Photo: Getty Images - Al Bello
- Troy BallardMost of you are probably asking just what exactly Adam and I are trying to pull by starting a new segment called 'What We Learned..'
It's a fair question, and I'll give a fair answer.
We as writers don't always have time to work on a full up-down article in it's totality. Sometimes life can get in the way of the best intentions. Just ask Michael Jordan.
So, with that in mind, when Adam or myself are in a pinch for time, we can quickly throw together a 'What We Learned..' piece. And essentially what it will be is a collection of rapid thoughts on a major sporting event or breaking news. Each segment will vary in length and depth, and it will be a way for the reader to get our thoughts, and it won't take us forever to deliver it. It's a win-win.
Still not sold?
Let's do a dry-run:
Dallas Cowboys
Tony Romo Looked Good.. and that might be an understatement. He looked fantastic. Against the world-champ defense that was highly touted, Romo hummed his offense along to the beautiful tune of 22/29 passing, 301 yards and three touchdowns. He was hitting his stride, looked incredibly comfortable in the pocket, showed good movement when needed and finded the open man downfield. Not only did the most abused man in the state of Texas out-shine the now obviously elite Eli Manning, but he led a Dallas offense that just looked down right impressive throughout the entire game.
Kevin Ogletree Did What.. he looked like Victor Cruz of last season, but better. The kid who is buried on the Cowboys' depth chart behind Miles Austin and Dez Bryant exploded for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. These NFC East teams must have something in the water with sleeper wide receivers, because this is getting out of hand. Keep an eye on Ogletree moving forward.
Jason Witten Bad-Ass Extraordinaire.. the dude played with a busted spleen. Nuff' said.
Gaining Faith in Rob Ryan.. his defense looked solid against New York, and that's a big improvement over last season given that Dallas struggled immensely defensively against NFC East opponents. I had my lion's share of doubts about whether Ryan could actually run a consistently successful defense in the NFL, but this first game is a step in the right direction.
Dallas Wins.. more than anything else, the fact that the Cowboys went on the road to New York and shook off the defending champs in the national spotlight is impressive. Is it enough to start printing Super Bowl jerseys? Maybe not. But it was a good start and it put the NFL on notice.
New York Giants
The Most Elite of Elite Eli Manning.. lord Manning himself didn't look all too fantastic in his opening game after winning his second Super Bowl. I don't want to say that Manning isn't elite, because we all remember what happened the last time we said that, but he didn't do anything that made me jump with excitement.
Let's Go JPP/Osi/Tuck.. New York's nasty defensive line was able to get Romo on the ground twice throughout the entire game — an acceptable number for any other defense in the NFL. However, this is the best defensive line in football, and their performance was mediocre. Especially given that it was against a definitely mediocre Cowboys' offensive line.
New York's Defense Let Kevin Ogletree Do What.. see above.
Ahmad Bradshaw Has It.. it would appear that fears of New York's running game floundering without the two-punch combo of Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs were a bit premature. Bradshaw looked great, and he tallied somewhere close to the century mark and scampered in for a touchdown too. It'll be interesting to see what happens when David Wilson gets more involved in the offense.
New York Loses.. as much as this game was about Dallas winning, it might even be more about the Giants losing. I can already see people writing them off as we speak. Because, after all, that was the case last year too, right?
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