Miles Austin Passes “Hot Check”

No. Miles Austin isn’t in trouble with the law. A “hot check”, sometimes known as a “heat check”, is a test of sorts. Let’s take a look at what it means.

 

Here, a hot check is a way to determine if a player is…well…hot.   

Every quarterback that has ever been enshrined in the Hall of Fame had one. Any active quarterback worth his salt has one too.  He’s that ultimate go-to guy, you know, the one that makes the “how in the heck did he catch that” play in the clutch. Every team wants one. Every team needs one to win it all. He is, simply, the playmaker. 

During his tenure as starting quarterback for the Cowboys, Tony Romo has never had his go-to guy as far as wide receivers go.  Sure Romo has tight end Jason Witten, and they have earned a decent living as the Cowboys main “Dynamic Duo.”  The problem is opposing teams are learning how to deny Witten as Romo first passing choice. 

Who will step up in his place? Is there anyone hot enough?

 

So what are the Cowboys gonna do?  

The Cowboys need to find Romo a receiver that has the same on-field unspoken chemistry as Romo has with Witten.  Sure they tried with wide receiver Terrell Owens, and I’m not going to waste keystrokes here repeating what has already been said about T.O., so let’s move on. 

Wide receiver Roy Williams sounded off at Valley Ranch this week. Some though he sounded stupid, but there was truth to what Williams has said. We have all seen the evidence every Sunday.  The fact is Romo and Williams are not connecting in games. 

Williams, who claims to be the No. 1 receiver, also added that everything is going the No. 2’s (Austin’s) way.  Williams’ final chime was about how Romo throws to him differently than Austin, causing him to twist and contort himself to catch the ball. 

Yep I agree with you Roy! 

But the fact of the matter is, somewhere, somehow in the Week Five game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Romo and Austin found their groove.  

Everyone is now asking if Austin is for real? Is he a playmaker?  Is he the heir to Michael Irvin and other Cowboys receiver greats of the past?  

 

Austin fits the bill  

Austin filled his stat line against the Chiefs a few weeks ago with 10 receptions, 250 yards and two touchdowns.  But wait. Let’s check this. After all, one game does not a playmaker make. 

The next game had the Cowboys at home hosting the Atlanta Falcons. Austin came through again with a line of six receptions, 171 yards, and two touchdowns in the win.

Again, wait. The Cowboys had the bye week so everyone on the team should have been rested and ready to play at top speed.  Can’t say playmaker yet. 

Last Sunday the Cowboys had the noon game with the Seattle Seahawks and won their third game in a row.  Austin’s numbers were not as big as the previous two weeks he had five receptions, 61 yards, and one touchdown but finally, a consistent passing option is found for Romo. 

After three straight unfailing performances we can safely say Miles Austin is the Dallas Cowboys newest in a long historic line of playmakers.  My he wear the crown well!

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Cowboys QB Romo Failed the Mile-High Test.

Well I was so hoping to be able to write a glowing review of how Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo stood tall and fearless in the pocket against the blitzing Denver Broncos defense and won the game. 

 

Sorry… that was just the dream I had last night.

Another lack-luster game with Romo having trouble connecting with his receivers. Again Romo underutilized his weapons, and again Romo looked lost and dazed, looking most of the game like even owner Jerry Jones couldn’t buy Romo a completion. 

 

The Cowboys lost to the Broncos 17-10. 

For a team that is supposed to be in the hunt for a Super Bowl Championship it’s not too early to say something is wrong in big “D.” In my opinion it’s not too early to worry about this season and where the Cowboys, now 2-2, are going to end up in the rankings. 

 

Why did the Cowboys stop running? 

Starting with the second drive, Dallas was developing a good run game, even with a hurt Marion Barber starting in today’s game. In the second half, that run game seemed to disappear being shelved for the “Air-Romo” show.   

Romo did make one late fourth-quarter completion that gave Cowboys fans a glimmer of hope that they just might pull it out by their shoestring… Not to be so as Romo and receiver failed to connect again. 

 

Thus the theme for the passing game so far this season. 

Alright for you Romo lovers out there I’ll get off the Queen “B” bit and cut Romo some slack, after all, it is offensive coordinator Jason Garrett that is really calling the shots for Romo. So it’s not all his fault.

