By Randy Galloway
rgalloway@star-telegram.com
A newcomer named Greg Schiano so shocked the NFL world last week that by Monday even the locker room at Valley Ranch was abuzz with talk of "victory formation."
Excuse my amusement, but isn't it a lengthy stretch for a Cowboys team that had just been physically ying-yang stuffed in Seattle to be concerned in the least with this particular topic?
First things first for the Cowboys. Earn the right today to line up in the victory formation, and then, depending on the circumstances, be prepared for what Schiano might do next.
He's a guy who came out of the college coaching ranks (Rutgers), took over at Tampa Bay and brings a revived Bucs team into the Big Yard today for the Cowboys' home opener.
Last week in the Meadowlands, with the Giants having rallied late to hold a seven-point lead, quarterback Eli Manning was taking the customary knee to run off the final seconds. Except Schiano had the Bucs' defensive front fire off at the snap, knocking Eli on his can.
It's almost an unheard of move in the NFL, but that doesn't make it wrong. Tom Coughlin, the NY coach, went into a hissy fit after the game, but a midfield confrontation with Mr. Tom didn't seem to faze Schiano.
Good for Greg. To each his own on how to handle that situation, and by him going against the NFL's customary defensive courtesy, so be it.
Last week, the around-the-league debate over Schiano almost equaled the ongoing blasting of replacement officials.
Just a guess, however, but I'd bet Schiano was much more interested in the Cowboys' game film from Seattle than what any established NFL coach or player thought of his victory formation tactic.
The Cowboys were physically punk-slapped in Seattle, meaning the game film was like shark chum for the next opponent. No, Tampa Bay does not have Seattle's defense, but the Bucs are very physical up front with question marks in the secondary.
Last week, the onus was on Tony Romo and the receivers to move the ball upstairs. A failure happened. This week, it's the same offensive onus. Last week, the Cowboys' defense was expected to limit a rookie quarterback and stop the run. A failure happened in both areas.
The shock, of course, was the Cowboys being physically beaten down by the Seahawks. Obviously, Tampa will attempt to exploit that same weakness today.
On the flip side, however, there is every reason to believe the Cowboys will be in an emotional frenzy.
Coming off the Seattle game, there's been a week of massive abuse aimed at this team from media and fans. The team's collective manhood was questioned repeatedly.
Expected denials were heard at Valley Ranch about the team being manhandled, but no player or coach could actually believe that. You know what you know, and what you don't know -- nobody can run and hide from the game film.
Hopefully, Jason Garrett had that game film running on a continuous loop all week at Valley Ranch.
Garrett wasn't exactly dodging the perception issue for his team following what happened last week, even without publicly buying into the "Soft in Seattle" insult.
"I think you know it when you see it," he said. "I think it shows up and I think it's very identifiable when you see it, and I think it's very identifiable when you don't, as well. We want a team that likes to hit, attack and compete."
Seattle, of course, was either none or very little of that. In the second half up there, it was none.
Embarrassment, particularly when it comes to the local "they were manhandled" criticism, should serve as a powerful motivator. If not, this season is already over before it started.
Based on the opening win against the Giants, when the Cowboys were clearly the aggressor, there's no reason to believe pride won't surface and won't be a positive factor today.
After the praise and the attaboy butt-pats flowed for 11 days following the win over the Giants, the Cowboys responded like wimps in Seattle. This past week, insults and name-calling have dogged the Cowboys, and with justification.
Greg Schiano has already displayed he doesn't play by normal NFL protocol. It's time today for the Cowboys to prove there wasn't anything normal about the disgusting display in Seattle.
Randy Galloway can be heard 3-6 p.m. weekdays on Galloway & Co. on ESPN/103.3 FM.Randy Galloway, 817-390-7697
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