Bledsoe Leads the Way

This may be burying the lead, but I want to start with QB. I am sure I was the only one who was shocked to see Drew Bledsoe play QB this well, right? 10 TD’s, 3 INT’s and 1300 yards in 5 games. Of course, everyone expected that, right? I have lived in Dallas, Texas since 1998. No Cowboys QB (and yes, I mean Troy Aikman 1998-2000) has played QB at this high a level that entire time. We are basically a third of the way into the season and I have nothing but compliments for a position on the field that has seldom been worthy of compliments in almost a decade. The Cowboys now have a QB who can get the ball where it needs to go. If he keeps this up, I am confident the Cowboys will be playing post-season football this season. Quite confident.

Now, on to the game. It has been a long time since the Eagles have had their heads handed to them in this emphatic a fashion. Congratulations, Cowboys. Many, many, many people around the league were happy to see someone give the Eagles a dose of their own medicine for once, and all the sweeter that the Philly dopes can enjoy a bye week knowing that the Cowboys were their daddy last time they played.

There really is no way to explain this away if you are Philadelphia. They just got abused. Every way, all day, the Cowboys looked like the team that was impossible to beat. Where was the unstoppable MVP candidate at QB? McNabb looks hurt again, and you must wonder if surgery is scheduled for this week on his hernia. Where was TO? Non-factor. Where was the feared Jim Johnson blitz? Perhaps they were not wanting to show too much prior to the playoffs, but that was weak.

Were the Cowboys that good, or were they playing a team that was due for a pounding? Perhaps a little bit of both. But, it was nice to see this team finally treat a great opponent like they should be treated when they roll into Texas Stadium. This old barn has been easy to play in recently for the road teams, and this was anything but easy.

Look, we know the truth. The Eagles are not that bad. When the season is over, odds are real good that they will be in Detroit for Super Bowl XL. And, the Cowboys are not that good. There is a good chance that they give it back next week against the Giants if they aren’t careful. But, they showed what they are capable of, and that is something that 100% of us did not think they are capable of: On a good day, they can humiliate the best team in the NFC. That should give this team plenty of confidence moving forward.

And no, I don’t understand Keyshawn v. Drew either. Of course, I also don’t understand how the Sooners did not have a deep safety on that play before halftime, either. This weekend presented the unlikely in Dallas, the Sooners and Eagles going home crying. What a nice change of pace.

Trends broken at Texas Stadium …

The Eagles had won nine of 10 games against Dallas since the start of the 2000 season by an average of 22.1 points. Six times, they had scored more than 35 points.
"I know it was awful important to some of the guys who have been here awhile," Bledsoe said. "It was a very important win for the fans who support the Cowboys. We know we're going to face this team again next month, and they're going to have revenge on their minds."

The fans certainly enjoyed it, serenading the Eagles fans in their green-and-white jerseys as they filed out of the stadium early in the fourth quarter.

The win overshadowed a third-quarter sideline altercation between Bledsoe and Keyshawn Johnson and an ankle injury that sidelined running back Julius Jones for the second half.

"I'm happy with the way we came out today and controlled the ball and the game," Parcells said. "I thought our special teams were good, our defense was good and our offense was good. You play like that, you have a chance to beat anybody."

Meanwhile, the Philly papers track what Owens wore after the game …

The people are the same. The results are the opposite.

"We have to figure out what kind of team we are," Dawkins said. "We are not as passive as we acted out there."

"We've just got to come out and sucker-punch somebody," middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said.

Here's a good place to start:

Owens got on the team bus to the airport wearing a white Dallas Cowboys jersey with Michael Irvin's name and No. 88 on it.

If he made it home without one of his teammates ripping it off him and stuffing it down his throat, the Eagles are in even more trouble than the Texas Stadium scoreboard said.

Aggies disappoint…again …

When people compare the A&M and Colorado programs over the past two seasons, they'll see a split in the head-to-head series. It's an uneven split in favor of the Buffaloes, though. Colorado pushed A&M to overtime at Kyle Field last year, then beat the holy heck outta the Aggies at Folsom Field. Over that stretch, the Buffaloes also have at least one Big 12 North crown, with a good shot at a second.

What has A&M done over that time?

Forget that question, and answer this one: How weak is the Big 12 North? I mean, really?

At least at the top of the division, the North is stronger than A&M.

And that's what A&M lost Saturday. It lost reputation. It lost perceived power.
Aggie fans comforted themselves with the idea that A&M was good enough to win the North title last year. It would be tough to buy that this year after Colorado 41, A&M 20.

Worse, people are going to start begging the question: Is A&M's rebuilding project under Dennis Franchione regressing?

After watching A&M struggle to dominate Division I-AA Texas State ... then watching A&M survive (barely) a home game against former Big 12 doormat Baylor ... then watching A&M get dismantled by a team many Aggie fans liked to believe A&M was better than. ...

I mean, at some point, Aggie fans will simply grow tired of watching.

Tech silences its critics by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat with a late win in Lincoln …I have to admit that I thought they were going to lose all week. Then, I thought they were going to lose the entire 2nd half. I must offer big credit to the Raiders for showing a lot more spine than I thought they had…



And if that wasn’t crazy enough, BAYLOR WINS A ROAD GAME!!! ….

Baylor won a Big 12 road game for the first time in the league's 10-year history on Saturday, getting three field goals from Ryan Havens and two big fumble recoveries to beat Iowa State 23-13.

"It's another gorilla off our back," Baylor coach Guy Morriss said.

And a huge setback for Iowa State, now 0-2 in the Big 12 after sharing the North title last year. The league's North division already had been ridiculed as being the league's weak link. The division's co-champion losing to Baylor will only add to that perception.

"I can't even express in words how disappointed we are in this loss," Iowa State defensive end Jason Berryman said. "We didn't play Cyclone football like we know how."

Baylor had been 0-37 on the road in the Big 12 and had lost 38 straight conference games overall away from home. The Bears' last league victory on the road had been on Nov. 11, 1995 _ 48-7 over SMU in the old Southwest Conference.

This is kind of amusing: Texas Sports Information department ignores Stoopes …

Interesting cutoff point: The Texas football notes included a chart of the winningest active coaches since 1990 based on winning percentage. Florida State's Bobby Bowden was first at .839, while Texas' Mack Brown was third at .757. Curiously, OU's Bob Stoops was not listed. The chart had a minimum requirement of 70 wins. Stoops entered Saturday's game with 69 wins. His winning percentage of .831 would have placed him second on the list.

More on the Sooner Bomber …

Boom meets Lost …

Damian Cox examines the early season on ice …

Packers Update, Week 5: Packers 52, Saints 3. Just a few quick hits about a win that was never in doubt. #1, since Minnesota is the rival up there, and since a trip to Minnesota is next after the bye week, it is worth noting that both teams have 1 win on October 10th, and both wins are at home against the New Orleans Saints. It also is worth noting that the hurricane would be a great excuse for Jim Haslett and the Saints playing such silly football, except the fact that they underachieve every season, and while 52-3 is worse than usual, they really need a new coach and a new approach in New Orleans or San Antonio or wherever. Incidentally, they could use a new coach in Green Bay, too. #2, even when they win, they still lose as the Pack lost Najeh Davenport for the season with a broken ankle …So with Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport unavailable, care to guess who was carrying the ball late in the game? Rashard Lee had 7 carries for 7 yards. I am sure Troy Hambrick is sending a resume to Lambeau Field as we speak…

Art Garcia with Dirk …

Yankees stay alive, force game 5 tonight …Otherwise, Chicago, Houston, and St Louis advance…Hopefully, my baseball coverage is not too disappointing. I am all football all the time right now..