 

Okay we’ll all say it’s Garrett fault that the Cowboys lost. Right? 

Believe what you want to believe, I believe the Cowboys’ season right now is in jeopardy. The way this team is playing, forget about any chance of seeing a postseason game, let alone winning one. 

 

Next stop Kansas City to play the 0-4 Chiefs. Let’s hope Garrett can get Romo on the same page with his receivers for this one. The Cowboys still have time to right the offensive game.

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Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo Needs to Step Up In Week Four!

Well it’s been three weeks now and I’m still waiting for the “real” Tony Romo to show up. Sadly, Dallas Cowboys fans, this might be as real as we can expect.
 
Over the summer Romo rid himself of the pesky distracting girlfriend Jessica Simpson, and the Cowboys fired the demanding loudmouth wide-receiver Terrell Owens. 
 
So what is Romo’s excuse now?
 
Owner Jerry Jones parted ways with T.O. stating he wanted to make the team more Romo friendly.  Well this is as Romo/QB friendly of a team as anyone could dream of.
 
Romo doesn’t need to depend on lobbing the long bomb this season.  Any one of his receivers is more than capable of bulling his way for extra yardage after the catch. 
 
Let’s review something from week one: 

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Romo threw three touchdown passes in that game, one for 42 yds, another for 66 yds, and the last one a monster for 80 yds.
 
This really inflated Romo’s stats, but in reality those completions were only short passes.  It was the enormous gains after the catch by the Cowboys’ big receivers that netted yards and made the plays big. 

Week 2 vs the New york Giants:
 
Romo had three interceptions, giving the Giants 24 points and costing the Cowboys their home opener.  I’ll give him the one off Jason Witten’s foot was a fluke, and anyone will have one bad game, but please even I know you don’t toss one out to a receiver in triple coverage.

Week 3 flat again:
 
Last week the passing game was very conservative like Romo was on a short dog leash.  And rightfully offensive coordinator Jason Garrett should have had Romo on one.

I don’t know what Romo’s problem is and quite frankly I don’t care!

I just want a QB that can lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory.  We don’t need one that rides on the backs of his playmakers. 

To all you Romo lovers that are drunk on the Romo Kool-aid let me set the record straight! 

First I don’t hate the Cowboys, my affection for Da’boys is older than most of you are young. 

Second I don’t hate Romo either.  The fact is he hasn’t been sharp all season.  At the rate Romo is playing, don’t go expecting any post-season wins this year either. 

You, my loyal readers, deserve better than someone sugar coating the truth, and I don’t plan to be guilty of that.    

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For the Dallas Cowboys’ Passing Game ,There Is Life After T.O.!

This Sunday the Dallas Cowboys answered the critical question: How will the passing game survive after the departure of wide receiver Terrell Owens?
 
A 34-21 victory over the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay was a good start for the 2009 season. But the score could have been higher for the Cowboys.
 
Without the drama or the popcorn that we had come to expect from Owens, the Cowboys looked like a team more focused under the leadership of quarterback Tony Romo.

Even Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett looked more in control of the scripting of plays.
 
Romo passed for a career high 353 yards. He completed 16/27 for 59.3% avg. not the completion percentage we are use to seeing from Romo.

Romo didn’t have to rely in “Old Faithful” Jason Witten who had 5 for 71 yds, but was able to find his receivers for three long TD’s.

Miles Austin – 42 yds.

Roy Williams – 66 yds.

Patrick Clayton – 80 yds.

The rest of the passing game 13 catches for 165 yds.

Jason Witten 5 – 71 yds.

Roy Williams 2 – 20 yds. 

Patrick Clayton 3 – 55 yds.

Tashard Choice 2 – 6 yds.

Martellis Bennett 1 – 13 yds.

The first quarter started slow as Romo was having trouble connecting with his receivers, perhaps first game jitters. Romo missed connecting with his wide open receivers numerous times.

Romo’s timing seemed off as he seemed to force plays, end resulting in Romo overthrowing wide open receivers or throwing slightly behind them.

As we are accustomed to seeing, the Cowboys Offensive-line provided Romo with ample time to get rid of the ball, with superb upfront blocking.

