Post by scorpion42 on Nov 30, 2009 15:51:30 GMT -7
Web Posted: 11/30/2009 12:00 CST
Cowboys vow to keep focus as December rolls around
By Tom Orsborn - Express-News
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had plenty of fun during Thursday's 24-7 victory against Oakland, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and playfully splashing a cup of water into Miles Austin's face on the sidelines after he scored on a 9-yard reception.
But will the good times continue? Romo's history as a starter says the answer is no.
Romo is 15-2 in November after going 4-1 this season. But in December and January, he's 5-10, including 0-2 in the playoffs.
The Cowboys struggled late in the season long before Romo arrived. Since 1996, Dallas is 19-39 in December and January, including 0-5 in the playoffs.
“I know it will be a fun little story, and I'm sure there will be a few of them,” Romo said after Thursday's game. “But we'll just keep the blinders on and keep going.”
Dallas (8-3) returns to practice today with a one-game lead over Philadelphia (7-4) in the NFC East with five games remaining. New York (6-5) is two back, and Washington (3-8) is last.
The Cowboys play all their division rivals down the stretch, beginning with a Dec. 6 outing at the Giants. Since Romo became the starter in 2006, Dallas is 2-5 against NFC East teams in December and January, including 0-1 in the playoffs.
Coach Wade Phillips wants Romo and the rest of the team to ignore all the December gloom talk and just focus at the task at hand — beating the Giants.
“I get tired of hearing that,” Phillips said. “It's like those stats in baseball — you can say this or that. I know the 13-3 year (2007), we were 2-2 in December and the last one (a loss to Washington), we didn't play our team because we had everything won.
“Each team's different, each year's different. What happens is going to happen because you make it happen, and that's what we're determined to do.”
Still, there's no disputing Romo has struggled late in the season. He has a passer rating of at least 93.0 for each month except December, in which he has a 71.9 rating with 14 TDs and 19 interceptions.
Romo calls those stats “misleading,” a term he also applies to the club's post-November record since he became a starter.
“It's one of those weird statistics,” Romo said. “In some ways, it's like the quarterback stats in the second half of the season. They are never going to be as good because it's colder weather and all of the defenses have more tape. It's the same thing with December. It's hard for teams to ... maintain that level of mental edge knowing the games maybe didn't matter at the time.”
At the start of play Sunday, Romo was 11th in the league with a 93.9 rating. He's completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 2,933 yards, 17 TDs and seven interceptions, all the while focusing on his goal of improving with each snap.
“You can get caught up with expectations,” Romo said. “This is a reality show every week. If you want to get caught up in that, you can. We are doing a great job as players of pushing all that aside. It has no bearing on the game itself.
“For us, it's strictly about improving. If you do that, you give yourself the best chance to succeed.”
Cowboys vow to keep focus as December rolls around
By Tom Orsborn - Express-News
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had plenty of fun during Thursday's 24-7 victory against Oakland, throwing for a pair of touchdowns and playfully splashing a cup of water into Miles Austin's face on the sidelines after he scored on a 9-yard reception.
But will the good times continue? Romo's history as a starter says the answer is no.
Romo is 15-2 in November after going 4-1 this season. But in December and January, he's 5-10, including 0-2 in the playoffs.
The Cowboys struggled late in the season long before Romo arrived. Since 1996, Dallas is 19-39 in December and January, including 0-5 in the playoffs.
“I know it will be a fun little story, and I'm sure there will be a few of them,” Romo said after Thursday's game. “But we'll just keep the blinders on and keep going.”
Dallas (8-3) returns to practice today with a one-game lead over Philadelphia (7-4) in the NFC East with five games remaining. New York (6-5) is two back, and Washington (3-8) is last.
The Cowboys play all their division rivals down the stretch, beginning with a Dec. 6 outing at the Giants. Since Romo became the starter in 2006, Dallas is 2-5 against NFC East teams in December and January, including 0-1 in the playoffs.
Coach Wade Phillips wants Romo and the rest of the team to ignore all the December gloom talk and just focus at the task at hand — beating the Giants.
“I get tired of hearing that,” Phillips said. “It's like those stats in baseball — you can say this or that. I know the 13-3 year (2007), we were 2-2 in December and the last one (a loss to Washington), we didn't play our team because we had everything won.
“Each team's different, each year's different. What happens is going to happen because you make it happen, and that's what we're determined to do.”
Still, there's no disputing Romo has struggled late in the season. He has a passer rating of at least 93.0 for each month except December, in which he has a 71.9 rating with 14 TDs and 19 interceptions.
Romo calls those stats “misleading,” a term he also applies to the club's post-November record since he became a starter.
“It's one of those weird statistics,” Romo said. “In some ways, it's like the quarterback stats in the second half of the season. They are never going to be as good because it's colder weather and all of the defenses have more tape. It's the same thing with December. It's hard for teams to ... maintain that level of mental edge knowing the games maybe didn't matter at the time.”
At the start of play Sunday, Romo was 11th in the league with a 93.9 rating. He's completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 2,933 yards, 17 TDs and seven interceptions, all the while focusing on his goal of improving with each snap.
“You can get caught up with expectations,” Romo said. “This is a reality show every week. If you want to get caught up in that, you can. We are doing a great job as players of pushing all that aside. It has no bearing on the game itself.
“For us, it's strictly about improving. If you do that, you give yourself the best chance to succeed.”