to make big play after big play during the game, yet they remained relatively hopeless on 3rd down conversions. Dallas extended drives just a third of the time, converting 4-of-12 third downs. And yet, it wasn't even the worst 3rd down success rate the Cowboys had in a win this season.

Here's how the Cowboys did on 3rd downs in other games this year:
(losses in italics)
at Tampa Bay ... 3-of-10 ... 30.0%
vs. New York Giants ... 6-of-11 ... 54.5%
vs. Carolina ... 5-of-13 ... 38.5%
at Denver ... 3-of-14 ... 21.4%
at Kansas City ... 5-of-12 ... 41.7%
vs. Atlanta ... 6-of-13 ... 46.2%
vs. Seattle ... 7-of-13 ... 53.8%
at Philadelphia ... 7-of-15 ... 46.7%
at Green Bay ... 3-of-12 ... 25.0%
vs. Washington ... 3-of-11 ... 27.3%
vs. Oakland ... 4-of-12 ... 33.3%

+ Running Backs
It's pretty cool when a trio of running backs has everyone gain at least 60 yards on the ground, not to mention the 41 additional yards that Barber had in the passing game. Here's the rushing stats:

Dallas Rushing
	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LG
F. Jones	7	68	9.7	1	46
T. Choice	3	67	22.3	0	66
M. Barber	14	61	4.4	0	32
T. Romo	1	-1	-1.0	0	0
Team	25	195	7.8	1	66

+ New York Giants
The New York Giants were unable to ride the wave of success after snapping their four-game losing streak in overtime last week. Denver dismantled the Giants at Invesco Field in the Thursday night game, 26-6, to drop the Giants to 6-5, two full games behind the Cowboys in the NFC East. While the Giants did win the only head-to-head battle so far, they too have a rough road the rest of the way if they are going to battle for the division or even a wild card berth.

+ Schedule the rest of the way
Here's the schedules for the NFC East contenders (Dallas, Philly, New York) as well as the only other legitimate Wild Card contenders (Green Bay, Atlanta) as it stands right now. New Orleans, Minnesota and Arizona all have large enough division leads that if they were to miss the playoffs, it would be due to some catastrophic collapse.
Remaining schedules of NFC contenders:

Dallas	Green Bay	Philadelphia	New York	Atlanta
8-3	7-4	6-4	6-5	5-5
W vs. Oak	W @ Det	WAS	L @ Den	TB
@ NYG	BAL	@ ATL	DAL	PHI
SD	@ CHI	@ NYG	PHI	NO
@ NO	@ PIT	SF	@ WAS	@ NYJ
@ WAS	SEA	DEN	CAR	BUF
PHI	@ ARI	@ DAL	@ MIN	@ TB

Big Bounce-Back: Mavs 130, Rockets 99

It seemed like something the same old Mavericks would do, blowing a fourth quarter lead to an opponent after dominating the game for 41 minutes. After the ugly late-game collapse against a shorthanded Golden State Warriors team two nights ago, the Mavs (11-4) responded in a way that certainly did not represent that same old mentality.

The Mavs thrashed Houston, 130-99, in the I-45 series in a game that may not have been that close. Dallas found itself in a similar situation as the night before against the Warriors, leading late in the game. The difference: they kept on pushing their lead even after getting up 91-77 over the Rockets heading into the 4th quarter.

It's not the first time this season where the Mavs recorded a solid road win over a quality opponent after a bad beat at home. And that simply hasn't been a trait of the Mavericks in recent years. Maybe it was those light blue jerseys. Whatever it is, it's working to help this team respond when it needs to.

The last few years, it hasn't been uncommon for this team to relax with a lead and thus allowing their opponents back into a game. It hurt against Golden State on Tuesday, especially considering they used just six players, including three that played all 48 minutes. But on Wednesday, Dallas gained back some composure - not to mention the return of Shawn Marion - and at one point ran off 26 straight points. Any time an NBA team goes on a 26-0 run, it's not just great offense, but the Mavs defense was creating stops at the other end of the court.

Houston mustered just four fast break points compared to the Mavs 20, and Dallas dominated from the floor, shooting a .655 clip on Wednesday. The Mavs got a tremendous boost from not only Jason Terry, who threw in a game-high 27 points on 10-of-11 shooting off the bench, but there was a Tim Thomas sighting as well, as the power forward came off the bench for 23 points.

One of the most meaningful accomplishments of the game came on a Jason Kidd assist to move into second all-time in career assists. Kidd's seven helpers brought his career total to 10,334 (he's still a helluva long way from John Stockton's 15,806).

Kidd's handprints were apparent even after he sat down for the fourth quarter. With about 2:30 left in the game, J.J. Barea collected the ball at the defensive end of the court, began dribbling up court, and then raised the ball high above his "6-0" frame, and slung a length-of-the-court bounce pass to Rodrigue Beaubois for an easy layup. That's a Jason Kidd pass if I've ever seen one, and it was executed perfectly by Barea.

Keep looking for those plays, plays that guys on this team wouldn't have made in years past. I realize it's a late-game assist in a blowout win, but it represents an increase of talent across the board.

Getting back Marion was great after a three-game absence. When Josh Howard and Erick Dampier return, this team will emerge as a true threat in the Western Conference.

Tony Romo: Robber

Watching the news in Dallas tonight, there has apparently been a break in a case of robberies in the Dallas area. According to the local NBC station, Anthony "Tony" Romo has been arrested by Dallas police in connection with a string of violent robberies. No word on whether or not he'll be able to take the field against the Raiders on Turkey Day.



For more on this, check out the daily police blotter on the NBC DFW website (the 4th story listed).

And to think it would come to this after two consecutive games in which the Cowboys were held to only 7 points. Does a man making $67 million really need to rob a quickie mart? Or is just a nice way of blowing off steam in a post-Jessica world?

We did hear about Tony Romo the do-gooder in past seasons. Maybe it's because he's playing the Raiders this week that he's trying to get more into the mind of his opponent.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Check back tomorrow evening for the Thanksgiving game recap.

NFC Playoff Picture - Week 11 wrap up

With all the NFC teams now with 10 games in the books (the AFC still has a MNF "thriller" between Houston and Tennessee tonight), let's take a look at the playoff picture, and which teams currently have the best shots at the the Wild Card berths - especially considering three of the four NFC divisions are all but locked up with six games left.

AFC W L T Dif East Patriots 7 3 0 126 Dolphins 5 5 0 -2 Jets 4 6 0 24 Bills 3 7 0 -73 North Bengals 7 3 0 48 Steelers 6 4 0 47 Ravens 5 5 0 66 Browns 1 9 0 -148 South Colts 10 0 0 112 Jaguars 6 4 0 -36 Texans 5 4 0 27 Titans 3 6 0 -66 West Chargers 7 3 0 64 Broncos 6 4 0 -13 Chiefs 3 7 0 -70 Raiders 3 7 0 -126 NFC W L T Dif East Cowboys 7 3 0 56 Giants 6 4 0 31 Eagles 6 4 0 62 Redskins 3 7 0 -32 North Vikings 9 1 0 113 Packers 6 4 0 59 Bears 4 6 0 -19 Lions 2 8 0 -120 South Saints 10 0 0 165 Falcons 5 5 0 24 Panthers 4 6 0 -46 Buccaneers 1 9 0 -130 West Cardinals 7 3 0 53 49ers 4 6 0 -2 Seahawks 3 7 0 -37 Rams 1 9 0 -157

The Vikings and Cardinals each have three-game leads in the NFC North and West, respectively. The undefeated Saints are up by five games on the Falcons. Only the NFC East remains up in the air, with the Cowboys, Giants and Eagles all within a game of each other. So who is making the playoffs in the NFC?

