I think I've kinda been feeling like this guy lately, except I don't get that much air.
Well, the first 10 minutes or so were good. After that, ugh. I think it's going to be a tough week for Tony Romo.
Cowboys need the real Romo before it’s too late
By JIM REEVES
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
revo@star-telegram.com
reeves DENVER — Never mind Roy Williams figuring out what his role is with the Dallas Cowboys. If they’re going anywhere this season, the guy who must solve that mystery about himself is Tony Romo.
Somewhere between Conservative Tony and Gunslinger Tony hides the quarterback the Dallas Cowboys must uncover to win.
Without him, they’re dead.
By late in the second half Sunday at Invesco Field, I’d already planned the caveat that would have to come with this column. You know, the one that said, "but for all that, the Cowboys did manage to pull out a win."
All afternoon I thought the Cowboys would win, that Romo somehow would make the play that would, in the end, make the difference in the game.
So much for those happy thoughts.
Almost just doesn’t quite do it.
Like Romo, and Jerry Jones, and Wade Phillips and everyone else in Colorado who slobbered all over the Broncos after the game, I give them all the credit in the world for their 17-10 victory Sunday.
But is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that the Cowboys should have won this game?
They didn’t because, yes, the Broncos have a very nice defense, but mostly because the Cowboys’ offense had nothing, especially once Denver shut down Dallas’ running game in the second half.
That comes down to Romo and his receivers, especially his wide receivers, and until the Cowboys admit that to themselves and address the problem, this team is in trouble.
Romo simply doesn’t look right. Some of that had to do with the Broncos and their excellent defensive backs. Some of it had to do with the pressure he was under. He was sacked five times and rarely had time to set his feet before the pass rush was on him.
Yes, Romo had two turnovers, a fumble when he was blindsided, setting up Denver’s first touchdown, and an interception by Champ Bailey on what Romo said later was a "miscommunication." That one, inside the Broncos’ 20, cost the Cowboys points. But neither was what you’d call a gamble that backfired.
Romo is struggling to work within the conservative system that Phillips and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett have stressed. Heck, we’ve all stressed it, and rightfully so. I’m just not sure he can do it and still be the Tony Romo the Cowboys need to win football games.
Believe it or not, owner Jerry Jones seems to be thinking along the same lines (which I suppose should worry me).
"You’d like him to be a threat, in other words, not be so conservative that he doesn’t give himself a chance to be a threat any more," Jones said. "We all know the threat he can be and how that can complement and make some good things happen, too.
"When we got desperate at the end, and we were behind, there he goes, then he turned it on and said, 'I’ve got to go out here and make the plays.’
But of course everybody is happy in Denver.
Broncos drop Dallas, remain undefeated
Marshall's TD reception late in the fourth quarter boosts Denver to 4-0 record
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
When in doubt, throw it up to the $2.2 million man.
Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton looked right and saw Pro Bowler Terence Newman against Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall.
Newman, the Dallas Cowboys' star cornerback, had Marshall, the Broncos' star receiver, well covered. Orton threw the ball perfectly high. Marshall reached up and snagged it with two hands. He cut left toward the middle of the field. Broke a tackle. Then cut right toward the right corner of the end zone.
It was a very happy Marshall who crossed the goal line and gave the Broncos a come-from-behind, 17-10 win against the supposedly mighty Cowboys at Invesco Field at Mile High on Sunday.
It was a very relieved Marshall who watched Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo
line his team up from the Broncos' 2-yard line with five seconds remaining and throw a pass that clanked off receiver Sam Hurd's hands.
Incomplete. The Broncos are easily the NFL's biggest surprise with a 4-0 record.
Ordinarily, the Cowboys are a three-bill fortress.
From left to right, their offensive line weighs 338 pounds, 307, 318, 353 and 318.
Total weight: .817 ton.
So much girth. All that mass. So many pounds. And they couldn't stop the Broncos defense from penetrating.
The Cowboys may have been massive, but the Broncos often had them outnumbered with their varied blitz packages.
Entering the fourth quarter, the game was an offensive dud. The Cowboys had a couple nice swing passes to their running backs in the first quarter, but their offensive line seemingly spent the rest of the game outnumbered.
Their vaunted running game was only getting 3.0 yards per carry. And they couldn't stop Elvis Dumervil or the Broncos' varied blitz packages long enough to give Romo time to throw.
When Romo did have time, his wideouts couldn't get open against Broncos cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman, or even linebackers D.J. Williams and Wesley Woodyard for that matter.
Bruce has played 3 of 5 shows this past week at Giants Stadium. Each show he has done an album in it's entirety. The summaries and setlists are below but the first show he did Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town the 2nd night and the 3rd night he did Born in the USA.
