What a game! My head hurts from the tension. The Cowboys’ pivotal game against New York ended in surprised celebration. It was Automatica Grammatica who kicked the winning field goal with six seconds left. Everyone has been questioning coach Bill Parcells for choosing to release the team’s field goal kicker, Mike Vanderjagt. Vanderjagt was the most accurate kicker in the league for several years until this season. New York played a very tough game. Jeremy Shockey’s big mouth wasn’t enough to win the game. He did play well, though. No one wants to give him credit because he’s an ass, but that didn’t stop Cowboys fans from cheering for Terrell Owens.

I have to admit that I expect Martin Grammatica to miss the game winning field goal. His most recent history doesn’t inspire much confidence. All that matters, though, is that he made it when it counted today, and tomorrow he will be the toast of the town. The incredible Tony Romo played one of the weakest games in his short career today. It had to happen eventually. Luckily for the Cows, Romo’s interceptions and fumble didn’t cost them the game.

Most reliable players on the team: Andre Ware for constant pressure on the quarterback, Marion Barber for running with explosive power and energy, Jason Witten for his sticky hands and enviable strength, and Tony Romo for his overall composure, accuracy, and decision making. Both teams are extremely talented. The press is making too much of the Giants’ immaturity and lack of cohesion. They have the talent to compete with top teams like the Cowboys, Bears, Saints, Colts, Ravens, and Patriots. Don’t be surprised if these two teams meet again before it’s all over.

It’s a pleasure to see a Dallas Cowboys quarterback receive the attention and nationwide admiration that Tony Romo has recently received. After only five games at the helm, Romo has played uncannily well, utilizing both foot speed, throwing accuracy, and good judgment. In his television interview with Bob Costas tonight during the Colts-Eagles halftime show, you could see and hear the confidence oozing out of him.

This phenom is sure to disappoint us at some point, right? Of course, we want to start lowering our expectations so the realization of Romo’s mortality won’t break our hearts. That interview was the first time I had heard anything about Romo allegedly dating Jessica Simpson. Romo neither admitted or denied the allegation. He simply played it smooth and confident, as though he has been doing this and doing it well for years. Let’s all make the decision to stop being so surprised that Tony Romo is this good. The boy can play football. He’s got the skills, the mind, and the attitude. He is the total package.

Time will tell whether he’s considered a great quarterback. For now, it’s enough to know that the Dallas Cowboys are legitimate NFC Championship contenders. The only teams standing in the way of a SuperBowl birth are the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints. With the Bears losing today, there is no reason to think that Dallas doesn’t have a legitimate shot. Armed with offensive weapons like Terry Glenn, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Julius Jones, Marion Barber, and Tyson Thompson, there’s no reason why Tony Romo shouldn’t shine like a star.

Go Cowboys.

There’s no excuse for it. The Cowboys were not outplayed. They were not beaten by a better team. They lost because they made poor decisions and poor plays. In other words, they beat themselves. The Washington Redskins came out today fully aware that their season was passing them by. They had to stop the Cowboys to have any chance at post-season play this year. Obviously, certain individuals made classic mistakes that cost the Dallas Cowboys a vital win which would have strategically placed them within striking distance of the division leading New York Giants. Here’s this week’s CultureFeast Cowboys Commentary:

• Tony Romo is THE MAN. There is no doubt that Romo is the QB of the future. Yes, it’s only been two and a half games, but Romo plays with poise and composure found in seasoned veterans. His game stats would make any head coach happy.
• Terrell Owens needs to keep his mouth shut until he can stop dropping momentum shifting balls.
• Marion Barber should be THE starting running back for Dallas. He’s explosive and contributes more spirit and energy to the game than Julius Jones ever dreamed.
• The coaching staff made the mistake of calling for the two-point conversion after the Cowboys’ first touchdown. It was an impulsive, rookie mistake made by a veteran staff.
• Terry Glenn needs more touches per game. He is far too important for this team’s success to be ignored.
• Jason Whitten needs more touches per game. He is the anchor of the team. No one can stop him. He’s a bull, and creates first downs on a consistent basis.
• Andre Ware deserves a raise. He’s the heart of the Dallas defense.
• Whoever missed the blocks which resulted in a game ending field goal block should lose a week’s salary. That play cost us the game.

That’s it for this week’s CultureFeast Cowboys Commentary. All we fans can do is look forward to next weekend and this coming week’s fair and biased commentary by Randy Galloway. Lucky us.

As expected, the sports commentators are all buzzing about the quarterback “controversy” in Dallas. When Big Bill took Drew Bledsoe out of the Giants’ game on Monday, he signaled to Drew and to the country that he had more of chance at winning with Tony Romo at the helm. For those of you not paying attention to all the Dalllas hoopla, fans and commentators alike have been calling for Tony Romo since last season.

It’s not that anyone hates Drew Bledsoe. Actually, quite the opposite. Everyone who knows him seems to speak very highly of Drew as a man, a husband, and a father. Unfortunately, family virtues don’t win football games, and they don’t keep Bill Parcells from sitting you on the bench. Anyone who has paid attention to the NFL over the past decade knows that Bledsoe was quite a talent.

I remember when he was injured and Tom Brady ended up taking the team all the way. I remember watching the following season with interest as the New England Patriots chose to start Tom Brady even with a healthy Bledsoe raring to go. I felt bad for him. That’s gotta hurt. An injury is usually nobody’s fault. So he works his butt off to get conditioned to return and the team says to him, “No thanks… your understudy can take it from here… But thanks for all the good times.” Sometimes I wonder why anyone ever chooses to play professional sports. Popularity and loyalty last as long as a team huddle. After that, you’re on your own.

Of course, I stop wondering when I remember the paychecks. Most people can’t foresee their own deeply wounded pride because the multi-million dollar paycheck gets in the way. Still, Romo got the call. We wait to hear whether Romo is now officially “The Man.” He’s young, he’s quick, he’s willing to take risks, and he’s impetuous – everything you need. Drew was just too slow and took too long to throw the ball. You can’t get sacked that many times without Aikman-esque brain damage. I’m just referring to the concussions, okay?

It never ceases to amaze me how reporters manage to find something to latch onto and beat to death so they can have their pressing news feature of the week. Then again, it’s nice that for once everyone isn’t talking about Terrell Owens.

It was only a matter of time before we saw the signature attitude of Terrell Owens in a Cowboy uniform. Honestly, who really believed that the guy had changed? I am one of those people who willingly listens to sports talk radio (103.3fm – ESPN) on occasion, and yet cannot find the slightest desire to continually discuss or listen to the latests opinions on T.O. Ironic, since I’m writing about him, eh? Not really. This is (hopefully) a one-time deal.

I want to do what everyone else out there should do: say what they have to say about the guy and then talk about the rest of the team and league. Seriously, if I was Terry Glenn, I would have a major grudge against the local media. Glenn has the stats, the speed, the talent, and the right public attitude towards the team and the game. He has done for us what Terrell Owens was supposed to do and has only begun to do in one game against one of the worst teams in the NFL. Hmmm….. T.O.’s really got my vote. I have nothing against T.O. as a player. He’s good. In fact, I will go so far as to say that he is above average. But when a player gets all this circus attention, he’d better be putting up the numbers like Oakland’s Randy Moss or Carolina’s Steve Smith.

Maybe he is doing that on a long-term average. But I don’t see any reason why the media or the team should single out any particular guy as though he were the chief celebrity among celebrities. I’m looking at the stats right now, comparing Owens to Glenn. Both wide receivers started playing in the NFL in 1996. Owens has played in 21 more games than Glenn (Terry Glenn missed part of 1997 and most of 2001 and 2004). The total yards are in Owens’ favor because of that, yet Terry Glenn has averaged 14.8 yards per carry in his career, while Terrell Owens averages 14.7. Those aren’t all of the numbers, mind you – Terrell Owens has more yards per game than Glenn most years. Still, with all the hoopla given to the “magnificent” specimen otherwise known as T.O., the Dallas Cowboys have a consistent wide receiver who does the job, does it as well as Owens, and does it without the egomania. Once and for all, could we please stop focusing on one man!?!?!?

After all, the undeserved attention only reinforces whatever self-absorbed notions the guy has about himself. He couldn’t hang in Philly. He rocked against Houston. What has he really proven here? At best, he’s proven that he’s a pro at pushing off defenders without getting caught. Now comes the uncomfortable part. Yes, Owens is extremely talented. Yes, he is one of the 10 best receivers in the league. Yes, he can make things happen. But no, he hasn’t proved yet that he’s worth the headache.

It’s like the first rain after a 25 year drought that no one really realized was a drought until it was over. Millions of Cowboys fans and Stars fans have been sated over the years with a championship here or there. They carry the pride that comes with knowing that their team had what it takes and probably still would were it not for ownership and upper management bungling (sorry, how did that get in here?).

Texas Rangers fans, on the other hand, know what we’re going through. They might not see a World Series in their entire lifetime at the rate the team is going. But we don’t really care about Rangers fans, do we? Nah. Anyone crazy enough to watch athletes stand around and every now and then swing a stick at a ball deserves whatever disappointment that pasttime affords.

Sure, it was great when the Cowboys were the champs of the ’90s. It was great. After a decade, though, fans forget what it felt like to have a championship team. They forget the excitement, the city-wide camaraderie. We’re 2-0 in the 2006 NBA Finals. It’s halftime, and the Heat have a nine point lead as expected. They don’t deserve to be in the Finals if they can’t win a game at home.

But Mavs fans nationwide know that it’s only a matter of time. When your team is comprised of team players, expect to be the best. I ought to write about something other than sports again.

It’s a matchup I could have only dreamed. My Dallas Mavericks are set to face the Miami Heat on Thursday. Not only is it Dallas’ first time to the big dance, and not only did we defeat San Antonio in the playoffs (oh, how sweet it is!), but I don’t have to watch Detroit play another game this season! It doesn’t get much better than that. I’ve never been a Pistons fan. Ever.

I’ll take Shaq, Dwayne Wade, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton and the worthless Antoine Walker any day, as long as I don’t have to see a single irritating Piston’s uniform. It’s not fear, it’s disgust. Dirk Nowitski, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Devin Harris, Jerry Stackhouse, Keith Van Horn, Marquis Daniels, Darrell Armstrong, Adrian Griffin, Josh Powell, Erick Dampier, and DeSagana Diop make up the strongest team in the league. Don’t forget The General, Avery Johnson. Assuming good health for both teams, this should be an extremely entertaining championship series. No one can guard Dirk Nowitski. No one can stop Shaq.

They don’t have anyone to stop Jason Terry and Josh Howard at the same time. We don’t have a great answer for Dwayne Wade. The two teams have talent oozing out of their ears; not to mention passion and energy. I like the Mavericks’ chances in this series. Even though the village idiot, a.k.a. Charles Barkley, has also picked the Mavs to win, I won’t consider us jinxed. It will mostly boil down to how effective Dampier and Diop can manage to be against the most powerful man to ever play in the NBA. He’s a monster, no doubt about it. Shaq should count as two players. Two days to go, and I’m already biting my nails.

The excitement is overwhelming. I can’t keep thinking about it. It’s 12:30 and I’m still typing! That’s what going to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history will do to a person. Gotta go. Think blue, black and white. Go Mavs.