If the playoffs started today, the NFC playoff picture would look like this:
1. New Orleans Saints, 10-0 (South)
2. Minnesota Vikings, 9-1 (North)
3. Dallas Cowboys, 7-3 (East)
4. Arizona Cardinals, 7-3 (West)
5. Philadelphia Eagles, 6-4 (WC)
6. Green Bay Packers, 6-4 (WC)

On the outside looking in:
7. New York Giants, 6-4
8. Atlanta Falcons, 5-5
9. San Francisco 49ers, 4-6
10. Carolina Panthers, 4-6
11. Chicago Bears, 4-6

A few explanations:
The Cowboys hold the No. 3 seed over the Cardinals for the time being, as Dallas has a 6-2 conference record compared to Arizona's 5-2 record in the NFC. Looking at conference records, you will see that Philly has a better conference record (5-2) than Green Bay (5-3) or New York (4-3).

The Eagles, Giants and Cowboys will all get a chance to face each other in the back half of the season with games against each other.
Week 13 (Dec 6): Dallas @ Giants
Week 14 (Dec 13): Philadelphia @ Giants
Week 17 (Jan 3): Philadelphia @ Dallas

The Cowboys do hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Falcons and Panthers, but a lot still has to happen for either of those NFC South teams to get into the postseason. This race is going to be between the Packers and the entire NFC East to determine the remaining three NFC playoff teams.

Keep an eye on the number of conference wins that these teams put up. The Cowboys remaining conference games are at New York, at New Orleans, at Washington and home against Philadelphia. Do you feel good about any of those games? The conference opponents are a 25-15 overall (.625).

The Giants have conference games left home against the Cowboys and Eagles, at Washington, home to Carolina, and at Minnesota. The conference opponents record: 29-21 (.580). It's certainly not an easy road, but the game against Minnesota on the final week of the season might be against a team with nothing to play for if they've locked up the bye, and there is no shot of catching the Saints for home field advantage.

The Eagles in the conference will be home to Washington, at Atlanta, at New York Giants, home to San Francisco, and at Dallas. It's a pretty balanced conference schedule for Philly, whose NFC opponents are 25-25 (.500) on the season, but they will be on the road against the two tough division opponents, which might make this an uphill battle for them.

Finally, the Packers finish their conference schedule at Detroit, at Chicago, home to Seattle, and at Arizona. It's a pretty comfortable conference road - the teams are combined 16-24 (.400) - compared the the schedule of the NFC East trio, so look for Green Bay to make a late-season charge. The Packers own the head-to-head over Dallas, and because they will not play New York and Philadelphia this year, the Pack might have to go down the list of tiebreakers if they are even with the Giants or Eagles. After conference record, the next tiebreaker is common opponents (minimum four). Each team plays the Cowboys, Buccaneers, Vikings and Cardinals this year, so that will be applicable if it comes down to it.

Where have all the touchdowns gone?

In the Cowboys last 32 drives over the last three games, there have been three touchdowns scored by Dallas. Here's a breakdown of what has happened by result on those drives:

16 -- punts

3 -- TDs

2 -- FG Made

2 -- FG Missed

3 -- Intercepted Pass

2 -- Fumbles

3 -- End Half / End Game

In the Cowboys preview 32 drives (including end of halves or games as well), the Cowboys put up 11 Touchdowns. I realize they were playing the Chiefs, Falcons and Seahawks (plus the beginning of the Eagles game), but the three defenses of the Eagles, Packers and Redskins shouldn't have produced THAT big of a drop off.

How the Cowboys drives have played out over the last three games:

Cowboys at Eagles (Nov. 8)

Dallas Drive Summaries
START	QTR	POSS.	YARD	PLAYS	YARDS	RESULT
15:00	1	02:39	DAL 22	6	24	Punt
12:01	1	04:07	PHI 37	7	37	Touchdown
06:21	1	01:19	DAL 41	3	9	Punt
02:14	1	02:02	DAL 15	4	18	Punt
11:38	2	03:52	DAL 25	6	11	Punt
01:38	2	01:34	DAL 19	9	77	Field Goal
00:04	2	00:04	PHI 0	0	0	End of Half
11:48	3	02:54	DAL 35	5	32	Intercepted Pass
06:03	3	03:53	DAL 19	7	13	Punt
02:00	3	02:08	PHI 42	5	27	Field Goal
10:49	4	02:45	DAL 45	4	55	Touchdown
04:27	4	04:27	DAL 23	7	25	End of Game

Cowboys at Packers (Nov. 15)

Dallas Drive Summaries
START	QTR	POSS.	YARD	PLAYS	YARDS	RESULT
13:37	1	03:05	DAL 39	7	41	Missed FG
06:01	1	02:35	DAL 42	5	19	Punt
00:10	1	01:27	DAL 49	3	1	Punt
09:50	2	02:08	DAL 25	3	9	Punt
04:03	2	00:00	DAL 28	1	0	Fumble Recovery (Opponent)
01:50	2	00:58	DAL 17	3	0	Punt
15:00	3	01:31	DAL 36	3	-9	Punt
08:56	3	01:59	DAL 20	5	14	Punt
13:14	4	01:33	DAL 8	3	12	Fumble
10:49	4	04:52	DAL 23	15	76	Intercepted Pass
03:17	4	02:39	DAL 37	11	63	Touchdown

Cowboys vs. Redskins (Nov. 22)

Dallas Drive Summaries
START	QTR	POSS.	YARD	PLAYS	YARDS	RESULT
15:00	1	01:34	DAL 35	3	5	Punt
11:31	1	03:33	DAL 47	6	41	Fumble
05:03	1	04:21	DAL 12	8	27	Punt
10:22	2	02:43	DAL 24	6	29	Punt
06:06	2	04:54	DAL 20	11	52	Missed FG
00:00	2	00:00	DAL 29	1	-1	End of Half
11:37	3	02:40	DAL 6	5	23	Punt
06:04	3	00:58	DAL 10	3	3	Punt
00:41	3	03:43	DAL 24	7	37	Intercepted Pass
07:06	4	04:25	DAL 40	9	60	Touchdown
01:46	4	01:32	DAL 37	3	4	Punt

Rival Survival: Dal 7, Was 6

The Cowboys and Redskins have enough history in the NFL's greatest rivalry, which is one excuse for why the Cowboys may have had so much trouble in edging Washington, 7-6, on Sunday. The more likely reason for the struggles lie within an offense than appeared more schizophrenic and sensitive than poised and balanced.

One week after offensive coordinator Jason Garrett was criticized for either an apparent unwillingness to commit to the run, he appeared to begin the game calling plays in an "I'll show you" mode. The Cowboys ran the ball a season-high 33 times against the Redskins, more than twice as many ground attempts at the 14 in Green Bay last week.

