Too Little, Too Late for the Cowboys

Originally posted 9/10/2006

The Cowboys faced the Jaguars in Jacksonville this afternoon and just couldn't get the job done. Dallas started out with a bang, taking a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. Then the wheels fell off. Jacksonville went on to score 24 unanswered points. The Cowboys scored a late touchdown on a 21-yard pass to Terrell Owens with 1:54 left on the clock to bring the score to 17-24, but it was too little too late. Dallas failed to recover the ball on the ensuing onside kick attempt, but they managed to keep Jacksonville from getting a first down and regained possession with less than a minute on the clock. The game ended when Drew Bledsoe threw an errant pass to the middle of the field for his third interception of the game.

Observations:

• The Cowboys looked like a solid team at the beginning of the game, but the offensive line started to break down, and Bledsoe's stats went south quickly thereafter. The score could have easily started 17-0 or 24-0 in favor of Dallas if Bledsoe had not overthrown a wide open TO and underthrown a wide open Julius Jones. One more game like today, and Bledsoe may lose his starting job to Tony Romo.
  
• Too many penalties. 9 for 90 yards.
  
• Terrell Owens had a solid game with 6 catches for 80 yards and a TD. He didn't pull any stupid antics, and there was no celebration after his first TD as a Cowboy.
• Mike Vanderjagt didn't even make the trip to Jacksonville because of a nagging groin injury, but Shaun Suisham managed to miss a 36 yard FG in Vandy's absence. At least Suisham managed to dink the ball off of the right upright and not float it 10 feet wide like Vandy has been doing lately.
  
• Parcell's insistence on running up the middle on every first and second down is baffling. Why does he continue with the "Run and Punt" offense when Owens, Glenn, and Witten are all Pro Bowl caliber receivers.
• Jaguars reciever and former University of Arkansas QB, Matt Jones, is simply so big and fast that every team is going to have problems with him. The guy is 6'-6" and runs a 4.3 second 40 yard dash.
  
• Despite the Cowboys' poor performance, one Dallas player had a spectacular game. Matt McBriar had five punts with an average of 53.2 yards per kick. That's probably good enough to lead the league. Congratulations Matt.