Who’s going to win the Thanksgiving Day showdown in the NFC East between the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys?
Two top personnel men with knowledge of both teams are going with the Cowboys. One called it 31-21 for the home team. The other sees it a little closer, but still likes Dallas, 24-20.
I have to go with (Tony) Romo and the fact (Dallas) is at home,” one executive whose team has faced both teams, said.
Another long-time, highly-regarded scout agreed.
Dallas’ offense is playing really well and the Eagles defense has some soft spots,” he said. And I’m not a believer in Sanchez.”
One of the men agreed to break down and compare the teams. Here’s a look at the offense.
Dallas’ offense is pretty simple,” he said. They hand the ball to DeMarco (Murray) and they throw it to Dez (Bryant). And they tell you to try to stop it.”
Here’s a position by position breakdown with the executive’s comments.
Quarterback: Tony Romo, Dallas vs. Mark Sanchez, Eagles
Do you have to ask?” he said. That’s easy, Romo.”
Running Back: DeMarco Murray, Dallas vs. LeSean McCoy, Eagles
That’s tougher, real tough actually. But I’ll still take McCoy.”
Wide Receiver 1:Dez Bryant, Dallas vs. Jeremy Maclin, Eaglres
Stop it, Dez might be the best in the league.”
Wide Receiver 2: Terrence Williams, Dallas vs. Riley Cooper, Eagles
Williams. He’s not great, but he’s good. He’s better than Cooper.”
Slot Receiver: Cole Beasley, Dallas vs. Jordan Matthews, Eagles
Matthews is better. He’s better than Cooper, too.”
Tight End: Jason Witten, Dallas vs. Brent Celek, Eagles
You still have to take Witten.”
Left Tackle: Tyron Smith, Dallas vs. Jason Peters, Eagles
Both are very good. I’ll lean towards Peters, slightly.”
Left Guard: Ronald Leary, Dallas vs. Evan Mathis, Eagles
If Mathis is right, I’ll go with Mathis.”
Center: Travis Frederick, Dallas vs. Jason Kelce, Eagles
They’re so different in the way they play. It’s really hard to pick one. Is Kelce healthy? Maybe call it even, or a slight edge to Kelce.”
Right Guard: Zach Martin, Dallas vs. Andrew Gardner, Eagles
Martin. He’s as good as advertised.”
Right Tackle: Doug Free, Dallas vs. Lane Johnson, Eagles
I’m going to go with Free.”
The final tally is Dallas, 6-5.
Tomorrow is a look at the two teams’ defenses.