Dallas (now 7-3) began this week's game with 11 called runs in the first 14 plays, including the first-quarter drive with six consecutive runs that culminated with a Marion Barber fumble deep in Washington territory. Barber and Felix Jones worked the ground game despite little relief from Tony Romo and the air attack. Not a bad strategy considering the Redskins were 25th in the NFL in rushing defense coming into this week and were without Albert 'head-stomper" Haynesworth this week. If the plan was the run the ball down their throats, then so be it. I would worry, however, that perhaps Garrett's decision to run the ball so frequently could perhaps be in response to the rash of criticism he received over the last week.

But when Garrett turned to the air against Washington, it was Romo who failed to deliver for three and a half quarters. At one point, Cowboys play by play voice Brad Sham said on the broadcast that Romo was showing signs of why he was undrafted -- he simply couldn't hit any targets. It wasn't until the key fourth quarter drive that Romo came alive, and Garrett went back to his roots of passing, passing and passing.

Garrett called nine passes, as Dallas moved 60 yards in 4:25 to score the go-ahead touchdown. On the drive, Romo was 7-for-8 for 60 yards and the TD. Prior to that drive, his stats for the game were an ugly 8-for-19 for 98 yards with an interception. So while there is plenty of blame, frustration and disappointment to be directed at Romo and Garrett for a game that saw the offense again do its best Brad-Johnson-is-under-center impression, they must also receive the praise for dragging the Cowboys into the end zone when it mattered.

The way this game unfolded was very similar to the overtime win in Kansas City that sparked a four-game winning streak. It was a game the Cowboys were expected to win easily. Instead they struggled most of the game but eventually squeaked past an inferior opponent that they didn't necessarily deserve to beat. The emotion at the end of the game in Kansas City was overwhelming for Dallas. They poured off the sidelines and mobbed Miles Austin in the end zone, celebrating his breakout performance.

Perhaps today's win over Washington could mark yet another breakout performance for Dallas. Not for a budding young star, rather for the team's re-emerging quarterback who - based on his final drive - may finally be ready to shine yet again.

More notes on this rivalry review:

+ Cowboys Defense
Lots of disappointment early and often from the Cowboys offense, but on the other side of the ball, the defense played one of its grittiest games of the season, holding Washington to a pair of field goals. The six points allowed was a season-best for the Cowboys defense and fewest since a 34-3 Thanksgiving victory over the Jets in 2007. The defense still has problems of its own - albeit not as glaring as the offensive woes - but the Redskins were unable to consistently capitalize.

Orlando Scandrick seemed to be getting picked on by Skins QB Jason Campbell, and it was working. Scandrick would be a step or two behind his man, and Campbell was able to take advantage for a few yards here and a few yards there in the first half.

Washington players were frequently able to slip tackles and extend plays for extra yardage. Backup running back Rock Cartwright gained 140 total yards from scrimmage on 20 touches. Scary to think what a healthy Clinton Portis from four or five years ago would have been capable of on this day.

Still, it was the defense that came up with important plays when it mattered. They continually put pressure on Jason Campbell, however, he was able to escape several times from sacks. The defensive line did a nice job of leaping up to bat down balls, including a tip that led to the game-clinching interception.

+ Field Goals
Nick Folk missed a 46-yard field goal in a game where an extra three points would have taken some the pressure off the Cowboys late in the game. Then again, maybe the pressure was needed for the Cowboys to prove themselves offensively. Regardless, Folk's miss is disappointing as he no longer seems like the Nifty Nick that was oh so good the last two years. Where is the guy who drilled the 53-yarder (really, two of them) in Buffalo as a rookie to save that game?

Nick Folk's Career Field Goal Stats

Season	FG Att	FGM	Pct
2007	31	26	83.9
2008	22	20	90.9
2009	19	14	73.7
Total	72	60	83.3

This season Folk has made 73.7 percent of his field goals. In 2006, the year that saw Mike Vanderjagt and Martin Gramatica serve as place kickers during the season, the Cowboys were 20 for 28 on field goals during the season, for 71.4 percent. Folk is getting dangerously close to those numbers. I'm not saying he's about to get cut, but how would you feel if you were the Redskins today and a pair of misses cost you the game?

The Redskins left a few points on the field thanks to a pair of missed field goals by a one-time Cowboy Shaun Suisham. The Washington kicker missed from 31 and 50 yards on three-pointers that could have put the Skins over the top in this one. His first miss was tough to swallow because of the two hour delay while the refs riddled with replays and the correct line of scrimmage. The second just drifted on him.

Even if he connects on both of those, the Dallas defense could have given up a total of 12 points in this game. Granted, the offense has been out to lunch the last two weeks, and I realize it was against Washington, but a 12-point defense goes a long way in the NFL.

+ Reviewing after a delay of game

UPDATE (Nov. 24, 2:18pm):
Turns out that this play shouldn't have even been reviewable. The Redskins got to kick their field goal attempt from 10 yards closer than they would have had to if the officials had properly not reviewed the play. I get that Suisham still missed it, but that's a lot of extra yardage to give a kicker who could have added enough points to cost the Cowboys a win on an officiating blunder. If the Cowboys had lost, 9-7, to Washington instead of edging out the 7-6 win, there would be heads rolling not only here in Dallas, but also at the league office in New York.

For two weeks in a row, the Cowboys have had trouble with officials not knowing how or when reviews and challenges can occur. It's nice that the Cowboys are always featured with the No. 1 broadcast crews of FOX or CBS or whomever, but how about getting a No. 1 officiating crew at a Cowboys game at some point.

This game saw an awkward issue with instant replay (the second-straight week for the Cowboys) in the second quarter. On 2nd and 1 from the Dallas 21, Redsksins QB Jason Campbell was originally called out of bounds at the 26 before throwing the ball away. With Campbell under center on 3rd and 6 on the 26, the Skins were flagged for delay of game and moved back five yards. As they tried to get a field goal in, which almost saw a second delay of game called, the refs blew the whistle and announced a review of the Jason Campbell play.

While the correct call was made, overturning the Campbell run out of bounds as an incomplete pass, the refs tried to then enforce the delay of game on the would-be 3rd and 1 before some random guy in a blue NFL outfit came in on a cell phone to talk to the refs. They then announced that because of the replay that just took place, the delay of game basically didn't happen. Suisham missed a field goal after all the hoopla.

I realize that plays are reviewable until the next play begins and the ball in snapped, but something seems wrong about being able to take dead ball penalties (like false start and delay of game) where they would not count as plays, thus giving the refs or even challenge-happy coaches a chance to take another look at something. Shouldn't that delay of game attempt at running a play count as something and therefore the previous play would be unreviewable. As it stands now, no, but I wonder if this will get looked at in the offseason.

+ Wide Receivers
The Cowboys wide receivers were not to be found until the final play of the third quarter when Romo hooked up with Miles Austin for 23 yards. The completion brought a somewhat excited and somewhat sarcastic cheer from the fans at Cowboys Stadium. Austin finished with 4 catches for 47 yards. Patrick Crayton hauled in a touchdown on his lone grab, a 10-yarder. As for Roy Williams, he was held without a catch for the first time since his first game as a Cowboy - the debacle against the Rams, dude, in October 2008 with Brad Johnson under center. I don't know whether or not that stat shocks me. Not because Williams was held without a catch today, but more shocking that it really hasn't happened more often.

