The Dallas Cowboys’ season ended with a heartbreaking loss to the New York Giants in the final game of the 2011 NFL regular season. Here is a look at how the offensive stars finished the game for the Cowboys.

Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
Wikimedia Commons

Tony Romo

Tony Romo came into the Week 17 game with the New York Giants with a bruised hand and seemed like the biggest question mark on the field. However, out of all the players in the game, Romo was the one who came to play. He completed 29-of-37 of his passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception and fumbled the ball, but a lot of his problems had to do with bad offensive line play.

Laurent Robinson

Out of all the stars on the Dallas Cowboys’ roster, it is newcomer Laurent Robinson who leads the team in touchdowns with 11. In the final game of the season, while Dallas had few stars step up, it was Robinson who caught both touchdown passes from Romo. Robinson was the Cowboys’ best offensive weapon this season.

Felix Jones

When DeMarco Murray went down with a season ending injury, Felix Jones got his chance to prove he could help the team win. He did fine but it is obvious that the Cowboys need Murray back next year bad. Jones ran for 30 yards and caught seven passes for 47 yards in Week 17. It wasn’t horrible but Dallas needs a better rushing attack in 2012.

Dez Bryant / Miles Austin

Dez Bryant led the team with 70 receiving yards in the game on six receptions in the game. Miles Austin did not do anything of note, with two receptions for 20 yards. Neither man was a solid weapon in this game because Romo had little time to wait for routes to develop before the pass rush reached him.

Jason Witten

Jason Witten finally had a decent game but fell short of the 1000 yard mark for the first time since 2008. He finished the game with seven receptions for 69 yards.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

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With the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the New York Giants officially ending their season, there has to be a time to look back and see what went right with the franchise. One of the best stories of the season featured a wide receiver that had never reached his potential getting another chance and exploding in 2011.

Laurent Robinson
Wikimedia Commons

Laurent Robinson joined the Cowboys to help out the team when Miles Austin went down with a hamstring injury. After integrating himself into the offense in Week 3, with three receptions for 49 yards, he exploded against the Detroit Lions in Week 4. While Dallas might have lost the game at the end, they found a new star for the wide receiver corps. Robinson caught seven balls for 116 yards.

Austin returned in the next game, after the bye week, but by Week 8, Robinson made his name with the Cowboys. Against Philadelphia, in that game, Robinson caught five balls for 103 yards and his first touchdown of the season.

Over a five game stretch, Robinson caught at least one touchdown pass in each game, with two against Buffalo and Miami. He broke 100 yards again in Week 14, against the New York Giants, and then finished the season, against the Giants once again, with two more touchdowns.

By the end of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2011 NFL season, Laurent Robinson finished with season high in receptions (54), yards (858) and touchdowns (11).

Robinson started his career in Atlanta and then moved on to the St. Louis Rams. At both stops, he was supposed to be a star but failed to hold onto a job at either location. With this fresh chance in Dallas, and a Pro-Bowl caliber quarterback throwing him the ball, Robinson finally showed what he is capable of.

If anything, Robinson has shown that he has a chance to be a solid starter for a team in 2012. It would be nice to see him return to Dallas, but does he really want to play secondary roles behind Dez Bryant and Miles Austin? He said he loves it in Dallas and would love to return, though. Fans of the Cowboys will have to wait and see, but if Robinson comes back in 2012, Dallas should have one of the top receiver corps in the NFL once again.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

For Dallas Cowboys’ fans worried about Tony Romo’s status for the New Year’s Day game against the New York Giants, Miles Austin says not to worry. The receiver, who has been working this week with Romo, said the quarterback is practicing just fine.

Austin went on to say that Romo has been accurate and does not show any signs of the hand bothering him at all. While he said he doesn’t know how Romo feels, he knows that the passes feel normal and are on par with what he is used to from the Cowboys’ signal caller.

Luckily for Romo, there were eight days between the injury and the Giants’ game, so the hand had time to heal. His hand has been wrapped up and protected this week during practice while Romo has been throwing the ball. On Friday, it was heavily taped up in an effort to further decrease the swelling.

Romo has said all week he expects to play in the game. He said his hand has improved day-by-day and the swelling has been going down on a steady basis. In an interesting statement for fans, Romo said that playing with the injured ribs earlier in the season was much harder than playing with the swelling in his hand.

Romo has been playing in pain all season, so it was no surprise to learn he would not miss the game that will determine the NFC East champions. In the first game against the Giants this season, Romo threw for 321 yards and four touchdowns, which makes sense with the Giants having the 27th ranked pass defense in the NFL.

