ARLINGTON, Texas -- The five interceptions go on Tony Romo's line in the box score.
The blame for the first two should fall on the shoulders of the intended receivers.
Kevin Ogletree accepted total responsibility for the ball intended to him that was intercepted. Dez Bryant offered a wishy-washy explanation where he credited the cornerback for a pick-six that happened because of a mental bust.
Romo’s first interception, which Charles Tillman returned for a touchdown, occurred when Romo threw a stop route and Bryant kept going up the sideline. Romo and Bryant had a conversation on the sideline immediately afterward that appeared to be an X’s and O’s lesson for the third-year receiver, but Bryant stopped short of accepting blame for the miscommunication.
“It was just the guy made a good play on the ball,” Bryant said. “He kind of disguised what he was doing. What was called, if I was pressed, I was supposed to run deep. If he was off, I was supposed to run the stop route. He pressed and then he kind of bailed and stopped. I just felt like he made a good play on the ball.”
Ogletree, on the other hand, cut straight to the chase when asked about Romo’s second interception.
Safety Major Wright came up with the rebound after the ball ricocheted off Ogletree, who ran a slant in the red zone.
“I’m really disappointed we didn’t get some points out of that drive,” Ogletree said, “and I’m to blame for that.”
It was the first time this season that Ogletree let Romo down. As far as Ogletree is concerned, that’s one time too many, even with cornerback Tim Jennings making contact soon after the ball arrived.
“It was a bang-bang play,” Ogletree said. “But at the end of the day, that’s what we get paid to do, make those plays. And it didn’t happen.”