IRVING – The Cowboys won their last game by 31 points and lead the NFC
East by two games.
Sometimes, it's hard to tell because coach Bill Parcells has set a high
standard for his team.
"There are certain things that if we don't get them fixed are going to
come back and haunt us. They really are. So far, they haven't done it
yet, but they easily could have. Easily," Parcells said. "We've gotta
try to correct those things that I don't think are efficient now.
"We have to play better football. That game the other day – that game
wasn't as easy or as good as it looked at the end of the day."
Parcells was talking about the punt Zuriel Smith fumbled and Detroit
recovered, which was nullified by a penalty. And he was talking about
Aveion Cason's fumble on a kickoff after Detroit had taken a 7-0 lead.
Luckily, said Parcells, Tyson Walter recovered it.
And he is talking about the penalties and other mistakes the Cowboys
made that were lost in the big victory over a Detroit team that had lost
four consecutive games.
"That's the way I like to be coached," said quarterback Quincy Carter,
who was 18 of 25 for 190 yards and three touchdowns, but drew criticism
for two poor decisions he made.
"I know I didn't play a perfect game, so it's legitimate criticism."
Parcells wants the Cowboys' focusing on details because he is raising
expectations for them. There are no teams regarded as great in today's
NFL.
"The higher up you go the more chance you will run into somebody that
knows how to fight," Parcells said. "When you get there, these little
things decide the outcome of the fight. The more battle-hardened you
become, the better chance you have to react favorably in those
situations.
"Winning and knowing how to win is very misunderstood in sports. I think
you have to try to teach your team to guard against the things that
cause you to lose games. You have to continue to harp on them, harp on
them and not tolerate them and replace players that are not going to put
you in the best situations."
Cowboys spread wealth to receivers
The Cowboys are the NFL's only team with three wide receivers who have
more than 300 yards receiving.
Joey Galloway (384 yards), Terry Glenn (333) and
Antonio Bryant (304) have combined for four 100-yard games and six
touchdowns, while catching 57 passes.
"They give our offense a lot of versatility," quarterback Quincy Carter
said. "And it allows me to read the coverage and throw the ball to the
open receiver. I don't have to force the ball into coverage."
Injury bug strikes defending champs
Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden's team is riddled with injuries. He
expects no sympathy cards.
"I think injuries take their toll, but we can't use that as an excuse,"
Gruden said. "We've got to be mentally tough to overcome that."
Still, the Bucs lost safety John Lynch and his backup, John
Howell, on consecutive plays. Combine that with the loss of
cornerback Brian Kelly (chest), who was placed on injured
reserve, and linebacker Sheldon Quarles (elbow), who has played
in one game and it's easy to see why Tampa Bay's defense has struggled
at times.
"You talk about building quality depth," said Warren Sapp
, "and when that depth is out on the field and it ain't as quality as you
think it is, it's just difficult."
Briefly ...
Country music star Charley Pride visited coach Bill Parcells
after practice on Wednesday ... Tight end James Whalen (ankle),
tight end Dan Campbell (quadriceps) and center Matt Lehr
(sprained foot) are each listed as probable for Sunday's game.
E-mail jtaylor@dallasnews.com
One reason the Cowboys' defense ranks No.1 in the NFL is it has been on
the field for 338 plays, the third-lowest total in the league. The
Cowboys' offense, ranked No.2 in the NFL in time of possession, holds
the ball for an average of 33:49 per game.
That's especially helpful for an undersized defense that relies on speed.
"We don't want to take too much credit for how well they've been
playing," said quarterback Quincy Carter, "but I think it helps them
when we can hold onto the football."
Bill Parcells inherited a 5-11 Cowboys team that ranked 29th in the NFL
at the end of last season by The Dallas Morning News. The
inaugural ranking of the 2003 season in June kept the Cowboys at 29 –
and they remained there for the first polls of both August and September.
The season-opening loss to Atlanta knocked the Cowboys down to 30 – but
it's been a Bob Hayes-type sprint to the top ever since.
The Cowboys jumped to 22nd with their victory the New York Giants, then
to 15th with their victory over the Jets. A victory over Arizona moved
the Cowboys to 10th, then that Philadelphia victory nudged them to
ninth. A fifth consecutive victory over Detroit has propelled the
Cowboys to the No. 6 spot this week.
Rick Gosselin