However, Dallas’ defense collapsed in the final two minutes and the Giants came back to win. With the defense prone to slip-ups, especially late in games, Dallas needs Romo at full strength. Thankfully, that is what Austin says his quarterback currently is.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

84,834 excited Dallas Cowboys fans showed up at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Christmas Eve hoping for an early Christmas present and a Cowboys victory over the hated Philadelphia Eagles. Philly embarrassed the Cowboys earlier in the season in Philadelphia, and Dallas was hoping for revenge to maintain their 1-game lead over the New York Giants in the NFC East on the next to the last game of the regular season. Unfortunately, it became pretty evident early on things weren’t going to go Dallas’ way.

The Eagles won the coin toss and elected to receive to begin the game. Michael Vick led the visitors down the field, aided by a couple of spectacular catches by his receivers and a face mask call on Anthony Spencer. He hit Brent Celek in the end zone from 13 yards out with 11:30 left in the first quarter, capping an 8-play, 80-yard drive that took 3:30. Alex Henery added the PAT and Philly led 7-0.

Dwayne Harris returned the kick from the goal line out to the 34, setting Tony Romo and the offense up with good field position. The offense picked up 1 first down and moved the ball to midfield, but on a 4th-and-4, the offensive line fell apart, forcing Romo to rush his throw, and after an incompletion Matt McBriar punted the ball away to the Eagle 19.

Vick moved his team out to his 45, but the Dallas defense stiffened and Dallas went back to work on offense at their 20. The offense came back on the field with Stephen McGee at the helm after it was announced that Tono Romo had suffered an injury to his right hand and was in the locker room undergoing x-rays.

McGee moved the offense out to the 48, but the drive stalled and McBriar punted the ball down to the Philly 9 and the Eagles took back over on offense from there with 2:44 left in the opening period.

The Eagles picked up 1 first down and then stalled out, and Dallas got the ball back at their 21 after Chas Henry punt with 14:52 left in the first half of play. It was announced as the drive began that x-rays on Romo’s throwing hand were negative, but McGee came back on the field with the offense.

McGee moved the team down the field, but a holding call resulted in the possession running out of gas, and McBriar punted away down to the Philadelphia 10. A holding call against the visitors during the kick moved the ball back to the 5 and Vick and the offense took the field again.

Vick carved the Dallas defense up like slicing a turkey, aided by a bone-headed unnecessary roughness call on Anthony Spencer. Philly moved 95 yards and appeared to score their second touchdown of the game on a 9-yard pass from Vick to Jason Avant, but when the call was reviewed it was determined that Avant fumbled the ball into the end zone prior to the ball crossing the goal line, and Dallas was awarded possession on a touchback at their 20, averting what could have well been a deficit too large to overcome. The turnover gave the Dallas fans new life and hope that their hometown heroes would still find a way to win the game.

The ‘Boys got a good drive going, but stalled out on the Eagle 39 and McBriar punted the ball down to the Philly 13 where the visitors got the ball back with 55 seconds left in the first half.

Vick took his team 87 yards in just 6 plays, using 50 seconds off the clock, and hit Jeremy Macklin from the 5 on a 3rd-and-goal play for the second Eagle TD of the day. Henery added the point after and Philly had a commanding 14-0 lead going into the locker room.

Dallas got the ball to begin the 3rd quarter, but had a quick 3-and-out and the visitors got the ball back. Thanks to an intentional grounding call against Vick, Dallas got the ball back on a punt. Dwayne Harris took the ball and took a helmet-to-helmet blow from an Eagles defender, giving the Cowboys an additional 15 yards out to their 47.

McGee hit Martellus Bennett for a gain of 14 on the first play of the drive, moving the ball to the Philly 39. Two incompletions and a run for no gain later, McBriar punted the ball away to the Eagle 12 with 10:50 left in the 3rd quarter.

Rob Ryan got the defense motivated and after a 3-and-out, the offense got the ball back again. The offense came back out at the Dallas 25 after a 56-yard punt. The inept offensive line was non-existent as far as protecting McGee, and the ‘Boys suffered another 3-and-out. After a 43-yard McBriar punt, the Eagles had excellent starting field position at their 41.

On the first play of the possession Vick hit Celek for a gain of 39 down to the Dallas 20, and Cowboys fans began to realize the game was almost certainly a lost cause. The defense stiffened, forcing a 43-yard Henery field goal, but the visitors had an almost insurmountable 17-0 lead with 4:30 left in the 3rd quarter. The scoring drive was 5 plays, 34 yards, and 2:27.

