will we ever win?

What a game

DALLASS SUCKS! Ok, now that that's out of the way, how often does it happen that a game lives up to its hype? Back and forth momentum swings, crucial turnovers, big plays, trick plays, a 4th and 18 conversion that ends up first and goal to go, and then a 102 yard interception return for a TD to seal the victory. And how about that interception return? Just when it looked like the Eagles were going to blow the game and Cowboy hopes were highest, the defense stabs Dallass in the heart. Ughhhh. Eat it Dallass. And then there was the TO sideshow that also went the Eagles way. He did next to nothing, dropped a catch when he heard Michael Lewis coming, watched 2 picks happen in his face, screamed at the coaches, screamed at his teammates, and went out a bigger loser than when he came in. And on top of all that it was a perfect Fall day. Football doesn't get any better and a victory can't get any more satisfying.

Even though the offense made lots of big plays in the game it was the defense that won it. They did exactly what everyone said had to be done - pressure Bledsoe into screwing up, and he more than complied. Dallass's great receiving core of Glenn, Owens, and Whitten really didn't do much. They never got a big play except for the bomb and interference call on 4th and 18. Glenn was largely a non-factor and TO was nearly invisible. Maybe that's why Fox felt it was necessary to have a big arrow graphic pointing to him before every snap. He was so lame Hanson was covering him 1 on 1 at times. The defense was getting gashed for big runs early in the first half but shut that down as the game progressed and even came up with several big stops on third and short. Dallass finished with 24 points but the defense only gave up 17 and alot of those points came when the special teams, which were pretty bad today, gave Dallass good field position. The defense even took over the game in the second half when the offense was sputtering and going 3 and out and taking no time off the clock to allow the defense to rest a little. Troy Aikman was correct in saying the MVP of the game was Jim Johnson with a variety of wacky blitzes with some that had the defensive ends dropping into coverage. He totally screwed up a very susceptible Bledsoe.

The longterm effect of the this game could be great. The Eagles finally beat a good team and can use this to propel themselves forward. Meanwhile, watching Bledsoe completely suck and lose the game pretty much all by himself and watching TO's reactions on the sidelines sets the stage for Dallass to implode. Let's hope it happens.

Other notes: DeMarcus Ware is good. Who else thought Bledsoe's fumble in the first quarter was going to get booted out of bounds instead of recovered by Trent Cole? How good was Trent Cole today? How good was Howard? Barber? Walker? Which was worse, Sheldon Brown's tackling or LJ Smith's? Or #25's on the Cowboys? Dirk Johnson was terrible today and so was the kick-off and punt coverage for the most part. On third and inches why was the call a 10 yard pass that was dropped by LJ Smith? What's up with Westbrook's drops? Nice shot of those 2 loser cowboys fans with stars painted on their faces looking like sad clowns. Who also hates that VW commercial with Slash by now? Dawkins interception was one of the best catches I've seen. Lito's first interception attempt was one of the worst. He also almost dropped the first one he did catch. And on his interception return he better not start celebrating too early again. GREAT game, GREAT win.