Are you ready for some football!!
http://dallascowboys.com/news.cfm?id...0BF258A9A58610
GAME SET
WHAT: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
WHEN: Sunday, 8:00 p.m. (CDT)
WHERE: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
CROWD: 65,639 (sellout)
TELEVISION: ABC (Al Michaels & John Madden)
BIG ISSUE: When the Cowboys face off against arch-rival Washington on Monday night, they will attempt to build off the momentum they established by beating San Diego a week ago. The Cowboys (1-0) pulled off their first win on opening day since 1999 by squeaking past San Diego, 28-24. Now they will attempt to do something else they have not accomplished since 1999, which is to begin a season 2-0. Quarterback Drew Bledsoe, named Wednesday the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, led the Cowboys with his three-touchdown performance, compiling a 143.4 passer rating, the likes of which the Cowboys haven't seen in some time. Bledsoe, too, will try to match that performance in front of the bright lights of Monday Night Football and the presence of the "Triplets" - Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin - who will be inducted into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor at halftime.
The Redskins were not awarded any style points for their 9-7 victory over Chicago in the season opener, but all Washington cares about is being 1-0. The win marked the fourth-straight season the Redskins have won their season opener, but only in 2003 were they able to follow up the win with another victory. And they will be attempting to do so this time with a different starting quarterback than their starter last Sunday, as the Redskins announced early this week 13-year veteran Mark Brunell would start in place of Patrick Ramsey. Brunell, who was benched last season for his ineffectiveness after starting the first nine games last season, led the Redskins to three field-goal scoring drives against Chicago. Against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football last season, Brunell threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-18 loss.
NUMBERS, PLEASE: The Cowboys converted 7-of-11 (63.6 percent) third-down attempts against San Diego, which was good enough for tops in the league in Week 1. Last season, the Cowboys struggled converting third downs, finishing 17th with a 36.4 percentage. The Cowboys' newfound efficiency doesn't end on third downs, though, as the team also went 4-for-4 in turning red-zone opportunities into touchdowns.
The Redskins haven't had much success against the Cowboys of late, losing 14 of the last 15 meetings, but the difference between winning and losing has often been slim. Seven of the last eight meetings have been decided by no more than seven points, including both meetings last season when the Cowboys won each by three.
ONE-ON-ONE: Cowboys receiver Patrick Crayton may have snuck up on San Diego last Sunday with his six catches for 89 yards and one touchdown, but Washington already knows all too well about the second-year wideout after he caught the game-winning 39-yard touchdown to beat the Redskins, 13-10, last December. Washington's pass defense performed well against Chicago, but is somewhat untested with the off-season departure of cornerback Fred Smoot. Rookie corner Carlos Rogers did not play much against Chicago with veteran Walt Harris getting the start, but the ninth-overall pick could be matched up with Crayton in the slot when the Cowboys use their three-receiver packages. Bledsoe helped beat San Diego's blitz, in part, by utilizing Crayton out of the slot. Crayton could once again present a viable option in the passing game since Washington is expected to unmercifully blitz Bledsoe on Monday.
Redskins center Casey Rabach was one of the team's few significant off-season acquisitions, and the four-year veteran has already made a difference along Washington's line. Running back Clinton Portis had immense success running through the interior of Chicago's defense, gaining 121 yards on just 21 attempts. Rabach will be responsible for lining up against nose tackles Jason Ferguson and La'Roi Glover, and the success Rabach has against those two will go a long way in determining how effective Washington is running the ball. Ferguson, in particular, will be attempting to eat up blocks at the line of scrimmage, freeing up the Cowboys' linebackers to flow to the ball.
SUPPORTING ROLE: Cowboys tight end Jason Witten seemed like nothing more than a decoy against San Diego, catching only one ball for 12 yards against San Diego. But that was because San Diego committed to taking Witten out of the game, rolling safety coverage over the top and consistently double teaming the talented tight end. Washington may or may not make that same commitment but if it doesn't, and instead chooses to concentrate on covering the Cowboys' receiving trio, Witten should have a much more productive outing. Like Crayton, Witten will be a good outlet for Bledsoe when trying to avoid pressure.
