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Jay Ratliff, Terence Newman provide crucial boost to defense
By Mac Engel, Ft. Worth Star-TelegramNovember 21, 2008
The Dallas Cowboys got big efforts out of the usual suspects.
But nose tackle Jay Ratliff deserves a special bow.
Ratliff had two sacks, six tackles, two tackles for losses and three quarterback hurries.
While he was wrecking the interior, Terence Newman was taking over the secondary.
Newman was charged with blanketing Redskins receiver and No. 1 Cowboy killer Santana Moss, and came up with a crucial interception and pass breakup.
And with the Cowboys leading by four points with just over 6 minutes left in the game, there was Newman batting away a crucial fourth-down pass intended for Moss.
The last time Moss played the Cowboys, on Sept. 28, he was abusing a still-injured Newman with his third consecutive 100-yard receiving game against the Cowboys. Newman elected to have surgery to correct a sports hernia not long after that game.
With Newman healthy after missing every game since then, he was charged with covering Moss on every play. Moss finished the game with five catches for 29 yards.
Newman made arguably the biggest play by the secondary with 8:23 remaining in the third quarter he stepped in front of a Jason Campbell pass for his first interception. It was just the second interception by a Cowboys cornerback, and fourth by the team.
Also returning to the lineup was left guard Kyle Kosier, marking only the second time this season the Cowboys’ intended starting offensive line was intact. Kosier missed the first two games with a bum foot, played in Week 3, and had been out since.
He did have one costly first-half penalty, but overall the line was better than it had been in recent weeks. Tony Romo was not sacked, and the running game averaged 4.2 yards per carry. Running back Marion Barber rushed for 114 yards and one touchdown, and the offensive line took over to help run out the clock to put the game away in the fourth quarter.
But nose tackle Jay Ratliff deserves a special bow.
Ratliff had two sacks, six tackles, two tackles for losses and three quarterback hurries.
While he was wrecking the interior, Terence Newman was taking over the secondary.
Newman was charged with blanketing Redskins receiver and No. 1 Cowboy killer Santana Moss, and came up with a crucial interception and pass breakup.
And with the Cowboys leading by four points with just over 6 minutes left in the game, there was Newman batting away a crucial fourth-down pass intended for Moss.
The last time Moss played the Cowboys, on Sept. 28, he was abusing a still-injured Newman with his third consecutive 100-yard receiving game against the Cowboys. Newman elected to have surgery to correct a sports hernia not long after that game.
With Newman healthy after missing every game since then, he was charged with covering Moss on every play. Moss finished the game with five catches for 29 yards.
Newman made arguably the biggest play by the secondary with 8:23 remaining in the third quarter he stepped in front of a Jason Campbell pass for his first interception. It was just the second interception by a Cowboys cornerback, and fourth by the team.
Also returning to the lineup was left guard Kyle Kosier, marking only the second time this season the Cowboys’ intended starting offensive line was intact. Kosier missed the first two games with a bum foot, played in Week 3, and had been out since.
He did have one costly first-half penalty, but overall the line was better than it had been in recent weeks. Tony Romo was not sacked, and the running game averaged 4.2 yards per carry. Running back Marion Barber rushed for 114 yards and one touchdown, and the offensive line took over to help run out the clock to put the game away in the fourth quarter.