SportsGirl

I had the opportunity to attend the pre-season game against the Denver Broncos and I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised. The Boys looked to be in pretty good shape for the up-coming season. Now, in a side note, I have to say whoever designed Texas Stadium forgot one tiny detail…the fact that it’s located in TEXAS!! That has to be the most humid place on Earth. There is no form of air conditioning and on Saturday night, no air moving through. In the middle of August that makes for an uncomfortable viewing experience. Not to mention the crazy drunk lady sitting next to me, cheering loudly for the Broncos and offering me sips of her drink…

So mugginess aside, I was impressed with what I saw on the field. Tony Romo looked sharp, which I somewhat expect. What I didn’t expect was for Marion Barber to stand out like he did. His stats don’t tell the whole tale. I think he rushed for almost 60 yards in about a half a game. But the way he was able to break tackles and keep adding yards after he’d been caught was awesome! We didn’t see a whole lot of Julius Jones but I’m not disappointed. I predict that he and Barber will emerge as one of the best 1-2 punches in the league this season. And with Romo looking like he’ll prove that last season wasn’t a fluke, that might just mean we’ll actually achieve the post-season success we’ve been so desperately seeking.

As for the defense, their ability to rush the passer looks good. Even if they are breaking some code of ethics that John Lynch wants to whine about. I realize that’s a whole different topic but if the fans are paying regular season prices to see the pre-season game, it’s bad enough that the starters play for all of a quarter before being benched; to expect the teams to not play a physical game is just ridiculous. Now, I’m not sure if the Dallas defense really is this good or if Jay Cutler is going to be that bad. I like Denver, always been a Shannahan fan, and I’ve got nothing against Cutler so I’m hoping it’s a little of each.

So for now, my interest in the upcoming season has officially been piqued. I may actually have to openly root for the Boys! Still don’t like Wade Phillips but I realize I don’t have much of a choice in that matter, for this season at least. I’m hopeful that Bill Cower will decide that retirement is for the birds and he’ll discover that Dallas is just the place for him. Until then, maybe Wade can take a lesson from his father, the great Bum Phillips. Bum was reportedly seen at the Houston Texans practice talking with fans and media-types and passing out samples from his new Bum Phillips Smoked Meats collection. Awesome.