Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Sad/Mad Philly = Happy Dallas

I'm still stunned by what the Cowboys threw down on Sunday afternoon. I (along with nearly every member of the leering press here in Big D) had prognoticated an ace-whuppin' of the highest order. However, I (and they) got the whupper and the whupee reversed in a big way.

Some observations:

1. Bledsoe

What the heck has happened to Drew Bledsoe? Maybe the better question is: What happened to him in Buffalo? Remember, he wound up on the bench in New England via an injury - Tom Brady got a chance and hasn't relinquished the job since. Drew didn't get fired because he sucked there. However, there's no denying that he DID suck in Buffalo. What's different here? The Gargantuan Tuna?

Whatever the difference is, the Cowboys are benefiting big time. Bledsoe in no way resembles the over-the-hill, taken-too-many-hits, immobile geezer we were told to expect. He moves as well as Aikman ever did, maybe better. He's still got the gun. He's emerged as the unquestioned leader of this team, says all the right things, handles himself like a pro, and now finds himself as the object of a man-crush from his owner and most of the fan base. And to think I once suggested to a friend that the Pats should draft a linebacker instead of him.

2. Defense

The light bulb clicked on for these guys this week. Granted, the Eagles have no running game and McNabb was clearly not 100%, but still, 129 yards of total offense? How is that possible in an NFL game? Against the NFC champs? What a thrashing.

3. The Immense Tuna

I'm still not so sure this guy is the genius he once was, but you can't argue with his performance this week. He was aggressive, prepared, just generally seemed to have his finger on the pulse of the team. We'll see if he's got another one (or 11) in him, but he was the Gigantic Tuna of old on Sunday.

4. Keyshawn vs Bledsoe

I'm not really a Keyshawn fan. His numbers are pretty awesome, but the whole swordfight w/ Michael Irvin last week really reminds one of how few big plays Keyshawn has made in big games. With that said, it's been a long time since anyone on the Dallas sideline appeared to give a crap about what was going on around him. And you know, I believe both Keyshawn and Bledsoe when they say "it's over".

Next week it's the Eli, Tiki, Plaxico, and the Giants. In the ridiculous NFL of 2005, there's NO WAY of knowing what the heck is going to happen. If the Cowboys can throw down something similar to last week, they can beat any team in the league. However, there's no evidence (yet) that indicates they're capable of such a feat two weeks in a row.

Stay tuna'd (I kill myself).

No comments: