Storylines Aplenty In Cowboys-Giants duel

Sep 7, 2007, 16:40 GMT

- It's a rare occurrence when Terrell Owens isn't the center of attention, but the mercurial wide receiver figures to have merely a bit part in the soap-opera scenario leading into Sunday's season opener between his Dallas Cowboys and the visiting New York Giants.

An uncharacteristically quiet and uneventful offseason for Owens caused us media members to instead fixate ourselves on whether Tony Romo would be forever doomed by the infamous dropped snap which ended Dallas' roller-coaster 2006 season, or maybe on the bizarre five-game suspension the NFL handed Cowboys' assistant coach Wade Wilson for his involvement in a steroids- purchasing scandal.

Instead, the biggest pregame buzz surrounding this always-entertaining matchup between two bitter NFC East rivals involves a pair of characters associated with the Giants, one who's no longer with the team and another who may not even take the field on Sunday.

New York had its share of controversy during the normally-quiet summer months, with much of it created by Michael Strahan's absence from training camp while the star defensive end pondered whether to return for a 15th season. Strahan ended his self-described 'break' this week, but it's unclear whether he'll be ready to play.

More tabloid fodder was added by newly-retired running back Tiki Barber, who publicly questioned the leadership capabilities of Giants quarterback Eli Manning on a television broadcast and unmercifully delivered a character assassination on head coach Tom Coughlin in recently-released excerpts of his forthcoming book.

While Barber likely won't be missed in the locker room, New York will be hard- pressed to replace the 1,662 rushing yards he supplied during last year's tumultuous 8-8 campaign, a record good enough to get the Giants into the playoffs in a diluted National Football Conference but not nearly enough to get Coughlin off the hot seat heading into what's widely considered a win-or- else 2007 season.

The Cowboys were also a postseason participant in what wound up being Bill Parcells' swan song in Big D, but Romo's fumble that thwarted kicker Martin Gramatica's potential game-winning field goal in the Wild Card-round loss at Seattle provided a bitter ending to a nine-win year. The young quarterback now must prove that his impressive showing after taking over the offense at midseason was the work of a premier NFL quarterback and not an overnight sensation-turned-flash in the pan.

Parcells announced his retirement shortly after the Cowboys' gut-wrenching 21-20 playoff loss to the Seahawks, with the easygoing Wade Phillips -- a former head coach in Denver and Buffalo -- taking over as his replacement.

SERIES HISTORY

The Cowboys lead the all-time series with the Giants by a 52-35-2 count, earning an unconventional split of last year's home-and-home with a 36-22 loss at Texas Stadium in Week 7 and a 23-20 victory when they visited the Meadowlands in Week 13.

The teams also split in 2005, with Dallas winning a 16-13 overtime decision when the teams met in Week 6 in Big D and New York returning the favor with a 17-10 victory at Giants Stadium in Week 13.

Coughlin has a 5-4 record against Dallas as a head coach, including 4-2 since arriving in New York in 2004. Phillips is 0-1 against the Giants in his career as a head coach, with that defeat coming for his Bills team in 1999. Phillips is 1-0 against Coughlin head-to-head, as his Bills scored a win over Coughlin's Jaguars during the 1998 campaign.

WHEN THE GIANTS HAVE THE BALL

Barber's departure puts even more weight on the shoulders of Manning (3244 passing yards, 24 TD, 18 INT in '06), who already has to deal with the constant comparisons to his superstar brother Peyton as well as the lofty expectations bestowed on a quarterback taken with the top overall pick in a draft. The 26-year-old had an excellent preseason, however, and may finally be ready to break through after three inconsistent years to begin his pro career. Manning's top two targets, wide receiver Plaxico Burress (63 receptions, 10 TD) and boisterous tight end Jeremy Shockey (66 receptions, 7 TD), are back, and veteran wideout Amani Toomer (32 receptions, 3 TD) -- probably the most reliable of the bunch -- returns from an ACL tear which cost the 33-year-old half of last season. Needed depth to the receiving corps was added with the selection of USC's Steve Smith in the second round of April's draft.

The challenging task of filling Barber's shoes will fall primarily to third- year pro Brandon Jacobs (423 rushing yards, 9 TD, 11 receptions), who has shown flashes of being a top-flight back but is yet to show he can handle an every-down role. New York also added a more proven commodity in Reuben Droughns (758 rushing yards, 4 TD, 27 receptions), a former 1,000-yard rusher with Denver and Cleveland, via an offseason trade. Neither player is a particularly accomplished receiver, an area in which Barber excelled during his tenure with Big Blue.

