Cowboys First-Teamers 'In Good Place' After Vikings Effort
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ARLINGTON (105.3 The Fan) - Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes despite having a stye in his eye. The first-team offense was crisp despite having two stars on the bench. The first-team defense was sound thanks to the healthy return of two starters.
Really, the Dallas Cowboys, who lost 28-14 to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday night, are some special-teams competence away from looking ready for the season to start.
Romo was 5 of 8 for 88 yards in his five series. He threw both of his TDs in the second quarter of this "dress rehearsal'' game at AT&T Stadium, a 60-yard catch-and-race-to-the-end-zone starting Terrance Williams and then an 8-yard TD to UDFA rookie Lucky Whitehead, the result of a nimble and clever Romo buying time in the pocket.
Those pass-catchers stepped up while Dez Bryant sat as a precautionary measure due to a hamstring tweak. Same with guard Zack Martin, a fellow All-Pro, who is dealing with a stinger.
The offense was also buoyed by solid work from Joe Randle and Darren McFadden, in a battle for snaps at the running back position.
"We're just going to keep grinding every day leading up to Sept. 13th,'' Randle told me, reminding of the focus for Dallas to be ready for the season-opener against the visiting Giants.
Dallas also got big plays on defense at every level, featuring rookie Randy Gregory as a pass-rusher, oft-injured Sean Lee at linebacker, and Mo Claiborne and Brandon Carr in the secondary, where they work to replace the injured Orlando Scandrick.
"I feel pretty good,'' said Carr, who recorded an interception despite playing with a broken hand. "I'm in a good place. I'm going to try and stay there as long as I can.''
Outside of allowing Cordarrelle Patterson's 107-yard kick return for Minnesota, the Cowboys feel like they're in a good place, too.