Cowboys Deserve to Feel Heat After Lackluster Opening Effort

LANDOVER, Md. -- It is a good thing there are 15 more games to play, at least 15 more chances for the Dallas Cowboys to rid the taste of this salty opener. It was as bad as it looked and it felt as painful as the expressions the Cowboys wore afterward. The Redskins embarrassed them, 13-7, before the biggest opening crowd ever at FedExField and with millions more watching at home on TV.

Cowboys fans watching were, no doubt, aghast.

Let the rips begin. Nobody can do it like Cowboys fans:

FIRE COACH WADE PHILLIPS NOW! DUMP OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JASON GARRETT, TOO! AND CAN WE PLEASE SWAP THIS ENTIRE OFFENSIVE LINE!

Jerry Jones, the Dallas owner, knows what is coming.

This is the season the Cowboys plan to march into the Super Bowl and be the first team to play it in its home stadium. This is the year the Cowboys planned to cash in big on their investments in quarterback Tony Romo.

But after a scoreless, listless Dallas first half here before 90,670 fans, and enough mistakes sprinkled throughout the entire game to color it comical, a loss to division rival Washington and to a coach -- Mike Shanahan -- in his first game implementing his initial plan, well, the Cowboys were full of remorse.

They had that look of humiliation.

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"I hate this for our fans," Jones said, starting right there, knowing that is where the heat will reside on Tuesday morning and all week until the Cowboys try it again and play the Bears next Sunday in Cowboys Stadium. "We know the road to success has a lot of ups and downs. But I am surprised."

Surprised because he thought his team would win this game. Should win this game. Expected to win this game. His team had been in the preseason Super Bowl discussion. The Redskins are a team that was 4-12 a year ago, shooting its way out of darkness with Shanahan.

"Very disappointed. A lot of mistakes. We've got to do better."
-- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones Jones was surprised his team scored only 7 points. Surprised at the dumb mistakes the Cowboys made, including on the final play of each half. The one ending the first half, where the Cowboys refused to run out the clock and ran a pass play that ended in a 32-yard fumble return and score by Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall. The one that ended the game was a 13-yard touchdown pass from Romo to Roy Williams that wasn't -- holding, tackle Alex Barron, game over.

You could pick any number of Dallas miscues in-between.

"Very disappointed," Jones said. "A lot of mistakes. We've got to do better."

Phillips followed: "That was my fault before the half. We should have taken a knee. The right thing to do is go in down 3-0."

That blunder made it 10-0.

And the Redskins offense did just enough to move it and manage a field goal in the second half. Meanwhile, the Redskins defense did just enough to allow just a touchdown in the third quarter and no points in the final quarter to make Shanahan's debut a success.

There's nothing like the first one.

For a new coach, looking for that first victory. For a returning coach, looking for that first step to a championship season.

"Coach told us we would have to stay focused and we will make progress and correct the mistakes," Cowboys rookie receiver Dez Bryant said.

All of the Cowboys had that look like they know what is coming. The doubt and the ridicule that will come their way. The heat and the pressure that will smother them. All ratcheted despite at least 15 more to play.

The Redskins were happy to supply the fire.

"The approach is you do whatever it takes to win a football game, it's a 60-minute game and we made more plays than them," Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said.

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• Week 1 NFL scoreboard | NFL Photos One of those plays was cornerback Phillip Buchanon's saving tackle on receiver Miles Austin running free during the Cowboys' final drive. The Austin catch was for 30 yards only because Buchanon corralled him from behind at the Washington 13-yard line. The coverage was blown by a teammate, but Buchanon was in tune.

"I saw Romo communicating with Austin before the snap and I saw Romo wave some more, and I knew something wasn't right," Buchanon said. "So, I kept my eye on that and then reacted when Austin caught it and was running right up the middle and through the middle of our defense. All I saw was him and with end zone in front of him. I knew I could catch him."

He did.

So, maybe the Redskins will be more defense than offense in this first season of Shanahan. Maybe the Cowboys must borrow that page and let their defense do more and their team look to cover more for each other.

"We had a great week of preparation for Dallas and before that, after our last preseason game, our defense met on its own a few times to really get a head start," said Redskins safety LaRon Landry, who produced a game-high 17 tackles.

"We were very prepared. It showed," Landry added. "We were aggressive and we were confident. We are not at all surprised. We don't want to hear that."

Just like the Cowboys after this slop.

Earplugs, anyone?