Washington tight end Chris Cooley came on strong toward the conclusion of last season, finishing the year with 37 catches for 314 yards and six scores. But it was not until Ramsey was inserted into the lineup that Cooley emerged, so it will be interesting to watch the chemistry between Brunell and the second-year tight end. Cooley only caught three passes for 34 yards against Chicago, two of which were thrown by Brunell. Cooley, who had a touchdown reception against Chicago that was nullified, is a tough-nosed player with reliable hands, possibly presenting coverage problems for the Cowboys across the middle of the field.
HEADSET GAMES: The Cowboys were surprisingly effective in establishing their ground game against a stout San Diego run defense, and they'll face a just as talented and an even more aggressive Washington defense. But to keep the inevitable pressure off Bledsoe, the Cowboys must once again stay with their running game, mixing in the occasional play-action pass. Washington's defense is known for not surrendering a lot of points, allowing 20 or more points only four times last season. But the Cowboys seemed to show last Sunday they have the offensive components to attack teams.
Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams knows Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe very well from their time together in Buffalo when Williams was the Bills' head coach, so expect Washington's respected defensive coordinator to throw just about everything he's got at the veteran quarterback. Bledsoe likes to hold onto the ball longer than most quarterbacks, waiting for receivers to open up downfield. Washington does not create a tremendous amount of pressure up front, but Williams is an aggressive coach who likes to confuse quarterbacks with various blitz packages. The Redskins held Chicago rookie quarterback Kyle Orton to just 125 passing yards and sacked him three times. To stop the Cowboys offense, the Redskins cannot allow Bledsoe to complete 75 percent of his passes like he did against San Diego.
HEALTH WATCH:
Cowboys
Rookie linebacker Kevin Burnett is questionable after recently undergoing minor knee surgery to repair cartilage damage. Burnett, who practiced all week after missing the Cowboys' season opener against San Diego, will be a game-time decision.
Redskins
Redskins defensive tackle Brandon Noble, who played for the Cowboys from 1999-2002, is out after undergoing recent knee surgery. Safety Ryan Clark (knee) is questionable, as is linebacker Chris Clemons (hamstring). Kicker John Hall, who has not practiced this week, is also is out after pulling his quadriceps against Chicago. He will be replaced by the recently-signed Nick Novak, who spent about a week with the Cowboys during preseason. Starting right tackle Jon Jansen is questionable with two broken thumbs, but is expected to play.
FYI for those interested...
ABC is not showing the halftime Ring of Honor ceremony because of the Hurricane Relief telethon....KSAT-12 will be showing it during their newscast after the game. I also heard (not confirmed) that WOAI-TV is doing the same.
) BET ID=32049170
Straight Wager 09/19/05 14:32 ET
80.00/160.00 Result: Pending
Redskins(Washington)
Cowboys(Dallas) 09/19/05 (21:00 ET)
Redskins(Washington) +200
I am betting on Washington to win outright because they are getting 2-1 odds.
I have a feeling that Washington is going to finally pull off a rare win against the Cowboys.
Infuriating...Seriously.
Brunell sucks.
I hate Joe Gibbs nowadays just because he keeps this freaking horrible QB game after game when Ramsey is 100 times better.
Joe Gibbs!!!! Go back to NASCAR.
Brunell and Gibbs must be lovers.
That is the only explanation for his being the starter.
He has taken a sack on 3rd down to knock them out of FG range and he has thrown an interception and he has just gotten sacked again w/o even trying to elude the rush.
He is HORRIBLE, and deserves to die a painfull death.
Nice play there. 10-0
an A!
Redskins score 2 TDs in last 2 mins to go ahead 14-13.
Brunell made me eat crow.
Damn you Cowboys
Still plenty of time for the cowboys to score.
Nice kick return by Thompson!!
Woooohooooo!!!!!
Redskins stop Dallas on 4th down!!!!!
We Need A First!!!! C'mon, Clinton!!!!!
Parcells was 77-0 when leading by 13 pts or more in the 4th Q.
Make that 77-1
Dallas gets the ball back.
DEFENSE!!!!
2nd down
DEFENSE!!!
3rd down
26 secs left
DEFENSE!!!
Hail Mary coming up
Redskins Win!!!!!!
Congrats Jimbo. You called it. Nice job.
It is over Cowboys lost.
I win the bet too!!!!!
Should have bet 500 dollars
ing A Parcells.
Good thing you were running ing HB dive plays up 10-0 with 6 minutes left in the game.
77-1!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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