Cowboys set to host Bucs

Struggling Cowboys host Tampa Bay Sunday @ 1 pm

There’s a dark cloud hovering over Texas Stadium in Dallas where all week long words like crisis, total collapse, and self destruction made the headlines. More bad news for the Cowboys came to light with safety Roy Williams (broken arm) lost for the season and Tony Romo (broken pinky) announcing that he won’t be ready to play until mid November. There was also a lot of speculation about Wade Phillips’ employment status and whether he would remain the head coach for the duration of the season or not. This is the soap opera that has become the Dallas Cowboys and the consequence of losing three out of four games. The best medicine for this sort of situation is as plain as can be, win. The Cowboys will try to do that this Sunday when they host the NFC South leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Wanting a win and getting a win, of course, are two different things. Last week the Cowboys (4-3) played a less than mediocre Rams team and got demolished. This week the caliber of the foe will be much greater. Tampa Bay (5-2) is riding high, leading their division, and currently on a two game winning streak while knocking off five of their last six opponents. Jeff Garcia, after spending some time on the bench, has re-emerged as a veritable threat at quarterback. Since regaining the starting job from Brian Griese, Garcia has thrown for 483 yards and two touchdowns in the previous two games. Last week he completed 26 of 37 attempts against the Seahawks and is clearly playing with a hot hand. This could spell big trouble for the Cowboys whose secondary has been significantly diminished by injuries (Terence Newman, Roy Williams) and the suspension of Adam Jones.

What should also be of concern for the Cowboys going into the game is the Buccaneers defense. It’s not the same shutdown, dominant defense from years past, but still one of the tougher squads in the league. The Buccs are ranked 8 th in the NFL in total defense and are one of the best scoring defenses as well, 15.6 points per game.

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For the Cowboys one of the keys to victory will be finding ways to contain Jeff Garcia who is a mobile quarterback and although not much of a scrambler, creates openings for receivers by moving out of the pocket. With the secondary in disarray, Dallas will have to get pressure on Tampa’s QB. The Cowboys will also have to get their vaunted offense going, which has struggled lately, especially with the injury to Tony Romo. Brad Johnson, who once won a Superbowl with the Buccs, will need to play better than he did against St. Louis. There’s a good chance the Buccaneers will put up a lot of points so Dallas will have to be ready to respond and find ways to get the ball into the hands of their star players, Owens, Witten, Barber, and recent addition, Roy Williams.

Things have certainly taken a turn for the worse in the previous month for the Cowboys, but a win can change the momentum in their favor. As Wade Phillips said earlier in the week, “There are still nine more games to turn it around.” A win against a good team at home can get them back on track and start to lift the clouds that have crept into their 2008 season.

By Steven Mondelli
ProFootball-fans.com Dallas Cowboys Correspondent