A breakdown of where Romo was throwing the ball:

Dallas Receiving
	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LG	TGTS
M. Austin	4	47	11.8	0	23	7
J. Witten	5	43	8.6	0	13	7
M. Bennett	3	43	14.3	0	21	3
P. Crayton	1	10	10.0	1	10	2
M. Barber	1	8	8.0	0	8	1
F. Jones	1	7	7.0	0	7	1
J. Phillips	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
R. Williams	0	0	0.0	0	0	4
Team	15	158	10.5	1	23	26

A look at where Romo was throwing it by position:

Position	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD	Targets
Tight Ends Jason Witten Martellus Bennett John Phillips	8	86	10.8	0	11
Wide Receivers Miles Austin Patrick Crayton Roy Williams	5	57	11.4	1	13
Running Backs Marion Barber Felix Jones	2	15	7.5	0	2

This is not supposed to be an indictment on the receivers. Some of the passes to Williams were out in front of him, too tall, or simply a case of Romo hanging him out to dry and get his ribs broken. (What's that? He already did that? Moving on...)

The Cowboys didn't have any dynamic elements in the passing game other than the reliability of Jason Witten. It's great to have a world class tight end. Every quarterback in the NFL would love to have a Jason Witten to be able to get the ball to when there are no other options and the pocket is collapsing all around you. But when is the last time an NFL offense ran through its tight end? As much as I loved Jay Novacek, he wasn't the star of the 90s.

+ NFC East

NFC EAST	W	L	T	PCT	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	DIFF	STRK
Dallas	7	3	0	.700	4-1-0	3-2-0	2-1-0	6-2-0	231	175	+56	Won 1
Philadelphia	6	4	0	.600	3-2-0	3-2-0	2-1-0	5-2-0	266	204	+62	Won 1
NY Giants	6	4	0	.600	3-2-0	3-2-0	2-1-0	4-3-0	266	235	+31	Won 1
Washington	3	7	0	.300	3-2-0	0-5-0	0-3-0	2-6-0	146	178	-32	Lost 1

Dallas currently has a one-game lead in the NFC East with three division games still left on the schedule - two of which are on the road in December which hasn't been great for the Cowboys the last few years. The Cowboys have a chance to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division with a Thanksgiving win over the Raiders, while New York must play in Denver in the Turkey Day nightcap, and Philly heads to Atlanta next Sunday.

The Cowboys have the easiest opponent and are at home on a short week that they deal with every year while the two closest foes in the division face challenging road tests next week. If ever there was a chance for Dallas to make a push for the division, this is that time.

Handball-gate (cont'd)

Another thought on the fallout from the World Cup qualifier match between France and Ireland that was decided on a handball goal. France captain Thierry Henry has come out in support of a replay of the game in light of his handball.

FIFA, soccer's governing body, has nixed the idea of a replay, and the game's result - and the handball goal - will stand. This is the right move by FIFA. They cannot set the precedent that games can just be replayed well after the fact in light of a bad call.

Furthermore, a replay of the game was never a valid solution, which is exactly why Henry was able to come out in support of a replay. I'm not trying to doubt Henry's integrity (plenty of others are doing that), and I'm sure part of him feels a little bad about how France got the game-winning and World Cup berth-clinching goal. But the only reason any player on any competitive professional team would say something like this is because he knows there's no possibility of it actually happening. He only said that because he knew a replay was never an option.

If there was a precedent of games being replayed after ending under these types of circumstances, and a replay could have potentially happened, do you really believe anyone affiliated with France soccer would want to replay the game? Hell no!

They might not like how they won their spot, but I doubt the guilt would be enough to make them withdrawal from competition so the Irish could have a berth in the World Cup in 2010.

So while Henry certainly isn't a cheat like many claimed him to be, let's hesitate from championing him as an icon of integrity for supporting the concept of replaying the game.

Handball-gate

Today the soccer world is flustered with the handball heard (felt?) 'round the world. With France's Thierry Henry committing a handball leading to the game-winning and World Cup berth-clinching goal and the refs missing the call, "football" diehards are screaming for do-overs and negations. I can understand being upset with the officials missing a crucial call that blatantly altered the outcome of the game. Clearly, it's wrong. But the fact that people are blasting Henry for committing the handball is ridiculous.

He's being labeled a cheat, a dishonest, unworthy player who is drawing more outrage than Kanye West. And for what?

Henry didn't commit a dirty play. He didn't take out an opponent or yank someone to the ground by their ponytail (it's been a rough few days for soccer, huh?). He failed to admit in the heat of action that the refs missed a call and allowed his team to take the lead and secure a World Cup berth. And while he "came clean" after the game, perhaps the most telling aspect of the press conference is the fact that he is not the ref, and it is not his job to police the game. His job is to put the ball in the net.

Saying someone is cheating implies a blatant attempt to defraud the game through outside means. Athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs are true cheats. Baseball pitchers who try to doctor the ball before pitching or batters who cork their bats are the cheaters. Those guys aren't on the same level as a catcher who is trying to frame a pitch, or a guard who gets away with holding and clutching a guy's shoulder pads.

To label Henry a cheater is completely and utterly absurd. It's ludicrous. This isn't a major league baseball player taking steroids or HGH, corking a bat or doctoring a ball. It's not a hockey goalie with illegally-large pads. He isn't Bill Belichick. This is simply a matter of a guy getting away with one.

Professional athletes are paid to go out there and find ways to win. The majority of the time, it happens within the rules of the game. Occasionally referees and officials miss calls (see the 2009 MLB playoffs), but it doesn't mean the players who committed the illegal actions are cheaters.

Is an NFL offensive lineman a cheater when he's not called for a hold? Should he go tell the ref to throw a flag?

Is an NBA player who travels supposed to hold back his shot? Should he stop, hand the ball to the ref and say "I traveled"?

If a volleyball player has a ball go off his hand and out of bounds, but the up-ref doesn't see it: It's NO TOUCH city out there.

If a MLB first baseman knows a throw pulled him off the bag, but the ump calls the runner OUT anyway, is it the first baseman's job to correct him? If he doesn't, does that make him a cheater?

NO! If anything, it makes him a traitor, someone who has now become detrimental to his own team's success.

Officials miss calls, and players get away with stuff in every sport. Players in any sport are going to do anything they can to attempt to get an advantage. In the NBA, most traveling offenses go uncalled. In the NFL, we're told holding happens on every play. Does that make the linemen all cheaters?

No. It doesn't.

People complain about NBA legend Michael Jordan, saying he pushed off Byron Russell in 1998. Whether or not you think it's true, it's not cheating the way that people view baseball's Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire.

Cheating implies a malicious and premeditated action. Thierry Henry might have put a hand on the ball, but he's not a cheater.

Offensively inept: Dal 7, GB 17

How quickly the dark clouds blacken the bright skies in Dallas. The Cowboys were being acclaimed as the NFC's hottest team outside of New Orleans, and four straight wins - combined with a New York Giants recent fading - left Dallas atop the NFC East.

