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ARLINGTON — Last Monday, linebacker DeMarcus Ware became the Dallas Cowboys’ $78 million man, signing the richest contract in history for a player who isn’t a quarterback.
But, for Ware, that hasn’t added any pressure.“My job is a brain crusher,” Ware said with a smirk. “So there’s not any pressure on me. [The contract] really just locks me in and I just have to keep playing the game knowing that I’m probably a Cowboy for life now. But there’s no pressure.”Well, there shouldn’t have been any pressure, especially going against Seattle. Ware, after all, had three sacks in his last game against the Seahawks and that was when All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones was healthy. Seattle trotted out its fifth option at left tackle Sunday, journeyman Damion McIntosh. Ware, though, wasn’t able to take advantage it. The Seahawks, rather smartly, tried to avoid plays that relied on McIntosh.“With a right-handed quarterback, they generally roll out that way,” Ware said. “If Wallace was in there, I think he might’ve gone to his left a little more.”Ware eventually broke through on the final play of the third quarter, sacking Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for a 7-yard loss. Ware finished with two tackles.Sack for CarpenterIt’s been a long time since linebacker Bobby Carpenter wrestled a quarterback to the ground. Thirty-seven games long, in fact, since Carpenter had 1.5 sacks against Atlanta on Dec. 16, 2006.But, with less than five minutes left in the first half, Carpenter sacked Hasselbeck for a 6-yard loss. That sack set up the Cowboys’ scoring drive at the end of halftime.“It’s been a while,” Carpenter said. “It felt good. Hopefully, there’ll be more of them this season. Hopefully, it’s the turning point and goes well the rest of the season.”Hurd scoresWide receiver Sam Hurd caught his first touchdown pass since 2007. His touchdown covered 36 yards and included a tight-rope down the sideline through three defenders in the final 5 yards. It was his only reception in the game."I just thank God for putting me in there. Every chance I get, it's not just about special teams or offense; it's about contributing to the team so that's what I'm going to do," Hurd said. "So every chance I get, I'm going hard."He also had three assisted tackles on special teams.Receptions by committeeTony Romo completed 21 passes to 10 different receivers. Sam Hurd, Miles Austin and Roy Williams had touchdown grabs. Rookie Kevin Ogletree had his first career reception."We all contribute and we give you everything we have," Hurd said. "It doesn't matter about one play, we're not selfish. We're hungry."Tight ends Martellus Bennett and John Phillips were also among the group with receptions."Nobody is complaining about getting catches," Bennett said. "Four receivers scored a touchdown (including Patrick Crayton on a punt return) today so you never know who is going to do what."Fewer flagsThe Cowboys had five accepted penalties for 43 yards. That's a significant improvement from the previous three games, when the Cowboys were flagged a combined 30 times, with many being pre-snap violations on both sides of the ball."Yes, how about that? Everybody was pointing at us, and it was them (jumping offsides) two times in a row," coach Wade Phillips said. "We've worked hard at that and we did cut down on penalties in the first four games and then we had some games where we didn't do so well. But I thought we did a lot better in this game."BrieflyTony Romo didn’t throw an interception for the third consecutive game, the longest streak in his career. He has 120 pass attempts since his last interception.The roof was not opened for “fan comfort,” Cowboys officials said. The weather will dictate whether the roof is opened on a week-to-week basis. The end zone panels were open, however.Orlando Scandrick had his first fumble recovery.Jason Witten's 4 receptions give him 466 for his career for ninth on the NFL's all-time list for tight ends. He is 14 behind Jackie Smith.
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