Inside Slant: That team in Texas

[Irn-Bru]

Our foes this week:

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells expected his defense to struggle against the Chiefs. He didn't expect to give up 493 yards of offense, including 143 yards and three touchdowns from running back Larry Johnson.

Actually the Cowboys didn't fare much better against the passing game, as Trent Green passed for 340 yards.

Parcells said eight or nine defensive players simply played poorly against the Chiefs.

He blamed a lot of it on inexperience, as the players were confused by the constant shifting on offense by the Chiefs.

The two defensive players Parcells singled out for having strong games were the two who played a huge role in the play that changed the game.

Up 14-10, the Chiefs appeared to be ready to make the score 21-10 before the half. But on third down inside the Cowboys 10-yard line, Green was sacked by linebacker Scott Fujita. The resulting fumble was picked up by defensive Marcus Spears, who rumbled 59 yards the other way to set up a Cowboys touchdown.

Instead of going up 21-10, the Chiefs were down 17-14 at halftime.

"The critical play was the fumble turnaround," Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said.

It was simply payback for Fujita, who took advantage of poor blocking skills of Johnson on the sack.

Fujita spent his first three seasons in Kansas City and led the Chiefs in tackles the past two years. But he became expendable after Kansas City drafted Derrick Johnson in the first round.

The Chiefs traded Fujita to the Cowboys before the start of the season for two low-round draft picks.

Fujita, who led the Cowboys with six tackles, was certainly pleased to perform well against his old team — no matter how much he downplayed it.

"All week long I've been getting phone calls with people trying to make this Scott Fujita vs. the Kansas City Chiefs," Fujita said. "It's not about that. This was a big game for the Dallas Cowboys."

NOTES, QUOTES

—Chris Canty has replaced Greg Ellis as the starter at right defensive end.

The rookie Canty was the steal of the draft for the Cowboys.

A first-round talent, Canty fell to the fourth round because of knee and eye injuries. There was even talk that he might not have been able to play at all in 2005. The Cowboys took a chance that he would be available. Canty was ready for training camp and has played in every game. Now he's a starter.

Canty played end in the 3-4 in college at Virginia and was ready for a smooth transition. He has the size to handle the position, unlike Ellis, whose preseason fears of getting benched are now being realized. Canty started against the Giants and Chiefs, and Ellis played roughly 20 snaps in both games. Ellis still leads the team in sacks with eight, although he has not had one since becoming a backup.

—Criticized the past few weeks for poor play, the Dallas offensive line stepped up against the Chiefs.

Never mind the four sacks allowed, the line play was the foundation of 332 yards through the air by quarterback Drew Bledsoe and 129 yards on the ground.

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said maligned tackles Rob Petitti and Torrin Tucker received less help in the game, but they played better because they competed harder.

Bledsoe said he felt more comfortable in the pocket, making his job easier.

—Linebacker Mike Barrow got in for one play against the Chiefs, marking his first game action since 2003 when he was with the Giants. Barrow missed all of last season with the Redskins because of knee tendinitis.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

PLAYER PERSONNEL NOTES

—CB Terence Newman could get more time on offense at wide receiver. Newman was used as a decoy against the Redskins. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said Newman is not great receiver but acknowledged that he is a threat when he has the ball in his hands because of his blazing speed.

—CB Anthony Henry was back in the starting lineup after missing three of the previous four games with a groin strain. But he was not back to form, as he was repeatedly beaten for receptions by Chiefs receivers. His worst play was a missed tackle on third down that kept a Chiefs drive alive. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said Henry was not limited by the injury, he just didn't play well.

—RB Marion Barber will remain involved in the Cowboys offense. Coach Bill Parcells said he will make sure of that. Barber had only two carries two weeks ago against the Giants but led the Cowboys with 82 yards on 15 carries against the Chiefs. He also had two receptions for 16 yards. He will not replace the struggling Julius Jones as the starter but will have a bigger load over the final three weeks. Jones rushed 12 times for 41 yards against the Chiefs.

REPORT CARD VS. CHIEFS

PASS OFFENSE: A — Bill Parcells opened the offense up, and quarterback Drew Bledsoe responded with a masterful game. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns.

RUSH OFFENSE: B — The Cowboys gained 129 yards on 28 carries, including 82 yards on 15 carries by rookie RB Marion Barber. Credit better blocking up front, but also credit Barber for making some things happen.

PASS DEFENSE: C — QB Trent Green was let down mostly by his own receivers, who had several drops. He passed for 340 yards and a touchdown. However, the biggest play in the game was a sack and forced fumble by LB Scott Fujita that killed a Chiefs scoring drive and set up a Cowboys touchdown.

RUSH DEFENSE: D — RB Larry Johnson rushed 143 yards on 26 carries. The Cowboys were confused by the Chiefs' offensive shifts. They also couldn't handle Johnson's combination of speed and power.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C — After giving up two good kickoff returns to Dante Hall in the first half, the Cowboys contained him late in the game. Matt McBriar was solid on punts with a 40.5 average on four attempts. The Cowboys botched a pooch punt when deep snapper L.P. Ladouceur snapped the ball to the wrong person.

