Cowboys 44, Bills 7: My Top 10 CBS Contemplations
10. Martellus Bennett with a catch? Alan Ball makes a play in the end zone? 28 points in a half for the first time in almost a year? Dan Bailey with six kick-off touchbacks? You knew it was a magical day at Cowboys Stadium. Only a couple of Rick Perryish oops: After the game the Cowboys passed out to the media a quote sheet featuring the words of defensive coordinator "Rex" Ryan, and during the 2nd quarter the boy who ran onto the field to fetch the kick-off tee totally faceplanted on his way back to the bench. Kinda sad. (And very funny.)
9. Those, my friends, were the Dallas Wowboys. The 44 points are the most they've scored since a 45-35 win over the Giants in the '07 opener and the 37-point victory is the largest margin since a 48-7 shellacking of the Cardinals in 2000, so long ago that Troy Aikman was the quarterback.
8. Sadly, I think when JumboJerry showed Larry Hagman and his "J.R. Ewing" 10-gallon Stetson most fans were clueless.
7. DeMarco Murray, as owner Jerry Jones likes to say, showed off some "wiggle" in rushing for another 135 yards. He juked. He dub-stepped. He changed gears. He leaped over a tall building, disguised as Bills' would-be tackler Jarius Byrd. Didn't produce a first down or really any significant yardage, but you'll see the impressive hurdle a hundred times on ESPN this week.
6. Typically understated Jason Witten. The play in which he became the NFL's No. 3 all-time pass-catcher among tight ends – trailing only Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe – was a pedestrian 5-yard catch over the middle. For a first down. Of course.
5. Only controversial play of the day occurred when Bills' receiver David Nelson caught a touchdown and sprinted the length of the field to celebrate with his girlfriend Kelsi Reich, who just happens to be a Cowboys Cheerleader. They shared a hug and Nelson left her with the ball and a red face. Romantics will claim it was a sweet moment. Diehards will cry that it was awkward, bordering on immoral. If the Cowboys would have lost, this would've been a bigger story. As is...meh.
4. The Good: Navy SEALs repelling from JumboJerry with game balls. The Bad: Fans trying the Wave in the 4th quarter. In opposite directions. Simultaneously. Accidentally on purpose. smh.
3. Terence Newman picked a weird day to blow off the media in the post-game locker room. And he had a peculiar excuse in doing so. After his two interceptions – the last which he returned 43 yards for a score – the cornerback had no time to talk. His reason: "Can't talk today I left my car at the hotel," Newman told the throng around his locker. "Seriously. Dez got my key last night so I had to get a ride … to here. My car is left at the hotel. One-hundred percent honest. I'm dead serious, I gotta catch a ride." And with that, off he went.
2. When Tony Romo is bad, he can be game-losing, palm-to-the-forehead terrible. And when he's on – like Sunday – he can be, well, as effective as any quarterback to ever wear a star on his helmet. Romo completed his first 13 passes, falling one short of the team record held by, get this, Steve Pelluer and Randall Cunningham. Romo settled for a 23-of-26 day, the most accurate in Cowboys' history. His percentage (23 of 26, 88.4) broke the record of 87.5 (21 of 24), set by Danny White against the Eagles in '83. Aikman's best percentage day was 85.7. Romo, sans rib-protecting flak jacket for first time in two months, was also at his athletic best, spinning and then spiraling. He is now 17-2 in November.
1. Remember in the wake of the 27-point loss in Philly when I wrote that the Cowboys would be 8-4 heading into Dec. 11 NFC East showdown in Arlington and you guffawed? Today my crazy corner of thinking is getting a little crowded.