The offensive line was inept yet again in the next Dallas possession, and the Cowboys suffered yet another 3-and-out. Chad Hall returned McBriar’s punt 1 yard to the Philly 41 with 2:53 left in the quarter.

The Eagles went on a 9–play, 26-yard drive in 4:28 before settling for a 51-yard Henery field goal, putting the visitors ahead 20-0 with 13:25 left in the game.

Harris returned the ensuing kickoff 51-yards to his 49, giving his team their best starting field position of the contest. It didn’t do any good though, as the offense proved once again they didn’t belong on an NFL field this day, going 3-and-out yet again.

Philly picked up one first down before having to punt away on the next series. Harris returned the punt to his 23 and Dallas took over with 9:33 left in the game, trying to find the end zone for the first time.

The offense FINALLY managed to put a decent drive together, converting on a 4th down at the Eagle 34. They ‘Boys had another 4th-and-8 at the Philadelphia 16 with 2:22 left in the game. McGee’s pass for Bennett in the end zone was incomplete and the Eagles took over at their 16 with 2:13 left in the game.

The defense rose to the occasion, forced a punt, and Bruce Carter blocked the kick inside the Philly 20, giving the home team one last chance to get on the scoreboard and avoid a shutout. The inept offense finally got it together and McGee hit Miles Austin with under 30 seconds left for a touchdown. Dan Bailey hit the PAT, and the gap narrowed to 20-7. The Cowboys attempted an onside kick but the Eagles recovered, ran one play, and the game was over.

To make matters even worse, on top of the loss, the Giants defeated the New York Jets, earlier in the day, technically giving the Giants the lead back in the NFC East, with both teams at 8-7 on the year.

It all comes down to Sunday at the new Meadowlands when the Cowboys travel to East Rutherford, NJ. The winner of the game will win the NFC East, while the loser is done and doesn’t make the playoffs. Cowboys’ fans hope the ‘Boys take care of business, realistically they DON’T deserve to make the playoffs and they very well may be one-and-done if they do.

As fans seem to say about them annually, there is always next year!

The Philadelphia Eagles beat up the Dallas Cowboys for the second time this season. The big difference this time around is that no one cares. The Eagles beat the Cowboys, 20-7, in a game that meant absolutely nothing to either team.

When the game started, it still meant something. If the New York Jets could have come from behind to beat the New York Giants, the Eagles could have had something still to play for. Dallas could have clinched the NFC East with a win. Since the Giants lost, the Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention and Dallas will play for the NFC East title in Week 17, win or lose.

That is why when Tony Romo hurt his hand by slapping it off a helmet in the first quarter, his coaches wouldn’t let him return even when X-rays came back negative. That is why, with Felix Jones running on a tight hamstring, he also left the game along with Romo to protect his health.

These are not excuses, these are facts. Dallas pulled their starting quarterback and starting running back in the first quarter to protect them from further injury because the only game that matters is Week 7 against the Giants.

Instead, Stephen McGee got some pretty solid playing time. Sure, Troy Aikman made all kinds of backhand comments while announcing the game, saying Romo better get healthy because the way McGee is playing, he won’t win for the Cowboys. He didn’t win but he did throw 24-of-38 for 182 yards and a touchdown at the end of the game to Miles Austin. He didn’t throw an interception. That is a lot better than Aikman gave him credit for.

Sammy Morris shouldered the running game, but did little on the ground. Morris ran for 29 yards on 13 carries, only one yard more than McGee scrambled for on four carries. Felix Jones finished with four carries for 24 yards. Newly signed Chauncey Washington carried the ball once for negative one yard.

Plus, you have to credit the defense. They did give up 293 yards through the air to the Eagles, and two passing touchdowns for Michael Vick, but they held LeSean McCoy to 35 yards rushing on 13 carries. This wasn’t a butt kicking in any sense. Even with the Cowboys’ offense anemic, the Eagles managed a touchdown in the first quarter, another in the second quarter and two field goals in the second half.

That was it for scoring.

Now, Dallas prepares for the Giants and a chance at the playoffs. A banged up hand will not keep Tony Romo off the field and a tight hamstring won’t keep out Felix Jones. Week 17 actually means something and will determine if the Cowboys’ season ends or continues on.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys’ fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys’ related news, good or bad

Source: dallascowboys.com

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.