Cowboys throttle Browns

Tony Romo: Livin' large on the Browns' D

I wonder, if we asked them, what Wade Phillips, Jerry Jones, Tony Romo, Bradie James and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys would have defined as a perfect season opener against the Cleveland Browns?

If it wasn't what actually took place in the Dog Pound, then they must be the toughest group to please in the entire NFL.

On a week when there were quite a few surprises, the Cowboys having trouble with the Browns (even losing) was a distinct possibility. Well, that's what I thought. I'd predicted 34-24. I thought the Cowboys defense would be placed on their heels for the first game ... much like a number of other teams around the league (quite a few points scored all around).

Not the case. It's clear the Browns defense is still lacking and they're too thin at receiver. I'm sure the Cowboys must be pleased with week 1.

Grades:

Quarterback -- A-
Tony Romo was terrific. So sharp. I mean, he was hitting guys on the numbers on a dead run. He looked calm, collected and almost always made good decisions (except when he didn't about three or four times).

Running Back -- A
Other than Marion Barber's injury (which isn't really his fault, per se), there is not one ounce of criticism I can heap on these guys. Barber, especially, looked incredibly in control (see: offensive line).

Wide Receivers -- A
What can you say. Crayton looked really, really good. Terrell Owens -- same ol', same ol'. Even Isaiah Stanback got into the action.

Tight Ends -- B+
I've got to give someone on the offense something less than an "A". Witten looked great. Knocked him a point for dropping that one pass (in the first half) when he probably thought too much about the hit coming had he caught it.

Offensive Line -- A+
If you went back and replayed the game and calculated all the seconds Romo had to throw the ball, I'm pretty sure it'd approach somewhere around 10 and a half minutes. Barber and Co. had lanes the width of the Mississippi River to run through. Probably the best squad on the field.

Defensive Line -- B
Pretty good. The Browns got nothing in the run game and Marcus Spears' name was actually mentioned on TV. With, like, probably millions of people watching. Didn't feel the pass rush was very good with some OK pressure, but nothing to write home about.

Linebackers -- B
Like the D-line, they were solid against the run and average at pass defense (Kellen Winslow was pretty open early). I noticed DeMarcus Ware, Zach Thomas and Kevin Burnett. Pass rush was down-right invisible.

Secondary -- B
Do we realize how good of an open-field tackler Anthony Henry is? I thought Pacman Jones made some nice plays and Ken Hamlin was good, too. Didn't hear Roy Williams' name once. The secondary, however, was helped with some shitty receiving on the Browns' part.

Special Teams -- C
Coverage was good. Returns ... eh. Not much to work with, but what was there was shaky. Pacman's near fumble doesn't help.

Coaching -- A
The offensive game plan was as near perfect as the actual execution. It seemed everyone was ready to play from top to bottom and they were able to succeed greatly with several parts (Kyle Kosier, Terrance Newman, Marion Barber) missing in action.