When Jon Gruden reminisced of calling Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler "Beavis & Butthead" during their time together in Oakland, it might have been the only moment of merit in ESPN's "Monday Night Football" telecast.
It was that rough for the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders, who both struggled mightily on the battered baseball diamond of O.Co Coliseum. The Cowboys ultimately won, 3-0, on the strength of a 31-yard field goal by Dan Bailey in the third quarter.
Some takeaways:
» With Tony Romo on the field, the Cowboys managed one first down in 11 plays. Romo (3-6, 30 yards) never looked comfortable as the Cowboys' offensive line looms as a serious Achilles heel. Raiders defensive tackle Tommy Kelly blew by center David Arkin and left guard Derrick Dockery for a sack of Romo in the second quarter. This is how lungs get punctured, guys.
»Carson Palmer (4-7, 38 yards, INT) brought back memories of his turnover-plagued 2011 season with an ugly interception on Oakland's first possession. Palmer badly telegraphed his throw, allowing free safety Gerald Sensabaugh to slide over and pick off a deep pass intended for Jacoby Ford. The Raiders need their quarterback to do a better job protecting the ball this season.
» Speaking of Ford, the wide receiver had two ugly drops in back-to-back plays on Oakland's second possession. Ford had an opportunity at No. 2 wideout with Denarius Moore out of action. He didn't make the most of it.
» The Raiders' lone bright spot on offense was running back Darren McFadden, who looked like the same guy who led the league in rushing before going down with a foot injury last October. McFadden had two carries for 20 yards and an 18-yard reception during his first-quarter cameo.
» Romo on the Cowboys' sloppy play: "We have no chance in the National Football League if you're going to make the mistakes that we made. I know we're going to go over this as a team and I'm going to stay on these guys and I think we're all going to hold each other accountable and make sure this stuff doesn't happen this year."
» If Romo had his own pull-string doll, that would be its exact quote.
»Terrelle Pryor (8-15, 50 yards, INT) made the first preseason appearance of his career in the second half. The 2011 Sugar Bowl MVP amped up the home crowd with a 9-yard scramble for a first down in the fourth quarter. A later attempt at a last-minute comeback was ... less successful.
»Dez Bryant made a brief cameo in Dallas' first possession, making a leaping 24-yard catch before exiting. He's nursing a hamstring injury.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
