Cowboys vs. 49ers — Fast track at Candlestick Park

Sept. 18, 2011MAIOCCO ARCHIVE
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Matt MaioccoCSNBayArea.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- It's a fast track at Candlestick Park on Sunday, as some of the players are on the field a couple hours before kickoff getting some extra work.There's no wind and the weather is fantastic . . . right now. But this is Candlestick Park. That can change in a hurry -- and likely will change at some point before or after kickoff.
It does not appear the Dallas Cowboys will have the services of receiver Dez Bryant, who sustained a deep thigh contusion last week while returning a punt against the New York Jets. Still, the Cowboys' biggest threat to the 49ers figures to be through the air with quarterback Tony Romo, who rolled up 342 passing yards a week ago against the Jets.

Cornerback Carlos Rogers, who played his first six NFL seasons in the NFC East against the Cowboys, had his girlfriend send him the notes he took through the years on the 49ers' Week 2 opponent. Rogers said the key to defending Cowboys is to put pressure on the quarterback."I was telling some of the guys, if you sit back there and let Romo just be a pocket quarterback, he can be a Hall-of-Fame quarterback," Rogers said. "You're going to have to put pressure on him, you're going to have to give him different looks. And our line is going to have to do what they did last week and get after those guys, and mix it up. Because Romo will pick us apart."The 49ers were calling for a "Red Out," this week from the fan base for the game. But there is a noticeable contingent of Cowboys fans at Candlestick. I remember in 2005 when the Cowboys last played here, the 49ers had to call a timeout late in the game because of crowd noise from the Dallas fans.Both teams will submit their lists of seven inactive players 90 minutes before kickoff.