It appeared that Romo wasn’t patient with himself, as he seemed to force plays during the first half. But he slowly found his receivers and started to settle down.

The Cowboys have size and speed in their receiving core, they were easily able to outrun the Buccaneers secondary. The yards after the catch had me thinking T.O. who?

One big improvement for Romo was 0 interceptions. Still playing on his luck, Romo came close to turning the ball over more than once when he was flushed out of the pocket.

Luckily for the Cowboys Romo’s improvisation was limited and didn’t cost them in turnovers today. Perhaps Garrett is wielding control over this team after all.

The Cowboys can consider the Buccaneers as a full dress rehearsal, with next weeks opponent being the New York Giants in Dallas.

Romo will need to be more on target against the Giants than he was against the Buccaneers, for the margin for error will be a whole lot smaller.

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A Dallas Cowboy Fairy Tale

Gather ’round little children, and I will tell you a story of old. 

A story as old as…Me! 
 
Once upon a time in the Land of the Silver Star, there once was a goodly, mighty prince named Landry.  For most of his days on earth, Prince Landry commanded the knights and guards of the Keep of the land.
 
The knights were handsome, and brave leaders of the guards.  The guards were huge, brave, and mighty men of valor. 

The Keep they occupied, was an enchanted mighty fortress.  Legend has it, that the Keep was an unusual place in size, and had a window to the heavens. 

It is said that Prince Landry and his men drew magical powers from the Keep.  A magical all-seeing eye was once housed there.  

The soul purpose of the eye, was to record the feats of Prince Landry and his men. 

Now I am told there were many kings at one time, that once ruled over the Land of the Silver Star.  But none were ever seen, for they lived far, far away. 

Brave Prince Landry had the blessing of all the kings, and with his knight and guard, he defended the Land of the Silver Star.

There would be many, many battles to come…

Closer little children, as I tell you the horrors of the past.  You ask “who would attack the Land of the Silver Star?…Who would attack the Keep?” 

There were incredible savage beasts in those days, mostly from the north.  Many evils stalked the Land of the Silver Star, trying to destroy it. 

There were evil Giants to the East. They were ugly brutes, who’s very gaze could turn a man to stone. 

From the Land of Philadelphia rained the terror of the skies.  Giant Eagles attacked the Keep regularly.  Their razor sharp talons could carry away a full size horse. 

There were tribes of angry people of Redskins, that lived in the woods to the northeast.  Crazed savages, there would be no reasoning with them.  Pillage and plunder was all they understood.  

There were vicious hungry Lions to the North.  They were ungodly in size, and could kill with a single bite. 

Even giant Bears from the land of Chicago, prowled the land.  They looked for anything and devoured everything. 

Menacing Vikings came from the land of many lakes.  They came and took what they wanted, leaving only destruction behind. 

There were other evils was well, too many to mention, too terrible to put to words. 

Bravely Prince Landry and his mighty men, met each and every challenge, and were victorious in many battles. 

Songs of their exploits were heard across the land.  All was well in the Land of the Silver Star. 

After major battles of super proportion, the kings of the land had special rings made to commemorate the victories.  Each knight and guard were given a ring, Prince Landry was given one as well. 

This feat of kindness by the kings, was only known to have been done twice. 

Many years past, and things began to change in the Land of the Silver Star.  Prince Landry became older, although still very wise, his powers had diminished. 

An evil sorcerer by the name of Jerry of Jones, cast a spell on all the kings of the Land of the Silver Star.  Making them give their crowns of authority to him. 

The evil sorcerer claimed the Land of the Silver Star as his own.  His next act of evil will be forever unforgiven. 

The evil sorcerer vanquished our beloved Prince Landry, from the mighty Keep.  Leaving Prince Landry broken hearted, to wander the earth for the remainder of his days.

Next the evil sorcerer cast a spell on all the knights and guards of the keep.  Putting every single one under the evil sorcerer’ control. 

Jerry of Jones next appointed he own evil prince, to do his evil bidding.  Yes little children…The sun is fading in the Land of the Silver Star. 

It is said the evil sorcerer still occupies the Keep to this very day… 

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