Cowboys vs. Panthers In-Game Notes

Contradictory pre-game info on Tony Romo tonight. Wade Phillips says he'll be fine and that threw he well in practice all week. NFL.com/Live's Scott Hanson has a much different story:

I approached Tony Romo on the field, went to shake his hand and he said, "Uh-uh, left hand only." I asked him if he'd be okay and his response was, "Yeah. adrenaline is a great equalizer." Romo confirmed to me that he has not taken a snap under center all week, but would be taking them in warm-ups tonight. That contradicts what Wade Phillips told Adam Schefter earlier.

Uh-oh...I'm starting Romo against Corc tonight in the championship game of our long-time Backyard All-Stars re-draft league. I don't have the onions to bench him for Kitna or Vince Young. Let's hope for the best.

Double uh-oh. First snap mishandled on the exchange. At least Romo came back with a strike to Patrick Crayton. He'll be fine, right?

Bullet to Fasano, but then the ball sails on him to T.O. I think T.O. is due for a huge night tonight. Can he really put up three stinkers in a row?

I was just about to say, "Here comes T.O.'s first touchdown", but they beat me to it. Poor tackling. Take that, Corc!

That TD was T.O.'s 15th of the season breaking Frank Clarke's 1962 single-season Cowboys record for TDs by a wide receiver. I would have thought sprinter-turned-WR Bob Hayes had that record. I know Michael Irvin never had more than 10 because Emmitt was hogging all the TDs during their 90s dynasty years.

Memo to the Panthers: get a top-notch backup QB this offseason. Not only is it a huge need for your team, but it's also single-handedly kept your team out of the NFC playoff picture for two straight seasons. While we're at it, cut ties with DeShaun Foster this offseason. At the very least quit jerking around and give DeAngelo Williams a chance to pass or fail as your starting RB.

OK, like I said Thursday: the back-to-the-studio crap from NFL.com/Live is annoying as hell. But former Bears WR, Cincinnati high school legend, and all-time NFL smelling salts leader Tom Waddle is awfully impressive in the studio. This guy may be the best studio guy in the business right now, and it appears that he's stuck behind Rod Woodson and Jamie Dukes as the NFL network's second stringer. That's a shame. No question in my mind he's up there with Tom Jackson, Steve Young, and Howie Long...and Waddle enjoys the advantage of being a lot less predictable than Howie and T.J. (we know, you like defense and the running game and players that shut up and play ball).

I'm calling a Steve Smith TD tonight too. He's way overdue for burning a DB and taking it to the house on a homerun. He will be heard from tonight.

I know this point has been beaten into the ground, and it's tough to argue with the production of the Cowboys offense, but it's now bordering on criminal that Marion Barber loses playing time to Julius Jones.

Cool stiff arm on the end of that long run by DeAngelo Williams. Show some moxie, kid! It's not like that will earn you any more playing time under John Fox, but still, nicely done.

And just like that, there's your Steve Smith TD. Giddy up!

T.O.'s injury didn't appear to be overly serious at first, but NFL network's Adam Shefter reported that he yelled out a loud expletive when he came to the bench. Now he's heading for the locker room with four minutes left in the half. Stay tuned...

Cris Collinsworth on Drew Carter: he has plenty of physical talent and great speed, but he doesn't make too many plays because he's always just running in a straight line. He has no moves.

Perfect timing: I put a pot of water on the stove before halftime, boiling by half, and now a full plate of skyline chili. Outstanding!

Bryant Gumbel says DeShaun Foster has the worst per carry average in the NFL behind Warrick Dunn. Sure enough, I check and he's at 3.5 YPC. It's inexcusable to use a 1st round draft pick on DeAngelo Williams and turn him into a 3rd down back while your starter is the 2nd worst RB in the league. That's not only stubborn, it's also just a poor use of a 1st round draft choice.

Sideline reporter Scott Hanson reporting that T.O. is out for the game with a high ankle sprain.

Wow! That one floored me. Collinsworth pointing out how quick Romo's release is, says it's actually quicker than Dan Marino's and has the numbers to prove it (though Gumbel questions the accuracy of the numbers). Romo releases in 0.26 seconds while Marino was around 0.32 seconds likely making Romo the QB with the quickest release in football history. That explains a lot.

Tom Waddle says Julius Jones will move on in free agency, and the Cowboys are comfortable with Marion Barber being a 20-25 carry-per-game guy next year. That's been the obvious scenario, but it's the first time I've heard anybody come out and say it beyond message board speculation.

Are we seeing the long-awaited changing of the guard in Carolina's backfield? Williams has had good games before, but Foster always out-carries him. Not so in this game. Ever since Williams' long run in the 2nd quarter, he's remaindered Foster.

Collinsworth tells Gumbel, "If I can teach you anything about football, it's that the game is all about double-teams. Whether you're a wide receiver, or a defensive lineman, it's all about taking up two defenders and leaving someone else to take advantage of single coverage."

Adam Shefter's latest on T.O.: "Standing outside the Cowboys locker room and T.O. is still inside. Doesn't look like he's coming out during the game. The Cowboys ruled him out, although initial X-rays were negative. A Cowboys official said T.O. would undergo an MRI exam on Sunday. Either way, T.O. was in pain, grimacing. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, just ducked into the locker room to see how his client is doing. Here's the answer: not so great."

I don't have Steve Smith in any leagues, but I have to agree wholeheartedly with Bryant Gumbel: the NFL was supposed to make sure that "a catch is a catch" and stop with this replay nonsense that looks at a play too closely and rules an obvious catch to be a non-catch. I don't care what you say, Steve Smith caught that football. If you take a look at that play under replay and rule it a non-catch, then the system has a major flaw once again. I think Collinsworth is an excellent play-by-play guy, but what's with the sudden lack of a backbone? He's going out of his way to say, "notice I'm not saying a word" after letting a series of questionable calls go by without comment. We might as well leave the booth empty if he's so neutered up there that he's not allowed to question a ruling.

Marion Barber leads the NFL with 375 rushing yards in the fourth quarter this season. Bring in the closer.

Steve Smith comes right back with another big play over 50 yards, but it looks like he may have hurt his shoulder on the end of the play. Stay tuned...Smith back in the game, but he's clearly hurting. He could have had a TD too, but Moore is terrible on that sideline out throw. Sidenote: Smith has his first TD and his first 100 yard game since Week 6. Thank you, David Carr.

Steve Smith is one bad mutha-trucker. He's out there with his arm dangling by his side drawing double teams and trying to pull in a TD. As soon as he comes over to the sideline, he meets with his QB and offensive coordinator to plan for their last minute drill, then he has to go over behind the bench and puke into a garbage can. He's a bad-ass.

Game over. Marion Barber with the 1-2-3 save in the 9th inning.