September 30 / Giants Stadium / E. Rutherford, NJ
Notes: "Evenin', New Jersey! Nice to be in my back yard!" Springsteen hollered out to the crowd on opening night, going on to reference the fact that this five-night E Street stand will be the stadium's final concerts. "Join us tonight to shut the old lady down! We've had a lot of great nights here, let's make this another one." And then some magic words: "This is something I wrote for tonight..."
Yes, Bruce opened with a brand new song, the first new one of the tour, written just for the occasion: I was raised out of steel here in the swamps of Jersey, some misty years ago / Through the blood and the beer, and the mud and the cheers, I've seen champions come and go..." Springsteen began "Wrecking Ball" solo, just strumming a telecaster, but the mighty power of the E Street Band soon kicked in, even adding a trumpet solo from Curt Ramm. "Bring on your wrecking ball," Bruce spat in the chorus, "Take your best shot, see what you've got... Bring on your wrecking ball."
Bruce Springsteen performs his new song Wrecking Ball at Giants Stadium
From there into "Seeds" [video here], Bruce rearranging the set as in Chicago, moving the recession arc to the beginning and the requests to the encore, to fit the Born to Run album sequence mid-set. "I was trying to think of something to make our last stand here at Giants Stadium special," he said beforehand. "Friday night, we're gonna play Darkness top to finish, and Saturday we're gonna play Born in the U.S.A. top to finish. But tonight..." his voice drifted off as the opening strains of "Thunder Road" began. Ramm was back on trumpet for "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" and "Meeting Across the River," Garry on electric bass this time for the latter.
At the end of the album sequence, Bruce brought the original E Streeters down front for an extra hand—Garry, Clarence, Max, Roy, and Steve, too. "These are the guys who made the music... and Phantom Dan Federici." They basked in the glow of the crowd for a moment before Bruce barked, "Back to work!"
"Into the Fire" was a nice highlght of the back part of the set. Moving into the encore without leaving the stage—"It's too cold to stop now!"—Bruce began collecting signs to "Raise Your Hand." Performing the full song, Bruce again added lines from "You Sexy Thing." Ramm returned for the first song request, "The E Street Shuffle." "It's a dance with no dance step," Bruce explained. "It's just a dance that you do every day to get through the bullshit. And every night."
Another oldie followed by request, a perfectly apropos "Growin' Up" for the first show following Bruce's 60th birthday. He even went into a lengthy story for the occasion. "Clarence... I had one of the weirdest dreams I ever had a few nights ago... It was one of those dreams where you wake up and you say, 'Oh, fuck!'" In his dream, Bruce was surrounded by relatives, by a lot of people—"and I don't like a lot of people!... The lights went out, and there was this cake. This is the part you won't believe: there were 60 fucking candles on that cake!" Maybe this wasn't a dream after all. The Giants Stadium crowd began singing "Happy Birthday" and Bruce added, "And there were thousands of people reminding me of something I was trying to forget!" Finally, Bruce went back to sleep and took month-long vacations in the stratosphere...
Willie Nile joined in for "American Land," and stayed out for "Dancing in the Dark." "Willie, grab a guitar—there's only three chords, that's all we play, how hard can it be?" Fireworks hailed over Giants Stadium after the band intros, punctuating the E! Street! Band! Bruce declared, "That's right, we splurged for the fireworks!"
Finally, they wrapped it all up with "Rosie": "We're sending this out to Patti, she's gonna be here Friday night. Patti, wherever you are, come out tonight!" The lengthiest show of the tour yet, this one clocked in at 3:15.
Setlist:
Wrecking Ball (with Curt Ramm)
Seeds
Johnny 99
Atlantic City
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Thunder Road
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out (with Curt Ramm)
Night
Backstreets
Born to Run
She's the One
Meeting Across the River (with Curt Ramm)
Jungleland
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Into the Fire
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Badlands
No Surrender
Encore
Raise Your Hand
E Street Shuffle (with Curt Ramm)
Growin' Up
American Land (with Willie Nile)
Dancing in the Dark (with Willie Nile)
Hard Times
Rosalita
October 2 / Giants Stadium / E. Rutherford, NJ
Notes: Night two at Giants Stadium proved to be an entirely different animal from its Wednesday night predecessor, featuring Bruce and the band powering through a balanced set that, at times, was both loose and intense. Tonight was all about Darkness on the Edge of Town, which was performed for only the second time ever in full album sequence, and for the first time since a May 2008 benefit show at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.
Darkness was the evening's highlight and emotional centerpiece. While show staples such as "Badlands," "The Promised Land," and "Prove it all Night" received a new vitality when played in the original album context — "Prove It" including an incredible, searing solo by Nils Lofgren — the true highlight of the Darkness sequence was Springsteen's delivery of album cuts, "Adam Raised a Cain," "Something in the Night," and "Streets of Fire."
Springsteen played these oft-overlooked tracks with a renewed vigor and almost draining emotion. His vocals and lead guitar carried the intensity of these songs, almost appearing at times that the Boss had pushed himself to the point of exhaustion. Maintaining the passion and intensity of an album like Darkness in the spacious Giants Stadium was no easy task, but it was evident from the start that Bruce and the Band realized their challenge, and they rose to the occasion.