Tony Romo undefeated in November. Cowboys have won four straight. The Packers coming off an embarrassing loss to the Buccaneers. And yet somehow this hot-hot-hot Cowboys team displayed levels of offense this franchise hadn't seen since Brad Johnson had to fill in for an injured Romo last season, all in a momentum-halting 17-7 loss in Green Bay.

Here's how the Cowboys offense did in each possession on Sunday:

Dallas Drive Summaries
START	QTR	POSS.	YARD	PLAYS	YARDS	RESULT
13:37	1	03:05	DAL 39	7	41	Missed FG
06:01	1	02:35	DAL 42	5	19	Punt
00:10	1	01:27	DAL 49	3	1	Punt
09:50	2	02:08	DAL 25	3	9	Punt
04:03	2	00:00	DAL 28	1	0	Fumble Recovery (Opponent)
01:50	2	00:58	DAL 17	3	0	Punt
15:00	3	01:31	DAL 36	3	-9	Punt
08:56	3	01:59	DAL 20	5	14	Punt
13:14	4	01:33	DAL 8	3	12	Fumble
10:49	4	04:52	DAL 23	15	76	Intercepted Pass
03:17	4	02:39	DAL 37	11	63	Touchdown

So basically the Cowboys had more three-and-out drives (five) than trips into scoring range (four). In fact, it wasn't until the fourth quarter that Dallas even made its offensive statistics even respectable. After three quarters of play, the Cowboys had less than half of the time of possession than the Packers (14:58 to 30:02), had only five first downs, had only 114 yards, and were 0-for-7 on third downs.

Maybe it was the early injury to Marc Colombo. Maybe it was just plain lack of offensive rhythm. Maybe Tony Romo was just off today. Or perhaps it was the complete LACK of a running game whatsoever. Whatever the reason, the Cowboys are now 6-3 with a must-win game next week against the Redskins to maintain control of the NFC East.

Looking around the offense, there was a complete lack of capability across the field. Perhaps the best player on the offensive side of the ball watch Patrick Crayton, who hauled in a big 4th down reception when the Cowboys looked as if they might make a late-game charge. That drive, however, ended with a Romo interception in the red zone. Crayton had four catches for 52 yards.

Other wide receivers appeared asleep at the wheel at best. Miles Austin put in a quite 4 catches for 20 yards, with 14 of those yards on one play.

Then there was Roy Williams. Williams, who looked as if he would finally put up some Number 1 numbers instead will be remembered in this game for plays he didn't make. Williams had a game-high 5 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. However an early fumble turned a promising offensive possession into a toe-stubbing embarrassment. Another key drop on a 3rd down play also cost the Cowboys offense a chance to keep things closer late in the game.

Romo didn't look lost out there, just helpless (24-of-39, 251 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 78.0 rating). He completed plenty of passes down the stretch as the Cowboys tried to rally (16-of-25 for 178 yards in the fourth quarter), but it was too little too late. Although I guess Dallas didn't have many other options. The Cowboys put the ball in the air because there were simply no options on the ground. As a result, the Packers front seven pinned their ears back and got after Romo to the tune of five sacks and plenty more knockdowns. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett abandoned the run early, and Dallas finished with just 61 yards on the ground.

The 26 yards and 5 carries for Marion Barber were both his worst on the season despite Sunday's 5.2 yards per carry. Outside of his injury-riddled end to the 2008 season, MB3 has never been this ineffective. Felix Jones and Tashard Choice made cameo appearances about as meaningful as Ben Affleck's brief appearance on last week's episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The defense kept Dallas in the hunt for 3+ quarters of football, allowing a meager 3 points, but two fourth quarter turnovers tipped the scales.

Last point about Sunday's game. I still don't get why a fumble recovery in the field of play isn't reviewable. It seems like one of those things that wouldn't be challenged very often simply because so many fumble recoveries take place in the bottom of a big pile where no camera would be able to provide conclusive video evidence of who initially recovered the ball. Yet in this situation the Packers were the beneficiaries of a seemingly glaring omission of the capabilities of instant replay. Furthermore, I'm quite certain that the Packers' request for a challenge when they no longer had a challenge left should result in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for delaying the game. I seem to remember something like this being called on Bill Parcells during his time in Dallas against New Orleans a few years ago.

I don't mean to be a fickle-minded flip-flopper, but while everything looked so crispy and easy for the Cowboys over the last three weeks, we didn't see the same team this week against a very beatable Packers team. Now Dallas will throw out their 6-3 record against arch-rival 3-6 Washington next week in Dallas before a Thanksgiving date with Oakland. It could be a happy Thanksgiving at 8-3 or a ho-hum 7-4 for the holiday. It just depends which offense shows up next week.

Is Jeff Triplett drunk?

NFL referee Jeff Triplett and his crew might be the worst in the NFL. The gem of their masterpiece in today's Cowboys-Packers showdown came on the "explanation" of this challenge:



It appeared Felix Jones had the ball in his possession and was down by contact before the ball was knocked out of his arms and eventually recovered by Green Bay.

The crew also missed the 15-yard penalty that should accompany a coach challenging a play when Packers Mike McCarthy challenged with no challenges remaining. Instead, the play was almost reviewed until someone reminded Triplett, oh by the way, it's not reviewable because they don't have a challenge left.

I'm quite certain that the Packers' request for a challenge when they no longer had a challenge left should result in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for delaying the game. I seem to remember something like this being called on Bill Parcells during his time in Dallas against New Orleans a few years ago. While there is no easy way to find the exact rules of instant replay in the NFL, it seems there is a disconnect going on about what is and is not a penalty for a faulty replay request.

I wouldn't feel confident with Triplett taking my order at Dairy Queen and getting it right, much less dissecting the proper calls in professional football.

UPDATE:
from the Dallas Morning News
This follows what I theorized a few minutes ago: Keith Olberman just described the play on NBC and said that "recovery in the field of play is not reviewable."

In other words, you can review whether there was a fumble; you can't review who recovered the ball. Once it's loose, the call on the field stands.

...more on the Cowboys unchallengeable play...

Dal GB end 3Q

End of 3rd quarter stats in Cowboys/Packers:

TEAM STAT COMPARISON
1st Downs	5	14
Passing 1st downs	2	9
Rushing 1st downs	2	3
1st downs from penalties	1	2
3rd down efficiency	0-7	5-12
4th down efficiency	0-0	0-0
Total Plays	29	54
Total Yards	114	252
Passing	73	163
Comp-Att	8-14	22-29
Yards per pass	5.2	5.6
Rushing	41	89
Rushing Attempts	11	21
Yards per rush	3.7	4.2
Red Zone (Made-Att)	0-1	0-0
Penalties	4-25	9-85
Turnovers	1	0
Fumbles lost	1	0
Interceptions thrown	0	0
Possession	14:58	30:02

The fall of Troy: Stanford 55, USC 21

For the first time since 2001, the Pac-10 conference will have a champion that doesn't wear Cardinal and Gold. The Trojans first ever November loss in the Pete Carroll era dropped USC to 4-3 in the conference (7-3 overall) and fifth in the conference standings, putting them out of reach for a BCS bowl and even a share of the league championship.

Stanford jumped out to an early lead and finished even stronger en route to the worst loss in the Pete Carroll era for the second time in three weeks, a 55-21 dismantling of the Pac-10 kings for the last seven years.

