A dash of Peppers Julius Peppers has eight of the Panthers' 15 sacks, and there is something about the Cowboys that brings out the best in him. In three regular-season games against Dallas, he has seven sacks. In the playoff game in 2003, he had six quarterback pressures. Last week, right tackle Marc Colombo had to contend with the Giants' Michael Strahan. This week, he gets a younger, faster version of Strahan. The Cowboys have to know where Peppers is on every snap and even have to worry when they work away from him because his speed allows him to track plays down.
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Ware-ing them out DeMarcus Ware is coming off a solid effort against the Giants, with a sack and forced fumble. Last season against the Panthers, he came up with three sacks in the Cowboys' 24-20 win. This time he goes against Jordan Gross, a former first-round pick. Ware and Greg Ellis have been the only consistent parts of the pass rush. Ware must be a factor in every quarter and has to deliver today. Carolina's Jake Delhomme has been sacked 15 times in seven games, meaning he does not hold the ball for long.
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Hello again In two seasons with the Cowboys, Keyshawn Johnson caught 141 passes for 1,820 yards and 12 touchdowns. He came up with big catches at big times and did a lot of dirty work receivers tend to hate. He is having similar success this season with Carolina. Serving as the No. 2 receiver behind Steve Smith, Johnson has 36 catches for 460 yards and two scores. Cornerback Anthony Henry knows how Johnson works, but Johnson knows how Henry works, too. Henry (6-1, 208 pounds) relies on a physical approach, but Johnson (6-4, 211) does not mind that style of play.
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Playing smart The Cowboys are 1-2 away from Texas Stadium, and turnovers have been the story. At Jacksonville, the Cowboys turned the ball over three times and lost by seven points. At Tennessee, they had one turnover in a 31-point win. At Philadelphia, the Cowboys had five turnovers and lost by 14. That is a recipe for disaster, and yet the Cowboys had chances to tie the score in both losses. Tony Romo told Jerry Jones that the owner has seen the last of some of the decisions he made against the Giants. That's easier said than done.
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The sideline operation Sean Payton called the plays last season. Tony Sparano and Todd Haley have called them this season. Now that Tony Romo is the quarterback, Bill Parcells has said he will be more involved in the play-calling but won't necessarily take over. With an inexperienced quarterback, Parcells wants to make sure the coaches don't try to do too much. Before, they could lean on veteran Drew Bledsoe more for suggestions in certain situations. Parcells doesn't necessarily want Romo being put in the same situations, so the coach could try to manage the game more – as he did with Quincy Carter in 2003.
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