Man, it sure was nice to have real football action on Wednesday night. (Wednesday football? It’s like Christmas in July!) The Cowboys upset the Giants, who had a little Super Bowl hangover going, and it was the first time the NFL champ lost their season opener in years.
(Side grumble: Remember when the Bucs won their Super Bowl – and they were rewarded the next season with an opener ON THE ROAD against the Eagles, to open Lincoln Field? What’s up with that?)
Reactions on Cowboys and Giants
Tony Romo turned in one of the best games of his career against the Giants in Week 1.
1. The Giants secondary is not this bad. They were missing a few pieces and injuries did even more damage. Don’t expect this to be a recurring event each week.
2. The G-Men host the Buccaneers in Week 2 — and they’ll have 11 days to rest and prepare. The offense will face one of the worst defenses in NFL history last season. And the defense should be able to rebound against a Bucs offense that still needs time to figure each other out. Something tells me the Giants will be able to right the ship by then.
3. DeMarco Murray makes too much contact for my liking. Sure, he’s dynamic (his long run is evidence of that), but even on that run, he chose to cut back in near the end, into defenders, when it seemed like he could have gotten another 10-15 yards. It seems like every carry ends in a brutal collision with defenders. For a running back with a big injury history, that’s not a good thing. He won’t last all season. If I do own him, I wait a couple more weeks, pick up Felix Jones, then trade Murray for a stud wide receiver like Julio Jones and a running back.
4. Can we expect Tony Romo to be this good – or can we just blame it on the Giants weakened secondary? Maybe a little of both? I’ve always said that if the Cowboys can stay healthy, Romo becomes the sixth-best fantasy QB.
5. David Wilson fumbled on his second carry in the NFL – and his last carry of the night Wednesday. This could be a great thing for you … if you don’t own him. If he has another week or two of struggles, his Fantasy owner could get impatient and cut him for the flavor of the week. What you DON’T want is for Wilson to get a chance to show off his speed and explosiveness before then. The Giants were 32nd in the NFL in rushing last season.
6. Ahmad Bradshaw looked great (4.6 yards per carry), but he’s not a workhorse. He’ll need Wilson to spell him.
7. Did you take advantage of Jason Witten’s sore spleen? That little incident dropped him about four to six rounds in most Fantasy leagues. He caught just two passes for 10 yards, but he played and finished the game. If you own him, you should be able to get a decent WR2 in trade in a few weeks for him.
8. Something tells me Victor Cruz should have been working on his game more than his commercial image this offseason. Three drops? No bueno.
— David Gonos (@davidgonos) September 6, 2012
9. Kevin Ogletree – Let me first give a shout-out to ESPN’s Eric Karabell, who had apparently been sharing Ogletree’s name this offseason. Color me a believer in picking up the fourth-year receiver in Fantasy circles. Here’s the great thing – by Tuesday, when you have to submit your waiver claims, this breakout game will have been forgotten by some. Sunday’s stars and Monday’s breakouts will replace him in many people’s minds, and you can swoop in and grab him. He might not have another game like last night again – but as much as the Cowboys’ receivers are injured, he could see a lot of targets in 2012. Grab him as a WR5 in Fantasy for now.
"Who the eff is Kevin Ogletree?" said David Tyree. #NFL #Giants #Cowboys
— David Gonos (@davidgonos) September 6, 2012
10. WHY DOES SUNDAY HAVE TO BE SO FAR AWAY FROM WEDNESDAY!?!?!?!
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