Cowboys capture yawner
Cheers from the Qwest Field stands approached levels generally reserved for the NFL’s regular season. The action on the field, coupled with yellow penalty-box lines left over from a recent soccer match, let everyone know this was an exhibition opener.
The Seattle Seahawks never threatened during a 13-3 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys before an announced crowd of 66,304.
The game featured 10 first-half penalties, including four procedural miscues by Seattle, two on each side of the ball.
Seattle entered the game eager to see backup quarterback Seneca Wallace succeed against a talented defense. Instead, the Seahawks watched the Cowboys’ backup, Tony Romo, complete a dozen consecutive passes while leading Dallas to a 10-3 halftime lead.
Wallace completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards. He faced heavy pressure at times, particularly on blitzes, and never settled into a rhythm. Dallas sacked him four times and kept him out of the end zone.
“(Wallace) can play the game,” said Seattle coach Mike Holmgren. “He was one of the few bright spots on offense, to be honest with you.”
Romo, a fourth-year pro from Eastern Illinois with zero regular-season attempts, completed 18 of his first 23 passes for 228 yards, good for 9.9 yards an attempt. He started in place of veteran Drew Bledsoe, who has three more exhibition games to round into form.
Romo’s success didn’t seem to bother Holmgren. Exhibition games feature little game-planning, and Seattle was playing without top defensive players Grant Wistrom, Rocky Bernard, Marcus Tubbs and Michael Boulware.
“There are a lot of guys that are going to be playing that aren’t even dressed,” Holmgren said. “But it gives us a chance to look at this, and we can teach to it.”
The Seahawks opened the game with Matt Hasselbeck under center, Shaun Alexander at running back and Bobby Engram and Nate Burleson at receiver. Engram jumped early on the first play, drawing a false-start penalty. Burleson added a second false start five plays later.
Seattle’s opening drive ended with Cowboys linebacker Greg Ellis dropping Hasselbeck for a 4-yard sack. Officials flagged Seahawks right tackle Sean Locklear for holding on the play. Dallas declined the penalty, clearing the way for one of Seattle’s most impressive plays on a mostly forgettable night.
Rookie Ryan Plackemeier pinned the Cowboys at their 11 with a 41-yard punt. Plackemeier later pinned Dallas at its 4. He also proved valuable as a field-goal holder, putting a low snap into position for kicker Josh Brown to make a 40-yarder.
That field goal made the score 7-3 early in the second quarter.
Wallace took over for Hasselbeck on the Seahawks’ next possession. The offense went three-and-out, with Maurice Morris running for gains of 4, 5 and 0 yards.
Romo, having already supplied Dallas with a 9-yard scoring pass to Patrick Crayton, led a 12-play, 81-yard drive to a 21-yard field goal. The drive featured a 33-yard pass to Crayton despite tight coverage from Seahawks rookie Kelly Jennings.
Mike Vanderjagt’s field goal left Wallace and the Seahawks with 77 yards to cover in 2 minutes. The Seahawks made it to the Dallas 37 on Wallace’s 22-yard strike to Maurice Mann, delivered on third-and-23. The play partially atoned for a 13-yard sack, but the drive – and the half – ended with Brown missing a 55-yard attempt.