Panther Paw Prints: Cowboys Preview Edition

As you probably expect Panther fans very little of the preview posts on the Panthers vs. Cowboys is positive for the Panthers. We are up against "America's Team" on Monday Night, the all-time winningest team on Monday Night Football. Let's start with some stats curtesy of SBN Cowboys blogger Dave Halprin:

From the Inbox: Cowboys vs. Panthers Edition - Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys are 7-3 vs. Carolina in their history. The Carolina game on October 29, 2006 was the first game Tony Romo started as the Dallas QB. He led us to a 35-14 victory after falling behind right at the start, 14-0. Romo went 24 for 36, 270 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. John Fox is 1-5 lifetime against Dallas. Wade Phillips is 3-0 lifetime against Carolina. The last time we played. 12/22/07: Cowboys 20 at Panthers 13. Dallas wins 13th game, tying most wins in franchise history. QB Tony Romo throws for 1 TD & RB Marion Barber rushes for 110 yards & 1 TD.

History may not be on our side but I have good feelings about this game. More after the jump.

Cowboys QB Tony Romo didn't exactly have a good game in last weeks loss to the Giants (we can relate). He says he will play better this week, or did he?

Panthers-Cowboys Preview - Sep. 23, 2009 - NFL - CBSSports.com Game Preview
"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to play up to the level the rest of the other guys did," Romo said. "I have to get better at the mistakes I made and I will."

Here's to hoping you get better at making mistakes Romo.

It's so cliche to say this is a big game but honestly the prospect of winning on such a big stage could very well provide the needed momentum to get back in the playoff hunt

Season and future is now for Panthers : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis
Carolina is 0-2 and headed into a desperate game against the Cowboys, a game that if the Panthers win they might look back on as one of the most important of the NFL season — maybe ever. That's assuming this isn't headed for some Seifert-ian meltdown and instead to a gutty run to respectability.

It looks Cowboys RB Marion Barber will play after all, at least if its up to him.

Marion Barber says he will play Monday vs Carolina Panthers
Marion Barber writes on his blog tonight that he will play Monday night against the Carolina Panthers at Cowboys Stadium. "It’s always good to have guys that can step in and play well when needed. Felix Jones and Tashard Choice are both really good backs. But my leg feels good and I’ll be good to go next week."

The Cowboys will look to expose the Panthers obvious weakness in covering kicks but no sure if they have the horses to do it:

Scouting report: Carolina Panthers | Dallas Cowboys News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News
Crayton and Newman return punts for the Cowboys, but lately, not very well. Crayton is the primary punt returner but ranks 30th in the NFL with his paltry 3.5-yard average. His long return has been a mere four yards in two tries. Newman was an elite return man in college at Kansas State but has been used primarily as a special-occasion returner for the Cowboys. The 2006 season finale against Detroit was one such special occasion, and Newman ran a punt 56 yards for a touchdown.

Moving on to personnel moves, the Panthers filled out their practice squad:

Darin Gantt's Panthers Blog | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC
The Panthers filled out their practice squad Wednesday by signing former Penn State DE Maurice Evans. Evans went to training camp with the Giants, but was waived in final cuts and then landed in Tampa Bay. The Bucs claimed him off waivers prior to the opener, but cut him last week. Evans was a pass-rushing force for the Nittany Lions (12.5 sacks as a sophomore), but a marijuana-related suspension led him to leave school early.

Strange the Panthers would take a look at a guy with the questionable background so there must be something about this guy they really like. We seem to have plenty of DE's to choose from.

We've lost three straight to these guys and we owe them one big time. Come on Panthers get it together!

Go Panthers!