scrapped that conservative Tampa Two, as it's called, you know, the two safeties over the top. Romo said they'd play a lot of single-safety high, and they did, filling the box with eight defenders and at times the line of scrimmage with seven guys. And blitzing and blitzing.
Well, that meant the Bears were betting they would get to Romo, or at least pressure him enough into making mistakes. They got him twice, and only by the grace of his feet and sixth sense it wasn't a half-dozen. They only pressured him into one mistake, a slightly high pass to Patrick Crayton that glanced off his hands and into those of Adam Archuleta.
Not enough. Because that meant they also were willing to live with Charles Tillman trying to cover Owens man-to-man more times than not, or as Owens said, "Probably a little more (than he's used to). All I can say is, 'Oh well.'"
That also meant, especially after linebacker Lance Briggs went down with a groin injury, Archeleta was left trying to cover Jason Witten. Oh well, is all I can say, Witten snagging six for 90 and one touchdown on a little goal-line slant play from the 3 the Cowboys were practicing hard on all week.
And, maybe Jason Garrett should take a morning jog through Grant Park and onto the waterfront before every game. How did you like that little wrinkle with Owens lining up in the backfield, then motioning out into the slot before heading off on his pattern?
"We were able to better see what defense they were in," Romo said of that tactic, meaning if they were going to single cover him or bracket him, which they were supposed to do on that gutsy fourth-and-3 call, the second in as many weeks, when Romo hit him on that little quick 12-yard slant from the Chicago 39.
And it wasn't as if Romo and Owens were playing pitch and catch, you know, little quick outs or 5-yard hitches. Oh no. They were getting huge chunks. Of his eight catches, the shortest were two 11-yarders and one 12-yarder. Romo had the ball going down field, those nice deep crossing routes to Owens where he buys himself some time moving around in the pocket.
Plus, don't forget, this Bears defense - and some infuriating penalties on the Cowboys - had Romo in jail six times, facing third-and 10 or more, and usually a lot more, causing Romo to say he had never faced that many third-and-longs in his life. But here also is what you've got to love: Garrett only once conceded the possession, but that was on a third-and-16 from the Bears 26 up only 17-10, trying to only get a little bit more on a short pass to Owens to possibly shorten the field goal for Nick Folk.
They didn't, but Folk was cold, hitting from 44 yards out.
The Cowboys didn't cower in front of the Bears. They were attacking.
"We did what we've been doing," Phillips said of the NFL's top-scoring team which is now averaging 38.7 points a game. "If they're going to get in eight-man fronts, you got to throw it some. If they are going to blitz, you got to throw it some.
"Score 34 points against the Bears - they were giving up 11.8 at home - is pretty significant."
Pretty? How 'bout really?
The Cowboys pounding the Da out from in front of what turned out to be those Bears.
