Cowboys Win in a ‘Man’s League’

Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Jon Kitna made it clear in an interview with ESPN after the Cowboy’s win over the hapless Detroit Lions yesterday, who have now lost 26 consecutive road games, that the NFL is a man’s league. The Cowboys did a great job yesterday of making the Lions offense look like men. The Cowboys’ secondary did more than that, they made the Lions’ backup quarterback, Shaun Hill, look like Joe Montana in his prime, he was 32 of 47 with 289 yards, two touchdowns and only one interception. Saints quarterback, Drew Brees who plays the Cowboys on Thursday, must be salivating right now.

Kitna played like a man during the first Cowboys’ drive. He stomped on the Lions’ defense all the way down the field. Amazing might not be the word to describe it, but astounding, surprising, astonishing, miraculous and fantastical all fit the Cowboys’ 98 yard scoring drive well. Maybe the drive was divine or maybe Kitna was showing up his former team, whatever it was didn’t last, the rest of the half the Cowboys netted fewer than zero yards offensively. They went to the locker room down 10 – 7 due to the aforementioned problems with the Cowboys’ passing defense. Their offense didn’t help matters; Felix Jones fumbled the ball at the Cowboys’ own 14 yard line with less than a minute to play in the first half, which led to the Lions’ halftime lead. Coincidentally it also led to me turning the TV off.

Luckily I had the foresight to DVR the second half (I actually DVR every game). I had the pleasure of fast-forwarding through Jon Kitna, in manly fashion, getting tackled in the end zone, giving the Lions a 12 – 7 lead. I was able to fast-forward all the way to Bryan McCann’s 97 yard punt return (which was made a lot easier since it was batted to him by the Lions). I was able to fast-forward to the Lions’ fumble on their own 19 yard line which resulted in a 21 – 12 Cowboys’ lead. I was able to fast-forward through all 10 Detroit penalties, which is the real reason the Lions can’t win.

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By the end of the 4th quarter I had fast-forwarded to the end of a very manly 35 – 19 win by the Cowboys. After beginning the season 1 – 7 this two game winning streak is a great distraction, but it’s important to remember their opponents. The Lions came to Dallas sporting the same 2 – 7 record as the Cowboys. In a span of two minutes -- with a punt return that ended in the end zone, that was the Lions fault because they batted the ball out of the end zone to McCann, and a fumble recovery that resulted in a touchdown, -- the Cowboys took all the confidence from a team playing on the road, who hasn’t won a road game in years.

Thursday the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints and their future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees will be the Cowboys’ competition. Last year the Cowboys ruined the Saints undefeated season in December in New Orleans; I doubt the Saints have forgotten that. Thursday will be a real test for the Dallas Cowboys. If they beat the Saints they have turned the corner and have begun the road to redemption (which they can’t accomplish until they’ve won a Super Bowl).

The NFL is a man’s league. Yesterday they let a group of boys look like men for much of the game. We’ll find out soon how they stack up in front of an entire team of real men.

By: Douglas Eldridge
ProFootball-fans.com Dallas Cowboys Correspondent