2008 Woodie Awards
Cowboys slaughter competition
Scott Figuerola
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Sports
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The team looks better than I could have hoped. I knew the offense would be good, but I never imagined it would be the number one offense in the league.
The one thing I was worried about was the defense learning a new system, and those worries came true in the first week against the New York Giants. In the next three weeks, the defense has made good strides in improving. They are creating turnovers, which is a major key to their turnaround.
A quarter of a way through the season, the Cowboys are 4-0; the offense looks unstoppable and Tony Romo looks like the answer quarterback fans have been waiting for since Troy Aikman retired.
I know what people are thinking: yeah, they are doing well, but the Cowboys haven't played any good teams. The Chicago Bears, the Giants, the Miami Dolphins and the St. Louis Rams have a combined record of 3-13, which is pathetic.
But the good news is the Cowboys are slaughtering the teams they are supposed to beat. They aren't giving these horrible teams any signs of life, which is a sign of dominance.
The season will only get more difficult from here. And the team has to stay humble. They can't get a big head and think they can beat anyone because anything can happen in the NFL.
There is one thing that has been bothering me about this season. Jerry Jones, the owner and general manager of the Cowboys, still hasn't signed Romo to a new contract.
The team signed Romo to an extension two years ago, and this is the last year of the contract. The better Romo plays the more expensive his new contract will be.
Now I don't care how much Jones has to pay him to keep him here, but I don't want him to feel he's under appreciated because the fans appreciate him to the fullest. If he starts to feel that way and worry about his money situation, his play might suffer.
That's one thing that can't happen to the Cowboys. If Romo plays bad, the offense is in for a long haul.
And if Jones waits until the end of the season to sign Romo, another team has a chance to steal him away.
I don't think that will happen since Romo has said he'd play for free, but I don't want to lose a guy who has turned this losing franchise into maybe the best team in the NFC.
The team is under a new regime and it seems to be paying off in the locker room and on the field. Previous head coach Bill Parcels gave this team a lot of talent and a fighting chance, but a lot of players were unhappy with him.
New head coach Wade Phillips has taken that talent and turned it into results on the field. And the team is responding to his laid back coaching style.
So, all in all, the season is off to a great start; we've got a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and there is a lot of room for improvement, which is a great sign.
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