IRVING, Texas - In Week One against Cleveland, Cowboys top draft pick Felix Jones only needed one touch to score his first touchdown.
Monday night against the Eagles at Texas Stadium, he only needed two.
Jones took his second kickoff return of the night 98 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown to put the Cowboys up 14-6 in the first quarter of the club's 41-37 victory over Philadelphia.
"It feels good," Jones said after the game. "It really couldn't get any better than what it is - a Monday Night Football game, and my first one, my first Monday Night game, so it was real big for me."
Jones, who was a two-time All-American kickoff returner at Arkansas, where he ran back four kickoffs for scores, was spectacular on more than just one return. He actually ended up gaining the most single-game kickoff return yards in club history with 247 on six returns. That breaks the previous record of 213 yards, set by Reggie Swinton in the 2002 season.
The electrifying return to give the Cowboys a 14-6 lead also was the Cowboys' first regular-season kickoff return for a score since Randal Williams ran one back against the Eagles in 2003. Cowboys receiver Miles Austin took one to the house in the Cowboys' playoff loss to Seattle two years ago, though.
While many would attribute such return success to Jones' game-breaking talent, Jones said all the credit goes to his teammates on the kickoff return unit.
"Our front line on kickoff return, they did a great job," Jones said. "They created a lot of running lanes for me, and I felt like I could have taken them all back, but things happen."
And while he didn't take them all back, Jones said he and his teammates plan to score off many more kickoffs in the future.
"To break our huddle, we say, 'Take it to the house,'" Jones said. "And we plan on doing that every kickoff return."
Nabbing McNabb
Throughout most of the game, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb might as well have been lathered in Vaseline, because he kept slipping through the fingers of the Cowboys' pass rushers.
Time and time again, the Cowboys would seemingly have McNabb surrounded, but he'd somehow pop out of their grasps and run or throw for positive yardage.
That is, until the final possession of the fourth quarter, when the Cowboys' two sack-happy bookends, linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis, each sacked the Philadelphia quarterback to all but end the Eagles' last drive, giving the Cowboys four sacks in the game.
Even though they eventually had the upper hand, Ware and Ellis raved about McNabb's athleticism.
"I was chasing that guy all day," said an exasperated Ware. "He's probably one of the most elusive quarterbacks I've ever seen in the league, other than (former Falcons quarterback Michael) Vick. He's a great player, and when you can take somebody down like that, it's a big accomplishment."
Ellis said McNabb's fearlessness in the pocket is an even bigger factor than his athleticism when it comes to avoiding the rush.
"When you get on him, he's not going to say, 'OK, well they got me. I'm just going to go down,'" said Ellis, who finished with two sacks. "He stays in there as long as he can and tries to deliver that pass or tries to get out and make something happen with his feet. He's an outstanding football player."
To anyone that doubts McNabb's health or mobility after a few injury-plagued seasons, Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips offers Monday's game as proof to the contrary.
"Donovan McNabb, anybody thinks he's too old or can't play anymore, they're absolutely wrong," Phillips said. "The guy kept them in the game and made great plays."
A Tale Of T.O. Halves
One glance at the statistics for Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens reveals a big night: 89 yards and two touchdowns. What the stat sheet doesn't say, but the stadium announcer did, was those two touchdowns put Owens in sole possession of second place on the NFL's career touchdown list with 132, two ahead of former Viking Cris Carter, but still light years away from Jerry Rice's leading 197.
But he didn't break any records or move up any lists in the second half, where he was held without a reception, with the Eagles making halftime adjustments after getting burned by their former receiver in the first half.
"When we break the huddle, he gets a lot of attention" Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said of Owens. "A lot of times, we design plays where he's the first option, and sometimes they take that away and the quarterback has to move on."
That's OK with Owens though, because all the attention focused on him allows his teammates to get open, especially tight end Jason Witten, who finished with seven catches for 110 yards.
"Jason Witten had a great night," Owens said. "I think they tried to double me a lot, so he was able to have a great game."
Seeing Too Much Yellow
The Cowboys continue to have penalty woes, flagged 10 times for 108 yards, twice as many flags accrued by the Eagles for more than double the yardage.
On several occasions, those infractions either nullified a big Cowboys gain, or prolonged what seemed to be a stalled Eagles drive, something Garrett said needs attention.
"You don't want negative plays, and you don't want plays that take it back, and penalties are certainly things that do that to you," Garrett said. "They just make the down-and-distance situations that much more difficult. You want your team to play aggressively and free, but you don't want to have those penalties. So those are things that we'll continue to try to work on and hopefully clean up."
Ware, who jumped offside once trying to sync his pass rush with the snap count, said many of the penalties are due to the physical nature of the typical Eagles-Cowboys game.
"Just playing aggressive like we play, and they play aggressive the same way, those penalties are going to come," Ware said.
The Cowboys now have been flagged 21 times in the opening two games of the season.
Starting To Feel Comfortable
Though Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman was healthy enough to play a significant amount against the Eagles, fellow corner Adam Jones received his second start of the season. And after not playing a snap of regular season football for almost two years, Jones said he's finally feeling comfortable, although he knows he has room for improvement.
"I'm feeling a whole lot (more) comfortable," Jones said. "Certain sets are giving me trouble, like in that bunch set (where the Eagles receivers lined up in close proximity to each other), I've just got to remember to stay high. (The receiver) jogged off to the safety, and I just let him go."
Jones found himself on the other end of a "letting go" problem as well, and that time he was very alert. When Eagles rookie receiver DeSean Jackson celebrated too early after beating Jones deep, tossing the ball aside before actually entering the end zone, it didn't escape Jones' notice.
"I knew he fumbled right then!" Jones said. "But I was like, 'Damn. Should I get the ball?' because the referee gave the six sign. You didn't see me run at the ball?"
Alas, the referee had basically incorrectly blown the play dead by signaling touchdown before Jones could get the ball, and even after Phillips challenged the play, the Eagles received the ball at the one yard line, scoring a play later on a run by running back Brian Westbrook.
More Nagging Injuries
Although the Cowboys could be without starting strong safety Roy Williams for an extended period of time with a fractured right forearm, the other injuries sustained Monday night were not as serious.
Witten left the game briefly with what trainers said was a separated A.C. joint in his right shoulder, but the All-Pro tight end returned later and finished with the team lead in receptions and receiving yards. A Cowboys trainer said an injury like Witten's is very common, and the Cowboys had four or five crop up in training camp alone, so Witten shouldn't miss any time.
Third-string running back Tashard Choice sprained his wrist while serving on special teams, but fortunately starting running back Marion Barber, who suffered bruised ribs against Cleveland in the season opener, showed no ill effects from the Week One injury, so Choice wasn't needed to run the ball.
Along with Newman returning to the field after missing the season opener were wide receiver Miles Austin and outside linebacker Anthony Spencer.
Short Shots
Monday was the Cowboys' 70th appearance on Monday Night Football, the second most in the NFL behind the Miami Dolphins. It will be the only Monday night game this year for the Cowboys . . . Dallas' win gives the Cowboys 41 wins on MNF, the most in the NFL . . . The Cowboys will close out Texas Stadium with a 17-12 home record for Monday night games . . . The Cowboys won their third straight home opener, the longest such streak since six in a row from 1994-1999 . . . Dallas has started back-to-back seasons with a 2-0 record, the first time to do that since 1994 and 1995 . . . With 11 carries Monday night, running back Marion Barber is the 11th back in team history to reach 500 carries.
- Mark Norris
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