Cowboys: Beware of Ware

Football Betting Lines

12/20/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I bet Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Ware can cover teammate Terrell Owens in man-to-man coverage with no problem.

Ware has the speed of a cornerback, and hits harder than most defensive players in the NFL, which is why future opponents must scheme against him or suffer the consequences.

The second-year standout from Troy sparked Dallas to a big 38-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday at the Georgia Dome, making big plays throughout the triumphant night. Ware finished with a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown, five tackles (four solo), a tipped pass, a forced fumble and a half-sack.

Ware has 59 tackles (50 solo) this season with 7 1/2 sacks, six passes defensed and four forced fumbles. He now has two touchdowns this season, with Sunday's play coming after he recovered a Donovan McNabb fumble and raced 69 yards for a score in a loss to Philadelphia in Week 5. Not only is Ware the defensive MVP of the Cowboys, but he was also named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad on Tuesday, his first such accolade.

Ware and the Cowboys will get some much-needed rest before preparing for a Christmas Day battle with the Eagles. Dallas is 9-5 and in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. It also controls its own destiny for what would be the franchise's first NFC East title since 1998, and will be a prohibitive favorite in its last two games, against Philly and Detroit.

The Cowboys are tied with New Orleans for the second-best record in the conference behind the Bears, who clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs with a win over Tampa Bay on Sunday. Dallas finished its road schedule with a 5-3 record, the best road mark since the 1995 squad went 6-2 away from Texas Stadium en route to a Super Bowl appearance.

Dallas bounced back nicely from last week's 42-17 loss against New Orleans, and did so thanks in part to nice offensive games from quarterback Tony Romo, running back Marion Barber and wideout Terrell Owens.

Romo had thrown a pair of interceptions against the Saints, and was poised to prove he could bounce back from his worst start. On Saturday, Romo came out and chucked two TD passes and was picked off just once, that coming on a pass tipped at the line. Romo moved around well in the pocket and made good reads all night, proving that he can shake off adversity and get his team back in the win column. He is now 6-2 as a starter, after Dallas opened the season 3-3.

"We knew it was as big a game as we've had this year," Romo said after his eighth NFL start. "I think we are trailing everybody when it comes to tiebreakers. We knew the importance of this one coming in. That's why we treated this like a playoff game."

Barber, meanwhile, has been a wrecking ball powering over opposing defenses, and just keeps collecting touchdowns. A nice complement to starter Julius Jones, Barber recorded 69 yards and two scores against the Falcons, and had 35 and a TD on six touches during an 11-play, 80-yard drive that put Atlanta away.

Barber leads the team with 15 touchdowns (13 rushing), and has Jones skating on thin ice in the dual-running back system. Barber has the most rushing TDs by a Cowboy since Emmitt Smith had 13 in 1998, and the most combined touchdowns since Smith registered 15 the same year.

"It's working for us," Jones said of the two-back approach. "I kind of do the grunt work and he (Barber) gets in there on third downs and he gets it done.

"He's been very productive this year. He had a big drive tonight and he's been good for us. Hopefully we can continue to keep this little combination going."

If Jones doesn't keep up his end of the deal, he won't be a part of the combination for long. However, Jones is also playing generally well this season, and eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career with 26 yards on 13 carries on Saturday. Jones finished seven yards shy of the four-digit mark last season, but owns 1,019 yards in 2006.

OWENS AT IT AGAIN

Terrell Owens is the No. 1 reason why the Cowboys scare teams with their offense. It's not the emergence of QB Tony Romo, or a mammoth offensive line which has the ability to open holes wide enough to fit Fred Berry through.

Owens usually takes away two defensive backs because of the threat he poses down the field, but he can also go across the middle and absorb shots from linebackers. He had a chance on Saturday to go against one of the best cornerbacks in the game in DeAngelo Hall, and did his part in the 10-point win.

T.O.burnt Hall and the Falcons' defense for 69 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard bomb in the second quarter. Owens posted the 26th multiple-touchdown reception game of his career, and only three players have more. Jerry Rice leads the pack with 44, while Cris Carter owns 29 and Don Huston has 28. Owens is tied with Marvin Harrison.

"The Player" owns 77 catches for 1,067 and an NFL-best 11 TD receptions this season, and is three scoring strikes shy of tying the franchise record for most in a single season, set by Frank Clarke in 1962.

Owens, who is reportedly playing with a torn tendon at the tip of his right ring finger, opted to bypass surgery on his finger until the offseason.

Before Owens can enter the record books, he will have to break open his wallet to the league after spitting in Hall's face early in Saturday's game. The two stars were at it all night, and Owens let his frustrations get the best of him. He was fined $35,000 on Monday and got exactly what he wanted, the spotlight on him in the ramp-up to the Eagles game.

"I think, for what he did, he deserves more than a fine," Hall said on Sunday. "The guy has all the money in the world. He's making $10 million or whatever this year. So what's a fine going to mean to him, really?

"He's a great player, a great competitor, and what would hurt him a lot more than a fine is making him sit. That would get his attention. And that's what I think the league should do. They need to do something pretty [severe], because there's something wrong with him, and he just can't get away with this kind of stuff."

It's no surprise Owens would do such a thing and it sort of ruins the effort he put into the game. But he doesn't care, so why should anyone else?

UP NEXT: COWBOYS WELCOME EAGLES FOR X-MAS

The Cowboys will be well-rested for their December 25th showdown with the NFC East-rival Philadelphia Eagles. But if Dallas plays defense versus the Eagles the way it did against the Falcons, the outcome may not be so favorable.

Dallas allowed 376 yards to Atlanta, and quarterback Michael Vick passed for 237 yards with a career-high-tying four touchdowns. The Cowboys' secondary has been criticized often this season, and the Eagles love to throw the ball. Safety Roy Williams, who sometimes guesses before feeling out a play, will be matched up with the likes of Donte Stallworth, Reggie Brown and possibly Brian Westbrook, who poses problems for anyone on the opposite side of the football.

In the first meeting between the teams in Week 5, the Eagles ruined Owens' return to Philadelphia with a 38-24 victory at Lincoln Financial Field. Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard ended a late Dallas comeback try with a 102-yard interception return for a touchdown with 16 seconds left to seal the win.

Owens had just three catches for 45 yards in that game -- all in the second half. Expect much different results from Owens this time around.