Wednesday Blog Part 1

Don't forget to check out the Romo Email Bag below...

Star Telegram says Romo is the guy …

As much as the owner didn't want to see it, when Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe was benched Monday night it wasn't just for one quarter or one half.

According to a source, Tony Romo will be the starter when the Cowboys play the Panthers on Sunday night in Charlotte, N.C. It would be his first NFL start.

The source said Romo will be with the first-team offense when practice begins today.
But the move is one that makes Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones uneasy.

"I've thought the best chance for us to be where we wanted to be, contending in the
playoffs, was to go with the experienced quarterback in Drew, and I don't know if I've changed my mind there at all," Jones told reporters while he attended the NFL owners meetings in New Orleans on Tuesday afternoon.

Jones said he did not know who would start Sunday.

"But we have to win games," he said. "We have to give ourselves every opportunity. There is no question Romo has mobility and he can mitigate some of the problems we have with Drew's mobility. On the other hand, you saw [against the Giants] we give up some good stuff experience-wise. It'll be a tough decision."

Cowlishaw encourages Parcells to roll with Romo …

If you thought Monday was bad, I fear that today is going to be even worse.
On Monday, coach Bill Parcells benched Drew Bledsoe in favor of Tony Romo. In his news conference today, I expect Parcells to go back to Bledsoe.

And that's not good news for the long-term recovery of the Dallas Cowboys.
Maybe Parcells will surprise me. Maybe he will decide that it's time to roll the dice with Romo. Maybe he will look at Bledsoe's numbers over the last 16 games – 19 touchdowns, 21 interceptions, 52 sacks, an 8-8 record – and decide that the status quo just won't cut it.

But I don't think he will.

I think Parcells will look at the downside of playing Romo and decide that the possible rewards do not justify the risks.

With Bledsoe, the Cowboys aren't going to the Super Bowl, but they aren't going 5-11, either.

With Romo, well, the Super Bowl isn't hanging out there, either. A more positive vibe on the sideline and in the Texas Stadium stands and a glimpse of a brighter future could be on display.

Then again, Romo's three-interception second half puts him on pace for 60 picks the last 10 games, so a slide in the direction of the Washington Redskins is definitely possible.

Romo represents excitement. He would be far more entertaining to watch, and that's true whether you love the Cowboys or hate them. The coaches would have to work overtime to get Romo to curb his tendency to try to make something from nothing.
But playing Romo would at least acknowledge that the organization is searching for its future at the game's most pivotal position. Bledsoe is in his 14th year. He's not going to be more mobile in 2007. He's not going to stop making mistakes.

The NFL flex schedule makes its first move: Bears – Giants moved to Sunday Night …

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Chicago Bears' game against the New York Giants at the Meadowlands on Nov. 12 was switched Tuesday by the NFL from an afternoon to a night game, the first under the flexible scheduling format implemented in the new television contract.

The 8:30 p.m. EST game will be televised by NBC instead of Fox. Under the format, the Sunday night time slot had been left vacant, with CBS and Fox each allowed to protect five afternoon games over seven weeks of the season. Each has chosen four and will pick one more.

Record Ratings Monday Night …

ESPN's telecast of the New York Giants' 36-22 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night was viewed by the largest audience in cable history.

The network announced Tuesday that the game was seen in an average of 11,807,000 homes, based on a 12.8 rating. That translates to 16,028,000 viewers.

The previous record for cable television was the debate over NAFTA in November 1993, between then-Vice President Al Gore and Ross Perot.

A cable ratings point represents 923,000 households.

Big Halloween TV Viewing with Mike Schank and Mark Borchardt …

Feature on Snoop from the Wire …

Slate looks at the Office in different languages …



Whatever Happened to Brian Custer?

Custer joins the SNY team having most recently worked at CBS-11 in Dallas for eight years where he served as sports anchor. Prior to that, he worked at the ABC affiliate WSYX-TV for two years, where he served as a sports anchor. Custer began his radio and television career in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, where he spent a year and a half at 610 WTVN radio. Custer, a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and graduate of Hampton University, currently resides in the Tri-State area.

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Ms peachez