Tony Romo, sadness The Cowboys lost more than a game, 41-35 to the New York Giants at JerryWorld. Tony Romo was sacked and driven into the ground by linebacker Michael Boley, who came through virtually unblocked on a Romo pass.
He has a broken clavicle. Done for the season.
Within a span of a week, the fortunes of our local sports teams have gone wonky. The Cowboys are now done for the season. They're 1-5 and probably have a better shot at the first pick in the 2011 draft than they do anything else, including eight wins. Or four.
Gone is another year of Romo's prime. Another wasted year of Terence Newman, Bradie James, DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Felix Jones.
No matter what those guys do for the remaining 10 games, it doesn't matter. All is lost.
And, accordingly, the Cowboys quit. Simply waved a white flag without the even faintest sense of urgency.
Other notes:
1. When did Jen Floyd-Engel start calling Wade Phillips "Coach Pizza Party"? It's genius. I love it. I need to read the Fort Worth Star-Telegram more.
2. I have a man-crush on Hakeem Nicks. He's all man. He has Terrell Owens' body (lean, long-armed, yet thick) and hands and play-making ability. Love that guy. A little too much, I think.
3. Will Romo's injury save Wade Phillips? Firing him -- no matter if he deserves it -- won't help. There's no replacement. Even if there was, it would just be a waste unless Jones had the new coach lined up. No matter, Phillips deserves to be fired.
Grades:
Quarterback -- F
Romo did play. He lead the Cowboys on one touchdown drive when they started on the 5-yard-line. Otherwise, he wasn't doing too much. Jon Kitna is not a good back-up.
Running Back -- D
Felix Jones had a 17-yard run to inflate another eight carries for 22 yards. Marion Barber has nothing left. I don't know if it was him, Jones or the offensive line that stunk more. Barber had zero burst and zero opportunity if anyone (cornerback, linebacker, D-lineman) was even remotely unblocked.
Wide Reciver -- D
Two dropped passes early (including a touchdown) for Miles Austin. Nothing for Roy Williams. Second straight game with a touchdown for Dez Bryant, wound up with another to get to within one score. More on him being pretty good.
Tight End -- D
Jason Witten caught a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Totals: 9 catches, 95 yards. However, it wouldn't be a Cowboys game if not for a patented Witten offsides call. Then the fumble leading to a disheartening half-ending field goal for the Giants was just retarded. It's not just the fuck ups screwing this thing.
Offensive Line -- D
Before Romo got hurt, I noted how well I thought the offensive line was playing. Seems like Romo had time to deliver the ball. The rush offense was absent. Now, Montrae Holland hurt his groin. Phil Costa, an undrafted rookie, took his place.
Defensive Line -- F
For about a quarter, Ahmad Bradshaw was kept in check. From then on, it was a series of wide open gaps all over. By the third quarter, it was Swiss cheese.
Linebacker -- F
Accounted for two forced fumbles, two recoveries, an interception and sack. Yet, right when the Cowboys needed a couple of stops, with the starting quarterback attempting to put his shoulder back together, they couldn't do anything. The Giants rolled them in those pivotal middle quarters. I mean, 500 yards and 41 points were scored.
Secondary -- F
Got fortunate with a couple of tipped passes early on. Those weren't coverage interceptions. If Steve Smith and Hakeem Nicks pull those down, there are no interceptions. I saw 18 catches and 209 yards combined for Nicks and Smith. I saw four touchdowns scored by Giants wideouts. I'm starting to get the feeling that Orlando Scandrick is not very good. I might throw Alan Ball into that mix if mediocrity.
Special Teams -- A+
Beautiful. Joe DeCamillis had his crew come to play. There was Dez Bryant's 93-yard punt return for a touchdown and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah almost broke a kick-off. David Beuhler hit both his field goals. And the longest Giant kick return was a whole 16 yards. The Giants tended to regularly start pretty deep in their own zone. In fact, they started at the 21-yard-line or deeper nine of 16 possessions.
Coaching -- F
Romo's injury clearly sunk any plans that Jason Garrett had. However, the defense is coordinated by one man: Wade Phillips. I know that losing Romo killed not only the offense, but also the defense. Any hopes of the latter carrying the former was not going to happen. They quit hard making the mini-comeback later moot. There so much wrong here. It begins and ends, for me, at the top. The general manager isn't going anywhere. The coach should be.