Given the emotional intensity behind Darkness, it seemed as if Bruce wanted to let loose and have some fun with the remainder of the set. Missing was the recession suite of "Seeds" and "Johnny 99," and in the encore, he dropped "Hard Times" and a setlisted "Kitty's Back" for the fun and frivolity of "Cadillac Ranch," "Dancing in the Dark," and "Rosalita."
For requests, Bruce and the Band picked out "I'm Goin' Down," "Be True," and the tour premiere of a Leiber/Stoller classic. While Bruce may have needed a few seconds to figure out the key to "Jailhouse Rock," the song simply rocked live and sent the crowd into a frenzy, dancing along with its swingin’ beat. Audibled immediately after "Jailhouse" was "Long Walk Home," getting a long overdue reprise in the set since its lone appearance in the March rehearsal shows in Asbury Park.
Special guests tonight included the Sessions Band’s Eddie Manion, Art Baron, Larry Eagle, and Curt Ramm (who also played trumpet on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out" and the show-opening "Wrecking Ball").
Setlist:
Wrecking Ball (with Curt Ramm)
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out (with Curt Ramm)
No Surrender
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Badlands
Adam Raised a Cain
Something in the Night
Candy's Room
Racing in the Street
The Promised Land
Factory
Streets of Fire
Prove It All Night
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Raise Your Hand (instrumental)
I'm Goin' Down
Be True
Jailhouse Rock
Thunder Road
Long Walk Home
The Rising
Born to Run
Encore
Cadillac Ranch
Bobby Jean
American Land
Dancing in the Dark
Rosalita
October 3 / Giants Stadium / E. Rutherford, NJ
Notes: There's no denying Springsteen's sense of timing. By deciding to perform in full (and for the first time ever) the same album that gave him the star power and mass appeal that first allowed him to play Giants Stadium back in August of 1985, Springsteen was bringing it all back to where it started in his relationship with Giants Stadium — and those fans who were first introduced to him 25 years ago through Born in the U.S.A. and its seven Top 10 singles.
Even before the Born in the U.S.A. sequence began, Springsteen was reveling in the communal stadium experience, going for full-on crowd surfing in "Hungry Heart." In an impressive feat from both the Boss and the crowd, he one-upped his usual entry into the pit by allowing himself to be fully carried aloft back to the stage. Not bad for an appetizer. Then, after "Working on a Dream," came the main course.
For any fan who wore out his or her cassette of Born in the U.S.A., tonight was a dream realized. Sure, there may not have been any rare album cuts that were to be unearthed in the live setting; many of the 12 songs on the album have been staples of Springsteen's sets since the beginning of this tour, and all of them have been played along the way. Nor did the performance, aside from the song sequence, feature any special nuances or subtle changes as compared to other shows on the tour. But that didn't matter. Unlike last night's Darkness show, where the music demanded a certainly level of intensity from the band and the fans, tonight gave Springsteen and the band a chance to revisit a collection of anthems tailor-made for a football stadium. Tonight was an opportunity to see how far we've all come since 1985 and give everyone, singer and fan, a chance to revisit the glory days, raise their hands in the air and sing along.
"I’m on Fire" was enhanced by its performance after "Downbound Train," and the lost friendship in "Bobby Jean" seemed more vital when played after the message of "No Surrender."
Perhaps in a decision to illustrate how far we've really come since 1985, "Last to Die" received its Working on a Dream tour premiere following "The Promised Land" and prior to "Long Walk Home" and "The Rising," for a powerful combination reminiscent of the "five-pack" that closed the main set during 2007 and 2008 on the Magic tour
But the singing and dancing (and camera flashing) didn't stop after the last chords of "My Hometown," as Springsteen soon powered through a request-based encore stretch of "Jersey Girl," "Kitty’s Back," and "Detroit Medley." Once again, Springsteen's sense of the occasion — I mean, c’mon, we're talking Giants Stadium on a Saturday night — made "Jersey Girl" a perfect selection. And "Kitty" showcased the band in fine form, including another night of consistent and outstanding contributions — not to mention some literature hawking on the side — from the Big Man.
To close out the show, "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" seemed a little out of place after a rollicking "American Land," but Springsteen and the band finished on a high note with a beautiful "Thunder Road" to cap off the first week of their stand in the Meadowlands.
Setlist:
Wrecking Ball
Out in the Street
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Born in the U.S.A.
Cover Me
Darlington County
Working on the Highway
Downbound Train
I'm on Fire
No Surrender
Bobby Jean
I'm Goin' Down
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
My Hometown
The Promised Land
Last to Die
Long Walk Home
The Rising
Born to Run
Jersey Girl
Encore
Kitty's Back
Detroit Medley
American Land
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
Thunder Road
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