First Place Dallas Cowboys

4-2.

That is about as good a record as anyone could have hoped after 6 games of looking at that schedule. If all of what I am about to say appears repetitious due to the fact that every game except Philly has been similar, bear with me.

The Cowboys showed intestinal fortitude in winning a game that they deserved to win but could have easily lost. In the end, the Cowboys offense marched right down the field with ease and scored.

The defense surrendered a crucial 4th and long for the 3rd time this season late in a game. But, like the San Diego game, they escaped with a win anyway.

Drew Bledsoe surely wasn’t helped with all of the turnovers, but once again, he passes for 300+ yards and perhaps shows more evidence that he is not part of an elaborate fluke.

The Offensive line was in fact offensive. Marco Rivera was dominated the whole game, which was the first time I thought he was a liability. Al Johnson and Rob Pettiti struggled. Adams and Allen were their normal mediocre.

Other quick hits:

DeMarcus Ware gets his 4th sack in 6 games. 4 in a row. My preseason claim that he will get 10 sacks seems very reasonable. 10 sacks in Dallas? When was the last time that happened, Cowboys fan? Scroll down for the answer.

Cowboys at one point were a -4 in the game with 4 consecutive giveaways. Not to be outdone, the Giants gave it away 4 times in the remainder of the game. Including 3 times inside the Cowboys 21, and one time inside their own 20. Ouch.

Laroi Glover = Cowboys best defensive player….still.

Keyshawn Johnson with another tremendous game, despite another fumble.

I am a pretty big fan of Anthony Henry.

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy football.

With Seattle and Arizona in the next two weeks, it would seem 5-3 at the bye week is likely, and 6-2, while difficult, is not impossible. Good. Because those final 8 games are daunting.

Anyone displeased with having Anthony Thomas and Peerless Price, now? Looks like they are both important now.

A wise man once said, "at the end of the season, it is not "how", it is "how many"".

A win is a win …

“I consider ourselves pretty fortunate to win this one," Parcells said. "I think it's going to be a competitive division. The sides are even. I don't think last week was a reflection of Philadelphia. The Giants are going to be a good competitive team."

With the win, Dallas (4-2) leads the NFC East by a half-game over New York (3-2), Philadelphia (3-2) and Washington (3-2).

The victory spared Dallas the ignominy of losing a game it dominated against a division rival for the second time this season. The Cowboys committed four turnovers, had a field goal blocked, a punt deflected and scored just one touchdown in four possessions inside the Giants 20.

"I just hate sloppy," Parcells said. "I don't know whether we deserved to win any more than they did."

Greg Ellis for tailback? …

Defensive end Greg Ellis said people will now know why he doesn't play offense.
Ellis rumbled 37 yards with a fumble in the fourth quarter, setting up a Cowboys field goal and a 13-6 lead.

"When I started off I thought I was going to get to the end zone," Ellis said. "Then I was like, 'Man, that's a long ways.'

"Then I saw the blue jerseys coming. I thought, 'Those guys are faster than you and are going to tackle you. It may hurt a little bit, but just hold onto the ball.'"

Steve Serby on Eli Manning and the Giants Offense …

The Giants lost a game in overtime yesterday they should have won in regulation.
When the best offense in the league looks like the worst offense in the league, and Eli Manning-to-Plaxico Burress no longer inspires comparisons to Peyton Manning-to-Marvin Harrison, when NYTD Blue becomes NYFG Blue or Just Plain Blue following three first-half takeaways by Big Blue, you deserve to lose 16-13. You take a bite of a slice of pepperoni pizza and throw it back in the box, as Jeremy Shockey did, because the Cowboys are in first place now, and you're not, and you should be.
"We beat ourselves, man," Burress said. "I don't think we had a 100 yards of offense going into the fourth quarter. I mean, that's not us."

A p1 found this in the Arizona Republic - This makes me very, very happy this morning …

Wayne Gretzky is learning on the job, and the hockey world is watching his every move.

