IRVING – Not every one of the 1,989 plays in the Cowboys' 2006 season played a vital role in their 9-7 record. But in every regular season, especially a disappointing one like the Cowboys just completed, a handful of plays seem to affect the final record more than all of the others. A few, such as Drew Bledsoe's goal-line interception that led to his benching, are easily pinpointed, while others, like Mike Vanderjagt's 26-yard missed field goal against Tennessee, get lost in the euphoria of the wins and disappointment of the losses.
"There's so much parity in the NFL," quarterback Tony Romo said, "that a play here or there can change a lot."
No doubt. That said, here's a look at 10 plays that shaped the Cowboys' season:
The game: Oct. 23, Giants at Cowboys
The play: Sam Madison intercepts Drew Bledsoe.
The score: New York, 12-7
The situation: second-and-goal from the Giants 4 with 1:38 left in the first half.
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VERNON BRYANT / DMN Coach Bill Parcells shows his disgust toward Drew Bledsoe in the Oct. 23 game against the Giants. |
The significance: Bledsoe is benched at halftime, triggering the start of the Tony Romo era.
Rarely is an interception the catalyst for a trip to the playoffs.
But when you examine all the plays in the Cowboys' 2006 season, none was bigger than the interception Drew Bledsoe threw at the end of the first half in the 36-22 loss to Giants.
That's because coach Bill Parcells benched Bledsoe at halftime and started the Tony Romo era. Romo didn't fare much better than Bledsoe in that game, but he played well over the final 10 weeks of the season, earning a Pro Bowl berth and, more important, the respect of his teammates as he led them to the playoffs.
Bledsoe's interception – his 11th in six games – frustrated Parcells on a variety of fronts. First, the play was designed to go to Terrell Owens, who was in motion from left to right, but Bledsoe decided to throw the ball to Terry Glenn before he stepped under center.
Glenn, admittedly Bledsoe's favorite receiver, never really had a chance on the play because Sam Madison jumped the route and stepped in front of him.
That wasn't the play a successful veteran like Bledsoe should ever make. At worst, the Cowboys were going to kick a field goal and get the ball to start the second half. After the inter- ception, Parcells decided he might as well go with the young guy if he could no longer trust Bledsoe's decision-making.
The game: Nov. 12, Cowboys at Cardinals
The play: Greg Ellis ruptures his left Achilles' tendon.
The score: Dallas, 20-3
The situation: second-and-8 from the Arizona 42 with 2:33 left
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RICK GERSHON / DMN The Cowboys' defense wasn't the same after Greg Ellis went down against the Cardinals. |
The significance: Without Ellis, the defense collapses over the final seven games of the regular season.
Over and over, Ellis has looked at the play that ended his season. He still can't quite pinpoint what happened.
This much is clear: Without Ellis, the Cowboys' defense went into an extended free fall.
"The guy rolled up my leg and I felt some pain," Ellis said. "I tried to get up and I couldn't."
The Cowboys' defense never recovered from his loss. In the 3-4 defense, the outside linebackers are the most critical players because they provide the pass rush. Without Ellis, offenses double-teamed DeMarcus Ware more often because they didn't fear Al Singleton, Bobby Carpenter or Kevin Burnett consistently beating single coverage.
The game: Dec. 25, Eagles at Cowboys
The play: Marion Barber is stopped for a 3-yard loss.
The score: Philadelphia, 7-0
The situation: fourth-and-1 from the Philadelphia 1 with 12:57 left in the second quarter.
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LOUIS DELUCA / DMN Marion Barber is stuffed on the Eagles' 1-yard line. |
The significance: Dallas loses emotional battle and eventually the game in a battle for first in the NFC East.
At some point this season, Marion Barber morphed into one of the NFL's best goal-line runners. His 14 rushing touchdowns topped the NFC.
But it's the touchdown he didn't score that ruined the Cowboys' opportunity to secure the NFC East title.
Philadelphia safety Quintin Mikell blitzed on fourth down, sprinting past fullback Oliver Hoyte and tackling Barber before he could get started.
"I'm supposed to make a guy miss on every run," Barber said. "I didn't make him miss, so we didn't score."
The Eagles then drove 89 yards for a field goal and a 10-0 lead en route to a dominant 23-7 victory.
The game: Nov. 19, Colts at Cowboys
The play: Kevin Burnett returns an interception 39 yards for a touchdown.
The score: Indianapolis, 7-0
The situation: third-and-6 from the Indianapolis 31 with 14:23 left in the third quarter.
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LOUIS DELUCA / DMN Kevin Burnett nabs the first interception of his career. |
The significance: Dallas hands undefeated Indianapolis (9-0) its first loss.
For as long as he can remember, coaches have told Kevin Burnett the first drive of the third quarter is one of the most important in any game. So he was looking for an opportunity to make a play. It didn't take long.
On the first play of the third quarter, cornerback Aaron Glenn made a diving deflection of Peyton Manning's pass and Burnett caught it. He returned it 39 yards down the left sideline for the tying touchdown.
"My coaches have always told me good things happen when you run to the ball as hard as you can every play," Burnett said. "Aaron made a great play, and I was in the right spot."
It was the first interception – and TD – of Burnett's career.
The game: Dec. 3, Cowboys at Giants
The play: Tony Romo completes a 42-yard pass to Jason Witten.
The score: Tied, 20-20
The situation: first-and-10 from the Dallas 32 with 1:00 left in the fourth quarter.
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LOUIS DELUCA / DMN Tony Romo scrambles for just enough time to complete a 42-yard pass to Jason Witten against the Giants. |
The significance: Dallas takes control of the NFC East with a win over the Giants.
