Posted 11:58 am Monday, October 26, 2009
Cowboys No Lone Star Team Against Falcons
ARLINGTON -- The Cowboys were miles from ordinary on Sunday.
Miles Austin's second straight breakout performance was the focal point of Dallas' 37-21 win over Atlanta, but he was by no means the lone star on the football field.
The Cowboys put forth their best all-around effort of the season, and finally have a quality win under their belts, erasing the doubts that Dallas might just be a mediocre football team.
Aside from the Romo-to-Austin connection that produced 171 yards and two touchdowns, the Cowboys defense applied pressure to Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, sacking the young star four times.
Prior to Sunday, Ryan had been sacked just twice in the first five games.
Dallas also forced three turnovers. Even Terence Newman laid the wood to someone.
The special teams got into the act as well with a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown from Patrick Crayton, who lost his starting receiver job to Austin earlier in the week.
The game ball? How about offensive tackle Flozell Adams, who actually lasted a full 60 minutes without committing a penalty?
AUSTIN POWERS
Before the season, the skeptics wondered if Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense could succeed without Terrell Owens, especially with last year's midseason acquisition Roy Williams failing to live up to his No. 1 billing.
Problem solved.
Austin followed his record-setting day in Kansas City two weeks ago with another game-breaking showing against the Falcons, catching six balls for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
Austin followed his record-setting day in Kansas City two weeks ago with another game-breaking showing against the Falcons, catching six balls for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
"I'm glad to see that all the hard work, time and effort that he has put in is paying off," Romo said. "He's a good guy and he deserves what he gets."
Now, Austin has emerged as Dallas' top target in the receiving corps. He has 21 catches for a team-leading 502 yards and five touchdowns at the moment, and it appears the sky is the limit for the fourth-year pro.
"I think we're communicating more," Austin said. "Tony is throwing me more balls. We're talking about different routes, he's getting the ball to me and we're making plays where we can."
BIRD WATCHING
The Cowboys defense was still on the bye during the Falcons' opening possession of the game, allowing Atlanta to trudge 80 yards on a 16-play scoring drive.
But after that, Atlanta struggled to run the ball with all-pro Michael Turner or protect Ryan from the Cowboys' relentless pass rush.
Turner, the NFL's second-leading rusher from last year, managed just 50 yards on 18 attempts -- a ghastly 2.8 yards per carry.
Ryan suffered the most from the dreadful running effort, completing 19 of 35 passes for 198 yards and two interceptions.
It's a formula -- stopping the run and getting after the passer -- the Cowboys would like to continue to employ in the future.
"I think (the defense) played strong and I think we have been playing strong for a while," said Cowboys coach Wade Phillips. "I think they are fairly consistent and we have the turnovers now that we have been looking for and we could have several more.
"I think things are looking good for our defense."
BOUNCING BACK
It's not easy to lose your job, no matter who you are.
But Crayton found other ways to contribute. His fourth-quarter punt return to put the game away provided a more pleasant capper on a difficult week. He also was on the receiving end of Romo's mad scramble and score at the end of the first half.
In the days leading up to Sunday's game, Crayton called out the coaching staff for not letting him know in person that Austin would be taking his starting receiver spot in the lineup.
Some might call that selfish, but Crayton carried a different tune in the locker room after game, when asked of the importance of getting in the end zone twice.
"No, as long as we get a W," he said.
If performances like the one on Sunday become a thing of the norm, "Ws" will become automatic.
If performances like the one on Sunday become a thing of the norm, "Ws" will become automatic.
