Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys made a huge statement in the 2012 NFL Season Opener. After a shaky start and a game ridiculed with imperfections in the form of penalties and mental mistakes, the Cowboys prevailed and are now Un-Defeated in 2012.
Cowboys receivers hauled in 272 yds of precisely placed passes from Tony Romo in route to a 24-17 win over the defending Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.
Tony Romo completed 76% of his passes for a total of 22 of 29 for 307yds and 3 TD’s and 1 INT. He may have found a new “BFF” in the form of a new slot receiver.
Kevin Ogletree has been a jewel in the eye of the Cowboys’ coaching staff and he definitely shined to the tune of 8 catches for 114 yds and a pair of TD’s. In 2011, Laurent Robinson was the albeit Alvin Harper, slot receiver of the early 90’s during the Cowboys’ Super Bowl triumphs, and it seems that Ogletree has decided to step into that role in the first game of 2012 with a chip on his shoulder to prove his worth.
Miles Austin burst onto the scene in the second half and finished with 4 catches for 73yds and a score. Dez Bryant got his share of Romo’s right arm artwork with 73yds of his own. The running game was slow to start, however, DeMarco Murray, the phenom from last season until an ankle injury sidelined him, ran wild for 131 yds on 20 carries for a 6.6 yd average including a “Dance & Dash” run for 48yds down the sideline that left the Giants defense shaking their heads.
The animated defensive coordinator Rob Ryan had his moments as the defense kept the pressure on Eli Manning right from the start with OLB DeMarcus Ware recording his 100th & 101st sack in only 113 games. Only the late and great Reggie White got to 100 sacks sooner (96 games). The total effort included 3 sacks and a fumble recovery in route to the win.
Cowboys Head coach Jason Garrett was quoted in the post-game press conference,”We had to deal with adversity in all three phases of the game and I thought we showed mental toughness and we got stronger as the game went on and it led to the win.”
The late season disappointments of 2011 against the Giants have been somewhat redeemed for now as the Cowboys stepped up to the challenge going into a hostile environment at the home of the defending Super Bowl Champions and will head back to Valley Ranch undefeated in 2012 thus far. The Seattle Seahawks are next on the schedule and Romo and his Dynamic Duo of week one, along with the rest of the ‘Cowboy Avengers’, should be ready, willing and able to cage the Seahawks and record their second straight win of 2012.
-Eric Luck
Twitter:@SMWWLUCK
Dallas Cowboys Blog: www.getrealfootball.com
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