Cowboys OT Tyron Smith Fined $15,750 For Touchdown-Saving Horse-Collar

Offensive tackle Tyron Smith has been fined $15,750 by the NFL for his horse-collar tackle on linebacker Michael Boley in the Dallas Cowboys' Week 1 24-17 win over the New York Giants, according to Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill on Twitter.

Boley intercepted a Tony Romo pass in the second quarter and was headed for a pick-six before Smith brought him to the ground after a return of 51 yards. The Giants couldn't punch it in from the 2 after the penalty and settled for a field goal for an early 3-0 lead. So the tackle, while financially costly, saved the Cowboys from an early touchdown deficit.

Indeed, as Smith told ESPN's Dan Graziano, the illegal tackle was worth it. And two years into a contract worth over $12 million, the rare chance for an offensive lineman to make such a crucial tackle was probably worth the money.

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NFL Week 1 Picks

JP Starkey is back with his weekly NFL picks -- and this year, it's against the spread.

Cowboys Vs. Giants 2012: DeMarco Murray's Big Night

In a 24-17 win over the New York Giants, it was Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo that dished out all the scoring on Wednesday night. That doesn't take away from the performance of second-year running back DeMarco Murray, though, who pounded out 131 yards on 20 carries.

Jonathan Tjarks, SB Nation Dallas's managing editor, wrote on RealGM Football that had it not been for Murray's performance, Romo wouldn't have been nearly as effective:

"When the New York defensive ends went outside of their rush lanes, Dallas gashed them with Murray running off-tackle. It's no coincidence Romo had only his third career game with 300 yards passing, a 75%+ completion percentage and three TD's on Wednesday. With a dynamic rushing game to alleviate some of the offensive burden, he may be on the way to having his best season in the NFL yet."

Now that Murray is a vital part of the Cowboys offense, the question for the season will be whether or not Murray will be able to stay healthy and keep contributing. Injury concerns caused Murray to drop in the draft, and an ankle injury ended his rookie season early in 2012. That question of injury could create a difficult situation for the Cowboys coaching staff, says Tjarks:

"Jason Garrett and the rest of the Cowboys coaching staff will have to find ways to limit his snaps going forward. The problem is that he's such a complete back (power, speed, vision, pass-catching and pass-blocking ability) that it's very hard to justify taking him out of the game. And with such a slim difference between winning and losing in the NFL, having your best running back off the field for even one series can be enormous."

Following the Wednesday night victory, the Cowboys will have a long break before their Week 2 matchup against the Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 16 in Seattle, WA.

For more on the Cowboys, head over to Blogging The Boys, and for all things Giants, be sure to check out Big Blue View.

The Giants Are Better, But Is It Enough?

New York has more talent than in 2011, but that's no guarantee they'll be able to recapture their late-season magic in 2012.

Jason Witten Plays With Lacerated Spleen

A mere lacerated spleen didn't prevent Jason Witten from playing in the Dallas Cowboys' 24-17 win over the New York Giants Wednesday night.

The five-time All-Pro tight end caught two passes for 10 yards in the win, just 23 days after sustaining the injury in a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. If he was in pain Wednesday night, he wasn't saying so after the game. He sounded more excited than injured.

"I tried to keep my composure pretty good," Witten said when he found out he was cleared, "but I was like a kid on Christmas Day, to say the least."

Witten wasn't cleared until Wednesday before the game. He wore an extra pad for protection and played in all but one offensive series while also lining up on special teams.

For more on the Cowboys, head over to Blogging The Boys, and for all things Giants, be sure to check out Big Blue View.

Cowboys Vs. Giants 2012: DeMarcus Ware Reaches 100 Sacks

Just a game into the 2012 NFL season, it didn't take Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware long to snare his 100th career sack during the Cowboys' 24-17 win over the New York Giants on Wednesday night.

On the first play of the second quarter, Ware wrangled Eli Manning to the MetLife Stadium turf for a 15-yard loss. In doing so, he became the 28th player in league history to record 100 sacks in a career.

