Though Sam Bradford and Jordan Matthews hooked up for maybe a season-saving touchdown last week, it’s been the Philadelphia Eagles’ running backs who have come to the rescue of late. In fact, if Cowboys never lose again this season, I would venture to bet that they’d be hoisting the Lombardi trophy in the air come February. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. If Bradford is to prove his worth, elevating the team during the toughest part of the schedule is essential; Bradford cannot simply be a piece of the puzzle, he’ll be forced to make several splash plays in each game to get a win and propel the Eagles to the playoffs.
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With the first half of the season in the books, what are the things about this team that have impressed you the most?
MATT HASSELBECK: The 40-year-old backup QB takes over the first-place Colts (4-5) now that Andrew Luck is expected to miss at least two to six weeks with a lacerated kidney and a partially torn abdominal muscle. “Whether that’s being in a new offense and trying to figure out the rhythm and the uncertain plays, and just not having played football and being out of rhythm – I don’t know what it was”. He has done an excellent job with his first assignment of shutting down tight ends, but he’s branching out even more now as he’s taken over the starting gig at safety and doing a great job. The Cowboys are 2-2 in the division.
“We’ve got to go out there and continue to compete”, Cassel said in the postgame news conference. Joseph Randle shouldered the workload early, and Darren McFadden is the bell cow now, but regardless, both are effective. Bell has averaged 7.7 yards per carry in his past two games on ten carries.
James Starks (Green Bay): Starks has significantly outplayed Eddie Lacy this season, including this past week where Lacy totaled just 10 yards on five carries while Starks had 122 total yards.
Earlier today, it was reported that Dez Bryant missed the Dallas Cowboys’ practice. “He’s very smart, very much in control”. They entered the game with a league-low four takeaways, and the count remained at four by game’s end Sunday.
COLIN KAEPERNICK: Less than three years after leading the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance, Kaepernick seems to be done in San Francisco.
But, keep in mind that the imbalance shown by the Dallas offense over the first two games in the form of 79 passes versus 56 rushes and 606 yards through the air as opposed to just 189 on the ground is ultimately what’s made Romo a spectator since Week 2 in Philadelphia.
The team’s poor record did not stop Matt Cassel, the team’s current starting quarterback, from discussing the Cowboys as if a turnaround was on the horizon.
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As it turns out, it isn’t necessarily a coincidence that Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford has had his best two games of the season the past two weeks. Miami allows 142.1 yards rushing per game, even with Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle. “We were able to overcome it last Sunday, but that’s not always going to be the case …” When Orlando Scandrick was lost with a season-ending injury during training camp, the cornerback situation was an area of concern. But Claiborne has performed admirably, often times taking on the opponent’s top wide receiver. He’s had a couple pass-interference penalties that have reset drives, but he’s nowhere close to resembling the secondary liability that has plagued him in the past. He’s played in four games. Bradford rewarded his coach’s confidence with his best performance in the win at Dallas, tossing a 41-yard TD pass in overtime. This team has many problems. “We have to focus on how we’re playing more than the results of the games”. But if the return of Tony Romo lights a fire under this team, it could get interesting. That’s a discussion for another time, like maybe after the team strings together a handful of wins.
