Tony Romo passed for a NFL career best 353 yards and threw three touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys got their 2009 season off to a good start with a 34-21 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Raheem Morris went down in defeat in his debut as Bucs head coach, while the Cowboys answered a lot of questions about how their receiving corps would respond to the absence of Terrell Owens, now with the Buffalo Bills.
The Cowboys easily covered the pointspread as -4 road favorites, and improved to 16-12 over the last three years when laying points. Tampa Bay dropped to 17-17 over the same timeframe as an underdog. The 55 combined points went OVER the posted total of 39.
After the game Roy Williams, who will be counted on to take up the slack from the loss of T.O., couldnt resist a wisecrack at his former teammates expense:
"Career-high passing yards? Without T.O? "No, it's good. It's good for him. It's good for this team. It was a team effort. Everybody contributed."
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he wasnt surprised:
"They are playmakers, and we knew that going in. But until you do it, the naysayers are going to say: 'Hey. You don't have this or that.' But I think we do."
Romo, meanwhile, preferred to focus on the victory:
"You don't think about yards. You're not judged off of yards. You're judged off of winning and losing at this position."
Raheem Morris was still upbeat despite going down to defeat in his regular season NFL coaching debut:
"Obviously, we're disappointed. But there were a lot of good things on offense."
Perhaps the brightest silver lining in the dark cloud of the loss was the performance of Cadillac Williams. Williams appeared fully recovered from serious knee surgery and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber suggested that the final score didn't convey that his team played well:
"We had our chances. The final score is definitely not indicative of how good we played at times. Those big plays absolutely destroy you football team.
The Cowboys will open their season at their plush new $1 billion plus stadium this Sunday, hosting the New York Giants. Theyll remain at home the following week as they welcome the Carolina Panthers to Texas. The Bucs will head to upstate New York to face T.O and his new team, the Buffalo Bills. Theyll return to Florida the following week to take their turn hosting the New York Giants. - 31493
The Cowboys easily covered the pointspread as -4 road favorites, and improved to 16-12 over the last three years when laying points. Tampa Bay dropped to 17-17 over the same timeframe as an underdog. The 55 combined points went OVER the posted total of 39.
After the game Roy Williams, who will be counted on to take up the slack from the loss of T.O., couldnt resist a wisecrack at his former teammates expense:
"Career-high passing yards? Without T.O? "No, it's good. It's good for him. It's good for this team. It was a team effort. Everybody contributed."
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said he wasnt surprised:
"They are playmakers, and we knew that going in. But until you do it, the naysayers are going to say: 'Hey. You don't have this or that.' But I think we do."
Romo, meanwhile, preferred to focus on the victory:
"You don't think about yards. You're not judged off of yards. You're judged off of winning and losing at this position."
Raheem Morris was still upbeat despite going down to defeat in his regular season NFL coaching debut:
"Obviously, we're disappointed. But there were a lot of good things on offense."
Perhaps the brightest silver lining in the dark cloud of the loss was the performance of Cadillac Williams. Williams appeared fully recovered from serious knee surgery and rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber suggested that the final score didn't convey that his team played well:
"We had our chances. The final score is definitely not indicative of how good we played at times. Those big plays absolutely destroy you football team.
The Cowboys will open their season at their plush new $1 billion plus stadium this Sunday, hosting the New York Giants. Theyll remain at home the following week as they welcome the Carolina Panthers to Texas. The Bucs will head to upstate New York to face T.O and his new team, the Buffalo Bills. Theyll return to Florida the following week to take their turn hosting the New York Giants. - 31493
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a experienced freelance writer who covers travel, poker and NFL football handicapping. He is a staff handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
