Owens, Romo lead Dallas past Cleveland 28-10
Not as many as they landed, though.
Picking apart Cleveland's secondary with ease, Romo passed for 320 yards, Terrell Owens caught a 35-yard touchdown pass and Barber scored on a pair of 1-yard runs as the Cowboys opened a season they expect to end in the Super Bowl by overwhelming the out-of-sync Browns 28-10.
Coming off a 13-win season, which ended with a bitterly disappointing playoff loss at home to the New York Giants, the Cowboys lived up to all their preseason hype with a solid all-around performance. They're the team to beat in the NFC, and after one game, it's hard to argue there's any better.
"We're ready," said Owens, who finished with five catches for 87 yards. "Training camp and all that stuff is over with. The season is here and this was a great start."
With all day to throw, Romo completed 24 of 32 passes as Dallas' offense racked up nearly 500 yards, controlled the clock and strung together four long touchdown drives. The defense held one of the AFC's most potent offenses to 205 yards, and except for some silly penalties, the star-studded Cowboys, whose training camp was profiled on HBO's "Hard Knocks," had a knockout debut.
"I didn't expect to feel this good," he said. "I was worried to death. I thought we could lose this opener."
Jason Witten added six catches for 96 yards and Barber rushed for 80 on 16 carries before leaving in the third quarter holding his ribs. Coach Wade Phillips said he's a "little worried" about Barber's injury but wouldn't speculate on the severity or if the running back will be ready for Philadelphia next Monday.
On top of a strong performance on both sides of the ball, the Cowboys also got their first look at Adam "Pacman" Jones, the cornerback/punt returner/troublemaker, who was recently reinstated after serving a 17-month suspension and played his first game since Dec. 31, 2006, for Tennessee.
Starting at corner for Terence Newman, Jones, who was arrested six times and involved in many more incidents involving police since joining the league, was called for interference in the end zone to set up Cleveland's only TD.
Surrounded by reporters afterward, Jones gushed about his new team.
"It's going to be real hard to beat us. Period. Point blank. We've got a lot of talent," he said. "This is the most talented team I've ever been on."
They've got big-time fans, too. Before the game, LeBron James, Cleveland's NBA superstar and a longtime Dallas fan, hugged both Joneses and Owens.
You can be the first to comment on this story.