Quick Preview: Cowboys at Eagles
It’s amazing how the NFL betting landscape changes in a matter of weeks. Remember when the Giants were dominating the NFC East at 5-0, and the Cowboys and Eagles were underachieving? Now the Giants are stuck in third place while the Cowboys and Eagles battle for first in Week 9’s Sunday nighter. Go figure.
Despite their recent success, both teams have demons to conquer this week. The Cowboys are finally stringing wins together but haven’t done so against elite defenses; can Tony Romo avoid one of his occasional mistake-prone efforts on the road? Meanwhile, the Eagles look explosive as ever of late but also have a knack for losing games they’re supposed to win, so they have something to prove too.
Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles
Sportsbook odds: Eagles -3
As any NFL fantasy picks expert will tell you, Tony Romo is on a hot streak. Roy Williams may have blown off Michael Irvin’s offseason advice but Miles Austin sure didn’t; he’s exploding off the line and erupting for big plays galore, giving Romo a legit No. 1 option he hasn’t had since early 2008. Austin has five scores in his last three games and the Cowboys need him to continue that success to keep pace with the high-octane Eagles.
The problem for Dallas: their last three victims – Kansas City, Seattle, and Denver – don’t exactly have scary pass defenses. The Eagles sure do, allowing less than 200 yards per game and ranking second in the NFL with 23 sacks. It’ll be interesting to see how Romo responds when hurried all day; the last time he visited Philadelphia was in Week 17 last season. He threw for 183 yards and turned the ball over three times as Philly romped 44-6.
While most people will point out that Owens is gone, the truth is that he was more trouble than he was worth. He was a distraction off the field, creating chemistry issues, and on it he distracted the offense from pounding the football on the ground
toughness and versatility to this unit. Factor in the growth of youngsters like Mike Jenkins and Anthony Spencer, and this defense is now deeper and faster than before. Again, the key on defense will be the lack of pressure to perform this year versus the enormous pressure they faced last year.
Marc Colombo – Lead Vocal/Guitar, RG Leonard Davis plays bass and Backup guard Cory Procter is on drums.
Igor Olshansky was drafted by the Chargers in ‘04, and is the first native of the Ukraine formerly from the Soviet Union to play in the NFL. Olshansky is part of the reason the Chargers had one of the fastest turn around seasons ever, winning the Divisional Championship in 2004. The main reason we think Igor will fit in so well in Dallas is not just his due to experience and speed, but because he is reuniting with his old defensive coordinator Wade Phillps. Olshansky started 57 of 59 games as a Charger, earning him the rights at his new 4 year $18 million contract with Dallas that includes $8 million in guarantees. There’s no question that Phillps still has some pull in the big D.