Ware's 100 quarterback takedowns took 113 games to accomplish, the second-fastest ever behind only Hall of Famer Reggie White, who hit the century mark in a mere 96 games.

Following the game, Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr summed up his teammate's almost unparalleled talent in making quarterbacks as uncomfortable as possible (via a report by Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News):

"He has an incredible ability to get after the quarterback," Carr said. "The best I've seen since I've started playing football."

For more on the Cowboys, head over to Blogging The Boys, and for all things Giants, be sure to check out Big Blue View.

Cowboys Vs. Giants: Kevin Ogletree's Big Night

Dallas Cowboys' wide receiver Kevin Ogletree had never caught more than three passes in a game in three NFL seasons of work. That changed Wednesday, as the native of Queens, N.Y., lit up his hometown New York Giants and propelled the Cowboys to a 24-17 victory on opening night in the NFL.

Ogletree had a career-high eight receptions for 114 yards and two touchdown catches, which also doubled as his first two scores in the NFL. He was often quarterback Tony Romo's primary target throughout the contest, scoring his second touchdown, a 40-yard strike, on the opening possession of the second half after notching the first touchdown of the NFL season in the second quarter, a 10-yard find from Romo after Ogletree had slipped behind the Giants' secondary.

It was also Ogletree's 13-yard reception on 3rd and 10 late in the fourth quarter that sealed the win for the Cowboys, as they were able to run out the clock after the crucial conversion.

For more on the Cowboys, head over to Blogging The Boys, and for all things Giants, be sure to check out Big Blue View.

Cowboys Vs. Giants 2012: Reaction From Dallas' Season-Opening Victory

The Dallas Cowboys backed up their owner’s bravado by going into New York and beating the defending Super Bowl champions 24-17 in the 2012 NFL season opener Wednesday night. Cowboys SB Nation blog Blogging The Boys is rife with reaction on the game Thursday morning.

KD Drummond writes that the win completely flips the script for the two teams, ruining any sort of coronation for the defending champs while at the same time raising expectations for the Cowboys:

"The defending Super Bowl champions had won all eight games on the NFL's new Opening Night gimmick, they said. Defending champions had won their last 11 games, they said. The division rivalry had turned into a one-sided affair in recent years, they said. Well, these 2012 Dallas Cowboys weren't listening, not even a little bit."

Meanwhile, user One.Cool.Customer trolls the other team blogs to gather reaction from around the league on the Cowboys' big night. And for any fans looking for some good old-fashioned homerism, there's a dedicated celebration thread:

All hail Kevin Ogletree! The Dallas Cowboys start the season right with an upset win over their hated rival, the New York Giants. Yes, an awesome first step.

For more commentary on the Cowboys, visit Blogging The Boys. Check out the SB Nation NFL hub for more NFL news and notes, and the YouTube channel for NFL videos:

Cowboys Vs. Giants 2012: Can We Overreact Yet?

A look at some of the highlights and key points from the Cowboys 24-17 defeat of the Giants on Wednesday night. (The answer to the question, of course, is yes).

Bill Simmons Picked The Giants

Cowboys Spoil Giant Coronation, Win 24-17

On Wednesday night, the Cowboys took on the defending Super Bowl champions, as well all of the naysayers, yet emerged victorious. Here's how.

Cowboys Vs. Giants Final Score: Dallas Wins Season Opener, 24-17

The Cowboys went on the road in their 2012 season opener and defeated their division rival and defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants on Wednesday night, 24-17.

Dallas took a 7-3 lead with just over a minute to go in the first half. But in the third quarter, the Cowboys and Giants traded touchdowns, setting up the scene for a dramatic fourth quarter led by quarterbacks Tony Romo and Eli Manning.

Romo was brilliant, completing 22 of his 29 pass attempts for 307 yards and a 129.5 passer rating. Manning had a rough night with his marquee receivers, particularly Victor Cruz, dropping passes. The Super Bowl MVP completed just 21 of his 32 pass attempts for a 94.9 passer rating.

