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2014-2015 Regular Season: Nothing New Against
Big Blue And Avoiding Trap Game Sins Against Skins
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- October 26,
2014
At 10:47 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- NFL teams – with consideration
towards coaching credentials, available talent, football smarts, and
injured parts – are supposed to follow three basic rules:
1) Beat the teams you are supposed to beat.
2) Win the games nobody expects you to win, because you know how to
compete.
3) Leave an impression of inflicted pain for any opponent who may
look forward to facing you again.
Failure to do so can leave any team – from potent to promising –
looking like a ship of fools.
There is only one scenario under which these basic rules can be
tossed aside . . . and that is when long-time division rivals
collide.
The New York Giants came to town – fresh from a fine-feathered
failure in Philly, advertising the kind of injury theme normally
associated with “America’s Team” . . . and nothing but a victory
over the hated Dallas Cowboys would turn their collective frown
upside down.
Would the Cowboys work harder on the three basic rules . . . or
would they resemble familiar faulty tools?
Would the Cowboys’ first division showdown of the year become yet
another messy NFC East smear . . . or would Dallas continue to
perform like a team to fear?
Nothing New
The Giants are one of three teams who know the Cowboys all too well
and – if taken lightly – have always been ready to give Dallas hell
. . . or at least fight ‘em to the bell.
Even the dynastic Cowboys of the 1990’s did not always have the
easiest of times with teams like these.
While Cowboys Nation has been ecstatic with their team’s performance
so shockingly good . . . Dallas has ALWAYS known – in order to beat
their division rivals – they have to be in the mood.
“The Art of Heart” has always been the single best place for Dallas
to start . . . but teams like the Giants – even at their worst –
have more often than not managed to get their first.
This latest division contest brought nothing new against Big Blue .
. . who almost beat Dallas to the punch and nearly ate their game
day lunch.
The Giants – for a team so beaten up – fought like a surprisingly
competitive dog rather than the expected zero-depth pup.
Both teams had similar scores – three touchdowns each for the QBs –
first downs and even penalties.
The Giants new dink-and-dunk system almost made Eli Manning look
legendary . . . in taking advantage of the sometimes gaping zone
scheme of the Cowboys’ defensive secondary. And the Cowboys went
another game without a sack . . . due – once again – to the
defensive line push they currently lack.
Where the Giants began to come up small was in their turnover haul.
They coughed up two of their own and could not route a Tony Romo
interception (on a blip of a Dez Bryant slip) into the end zone.
Marinelli’s Men allowed their pass coverage to stumble – against
which a healthy Victor Cruz might have caused a big bruise – but
came up big when it counted by causing and recovering a late game
fumble.
DeMarco Murray did his part – once again – in hustling through the
lion’s den and past the century mark for the seventh straight game.
While sustaining a twisted ankle, he toughed it out and never came
up lame. It was another day at the office for Mr. Murray – who
collected another 128 and looked great.
Joseph Randle – the “Underwear Thief” – received a couple touches
but clearly escaped further grief.
Jason Pierre-Paul came away with a two-sack haul . . . while Tyron
Smith was a bit slow in fulfilling the straight-forward assignment
call. Keep your man out of the backfield . . . so that neither Romo
nor DeMarco ever have to yield.
While JPP made Tyron look human – and a bit like a swinging door –
the offensive line was the real star of the show, once more.
The Giants caused plenty of familiar irritation but no cigar. If the
Cowboys can correct mistakes in front of familiar foe faces, they
could survive their division challenges and go far. They may
actually be able to entertain the thought of postseason places.
Will They Or Won’t They?
The Washington Redskins enter AT&T Stadium in even worse shape than
New York . . . but Cowboys Nation might be wrong to believe the
Skins would command any less work.
The Cowboys – for the second game in a row – face an injured,
struggling division foe . . . that brings with it more than enough
vitriol to go toe to toe.
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- The Redskins HATE the Cowboys. Jason Hatcher – former
Cowboy-turned-Skin – was (surprisingly) shocked by the realization
of just how much the Redskins and their fans detest all things
Cowboys Nation.
The Redskins – in fact – have been known to sell more than one
Dallas voodoo doll on the Washington Mall . . . and always short on
tact.
The Redskins would do anything to beat “Big D” . . . and – upon
returning to D.C. – would be treated like absolute kings returning
from bloody victory.
The Redskins, the Giants, and particularly the Eagles have a
completely different mindset – and when it comes to “The Art of
Heart”, they will take that bet . . . believing they have every
chance to leave America’s Team all wet.
Will the Cowboys – like years past – lower themselves to the level
of their enemies too much . . . or will they play aggressively
enough to avoid having to be so darn clutch or needing to outlast?
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- Will Dallas be able to avoid trap
game sins against the injured-but-angry 'Skins?
The critical question – as always – is really quite simple: will the
Cowboys take the Redskins seriously . . . or will they overlook them
so hilariously like an elementary school pimple?
We shall see. We always do.
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