Back in the halcyon days of television, there was a show called "The A-Team." The ragtag group of ex-soldiers would get hired to help out some damsel in distress and they'd usually come up with a fairly convoluted plan to beat the bad guys. When said plan worked, Hannibal Smith, the group's leader, would chomp on a cigar and say "I love it when a plan comes together!"
I have the same image of Jerry Jones after Saturday night's win against the Saints because the victory was a result of the schematics that Double J was pushing all offseason.
He said that the team didn't need a T.O.-style elite diva receiver because the strength of the passing game would be about the quantity of talent at Tony Romo's disposal. Nine different receivers caught passes on Saturday night, and decidedly non-household names like John Phillips and Kevin Ogletree made big plays to help keep the chains moving. Meanwhile, the ground game was going to be a power and speed combo of Marion Barber and Felix Jones. Those two combined for 120 yards on 31 carries on Saturday.
Double J said that Romo's struggles in big spots were overblown and that he'd play more intelligently this season without losing his athleticism. The breadth of the passing attack was remarkable, he avoided interceptions for the fourth-straight game and kept plays alive with his feet on more than one occasion. Unless Romo totally melts down against the Redskins and Eagles, it's time to stop the meme that he can't get the job done in December.
The list keeps going. Greg Ellis was sent packing, but Jones and his cronies said that Anthony Spencer would do his job just as well. As bad as that decision looked for much of the season, it looked like a masterstroke as Spencer pressured Brees all over the Superdome. All over the field, players the Cowboys made big bets on during the spring and summer -- Mike Jenkins, Miles Austin and Keith Brooking, to name three -- made good on that faith in a gigantic victory.
Things looked awfully bleak and there's still some rough water ahead, but right now the Cowboys can be very happy with the way their plan came together.
