Some Cleveland Browns players are still puzzled about Pats LB Mike Vrabel.
They claim that, with only seconds left in their game this past Sunday and their QB spiking the ball to stop the clock, Vrabel dove at the legs of rookie O-lineman Joe Thomas of Cleveland.
"Guys are motivated out there and the adrenaline's pumping and sometimes you don't hear the whistle," said Browns WR and kick returner Joshua Cribbs, who also said the Patriots are known for good sportsmanship, in an article on The Sports Network.
But not all the Browns were as willing to give Vrabel the benefit of the doubt, as you'll see in the story.
But enough about last weekend's game. The Patriots have a battle of undefeated "America's Teams" to deal with this Sunday when the travel to Dallas.
Despite coming off a half-dozen-turnover performance Monday night against Buffalo, Cowboys QB Tony Romo continues to draw favorable comparisons to New England's signal caller, Tom Brady.
I'm always thinking we're going to go out and score on the next drive," Romo said after his multi-miscue Monday-nighter. "You don't have to worry about that with me, that's for sure.
"My confidence doesn't waver," he continued in an ESPN.com piece. "That's one thing I learned with Bill [Parcells] and everyone else. Wade says it all the time too. You got to keep going."
The Dallas Morning News continues the hype parade in a feature today. Here's a sample:
"For only the fifth time in NFL history, two teams with 5-0 or better records will meet when the Cowboys play New England on Sunday at Texas Stadium.
It promises to be one of the most hyped regular-season games at Texas Stadium in years, with star quarterbacks (Tony Romo, Tom Brady), star receivers (Terrell Owens, Randy Moss) and star owners (Jerry Jones, Robert Kraft).
How big?
The stadium parking lots will open at 9 a.m., and the stadium gates will open at noon, two hours earlier than normal for a 3:15 p.m. kickoff. ESPN will have reporters at Valley Ranch and Foxboro, Mass., all week, having dubbed the game, "Duel in Dallas."
'I don't care what the situation is, we're going to be ready on Sunday,'" Cowboys WR Terrell Owens said Monday. "We are going to play like we've been playing. Nothing is going to change. Nobody's going to come in here and dictate how we play. We'll be ready.'"
QUICK HITS
Pats WR Donte' Stallworth sizes up the Cowboys in a Boston Globe piece.
Brady is compared to his boyhood idol, Joe Montana, in a Boston Herald feature.
A head-to-head analysis of the Patriots and Cowboys in today's Providence Journal.
CBSSportsline.com's NFL Power Rankings have New England, Dallas, and Indy in the top three, but not in that order.
