John Smallwood | 'Boys look like beast of the East
DONOVAN McNABB was right when he said the road to the NFC East Division still went through Philadelphia.
Until someone knocked them off the perch, the Eagles were still the reigning division champs.
YONG KIM/Daily News
Tony Romo threw three touchdown passes in pounding of Eagles.
Consider the Birds down for the count.
Last night at Lincoln Financial Field, the Dallas Cowboys rolled through South Philly having extinguished any realistic chance the Eagles had of winning the division for the fifth time in six seasons.
The Cowboys didn't clinch the NFC East last night with their 38-17 thrashing of the Birds, but they assured that the path to the title has shifted from South Philly to either Big D, a swamp in New Jersey or the nation's capital.
More important, Dallas crossed a huge psychological hurdle in its effort to return to NFC dominance.
It might be hard to believe, but the Cowboys had dropped seven of their last eight and 11 of 14 games to the Eagles.
Even more amazing is that Dallas hasn't won an NFC East title since 1998 - the season before Andy Reid came to Philadelphia and began the Eagles' rebuilding program.
"I think it does [become mental]," Dallas linebacker Greg Ellis told reporters earlier in the week. "Maybe not against one particular guy. It seems like a team deal, like, man, we just can't get them."
The Cowboys don't have to worry about that anymore. They didn't just get the Eagles. They took them behind the woodshed and spanked them.
They certainly made McNabb's earlier comments about having to beat the heavyweight champ seem silly. It made Terrell Owens' rebuttal that McNabb was "just wishful thinking" appear dead-on accurate.
This was a knockout from the first snap of the game, when McNabb got hit by Dallas defensive end Marcus Spears and fumbled on the 36-yard line.
Six plays later, Julius Jones scored and the aging heavyweight champ was headed for retirement, leaving the division up for grabs.
Nothing is decided, but the Cowboys (7-1) have the inside track to the East.
They go to the Meadowlands next Sunday for a rematch with the Giants (6-2), whom they beat in the season opener, 45-35, and then host the Washington Redskins (5-3) on Nov. 18.
"We won't deem ourselves anything," Ellis said after the convincing triumph. "Once it's all said and done, whatever place it goes through, that's the place it's going to go through."
Still, you have to like Dallas in this race. The Cowboys look like the most complete team in the conference, not just the division.
The 'Boyz, who are tied with the surprising Green Bay Packers for the best record in the NFC, haven't been 7-1 since 1995, when they last won the Super Bowl.
This was a thorough beat-down of an Eagles team that was supposed to be motivated by the notion of trying to save their season.
"Tonight was the most points that Dallas has scored in Philadelphia since 1971," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said.
"I read it here that this was the biggest game of the year for the Eagles. To come here and win, in a divisional game on the road, is a great start for us."
And in fairness to the Birds, this whipping had nothing to do with a lack of effort or desire.
The Cowboys are simply that much better than the Eagles.
It was easy to distinguish which team is on the rise and which is in free fall.
What's most disheartening if you're an Eagles fans is that while your team is headed for a major rebuilding project, the hated Cowboys are built to sustain this level of excellence for the near future.
Dallas looks a lot like the Eagles did in 2001, when they rode the momentum of modest playoff appearance into a dominating 4-year run on the division.
In Tony Romo, who completed his first nine passes and finished with 324 passing yards and three touchdowns, the Cowboys have an emerging star at quarterback.
At times last night, Romo's ingenuity in turning negative situations into positive plays was reminiscent of a younger McNabb - one whose mobility and effectiveness hadn't been crippled by injuries.
Everything about the Eagles and Cowboys seems to be moving in opposite directions.
While Reid stays behind the curve by clinging to a neutered system that the entire league has completely figured out, Dallas has built a balanced team designed to succeed in today's NFL.
On defense, the Cowboys are quick and can effectively attack the quarterback without relying wholly on blitzes.
On offense, Romo is not only complemented by a pair of solid running backs in Jones and Marion Barber, who combined 29 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns, but the Cowboys are committed to balanced play-calling.
And saving the best for last, Dallas owner Jerry Jones showed the foresight that Reid and Eagles management wouldn't.
Jones decided that Owens' on-field talent was worth dealing with his off-field antics and has been rewarded with a genuine game-breaking playmaker.
I understand why the Eagles felt they could no longer deal with Owens, who had 10 catches for 174 yards last night, but they have yet to fill the talent void his departure created.
"[Owens is] a heck of a player," Reid said, one the Birds used to have.
Last night at the Linc, the NFC East's past collided with the future, and Philadelphia has officially been knocked out of the picture. *
Send e-mail to smallwj@phillynews.com.
For recent columns, go to http://go.philly.com/smallwood.
