Monday, September 20, 2004
The Browns quarterback ended the loss in Dallas with a passer rating of 0.0
COMBINED DISPATCHES
IRVING, Texas -- Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia didn't need a complicated formula to tell him he played the worst game of his career.
Vinny Testaverde was only marginally better, also throwing three interceptions. But Testaverde became the second Dallas quarterback to record back-to-back 300-yard games, and the Cowboys (1-1) survived a wild second half that included six turnovers to prevail 19-12 Sunday.
For much of the day, Garcia operated with good field position yet produced no touchdowns. Receivers Quincy Morgan and Andre Davis and tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. were open deep, but combined for just five catches, the longest for 16 yards. Twice the Browns drove inside the Cowboys 20 and had to settle for field goals.
The score may have lied, but the rest of the numbers didn't. Garcia finished with a passer rating of 0.0 -- a rare feat in the NFL.
"I didn't play like I'm capable of playing," Garcia said. "We seemed to take a step backward instead of step forward. You're going to have those days unfortunately, but I don't want to have many of them. I'm going to do everything within my power to make sure this offense gets back on track next week."
Bad day
Facing a blitzing Cowboys defense, Garcia completed 8-of-27 for 71 yards with one sack. He nearly ran for half as many yards (34 on four carries) as he totaled through the air.
"I know he was under an awful lot of pressure," Browns coach Butch Davis said of Garcia. "Every time he dropped back, he was scrambling. Some of the throws we were asking him to make early in the game were very low-percentage throws."
The Browns had just 202 total yards, all their points coming from Dawson, who extended his league-best streak to 16 in a row.
"We just didn't manufacture enough offensively," Davis said. "We settled for field goals and that's going to haunt us."
What could really hurt are injuries to five starters: rookie tight end Kellen Winslow; defensive end Courtney Brown, defensive tackles Gerard Warren and Orpheus Roye and offensive tackle Ryan Tucker.
The Browns' Web site reported the team feared Winslow broke his leg. Warren aggravated a pectoral muscle injury from last week. Tucker wouldn't comment on his injury and Roye hobbled off the field in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed ailment.
Brown, the No. 1 overall pick in 2000 who missed the end of the last two seasons before of injuries, sprained his left foot in the first quarter.
Dallas overcame interceptions by Testaverde on three straight possessions in the final 16 minutes, plus penalties and other missed opportunities.
Testaverde became the NFL's first 40-year-old quarterback with consecutive 300-yard passing games, going 23-of-35 for 322 yards and a TD.
In addition to the interceptions by Testaverde, the Cowboys were beset by penalties (11 for 120 yards) such as unsportsmanlike conduct on Keyshawn Johnson for kneeing a defender, roughing the passer, pass interference and an out-of-bounds kickoff.
Dallas scored just two touchdowns and a field goal despite getting to at least the Cleveland 43-yard line on 10 of its 11 drives and piling up 441 yards, the most since 1999. Other chances were squandered by the interceptions, a fumble by rookie Julius Jones and a missed field goal.