Cowboys wide receiver Kevin Ogletree was the star of this game, with the team having uncertainty at the wide receiver because of Miles Austin's and Dez Bryant's health issues. Ogletree caught eight balls for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant and Miles had four catches apiece — 85 yards for Bryant and 73 for Austin (one of which included a touchdown).

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to visit Blogging The Boys and head to Big Blue Viewfor more on the Giants. For additional pro football coverage, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Phil Costa Injury: Cowboys Center Exits In 1st Quarter

Dallas Cowboys starting center Phil Costa left the season opener against the New York Giants on Wednesday night with an injury before completing even a quarter of action. He departed with a back injury midway through the first quarter, giving way to Ryan Cook.

Costa, the third-year pro out of the University of Maryland, seems to have re-aggravated a prior back injury. He played in just four games as a rookie in 2010, but in 2011 he started all 16 Cowboys contests. There has been no further word when the 6'3, 313-pound center is expected to return.

Cook, his replacement, is a seventh-year lineman from the University of New Mexico. After being a full-time starter for the Minnesota Vikings in his second and third seasons, the 6'6, 325-pound Cook has since been a backup in Minnesota and last year with the Miami Dolphins. The Cowboys just acquired him a week ago.

For more commentary on the Cowboys, visit Blogging The Boys. Check out the SB Nation NFL hub for more NFL news and notes, and the YouTube channel for NFL videos:

Cowboys Vs. Giants Score: Dallas Leads At Halftime, 7-3

The Dallas Cowboys lead the New York Giants 7-3 at halftime of the 2012 NFL season opener between the two NFC East rivals. With less than two minutes to go in the first half, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo scrambled out of the pocket as the Giants' defensive front pressured Dallas' offensive line, and found wide receiver Kevin Ogletree for a 10-yard touchdown score to give the Cowboys their first lead of the game.

After a scoreless first quarter, the Giants got on the board first with a 22-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes. Later in the quarter, it took the Cowboys offense seven plays to go 73 yards in 2:33 for the touchdown.

It's worth noting that Romo was sacked on the second play from scrimmage and he did throw an interception.

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to visit Blogging The Boys and head to Big Blue View for more on the Giants. For additional pro football coverage, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

NFL Week 1: New York Giants Inactives

The New York Giants announced their inactives for their Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday night.

Highly touted cornerback Prince Amukamara, as expected, is inactive for Wednesday night's contest. Amukamara is dealing with a high ankle sprain, and is aiming to return in Week 2.

James Brewer, Marvin Austin, Jerrel Jernigan, Da'Rel Scott, Adewale Ojomo, and Mitch Petrus are also inactive for the defending Super Bowl champions.

Dallas' inactives were announced earlier on Wednesday, and surprisingly, Jason Witten is active. Witten was listed as doubtful with a lacerated spleen that he suffered in Week 1 of the preseason. Witten, though, did return to practice on Saturday, Sept. 1, and has been given medical clearance to play against the Giants.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, and televised coverage can be found on NBC.

For the latest on all things Cowboys, be sure to check out Blogging the Boys and join the discussion.

Week 1 Inactives: Jason Witten Active For Cowboys Vs. Giants

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten is active on Wednesday night, as the Cowboys take on the New York Giants to kick off the NFL season.

Despite being listed as doubtful in Dallas' Week 1 injury report, Witten has received medical clearance to play. It's been clear all along that Witten planned to play in the season opener against the Giants, as he told team officials that he was willing to sign a medical waiver that would absolve the Cowboys and their doctors from any liability, should Witten injure his spleen.

Witten lacerated his spleen in Dallas' first preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. Witten returned to Cowboys practice on Saturday, Sept. 1, for the first time since suffering the injury.

Per Calvin Watkins, Dallas' inactives in the season opener are Mike Jenkins, Matt Johnson, Danny McCray, Kyle Wilber, David Arkin, Colin Cochart and Jay Ratliff.

For the latest on the Dallas Cowboys, check out Blogging the Boys and join the discussion.

NFL Picks Week 1, Cowboys Vs. Giants: ESPN Taking New York

The 2012 NFL season kicks off tonight in New Jersey, as the Dallas Cowboys head to Giants Stadium to take on the New York Giants -- on the same night the Giants raise their Super Bowl XLVI banner.