If it wasn't clear two weeks ago when the Ducks clobbered USC in a game where the defense was overwhelmed and the offense couldn't keep up, the Men of Troy suffered a repeat performance against the Cardinal.

Running back Toby Gerhart ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries to pace the Cardinal, and their defense forced four turnovers of freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, two of which came early in the first quarter as Stanford jumped to an early 14-0 lead.

The disappointing part of the entire loss might not be the fact that Jim Harbaugh went for a late two-point conversion -- it's his right to do so, and if the Trojans don't like it, stop 'em. The disappointing part of the loss isn't necessarily the reality that the Trojans era of dominance is over -- it had to eventually come to an end or at least a one-year hiatus. The most disappointing aspect of this loss was the purely impotent feeling the Trojans seemed to feel as Stanford ran away with 27 fourth quarter points to do what the Trojans were preaching back in 2004: leave no doubt.

Stanford did just that. They left little doubt that they should be playing in a bowl for the first time since 2001, and they left even less doubt about the fate of Trojans football.

There will be no Rose Bowl. There won't even be a Holiday Bowl after USC got bowled over in the fourth quarter. The Trojans run of BCS berths and Pac-10 titles will always be considered one of the greatest and strongest stretches of dominance in college football, but mark the year 2009 as the season that so many streaks were finally stopped.

Thoughts on the game:
+ For the third straight game, Matt Barkley seemed to be doing his best Aaron Corp impression. Barkley was 21-for-31 with 196 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions, and 1 fumble lost. As if his numbers weren't bad enough, Barkley spent most of the game telegraphing his passes, staring down receivers and tipping off his targets. Earlier this season, the true freshman would read the entire field, going through his progressions from receiver to receiver until finding an acceptable target. On two of his three interceptions, Barkley was in a comfortable pocket with his eyes locked on an intended target, and the defense pounced on him.

Barkley doesn't need to be pulled as the alternative wasn't any better, but he does need to get back to work at going through his reads to find the right target and not decide pre-snap where he's throwing. Throwing off his back foot didn't help much either.

+ The Trojans defense looked porous at best as Stanford frequently marched up an down the field at the Coliseum. The offense didn't help by giving the ball to the Cardinal twice early, but the defense was pushed back play after play like they were on rollers. Stanford was 8-for-11 on 3rd down conversions. The Cardinal went 3-and-out on their first possession with three incomplete passes before taking advantage of two turnovers for a pair of touchdowns.

+ Stanford was automatic for at least 4-5 yards on every running play behind Gerhart. The Cardinal scored five rushing touchdowns while running for 325 yards on the ground against a defense that used to be a human wall. The Cardinal ran 50 times compared to just 22 pass plays. The basics of winning football games always seems to boil down to running the ball and stopping the run. USC's 138 rushing yards didn't seem so bad, but it simply pales in comparison to the three hundred freaking twenty-five yards Stanford churned out on the ground.

+ In addition to the five rushing touchdowns, Andrew Luck passed for two more, and defensive back Richard Sherman reached the end zone on a pick six. It was offense at will for Stanford with USC powerless to stop them.

The Trojans can still salvage this season, win their final two games - both at home - against UCLA and Arizona, and win a bowl game for another 10-win season. Finished 10-3 with a decent bowl win doesn't mean this program is reduced to rubble. It will be a humbling end to the season for USC regardless as the Trojans haven't finished outside of the BCS Bowl schedule since Carson Palmer was a ho-hum quarterback in 2001.

USC must maintain regain focus as rival UCLA will be able to get up for this game. The Trojans won't have to go to the Rose Bowl for this game, but the Bruins will no doubt travel well across town to support their team in the hopes of hanging another loss on the Trojans. Pete Carroll hasn't been in a situation like this since his first year as head coach back in 2001. If Carroll is truly the guru that Trojans fans know and believe him to be, he will have his team ready to go against UCLA to make a statement - if not to the rest of the nation or even conference, then at least to themselves - that the last two losses do not represent this Trojans team.

Wins in the final two games and getting a bowl win won't erase the pain of the losses against Stanford and at Oregon, not to mention the abortion in Washington, but that can provide the Trojans momentum heading into 2010, which might be the real thing USC is playing for the rest of the way.

2009 PAC-10 STANDINGS

Team	Conf.	Pct.	Overall	Pct.
Oregon	5-1	.833	7-2	.778
Arizona	4-1	.800	6-2	.750
Stanford	5-2	.714	6-3	.667
USC	4-2	.667	7-2	.778
Oregon State	4-2	.667	6-3	.667
California	3-3	.500	6-3	.667
Arizona State	2-4	.333	4-5	.444
Washington	2-4	.333	3-6	.333
UCLA	1-5	.167	4-5	.444
Washington State	0-5	.000	1-8	.111

UPDATE (11/15/09, 11:43am):
Trojans drop to No. 22 in AP poll

The "King" to abdicate 23

The NBA's "King" is not abdicating his thrown but his jersey number. Last night Cleveland's LeBron James announced he will switch his uniform number - from 23 to 6 - next season as a tribute to NBA legend Michael Jordan, who according to LeBron was a pioneer for guys like him.

"I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I'm starting a petition, and I've got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I'm not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it."

- LeBron James on ESPN.com

There are so many things wrong with this, I'm not quite sure where to start. First, let me get one idea out of the way. A number change could very easily go hand-in-hand with a uniform change, so when LeBron does debut his #6 jersey in 2010, let's see what city is across the front of the jersey. Just keep that in mind as we go through the rest of this.

But James' abortion of an idea isn't stupid because he wants to honor MJ. In fact, I like that. I appreciate that LeBron feels that Jordan was such a great player that no one should ever wear #23 again. But that's not for him to decide.

The only other players in this context who have their numbers retired across an entire sport in North America are Wayne Gretzky's #99 in the NHL and Jackie Robinson's #42 in Major League Baseball. Gretzky is more along the lines of an MJ-type, a truly great player who helped put butts in seats all across the league whenever his team came to town. But Jackie Robinson wasn't just a great player. He represents so much more, and for him to have his number required across an entire sport also represents what he stood for and the significance of his debut in the Major Leagues as the first black man. Breaking the color barrier is something to honor across an entire sport.

Taking off from the free throw line? Not as much.

James was quoted telling ESPN.com that "what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon," James said. "There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn't Michael Jordan first."

So there would be no modern day superstars without MJ? Maybe there would be no one for them to live in the shadow of, but Jordan didn't do anything to help them break in. Jordan went to college where Bryant and James did not, so it's not like he set the tone of making the jump to the NBA at age 18. There were others who did it before LeBron. KG anyone?

LeBron was also quoted calling Jordan a "pioneer" of the game. A pioneer? Maybe for winning titles and selling merchandise. But Jordan didn't boost the NBA the way the rivalry of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird did, catapulting the sports popularity into a prime-time spotlight in the 1980s. Jordan helped, but he wasn't the reason. MJ was a great player. Certainly better and more decorated than LeBron will most likely ever become. But it's not LBJ's responsibility to lead the charge to honor Air Jordan.

