The Journal Times Online - Racine, Wisconsin

BY GERY WOELFEL

Somewhere near Minneapolis Thursday night, Darren Sharper must have been smiling.

Somewhere near Charlotte Thursday night, Mike Wahle must have been sporting a grin as well.

Sharper, the former Packers and current Vikings standout safety, probably saw how Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo shredded the Packers’ secondary. Romo, the pride and joy of Burlington, threw four touchdown passes. It could have been five if Terrell Owens didn’t inexcusably let a pass slip through his hands in the end zone.

As for Wahle, the former Packers and current Panthers standout left guard probably saw how the Cowboys’ defense virtually dominated the Packers offensive line, constantly applying pressure first on Brett Favre and then on his backup Aaron Rodgers.

The Cowboys particularly exposed the Packers’ problem at their left guard position, where things got so ugly that Packers coach Mike McCarthy yanked starter Daryn Colledge in the middle of the second quarter and replaced him with Jason Spitz, who had started at right guard. McCarthy was then forced to insert pedestrian Junior Coston at right guard.

Of course, if you follow the Packers closely, you know they have had problems with their left guard and safety positions ever since Packers GM Ted Thompson decided Messrs. Sharper and Wahle weren’t worth keeping around.

Thompson’s decisions would have made sense if he would have found at least adequate replacements at both positions. But Thompson didn’t — even though he’s now had three drafts and three free agency periods to rectify the problems.

Thompson’s failure to properly address those concerns proved costly in the biggest game of his Packers’ tenure Thursday night. It’ll be interesting if his blunders are even more costly come playoff time.

Some other news and views on the Pack:

- Before the Packers-Cowboys game, Larry McCarren, the former Packers center and current radio broadcaster, didn’t soundly overly impressed with Romo and noted how the Packers could take advantage of Romo’s supposed tendency to throw interceptions. I wonder what McCarren’s opinion of Romo is now.

— Terrell Owens, who not only has been highly productive on the field but a choir boy off it as well this season, said Ray Sherman deserves some of the credit for his success. Sherman is a former Packers assistant coach.

— I read an Associated Press story on the Packers-Cowboys’ game late Thursday night in which Romo was referred to as the "kid’’ That same night, I listened to ESPN broadcaster Steve Young refer to Romo as a "kid.’’ I don’t know about you, but I don’t know any "kid’’ who is 27 years old.

— One game a career does not make. But Aaron Rodgers certainly flashed some encouraging signs of being a solid, if not good pro quarterback. Rodgers threw the ball crisply and made sound decisions.

What Rodgers has to learn, though, is getting rid of the ball quickly. His hesitancy to throw the ball led to a couple of sacks.

— I recall reading in someone’s column last Monday how the Packers would be wise to keep an eye on Cowboys’ backup receiver Patrick Crayton. Crayton, for the record, caught two of Romo’s touchdown passes.

— Mike McCarthy revealed after the game that left cornerback Charles Woodson would have played if it was a playoff game. Well, it wasn’t a playoff game, but it was the closest thing to it.

The game could have huge playoff implications, with Dallas now likely to host the NFC championship game if it would play Green Bay. If I was McCarthy, I would have played Woodson and, if necessary, sat him out in the Packers’ next game against hapless Oakland.

— For the curious, here is the remaining schedule for the Packers and Cowboys:

The Cowboys play at Detroit, at home against Philly, at Carolina and at Washington.

The Packers play at home against Oakland, at St. Louis, at Chicago and at home against Detroit.