Dallas didn't make a whole lot of personnel changes to a defense which was solid against the run but had some coverage deficiencies last season, with the only notable additions being ex-Seattle free safety Ken Hamlin (96 tackles, 3 INT, 2 sacks) and rookie outside linebacker Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys' first-round draft choice. The newcomer with the greatest impact could be Phillips, whose aggressive 3-4 scheme in San Diego produced a league-best 61 sacks last year. His adjustments should make the defense's two Pro Bowl representatives, outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (71 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 1 INT) and strong safety Roy Williams (62 tackles, 5 INT), even more of a handful for opposing offenses.

The Cowboys will likely be without their best cornerback on Sunday, as Terence Newman (63 tackles, 1 INT) is doubtful to play because of a plantar fascia tear in his right heel. That leaves the seldom-used duo of Jacque Reeves (12 tackles) and Nathan Jones (9 tackles) as the probable starter and nickel back, respectively. Spencer is expected to make his first career start in place of incumbent Greg Ellis (30 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 INT), who's still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered last November.

WHEN THE COWBOYS HAVE THE BALL

Dallas finished fourth in the NFL in scoring (26.6 ppg.) and fifth in both passing yards (239.8 ypg) and total yards (360.8 ppg.) in 2006. Whether the Cowboys can match those strong numbers depends on Romo (2903 passing yards, 19 TD, 13 INT), who was sensational in the first five of his 10 regular-season starts but rather mediocre over the final five weeks. Having Owens (85 receptions, 1180 yards) and his league-high total of 13 receiving scores last year will help matters, while speedy veteran Terry Glenn (70 receptions, 6 TD) is also back after posting his second straight 1,000-yard season. The 33-year- old did undergo knee surgery last month and could be limited in the opener, so No. 3 receiver Patrick Crayton (36 receptions, 4 TD) may have a more prominent role on Sunday.

The Cowboys got good production out of their young running back tandem of Julius Jones (1084 rushing yards, 4 TD) and Marion Barber (654 rushing yards, 23 receptions) a year ago, with Jones amassing his first 1,000-yard season and the versatile Barber racking up 16 total touchdowns as the short-yardage and third-down specialist. The duo will be running behind a quality offensive line that added road-grading guard Leonard Davis through free agency during the offseason.

New York's primary weakness in 2006 was a leaky pass defense that surrendered the fifth-highest yardage total through the air. Some modifications were made to the secondary, as Gibril Wilson (100 tackles, 2 INT) -- the unit's best player -- has been moved from strong safety to free safety, where incumbent starter Will Demps is out for the year with a dislocated elbow, and cornerback Aaron Ross was snared with the team's first-round pick in April. The Giants are hopeful that veteran corner Sam Madison (39 tackles, 2 INT), who's been plagued by a strained hamstring since mid-August, will be able to go on Sunday.

More changes were made to New York's linebacking corps, where ex-Chief Kawika Mitchell (104 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT) was brought in through free agency to start on the weak side and converted defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka (53 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 INT) takes over as the strongside regular. Look for Strahan (38 tackles, 3 sacks) to play a situational role on obvious throwing downs opposite the team's top pass-rush threat, end Osi Umenyiora (31 tackles, 6 sacks).

FANTASY FOCUS

Owens may have been low-key during the offseason, but No. 81 should make plenty of noise when he goes up against New York's questionable secondary on Sunday. Glenn's injury concerns make him a more risky start, but that could raise the fantasy prospects of tight end Jason Witten (64 receptions), who disappointed many owners last year with a one-touchdown season. Romo figures to be a good play as well, but Julius Jones owners will probably again be frustrated by Barber's prowess near the goal line.

The Manning-Burress combo should also put up plenty of points in Week 1, especially considering the weakened state of Dallas' defensive backfield. Shockey, who had a touchdown in both meetings with the Cowboys last year, also appears to be a solid start at tight end. However, stay away from the Giants' defense and kicker Lawrence Tynes, who had a very shaky preseason.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

With the talent each team possesses in the passing game and the concerns from both sides about their secondary situations, look for a high-scoring and entertaining game that should get the Sunday night schedule off to an excellent start. The Giants will show that their offense can survive without Barber, no matter what the vain ex-superstar believes, and that their re- tooled defense is going be a season-long work in progress. Romo will atone for his playoff sins by directing a late scoring drive as Dallas begins the post- Parcells period with a hard-fought divisional win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cowboys 27, Giants 24

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