Week 1: Cowboys 28 Browns 10

Marion The Barbarian

It was a solid, decisive road win against a dangerous opponent.  It was an impressive display of depth.  It went a long way toward setting the right tone for the season.  It could have been even better, believe it or not.

Some may think I’m nitpicking, but I found a few things at least mildly concerning.  There doesn’t seem to be any improvement over last year’s trend toward excessive (and excessively stupid) penalties.  I don’t blame Pacman for the end zone tackle, because it would have been a TD if he hadn’t, but when is Flozell ever going to learn to wait for the ball to be snapped?

Also, i was very disappointed in the lack of anything resembling a significant pass rush by the Cowboys.  Other than one notable play in which Ware chopped the ball out of Anderson’s hand, the Dallas defense really didn’t put a lot of heat on the Browns QB during the game.

There were a couple of cringe-inducing plays scattered throughout the game, but as was the case with Witten’s drop of what would have been a lengthy completion, they were simply rare miscues by otherwise dependable players.

All in all, I give the Cowboys an A- for the day.  Other than an ill-advised red zone interception, Romo was almost perfect.  The supposed shortage of WRs never came into play, and all three RBs performed brilliantly.  Next week’s showdown with the suddenly resurgent Eagles should be epic.  Getcha popcorn ready…