No other player in the NBA should feel pressured by the league's golden child to switch their jersey number, and no future NBA players should feel they cannot don #23 because of LeBron's gesture. This isn't George Washington stepping down as a two-term president to set the standard. This is a guy who more than likely would really like to see his #6 uni leapfrog Kobe's #24.

LeBron also went on to say "I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I'm starting a petition, and I've got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I'm not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it." Are you kidding me? Just how self-righteous are you? If you're not going to, then no one should?! You know, maybe no one else should ever hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy either based on that logic.

The 12 other players in the NBA currently wearing #23 are most likely doing it because they too grew up watching Jordan, idolizing him, and while they may look themselves in the mirror and think they cannot in good conscious wear #23 out of respect for how good Jordan was, that should be their decision to make unless mandated by the NBA.

LeBron is so concerned with honoring Jordan because Jordan did so much, but there are certainly other NBA figures that have accomplished just as much. It's ironic that James will wear #6, the old number of 11-time NBA Champion Bill Russell. Is it not a slap to the face of Russell or even Julius Erving to say that it's not okay to wear #23 but #6 is fine because LeBron is only 25 and wasn't born when Russell was dominating in Boston?

Michael Jordan was a great player. Maybe he was the best player the NBA has ever seen. But for LeBron to feel that he needs to be the one to initiate a movement is irresponsible and selfish. If you want to switch numbers - or teams - then go ahead and do it. Maybe it's to get your jersey back at the top of the pile in sales. Maybe it's because you feel you need some sort of a fresh start (such as when Kobe switched from 8 to 24), but don't create a crusade out of it because you are too young and irresponsible to remember what true pioneers of sports really accomplished.

Midseason records

With the NFL's Week 9 in the books, every team has hit the halfway point of the season which is where you can begin to apply some certainty as to the potential playoff possibilities of each football franchise. For more than a decade, it's been pretty easy to see who was getting in based on early success and which middle-of-the-pack teams had the best chance to compete. The 2008 season was one that provided some trend-bucking with teams like San Diego and Washington reversing their roles from mid-season form. But even with those deviations, here is the breakdown of the likeliness of your team making the playoffs based on its mid-season record.

Since 1998 (as far back as I was willing to dig last season when originally undertaking this statistical adventure), there have been 132 playoff teams (12 teams per season times 11 seasons). Of those 132 playoff teams, 68 of them (52%) reached the midway point with at least a 6-2 record. Another 62 teams (47%) were either 5-3 or 4-4 at the halfway point. And two other teams (1%) - the '02 Jets and the '08 Chargers - snuck in as Division champs after beginning the year 3-5.

That's the breakdown of the team who actually do make the playoffs, but what about the big picture, looking at every team and seeing how it can all play out.

Leaders of the pack: starting 6-2 or better
There have been 80 teams to begin an NFL season with a 6-2 record since the 1998 season, and in that time, all but 12 have reached the postseason, a success rate of 85% over the last 11 seasons. That does leave room for a 15% failure rate.

Right now in the 2009 season, there are eight teams in the NFL with records of at least 6-2. With a 15% failure rate, one of these eight teams will miss the playoffs come January.

Team	Division	Midseason Record
Indianapolis Colts	AFC South	8-0
New Orleans Saints	NFC South	8-0
Minnesota Vikings	NFC North	7-1
Cincinnati Bengals	AFC North	6-2
Dallas Cowboys	NFC East	6-2
Denver Broncos	AFC West	6-2
New England Patriots	AFC East	6-2
Pittsburgh Steelers	AFC North	6-2

The most likely suspects to miss the playoffs of this group are the 6-2 teams as the Colts, Saints and Vikings all have three game leads in their respective divisions. The Bengals and Steelers are tied in the AFC North, so either one could fall off. The Broncos and Cowboys each suffered late-season drop offs in 2008, so it wouldn't be unheard of if it happened again, and each of them have only a one-game lead in their respective divisions. The Patriots have a two-game lead in the AFC East and have never resembled a team that would choke down the stretch of the regular season.

Middle of the pack: starting 5-3 or 4-4
Since '98, there have been 128 teams to be 5-3 or 4-4 at the midway point of their 16-game regular season schedules. Of those 128, slightly less than half of them - 62 to be exact - have missed the playoffs. This is pretty much a coin flip. It's 48% make the playoffs from this plateau while 52% miss the postseason. There are currently 16 teams in the NFL who are 5-3 or 4-4 at their midway points, and if only seven of the eight "leaders of the pack" teams don't make it, that leaves room for five of these 16 teams to make the playoffs, even less than the roughly 48% mark.

Back of the pack: starting 3-5 or worse
Finally, in the same time period, only two of the 139 teams that began the season 3-5 or worse ever rebounded to make the playoffs. Both of those teams, the '02 Jets and '08 Chargers, played in horrible divisions and were able to finish with matching records and won tiebreakers to win their divisions and get into the postseason. This year, the only teams even close to a division lead with under-.500 records are the 3-5 Seahawks and 49ers who each trail the 5-3 Cardinals in the NFC West. More than likely, however, none of the 11 teams who have these atrocious will make the 2009 playoffs. It's just too rare.

Week 10 begins tomorrow night as Thursday night football returns. Which teams will continue their hot trends of a fast start to the 2009 season? We've already seen some teams, like the quick-starting 5-0 Giants, slip off the leaders pace. The Giants have lost their last four games are now at middle-of-the-pack status at 5-4. Other teams like the Cowboys began a meek 2-2 before winning their last four games to take the lead in the NFC East with Sunday's win over Philly.

**a look at this breakdown from last seasons**

Four in a Row! Cowboys 20, Eagles 16

**Hey all. Matthew filling in for Josh with the Cowboys post-game reaction. Josh is enjoying our fine nation's other coast, but he'll be back next week.**

Four weeks ago, the Cowboys were limping towards a bye week facing a 2-3 record if they couldn't come back against the lowly Chiefs. The Eagles were 3-1, and the Giants were considered #1 in the NFL by some at 5 - 0. The Cowboys were ranked 19th in ESPN's weekly PowerRankings just a week later.

Fast forward.

The Giants' four-game skid and the Cowboys four-game roll - culminating in a hard fought 20-16 win against Philadelphia - now has Dallas sitting in the catbird seat in the NFC East, and gives the 'Boys the rightful claim to #3 in the NFC.

The Cowboys won the game tonight because they legitimately outplayed the Eagles in a division game on enemy soil. Offensively, the Cowboys had 11 possessions. Only once did the Philadelphia defense hold them to 3-and-out. Defensively, the Cowboys did let the Eagles move the ball a bit, but came up with HUGE stops when it counted, including stuffs on successive plays from 2nd-and-Inches, 3rd-and-Inches, and 4th-and-Inches with 12 minutes left in the game. Those stops set up the Miles Austin go-ahead Touchdown. The Cowboys are finally fixed their turnover woes as they picked-off McNabb twice, while only giving it up once as Romo threw his first interception in 4 games. The did not put the ball on the ground once - even when Gurode left the game temporarily after getting hurt.

It wasn't always pretty. While Dallas did effectively use their Razorback formation during the opening script, their run game posted a measly 76 yards. However, it was Marion Barber who sealed the deal by pounding away the last 4 minutes on the clock. The offense didn't always finish what it started by going only 1-of-3 in the redzone this week, which isn't always going to be enough to get it done.

