Dallas gets a season-high seven sacks against Seattle

IRVING — Greg Ellis smiles as he thinks about something former coach Bill Parcells used to tell him.

"Coach Parcells, and a lot of other coaches, said sacks are overrated," the Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker said. "And they are. But that's the NFL. That's how we're measured."

Overrated or not, it's surely better to be producing sacks than not, and the Cowboys are. They recorded a season-high seven Thursday in their 34-9 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, including two from Bradie James and three from DeMarcus Ware.

It could bode well for the Cowboys as they get ready for their next four games, including three against some of the toughest quarterbacks to sack in the NFL.

"We want to be playing our best ball going into December," James said. "We don't know how December will end, but if we're playing our best ball, we've got our best chance to be successful. That's what we're doing right now. Hopefully, we'll feed off of everybody playing as well as possible."

Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been sacked the fifth-most times in the league, 35. But the remaining teams of the schedule are all in the top 10 in protecting the quarterback. The New York Giants have allowed only 13, the fourth-fewest. The Baltimore Ravens have allowed 21, the ninth-fewest. And the Philadelphia Eagles went into their game Thursday night having allowed 17, the sixth-fewest.

"The thing about sacks is you're really getting pressure on a quarterback," Ellis said. "Even if you miss them, you're back there, you make them move around, you make them uncomfortable in the pocket. That's what you're trying for."

The Cowboys took advantage of a Seahawks team that fell behind early and couldn't get its running game going. That was a lethal combination against a Cowboys defense that came in with 33 sacks, fifth-most in the league.

Ware, now leading the league with 15 sacks, burned left tackle Walter Jones repeatedly. James blitzed inside for two third-down sacks in the first half. Jay Ratliff bull-rushed inside, and Ellis was strong from the outside in the fourth quarter.

"It's a shock. It's a shock," Jones said of his losing the battle against Ware. "But it's the game of football. You go out there, you don't want to give up sacks and stuff, but you have to move on."

James, who has collected his five sacks all in the past six games, said he is starting to beat his man more consistently.

"I've been pressuring before, but not getting there," he said. "Now I'm beating guys. That helps. I knew I had to capitalize because if I didn't get there, D-Ware would."

Now the Cowboys prepare for Roethlisberger and the Steelers a week from Sunday. They will go in with 24 sacks in the past six games. They have gotten two or more sacks in every game except the opener in Cleveland.

"He's not going to be an easy guy to get to," Ellis said of Roethlisberger. "I haven't studied him yet, but just watching him on TV, they have a solid offensive line, a solid rushing game, good receivers. It's not a case of saying, 'Let's go get seven sacks.' That's not going to happen. We're just going to go in and see what happens."