OVERALL: B — The Cowboys played desperately and coached desperately against the Chiefs and came away with a season-saving victory. With two of the next three on the road, nothing is guaranteed, but at least now they still have the opportunity to earn a playoff berth.

[Irn-Bru]

Updated:

The big question the Cowboys face this week is whether coach Bill Parcells will continue the aggressive game plan he used against the Chiefs or go back to his preferred conservative ways for Sunday's matchup against the Redskins.
Parcells opened things up against the Chiefs, and the offense responded by producing 445 yards in a 31-28 victory.

Parcells did so because he said it gave the Cowboys the best chance to win against the high-powered Chiefs offense.

He makes no promises of a similar approach to the Redskins game.

Parcells said he's a low-risk gambler. He bets a little to win a lot, meaning that he would prefer to play conservatively rather than be a gunslinger.

"It can cost you pretty dearly to take that gunslinger attitude toward every game," Parcells said. "I don't think that it is percentage football all of the time. As a coach, you try to decide what gives your team the best chance to win. I know there are a lot of phrases like 'no risk, no reward,' but it has been proven if you turn the ball over, you are going to lose 80 percent of the time."

Because of the Redskins' blitzing style, opening up against them could backfire.

"They do make things difficult on you," quarterback Drew Bledsoe said. "If you are going to play the Redskins and choose to throw it, you are putting yourselves at risk. You are asking a lot from the guys up front and the backs in terms of picking up the blitzes. You are asking a lot of me in terms of making decisions against some different looks."

But Bledsoe said the players are ready to handle another aggressive game plan.

He said they proved that against the Chiefs by not turning over the ball. Bledsoe passed for 332 yards and three touchdowns.

He threw deep to receiver Terry Glenn, who had six catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, and underneath to tight end Jason Witten (seven for 93) and receiver Keyshawn Johnson (three for 35), while opening things up for a 129-yard effort on the ground from backs Julius Jones and Marion Barber.

A conservative game plan in the 14-13 loss to the Raiders earlier in the season is another reason the Cowboys should be more aggressive on Sunday.

The Cowboys just have to convince Parcells to go against his nature.

"I think that if he had his druthers, he would like to play a conservative brand of football, where there is not much risk involved because he feels he has more control of the outcome," Bledsoe said. "I also would like to go back and remind him that when we were successful in New England, we threw more than anybody in the history of football."

SERIES HISTORY: 92nd meeting. Dallas holds a 54-35-2 series lead. The Cowboys have won 14 of the last 16 meetings. Washington won earlier this season 14-13. Dallas has defeated Washington more times (54) than any other team. The Cowboys have faced only one team (Philadelphia — 93) more times than the 91 times they've faced the Redskins. The Cowboys won a series-high 10 consecutive games from 1997-02.

NOTES, QUOTES

—QB Drew Bledsoe has been named the NFC's Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Bledsoe threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 31-28 victory over the Chiefs. He capped the winning drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dan Campbell with 22 seconds left.

Bledsoe posted a 126.1 passer rating in the game. He was also Player of the Week after the season-opening victory against the Chargers.

—This season, the Cowboys have had one of their most dramatic seasons in team history. Ten of their 13 games have been decided by seven points or less, and nine of those 10 have been decided by six points or less.

Dallas' record this season in games decided by six points or less is 5-4. In franchise history, the Cowboys have played in 228 games that have been decided by six points or less and hold a 110-112-6 record in those games.

After last week's dramatic fourth-quarter, come-from-behind victory, Dallas has tied the 2002 team's club record of nine games decided by six points or less. The 2002 team posted a 3-6 record in those close games.

—The Cowboys are 13th in the NFL (seventh in the NFC) in total offense (332.4 yards per game). Dallas is 14th in the NFL (sixth in the NFC) in rushing (113.9 yards per game). With an average of 218.5 passing yards per game, Dallas is 14th in the NFL in passing (seventh in the NFC). Dallas leads the NFL in time of possession, holding the ball for 32:59 per game. Dallas is followed by San Diego (32:08), Kansas City (32:07) and Denver (31:57) in that department. Since the start of the 2003 season, Dallas is 10-1 when holding the ball for at least 35 minutes. The Cowboys are currently sixth in the NFL in third-down conversion rate with a mark of 41.7 percent (78 of 187).

Dallas is eighth in the NFL in first downs per game (20.6). Dallas has recorded at least 300 yards in nine of its 13 games this year.

—In his last 20 starts (Buffalo and Dallas), QB Drew Bledsoe owns a 14-6 record. Bledsoe is fourth in the NFC (11th in the NFL) in passer efficiency rating with a mark of 89.5. Bledsoe is fourth in the NFC (ninth in the NFL) in average gain (7.4). He is third in the NFC (ninth in the NFL) in passing yards (3,035).

If Bledsoe were to maintain his current passer rating of 89.5, it would be a career-best single-season performance. His highest career rating to date is 87.7 in 1997.

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