The Cowboys will now look forward to next week's meeting with the Packers, who gave the Buccaneers their first win of the season today. WIth home games against Washington and Oakland after the visit to Lambeau, the Cowboys could very well be rolling into December with a 9-2 record if they make it 3-in-a-row on the road by beating the Packers.

Some quick positives from tonight's game:

+ Roy Williams was finally a #1 receiver on the field tonight. He didn't catch long bombs like Austin and Crayton, but his 5 catches, 75 yards all looked pretty good. There's still plenty of room for growth, however.

+ Despite not scoring on their opening drive for the umpteenth time in a row, the Cowboys did get on the board first, putting pressure on the Eagles.

+ Choice out of the Razorback formation looked pretty good at the start of the game. He ran the ball 3 times for 13 yards and the opening TD.

+ In addition to the interceptions by Jenkins and Sensabaugh, the Cowboys were very close to a handful of others. However, most of those were from either very bad throws by McNabb, or poor catching from the Philadelphia receiving core.

+ But, credit McNabb's poor performance in part to the Cowboys defensive line. They had four sacks, and McNabb almost never had enough time to find a rhythm. All-arond great defensive day for the Cowboys.

Some quick negatives:

+ The Cowboys accepted a holding penalty after stopping the Eagles just short on a 3rd-and-13 instead of declining the penalty forcing the punt. I think Wade must have wanted to try to pin the punter deep or use the penalty to grab some field position, but it almost backfired horrendously when the Eagles completed a 22 yard reception on 3rd-and-23. That would have energized the Eagles and their fans in a very unpleasant way.

+ Scandrick has twice in two weeks played a receiver very well out of the slot keeping himself in great position to make a play, only to have the ball somehow quantum tunnel through his body into the receiver's waiting arms. I'm not sure what the deal is, but if he can step up and not allow those types of mistakes, the Cowboys secondary will be better for it.

+ Romo was not his best in the redzone today. He rebounded and played well throughout, but he missed Williams in the endzone at the end of the half, then failed to see Witten wide-open in the corner of the endzone on the next play.

+ This was rookie kick-off specialist David Buehler's worst game by far. He didn't put a single ball inside the 5 yard line. It's true that he didn't have too many opportunities, and I'm not sure how much the cooler Northeastern weather had to do with it. If he's not doing something special as the kick-off specialist, the Cowboys could just as easily have Folk kick-off and save a spot on the 45 man roster. He needs to do better.

Spreading the wealth: Dal 38, Sea 17

Dallas will have a chance to redeem themselves for last season's embarrassment in Philadelphia, but if the Cowboys play to the level they played in a walk-thru victory against the Seahawks, it could be another unfortunate ending at the Linc. Five different Cowboys scored touchdowns in the 38-17 win over Seattle on Sunday, but there were several "oh what the hell" where Romo and company did not look the part of a team capable of claiming the outright lead in the NFC East next weekend.

The Cowboys put the ball on the turf several times, but were fortunate to recover all but one time. The sole lost fumble resulted in the Seahawks taking over inside the 10 yard line and cashing in for a touchdown two plays later. The running game looked sluggish all day, as if Marion Barber and crew had a foot stuck in a bucket during the contest.

But because it was Seattle, the Cowboys rolled to a no-doubt victory for the second straight year.

A triumph next week against the Eagles will require a much more complete game to erase the memories of the embarrassing 44-6 loss that ended the Cowboys 2008 campaign. For that to happen, Tony Romo will need to continue his trend of taking care of the football, and the defense must continue to create turnovers.

The Cowboys were +1 in the turnover ratio on Sunday. Dallas now has eight forced fumbles with five recovered to go along with four interceptions. The ball-hawking Eagles have 14 picks on the year (2nd most in the NFL) with eight forced fumbles, seven of which they recovered. The Eagles will work to take the ball away. The Cowboys must not only protect it on offense and special teams, but the defense has to at least keep the turnover ratio even if not win the turnover battle outright.

It'll be a Sunday night showdown at Lincoln Financial Field. The last time the Cowboys faced the Eagles on Sunday night in Philly, Dallas emptied the seats early, taking a 21-7 lead in the second quarter and the route was on. In fact, the Cowboys and Eagles frequently meet on Sunday night, with the Cowboys winning the 2008 home-opener battle as well.

The win over the Seahawks wasn't nearly as impressive as it was necessary. The Cowboys have to win the games they're supposed to win in this 2009 quest to return to the playoffs and actually win a game. A few more thoughts on the second Seahawk stuffing in the last two years:

+ Quarterback Tony Romo spread around the ball to 10 different receivers in completing 21 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns. Heck, he even completed a pass to a Kevin Ogletree for 19 yards. And for the third straight game, Romo went without an interception, the first time in his career he went mistake free for three straight games. There were ugly moments, however, against the Seahawks. At one point, Romo faked a handoff to no one, and his fumble in the fourth quarter set up a gift touchdown for Seattle.

+ The receiving corps - the entire receiving corps - got in on the action on Sunday. Roy Williams, Miles Austin and even Sam Hurd grabbed TDs, and Patrick Crayton ran back a punt for a score for the second straight week. When games like this happen, it can help to force opposing defenses to respect all of Romo's options, and let's not forget Jason Witten. If Miles Austin is left one-on-one, he can win a foot race to a deep ball. Roy Williams has had some trouble hanging onto the ball, but drops are forgivable if #11 can come up with big plays on a clutch 3rd down. As for Hurd, he did a great job to maintain his balance and turn the corner to get into the open field. Poor tackling by the Seahawks secondary allowed him to get into the end zone.

+ Keeping with the receivers, Mile Austin really needs to work on his touchdown celebrations. His attempted dunk over the crossbar isn't quite on par with the Cowboys former top wideout #81.

+ Bobby Carpenter ran right through the Seattle o-line for a sack, his first sack since 2006. He now has a whopping 2.5 career sacks since being selected in the first round four years ago. Thanks, Bill.

+ It was nice seeing Julius Jones again. The former Cowboys second-round pick ran 15 times for 56 yards in his second game in Dallas since signing with Seattle before the 2008 season.

+ Not nearly as many penalties in this game compared to previous games this season. The Cowboys were flagged five times for 43 yards. Here's a look at the Cowboys penalty issues from the first seven games this season:

Date	Opponent	Result	Penalties	Yards
Sept. 13	@ Tampa Bay	W 34-21	4	41
Sept. 20	New York Giants	L 33-31	4	50
Sept. 28	Carolina	W 21-7	9	80
Oct. 4	@ Denver	L 17-10	7	70
Oct. 11	@ Kansas City	W 26-20	13	90
Oct. 25	Atlanta	W 37-21	8	50
Nov. 1	Seattle	W 38-17	5	43

After a four-game stretch of ugliness in the penalties department, the Cowboys look to be a little more under control. They'll need to keep that up in Philly next week.

Area where Miles Austin needs work

Watching the Cowboys-Seahawks game in progress, Miles Austin has nabbed a touchdown to continue his impressive run for the third straight week. However after the TD catch, Austin went for the slam dunk over the crossbar. After further review, he still needs some work.