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Giant home opener for Cowboys
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This is Romo and Eli's 8th meeting. Photo: nytimes.com
The NFL schedule makers certainly have a sense of humor. I don’t think it was any coincidence that the Cowboys christened its new stadium in a preseason game against the Titans. It also is hardly any random thing that the Giants will be part of the first regular season game. Titans and Giants? You can see where this is going. Everything about Cowboys Stadium is huge, from the stadium itself, to the HD screen, to the expected crowd on Sunday of over 100 K. Well played, NFL; well played indeed.
Last Sunday, the Cowboys had all kinds of trouble stopping the Tampa Bay run game. There wasn’t much success against the pass game either, but seeing the running backs consistently get large chunks of yardage I think is a little more painful. The Giants have a solid 1-2 rushing combo with Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, who combined for over 100 yards against the Redskins in week 1. With the Giants no longer having Plaxico Burress, the team is left with a very young receiving core. A formidable run game going up against a run defense that had as many holes as swiss cheese last week? It doesn’t sound pleasant. But that is exactly the reason why I think the key of the game for the Cowboys is defending the pass.
Really, the main key to a game from a defensive standpoint is making the opposing offense one-dimensional. With the Giants having the ability to run the ball down opponent’s throats, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see them air it out at the start. If the Cowboys can’t do a better job against Eli Manning than it did against Byron Leftwich, then things could get hazy. DeMarcus Ware and company need to make Manning’s life a nightmare. New York’s offense may not be particularly scary, but the reason it is so effective is because of the balance. As I mentioned in an earlier article, the Giants had the most balanced offense in the NFL in 2008, running the ball eleven more times than passes attempted for the season. With about 1,000 plays run, a difference of only eleven is incredibly balanced. That didn’t change versus Washington: 29 pass attempts to 31 run plays. That kind of offense keeps the defense on its heels. But like I said, the defense can gain advantage by making the offense one-dimensional. At the start of the game, the Dallas defense will have to be ready for anything. If the Giants’ pass attack has consistent success, then what? The run game will kill you.
On the other side of things, the Cowboys’ big-play offense took down the Buccaneers last week. Of Tony Romo’s 353 passing yards in the week 1 win, 232 came on four plays to Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and Patrick Crayton, three of which resulted in touchdowns. Romo also didn’t throw an interception against Tampa Bay. Only once has he gone consecutive games without throwing at least one pick -- weeks 10 and 11 in 2006, the first season he became the starter. Indeed, Romo comes from the Brett Favre school of gun-slinging, where touchdowns mount up, but so do the turnovers. A three touchdown, no interception day in the opener is good, but repeat that against the Giants, and I will be more impressed.
No divisional game in the NFC East is not important, week 2 or week 17. They are all big. If that means pulling out all the stops to get a victory, especially at home, then so be it. Despite a thigh bruise that limited him last week, Felix Jones should be good to go against New York. The Cowboys would be smart to give all three running backs some time on the field. The big play won the season opener. What happens if there are no big plays to be had this week? Drives must be sustained in other ways, and one of those ways is using all your resources and keeping players rested. Another way is by being successful in remaining two dimensional on offense. The Giants were tied for third in points scored last season. It isn’t a coincidence. A balanced offense really is a key for success, and it will likely be that way in the newest chapter of the Cowboys-Giants rivalry.
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