(REUTERS)
All anyone needs to know about the Cowboys is that amid a terrible start to what was supposed to be a season draped in glory, they have more excessive celebration penalties (two) than wins (one).
On Monday night, this dog of a team will have to show some snarl or else go whimpering off into a corner. The Giants can rid the division and the conference of any lingering concerns about the doings in Dallas and transform the notion that the home team will play Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium from a promise into a punchline.
This is a put-away game for the Giants. They’re not saying it, but they know it. The Cowboys at 1-4 are teetering, and one more push will bury them so far down in the NFC East that not even a Chilean rescue capsule could unearth them. Already, Tony Romo is calling his team “snake-bit” and defensive end Marcus Spears lamented, “Right now we have the worst luck in football.” There’s a fraying around this fragile club — one swift kick by the Giants and it all shatters.
Last season, the Giants christened brand-new Cowboys Stadium with a 33-31 victory that ruined the nationally-televised grand opening of the $1 billion football palace, an achievement that so excited Eli Manning that he signed his name and recorded the milestone on a wall in the visiting locker room. If the Giants this time leave Arlington, Texas, having stuck the final nail in the Cowboys’ coffin, it might be giddy co-owner John Mara who pulls out the Sharpie to pen Jerry Jones a note.
Things can change on a weekly basis, but at the moment the Giants are much more sound in their operation. Their surging defensive front could feast on a Dallas offensive line that just lost left guard Kyle Kosier to a strained right Achilles. Romo will play despite a bruised left thumb that could affect ball security. And seemingly after every loss Jones feels the need to put the kibosh on talk that coach Wade Phillips should be fired.
This is a team that couldn’t find milk in a dairy. The Cowboys average 9.5 penalties a game and they have forced just four turnovers — including just two interceptions to match the winless Bills for the league low. Of Romo’s seven interceptions, five of them have been tipped. They allow five yards per rushing attempt on first down.
Two weeks ago, right tackle Marc Columbo fell to the ground after chest-bumping tight end Jason Witten following a Cowboys touchdown and was flagged for a critical, excessive-celebration penalty. Last week, receivers Sam Hurd and Roy Williams did the Hook ‘Em Horns signal in the end zone, which was ruled as “part of a choreographed celebration” and another penalty was called.
The team that has nothing to celebrate is getting punished for too much celebrating. You can’t make it up.
The mystery of the Cowboys is they have immense talent intertwined with the tumult. Romo is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes and has 10 touchdowns. DeMarcus Ware has seven sacks, Williams has five touchdown catches, Miles Austin is a beast and rookie receiver and punt returner Dez Bryant has scary ability. The roster is stocked; the Cowboys can erupt and steamroll anyone.
With a last-stand mentality last week the Cowboys did just enough to lose in Minnesota, 24-21. At home, the ‘Boys have already been beaten by the Bears and Titans. The Giants at 4-2 are three-point underdogs to a team that is 1-4, an indication that Big D stands for Desperation in Dallas. The Giants need to make it Done for Dallas or else rue the day they didn’t finish off the Cowboys when they had the chance.
QB’s not overrated — and that’s no Eli
IT ALWAYS is fascinating to hear the disparate game-to- game analyses of Eli Manning depending on weekly mood swings.
For the second straight year, Eli showed up on the Sports Illustrated “Most Overrated Player” list. He was fifth this year with four percent of a vote in which 239 players were polled prior to the season (someone check to see if C.C. Brown voted twice). He trailed Terrell Owens, Tony Romo, Mark Sanchez and Albert Haynesworth. At least Manning is making progress; last year he was fourth on the list, getting seven percent of the vote.
Who exactly is actually overrating Eli? He is a Super Bowl MVP, his stats are good not great and he never is mentioned in the class with the trinity of big brother Peyton, Tom Brady or Drew Brees. Draft classmates Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers are generally regarded as a notch above Eli, though Rivers’ case is debatable, and Aaron Rodgers and Romo unquestionably are much flashier and put up gaudier numbers.
One key stat illustrates that Eli abides by the Bill Parcells rule for quarterbacks — “Win the game.” He is 58-42 for his career, counting the postseason. Since going 1-6 in his rookie year, Manning is 57-36 for a winning percentage of .613.
The verdict? Eli is a top-10 quarterback who is more valuable than his raw ranking because of his durability, the way he comports himself and how he perfectly fits what the Giants want out of their lead guy.
Graham’s no kicks for free
BEFORE anyone worry what kicker Shayne Graham got out of his two-day stay with the Giants, let us ease your concerns. He got a nice chunk of change for not much heavy lifting.
Graham, signed on Saturday because kicker Lawrence Tynes had a sprained left ankle, could have been thrust into a pressure-cooker the next day against the Lions. Instead, Graham had it easy. He was needed for four kickoffs, made all four of his extra points and was not asked to attempt a field goal. On Monday, after the Giants were convinced that Tynes is fine, Graham was released.
He left with more than memories. As a nine-year veteran he gets the pro-rated portion of the veteran minimum $755,000 base salary. Graham was on board for one-seventeenth of the 17-week schedule. That means he made $44,411.76 (before taxes) for getting his kicks for a couple of days. Nice work if you can get it.
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Wideout Samuel Giguere, who spent most of the last two years on the Colts practice squad, was signed to the Giants’ practice squad. To make room, offensive lineman Dennis Landolt was cut.