It has been a mettle-testing first 10 days of the season for the Coyotes coach with four one-goal defeats, an embarrassing lineup mistake, an arena with soft ice, several injuries to key players and the retirement of Brett Hull.

Gretzky has kept his cool.

Not even a question from some moron posing as a reporter after last week's defeat in Dallas could make him go Danny Bonaduce:

"So, champ," the "reporter" said in a lame Edward G. Robinson voice, "how do you think the zebras called the show? Were they the cat's meow or were they giving your boys the business?"

Gretzky didn't answer, but he kept his composure.

This makes me happy, too: No one is watching “Quite Frankly” …I mean no one. Less than the few that used to watch ESPN at that time. Could it be, Stephen A has nothing in his bag???

Michelle Wie’s first pro tournament does not follow the script …

Evidently , Vince Young can pass the ball a little bit …

By connecting on a school-record 86.2 percent of his attempts while throwing for a career-high 336 yards and two touchdowns, Young flashed the kind of skills that teammate Michael Huff considers worthy of acclaim from voters who select the nation's top college football player.

"He's a Heisman [caliber] quarterback," Huff said. "This shows it. If I had a vote, I'd vote for him."

Young downplayed any Heisman talk in the wake of a 25-of-29 passing performance that undermined Colorado's plan to stymie No. 2 Texas (6-0, 3-0 in Big 12) by consistently dedicating eight defenders to run support.

But Colorado coach Gary Barnett offered plenty of praise for Young after the 24th-ranked Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1) held Texas to a season-low 145 yards rushing and still found themselves looking up at a 35-3 deficit after five Longhorns' possessions.
"Twenty-five of 29? Are you kidding me?" Barnett said when told of Young's final passing line. "That's hard to do against air. Vince made great throws all day."

Tech screws around with K-State for 30 minutes, then steps on the gas …

At 6-0, Tech is off to its best start since 1998 and now puts its focus on next Saturday's Big 12 South showdown against second-ranked Texas in Austin.

"I think it's the kind of game you dream about," Hodges said. "If as a quarterback you can't get excited about a game like that, then there's something wrong with your pulse."

Aggies force 7 takeaways – win easily …

Turning it over: A&M is 12-0 under coach Dennis Franchione in games when it has an advantage in turnovers. In games with an even or negative turnover margin, the Aggies are 3-15 under Franchione.

Blackistone assures us Baylor is on the right road …



And the best game played in this millennium? USC v Notre Dame …Above, 4th and 9 looks so easy…

There aren't many afternoons when both teams think they've won the game in the final seconds. Then again, there aren't many afternoons when you have three touchdowns scored in the final 5 minutes 9 seconds, when you have three or four Heisman Trophy-caliber players taking turns trying to win a very bitterly contested game, when you complete a high-risk pass for 61 yards on fourth and nine from your 26, as Southern Cal did to keep alive that final drive. There aren't many afternoons where a coach tells his team, playing on the road, that overtime isn't good enough.

Vikings doing fine …

During the week, a caller to KFAN radio suggested that the Vikings should replace the names on their jerseys with one of two phrases: "On the boat," or "Not on the boat."

"It doesn't matter," safety Darren Sharper said of the scandal. "I'm not going to comment."

Cornerback Antoine Winfield, unlike Sharper, has not been identified as one of the Vikings on the boats. He was asked what he would think were he a fan.

"I wouldn't watch it anymore," he said. "We're not putting anything good on the field, not scoring, not really stopping anybody."

After the game, Vikings mingled with Bears at midfield, many of them kneeling together in prayer.

"We still have a chance to do," said Culpepper, "what we set out to do."
Considering the events of the past week, you're afraid to ask just what that was.

How the dunk was born …

If you are feeling fine and enjoying your morning and want to be put in a bad mood, please enjoy this screaming fat “lady” …

Are you in the NHL? …

Trivia Answer: Tony Tolbert had 12 sacks in 1996, the last time a Cowboy had more than 9.