As always, NFL analysts, bloggers and fans alike are making their Week 1 picks, and the folks over at ESPN are no different. As you might expect from the Connecticut-based network, the analysts at ESPN favored New York. Not just one of them, though: every single analyst picked the Giants to beat the Cowboys on Wednesday night.

You can check out their picks here, but there's not a lot to see, except for a straight block of Big Blue's logo. ESPN's analysts picking the Giants include Mike Ditka, Adam Schefter, Ron Jaworski, Chris Mortensen, Mike Golic, Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter.

We'll see if Dallas' revamped secondary can stop Eli Manning and New York's offense -- something that propelled New York to a Week 17 victory last year, and ultimately, the NFC East title.

For the latest on the Cowboys, check out Blogging the Boys.

Week 1 NFL Picks: Cowboys Vs. Giants

Nine months after the Dallas Cowboys were embarrassed by the New York Giants 31-14 in the final game of the regular season, America's Team returns to New York City to see if they've learned any lessons.

New York, the defending Super Bowl Champions, is the favorite at -3.5 points. They have a QB with two Super Bowl rings while Dallas has a QB with one playoff win and a pass defense with multiple elite pass-rushers to only one (DeMarcus Ware) on the Cowboys.

But while passing has become the name of the game in the new era of the NFL, winning the line of scrimmage can negate the edge in the air. That's where Dallas has to win this game.

New York hasn't been able to run the ball for several years; Dallas has DeMarco Murray back and healthy. If the Cowboys can get ahead early with the run game, they can shrink the clock and allow Ware to work his magic against a shaky Giants offensive line.

That's the scenario where Dallas wins this game and that's what I'm going to stick with: Dallas 24, New York 20. If you were expecting another prediction, try SB Nation New York.

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to visit Blogging The Boys. And, for additional pro football coverage, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Week 1 NFL Odds: Giants 3.5 Point Favorite Over Cowboys

Wednesday's match between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants is expected to be a tight one between division rivals, despite New York's status as the reigning Super Bowl champion. On game day, that hasn't changed at all as the odds still have the Giants favored by 3.5 points over Dallas, though some betting services have pushed the Giants up to a four point favorite.

Both of those numbers are up from the original opening line, which had the Giants as only a three-point favorite over Dallas at home.

For the latest stats, lines and odds, you can head over to Oddsshark.com's page for the Giants-Cowboys matchup.

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to visit Blogging The Boys and head to Big Blue View for more on the New York Giants. For additional pro football coverage, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

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Jason Witten Injury: Wants To Sign Medical Waiver To Play

Tight end Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys has been on the bubble for Wednesday's game against the New York Giants since he returned to practice following a lacerated spleen injury. According to a tweet by ESPN's Chris Mortensen, he did travel with the team to New York but is having repeated requests to sign a medical waiver turned down by the team:

Jason Witten has persistently offered to sign medical waiver. #Cowboys won't accept it. Made trip, doubtful, "game-time decision." #NFL32

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) September 5, 2012

Witten's status for the first game of the season will likely remain up in the air right up until kickoff against the Giants on Wednesday night.

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to visit Blogging The Boys and head to Big Blue View for more on the New York Giants. For additional pro football coverage, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

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2012 NFL Schedule: Week 1 Opens With Cowboys And Giants

The defending Super Bowl champions host one of their fiercest rivals Wednesday night as Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season is finally upon us.

The Dallas Cowboys travel to New Jersey to face the New York Giants in a rare Wednesday-night opener that was pushed up from the normal Thursday-night start to avoid conflicting with coverage of the Democratic National Convention.