Tony Romo and Jason Witten are roommates on the road, so they have a certain chemistry. It was never more evident than when the Cowboys grabbed temporary control of the NFC East with a win over the Giants.
Instead of waiting for overtime after the Giants tied the score, the Cowboys tried to make something happen.
Romo dropped back, rolled left to avoid pressure and delivered a perfect pass that hit tight end Jason Witten in stride. Four plays later, Martin Gramatica drilled a 46-yard field goal to beat the Giants.
"When I saw Tony roll, for some reason I ran the same way, and he threw it to me," Witten said. "It was a great play by him."
The game: Nov. 5, Cowboys at Redskins
The play: Terrell Owens drops an apparent 74-yard touchdown pass.
The score: Dallas, 19-12
The situation: first-and-10 from the Dallas 26 with 4:14 left in the third quarter.
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BRAD LOPER / DMN Terrell Owens fails to come up with a touchdown catch against the Redskins. |
The significance: Washington rallies for a 22-19 win on the game's final play.
Terrell Owens has dropped balls his entire career, and he led the NFL in that category this season. None, however, was more devastating than his drop against the Redskins.
Leading by a touchdown late in the third quarter, the Cowboys tried to separate from Washington. Romo threw a perfect deep ball to Owens, who had two steps on the cornerback and the safety, but the ball bounced off Owens' hands.
Instead of grabbing a two-TD lead and forcing the Redskins to become one-dimensional, Washington tied the score in the fourth quarter and won on the game's final play. That loss, more than any other, haunted the Cowboys for the rest of the season.
The game: Oct. 29, Cowboys at Panthers
The play: Sam Hurd forces a fumble on a kickoff and recovers it.
The score: Carolina, 14-13
The situation: kickoff after a Mike Vanderjagt field goal with 9:54 left in the fourth quarter.
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MICHAEL AINSWORTH / DMN Julius Jones heads to the end zone for the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns for the Cowboys. |
The significance: Julius Jones scores on the next play as Dallas totals 25 fourth-quarter points and wins in Romo's first start.
Sam Hurd, an undrafted free agent, is always trying to make a play to prove his worth to the coaching staff.
Few plays this season were bigger than his strip of Carolina fullback Brad Hoover and subsequent recovery. Julius Jones scored on a 14-yard burst up the middle on the next play, triggering a 25-point fourth-quarter outburst.
"The kickoff was short, and when I saw the fullback catch the ball, I thought we might have a chance to get a fumble," Hurd said. "Roy Williams and I hit him about the same time. Roy stood him up and I started grabbing the ball and it popped out. I was the first one to see it, and I dove on it."
The game: Dec. 16, Cowboys at Falcons
The play: DeMarcus Ware returns an interception 41 yards for a TD
The score: Dallas, 7-0
The situation: second-and-10 from the Dallas 49 with 15:00 left in the second quarter.
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VERNON BRYANT / DMN DeMarcus Ware completes his 41-yard interception for a touchdown against Atlanta. |
The significance: Ware shows an NFL Network audience that he's worthy of being a Pro Bowl player.
The guys in the locker room hear the talk that Dallas should've drafted Shawne Merriman instead of DeMarcus Ware.
They dispute it.
"Shawne does what the Chargers ask him to do, and DeMarcus does what we ask him to do – which is a lot," nose guard Jason Ferguson said. "Shawne is a great player, but so is DeMarcus. Why can't they both be great?"
Against Atlanta, Ware had five tackles, a half sack, a forced fumble and the most spectacular defensive play of the season.
Under pressure from defensive end Chris Canty, Michael Vick tried to drill a pass over Ware, who leaped high and squeezed the ball to intercept it. Then he stiff-armed Vick and sprinted into the end zone.
The game: Oct. 8, Cowboys at Eagles
The play: Philadelphia's Lito Sheppard returns an interception 102 yards for a touchdown.
The score: Philadelphia, 31-24
The situation: second-and-goal from the Philadelphia 6 with 31 seconds left.
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ANDREW P. SCOTT / DMN Philadelphia's Lito Sheppard finishes off the Cowboys with a late touchdown. |
The significance: Bledsoe throws another killer interception as Dallas falls to 2-2.
In Drew Bledsoe's 22 starts in Dallas, he demonstrated a bad habit of throwing devastating, game-turning interceptions.
The first one of 2006 occurred in the final seconds of the Cowboys' loss to Philadelphia.
After a 57-yard pass interference penalty induced by Terry Glenn had given Dallas a first-and-goal at the 6, Bledsoe threw the ball away on first down. He should've done the same on second down.
Instead, he forced a throw to Jason Witten. Lito Sheppard stepped in front of it and returned it 102 yards for a game-ending interception.
The game: Oct. 1, Cowboys at Titans
The play: Mike Vanderjagt bangs a 26-yard field goal off the right upright.
The score: Dallas, 14-3
The situation: fourth-and-4 from the Titans 7 with 1:48 left in the first half.
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SMILEY N. POOL / DMN Mike Vanderjagt watches his failed 26-yard field goal attempt against Tennessee. |
The significance: Vanderjagt's miss is a harbinger of a poor season that results in Dallas releasing him in November
The highest-paid kicker in franchise history, who struggled throughout training camp, missed a chip-shot field goal he normally makes in his sleep.
At least Vanderjagt, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, used to make kicks like that without thinking about them. The Cowboys hoped the miss was an aberration.
It wasn't.
He made only 13 of 18 field goal attempts. In the end, the Cowboys had so little confidence in Vanderjagt, it affected their play-calling. That's when Bill Parcells decided Vanderjagt had to go.
E-mail jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
