Cowboys flush the Browns

It's hard to get too excited about beating up on the Browns today 28-10. Apparently, the Browns' flirtation with respectability was a one-year aberration. Their defense, never much to write home about, gave Tony Romo plenty of time to throw, and were not particularly interested in covering Terrell Owens or Jason Witten. They did not really seem like they felt obligated to stop the run, either. Come to think of it, the only reason the Browns' defense seemed to serve was obeying NFL guidelines that eleven men oppose the other team's offense and attempt to prevent them from scoring.

So it's hard to take anything away from a win over a team that is so defensively challenged. That said, the Browns' offense is supposed to be nasty, and they were more or less held in check. Braylon Edwards, the Browns' top receiving threat, was held to two catches for fourteen yards. Derek Anderson completed less than 50% of his passes for 114 yards, and it sure looks like he will soon be a backup QB in the NFL. The Browns were able to run the ball, but because they were down early, they were forced to abandon the run early.

The thing to be worried about as a Cowboys fan today is the penalties; 11 for 82 yards. They were eighth in the league in penalties last year, and it obviously does not benefit the team to give the other team yardage, or to give themselves a higher degree of difficulty. This would appear to be a problem with coaching, as one gets the feeling that you wouldn't expect this to be as big an issue with Parcells. Wade is a nice guy, and is a hell of a coordinator, but I'm not sure he's a great idea as a head coach; he feels more like a babysitter than anything else.

Next week, they won't be able to get away with giving away 82 yards in penalties, as they are facing the Eagles on Monday night. The Eagles looked great today against the Rams, and granted, the Rams might be the worst team in the NFL, but the Eagles are no joke. They didn't even have their first or second string WRs tonight (well, granted, their first and second string WRs would be 3rd and 4th string on most teams but still) and they still carved up the Rams. Be afraid. More later this week.