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Giants overwhelm Bledsoe, then Romo

Parcells 'ashamed' after quarterbacks, Cowboys falter in 36-22 defeat

Bledsoe sacked
L.m. Otero / AP
Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe is sacked for a loss of six yards by Giants defensive end Michael Strahan in the second quarter.
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updated 5:13 p.m. ET Oct. 24, 2006

IRVING, Texas - Drew Bledsoe stood grim-faced on the sideline, his fingers locked inside the collar of his jersey, a visor pulled over his eyes. The New York Giants already had their way with him — and now they were doing the same to his backup.

After Bledsoe’s sack-filled first half performance ended in an interception, Tony Romo trotted in to start the second, when he was greeted by a standing ovation and chants of his last name.

Then, on his first snap, Romo threw an interception.

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While Romo sparked the offense at times with more mobility than Bledsoe’s ever had, the mistakes he made with his arm overshadowed anything he did with his feet.

Michael Strahan and the Giants finished with six sacks, four interceptions and a 36-22 victory Monday night that leaves them firmly in control of the supposedly tough NFC East.

“I thought after the last few weeks, and the way we rushed the passer, they would’ve protected a little bit more than they did in the first half. I’m glad they didn’t,” said Strahan, who had only one sack coming in.

Eli Manning got New York (4-2) rolling with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress on just the fifth play and rookie Kevin Dockery sealed the victory by returning the final of four interceptions 96 yards for a touchdown with 2:38 left. In between, the Giants made plenty of other big plays while avoiding the mistakes that doomed Dallas (3-3).

Among the highlights were two sacks by Strahan, tying Lawrence Taylor’s club career record; a safety by LaVar Arrington; 114 yards rushing by Tiki Barber and a 3-yard touchdown run by his backup, Brandon Jacobs, which he celebrated with a T.O.-like dance on the Cowboys’ star logo in the end zone.

“I’m ashamed to put a team out there playing like that,” Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said. “They out-everything-ed us. It was a very poor performance.”

Parcells also made sure the Bledsoe-Romo debate lingers for at least a few more days, saying he doesn’t know what he’s going to do, noting that he doesn’t have to decide until Sunday.

“I have to think that over,” Parcells said.

Tension is already thick between the quarterbacks. Romo said he never heard a word from Bledsoe, and the 14-year veteran was the first one off the field, then left the locker room quickly.

It fits his career-long pattern: He wasn’t exactly chummy with Tom Brady after losing his job to him in New England. Then Buffalo traded Bledsoe to Dallas because he believed he should still be a starter, and wasn’t interested in grooming J.P. Losman.

“Whoever is back there, we have to ride with it,” Terrell Owens said.

The Cowboys should’ve known what was coming. New York sacked Michael Vick seven times the previous week.

Bledsoe’s undoing actually was his only turnover, when Sam Madison picked off a potential go-ahead pass into the end zone late in the second quarter.

While Romo avoided pressure and threw some pretty passes, his miscues were too much to overcome. He started with Dallas down only five and rallied them back to within 11, but couldn’t get the job done. He threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Crayton after his third pickoff, but it was too little, too late.

“I don’t feel very good about the situation right now,” Romo said. “I definitely would have liked to have performed better. Hopefully next week that will change.”

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New York should be happy now that it has beaten each division foe — Dallas (3-3), Washington and Philadelphia — and gets to play its next three game at home.

However, the Giants also come away facing two serious injuries: Arrington tore his left Achilles tendon and is likely out for the season, and defensive end Osi Umenyiora missed most of the second half with a strained hip.

Manning was 12-of-26 for 189 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception. Tiki Barber retained his NFL rushing lead by gaining 114 yards on 27 carries, but also had a fumble in the second quarter.

Bledsoe was 7-of-12 for 111 yards. Romo, whose only experience in four NFL season was going 2-for-2 at the end of last week’s lopsided win over Houston, was 14-of-25 for 227 yards with two touchdowns.


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