NBC will televise the game nationally, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. Here's the entire Week 1 schedule:

Wednesday, Sept. 5

• Cowboys at Giants, 7:30 p.m., NBC

Sunday , Sept. 9

• Redskins at Saints, noon, FOX
• Falcons at Chiefs, noon, FOX
• Eagles at Browns, noon, FOX
• Rams at Lions, noon, FOX
• Patriots at Titans, noon, CBS
• Dolphins at, Texans, noon, CBS
• Bills at Jets, noon, CBS
• Colts at Bears, noon, CBS
• Jaguars at Vikings, noon, CBS
• Panthers at Buccaneers, 3:25 p.m., FOX
• Seahawks at Cardinals, 3:25 p.m., FOX
• 49ers at Packers, 3:25 p.m., FOX
• Steelers at Broncos, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Monday, Sept. 10

• Bengals at Ravens, 6 p.m., ESPN
• Chargers at Raiders, 9:15 p.m., ESPN

For more on the NFL schedule, visit SI.com.

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to visit Blogging The Boys. And, for additional pro football coverage, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

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Jason Witten Injury: Tight End Will Play Week 2, Status Still Unconfirmed Against Giants

Jason Witten has been out with a lacerated spleen injury since the first preseason game for the Dallas Cowboys, and just returned to practice with the team on Sunday. His status for Wednesday's opener against the New York Giants remains unconfirmed even on game day, but it looks like the star tight end will be available for the Cowboys in Week 2 when they travel to face the Seattle Seahawks.

The Cowboys still have yet to make it clear whether or not Witten will be taking the field against New York, and we may not find out until the game has actually started whether or not the seven-time pro bowler will be playing. His status has been listed as 'doubtful' for several days.

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to visit Blogging The Boys and head to Big Blue View for more on the New York Giants. For additional pro football coverage, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Cowboys Vs. Giants Preview: Keys To The Game

Dallas was knocked out of the playoffs by New York last season, but it should be a much different Cowboys team that takes the field on Wednesday night.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Start/Sit: Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant Are Must Starts

The 2012 NFL season kicks off on Wednesday night, when the Dallas Cowboys head to New Jersey to take on the New York Giants. As such, fantasy football season also officially begins -- even though there's just one game on Wednesday.

Since we don't know a whole lot about what either the Cowboys or Giants will be like this year, you're best off starting all of the major skill players in the game.

Tony Romo is definitely a must-start, despite facing a defense with an excellent pass rush. Romo has top 10 QB potential this year, and if the Cowboys stay healthy, he could be a top five fantasy quarterback.

Wide receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant also need to be started as well. Both have WR1 potential, and at worst, are WR2s on Wednesday night. If you've got two better receivers than either of them, then you'll probably be using your flex play on either Cowboy receiver.

DeMarco Murray is also a must-start.

Jason Witten, meanwhile, can be safely benched for Week 1. Witten has been listed as doubtful for Wednesday night's game.

On the opposite side of things, Eli Manning can safely be started, as can Victor Cruz. Hakeem Nicks is a bit risky, though, with his foot problem. Still, I'd probably start him against the Cowboys, until Dallas' secondary proves that they can stop the pass.

Cowboys Vs. Giants Odds: Dallas A 3.5 Point Underdog

A Super Bowl champion would normally be getting more than -3.5 points in the first week of a season over a team who didn't even make the playoffs, but when the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants play, you can pretty much throw records out the window.

Last year, New York mounted a stunning fourth-quarter comeback on the road to defeat Dallas 37-34 and then closed out the Cowboys' season at home with a dominating 31-14 win.

Dallas spent most of the offseason trying to measure up, as they brought in the top cornerback in free agency (Brandon Carr) as well as the top cornerback in the draft (Morris Claiborne) in order to match up with a Giants passing attack that absolutely exposed the Cowboys secondary a year ago.

The oddsmakers, at least, seem to think some of those moves will make a difference: they have the over/under at 46, which would be a dramatically lower final score than either of the two games in 2011.

For more on the Cowboys, be sure to visit Blogging The Boys. And, for additional pro football coverage, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Cowboys Vs. Giants: Can Dallas' New Corners Stop Eli Manning?

The NFL season opens Wednesday with a prime-time matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and defending Super Bowl champions New York Giants, and no later than that will Giants quarterback Eli Manning put the Cowboys' newly upgraded secondary to the test.