ARLINGTON, Texas -- The psyche and impressive football will of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck seems as if it's held together by iron and steel. His body? It's simply not as impervious as his mental makeup.
Those cracked ribs, the chronic disc injury in his back, a sore right shoulder and assorted other aches that would put most NFL quarterbacks on the sideline did not make Hasselbeck a spectator in a runaway 38-17 Dallas Cowboys' victory over Seattle on Sunday at Cowboys Stadium.
When Cowboys defensive end Jason Hatcher plowed into Hasselbeck following a short 3rd-down completion to Deion Branch late in the third quarter, the Seahawks' gritty quarterback crumpled to the turf, grabbing his still-damaged ribcage and signaling to the sideline that his right shoulder also was injured.
ARLINGTON, Texas -- A month ago, the Dallas Cowboys were a 2-2 mess; inconsistent on offense, generous on defense and seemingly already out of contention in the cutthroat NFC East following a mistake-filled thrashing by the then-undefeated Broncos in Denver.
Flash forward to Sunday's lopsided 38-17 victory over the battered Seattle Seahawks -- the Cowboys' third consecutive win in their swank $1.2 billion home -- and Dallas' turnaround from bashed to brilliant seems accomplished.
Quarterback Tony Romo completed passes to 10 different receivers, including touchdown throws to the increasingly popular Miles Austin (five catches, 61 yards), as well as to the forgotten Sam Hurd and the once-missing Roy Williams. Romo's performance, where he hit on 21-of-36 passes for 256 yards, capped off the first three-game span without an interception in his seven-year career.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
Tony Romo was 16 years old the last time the Dallas Cowboys won a playoff game -- Dec. 28, 1996 over Minnesota. Since then, a span of 13 seasons, America's Team has gone 0-6 in the postseason and failed to qualify for the playoffs seven times. It's a shocking drought for a franchise with the history, and more obviously, the pride that Dallas does that there has been more recent on-field success. This is a big season in Big D, for Romo, for coach Wade Phillips, for the future of the franchise. But breaking that postseason jinx won't be easy.
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet The ... The team that decided to become more "Romo-friendly".Tony Romo got rid of two divas this offseason. He broke it off with longtime gal Jessica Simpson and the team released wide receiver Terrell Owens. While neither departure is guaranteed to help the Cowboys, getting rid of Owens with no true number one receiver in house will most likely shift the offense back towards a run-first philosophy, which will be quite a change from the 58% pass offense that Dallas utilized in 2008.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
To say the 2008 Dallas Cowboys season was tumultuous wouldn't really be giving credit to the word. The team had suspensions, Jessica Simpsons and the incredible absence of TD-ing. Dallas missed the playoffs after being a favored team going into the season and now has gone through a total redesign.
With Terrell Owens shipped to Buffalo, the passing game will go through Roy Williams, who has never been the player to take control of an offense. Balking on Ray Lewis and sticking with Tony Romo, this crew has a long way to go to be the best in their division, which is the toughest in the NFL. Along with all their obvious holes, the offensive line is a tad thin and the safety position could be improve drastically.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
Last year the Falcons proved what an excellent draft and a couple of free agent signings can do to a previously awful team. First-round picks Matt Ryan and Sam Baker and second-round pick Curtis Lofton all became immediate starters while free agent signee Michael Turner turned into the team's best back since Jamal Anderson was in his prime.
There's less riding on this year's draft than last year's, but Atlanta needs to add depth to what's still a pretty thin roster. There is not nearly as much need for immediate starters this year, but there are still a lot of positions where the Falcons could use a talent upgrade.
The Falcons have been very quiet during free agency. They've watched cornerback Dominque Foxworth leave, cut loose linebacker Keith Brooking and watched Lawyer Milloy head to free agency.
It seemed to me that the Falcons have decided to keep a long-term approach having decided that there weren't many appealing free agents in what was a pretty sparse free agent crop. Now there is another explanation, as ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas theorizes that the Falcons are hamstrung by Michael Vick's still massive contract.
Sensabaugh will be helping a depleted secondary that saw Roy Williams part ways with Dallas and Keith Davis possibly head to Kansas City. This signing gives the Cowboys a younger player that can fit in at both strong safety and free safety, who recorded 82 tackles last season and four interceptions.
The Falcons had no strongside linebacker after Michael Boley opted to sign with the Giants. They had no weakside linebacker after letting Keith Brooking go. Atlanta's breathing a little easier now, though, because, according to NFL.com, it has picked up Mike Peterson, a guy that can fill in at either spot.
Peterson spent the last six years in Jacksonville, though he was banged up in 2006-07 -- playing in just 15 total games -- and served a one-game suspension last season before pulled from the starting defense. Despite all that turmoil last season, he made 84 tackles. From 2002-05, Peterson never missed a game, playing three seasons with the Jags and one with Indianapolis, averaging 123 tackles per year.
The Ravens and Lewis agreed to a multi-year deal that won't be formally set for a couple of weeks, but General Manager Ozzie Newsome said he's happy to see the 10-time Pro Bowler sticking with the purple and black.
[Newsome] wouldn't disclose the length of the deal but said "Ray Lewis can retire as a Raven."
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The psyche and impressive football will of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck seems as if it's held together by iron and steel. His body? It's simply not as impervious as his mental makeup.
ARLINGTON, Texas -- A month ago, the 
Training camps have wrapped up, the 
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all. 
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call 
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call 
The Falcons have been very quiet during free agency. They've watched cornerback 
While the 
The Falcons had no strongside linebacker after 
The Baltimore Sun is reporting that 
