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Weathered Cowboys learning how to win
October, 5, 2014
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- We've seen the Dallas Cowboys lose so many games like Sunday afternoon's contest against the Houston Texans at AT&T Stadium.
Tony Romo will tell you that while the Cowboys won Sunday, they can't take anything for granted.They've blown games with double-digit leads in the fourth quarter. They've lost games when the offense couldn't close it out and when the defense couldn't hold on.
And while it might have looked like poor clock management at the end of regulation and two red-zone turnovers would contribute to another late collapse, it only kept Houston from getting blown out.
Tony Romo will tell you this is a game the Cowboys would've lost a year ago. So will Barry Church. And Brandon Carr.
But this is a different team, one guided by Jason Garrett's process and toughened by their collective scars from the past.
Dallas 20, Houston 17.
The Cowboys needed overtime to subdue Houston because they wasted so many opportunities during regulation.
Understand, it's hard to win in the NFL these days. No lead is seemingly safe.
The Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills each rallied from deficits of 10 points or more Sunday.
Ultimately, the game is about making plays at winning time -- and that's what the Cowboys did -- whether we're talking about defensive tackle Jeremy Mincey forcing an overtime incompletion on third-and-2 with heavy pressure on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. ...
... Or Dez Bryant's sensational leaping 37-yard catch over cornerback Jonathan Joseph on the game-winning drive. ...
... Or Dan Bailey making a 49-yard field goal after missing a 53-yard kick as time expired in regulation.
The Cowboys have now won four consecutive games, matching their longest winning streak since Garrett took over eight games into the 2010 season.
"We don't really live in that four-in-a-row thing," Garrett said. "We're focused on this day and what we need to do to prepare for the challenge and then get ready to play our best football for three hours.
"We've got the right kinds of guys on our team. Guys who compete. When things don't go well, they have the right kind of demeanor -- they're going to play the next play."
Now, Dallas travels to Seattle -- the league's toughest place to play -- against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Garrett will spend the week downplaying the game's hype. He'll talk about the need for the Cowboys to focus only on themselves and their individual improvement because that's what eventually leads to the collective improvement of the team.
He won't have any problem getting his players to buy into the concept. They repeat his mantras publicly and privately. They see tangible evidence Garrett's process works.
"We've been through a lot," Carr said. "There have been ups and downs. We've been blown out and we've blown leads. We probably wouldn't have won this game last year.
"We understand teams are going to make plays and they're going to battle back, but we talk about playing with poise. You can learn how to win -- and that's what we're doing. We have a lot of guys with chips on their shoulders and attitudes about how they've been treated and we're all playing and practicing with the same urgency and accountability to one another."
None of this means the Cowboys won't struggle at some point this season. It doesn't mean they'll win the division or even make the playoffs, but so much of professional sports is about confidence -- and these Cowboys have it.
The four teams they've beaten are a combined 7-12. Still, you can tell there's a different vibe to this team.
It starts with their ability to run the ball and, for now, there's nothing anyone can do about it.
DeMarco Murray rushed for 136 yards on 31 carries -- his fifth straight 100-yard game -- while Tony Romo passed for 324 yards. Rolando McClain, every player on defense will tell you, has given this defense an attitude and identity.
They play with a relentless style. Four or five players are always around the ball, and now every player is accountable to every other player. It hasn't always been that way.
Whether it was conscious or not, too many times players waited for DeMarcus Ware, Jason Hatcher or Anthony Spencer to make an impact play.
"I feel like in the past, we relied on our great players too much," Barry Church said. "Now, we're all accountable. We all want to make plays."
The Cowboys have not been 4-1 since 2008. That season ended in disaster, with the Cowboys losing 33-24 to Baltimore in the Texas Stadium finale then getting destroyed 44-6 in Philadelphia with a playoff berth at stake.
This team has missed the playoffs each of the past four seasons. It's not good enough to take anything for granted, and it understands that.
"I think you just play. Your record is what it is," Romo said. "You want to put yourself in the best position at the end of the year. Being 4-1 is great but we have a long way to go.
"We did far too many things that don't allow you to win in this game today."
It's yet another indication Garrett's process is working.
October, 5, 2014
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- We've seen the Dallas Cowboys lose so many games like Sunday afternoon's contest against the Houston Texans at AT&T Stadium.
Tony Romo will tell you that while the Cowboys won Sunday, they can't take anything for granted.They've blown games with double-digit leads in the fourth quarter. They've lost games when the offense couldn't close it out and when the defense couldn't hold on.
And while it might have looked like poor clock management at the end of regulation and two red-zone turnovers would contribute to another late collapse, it only kept Houston from getting blown out.
Tony Romo will tell you this is a game the Cowboys would've lost a year ago. So will Barry Church. And Brandon Carr.
But this is a different team, one guided by Jason Garrett's process and toughened by their collective scars from the past.
Dallas 20, Houston 17.
The Cowboys needed overtime to subdue Houston because they wasted so many opportunities during regulation.
Understand, it's hard to win in the NFL these days. No lead is seemingly safe.
The Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills each rallied from deficits of 10 points or more Sunday.
Ultimately, the game is about making plays at winning time -- and that's what the Cowboys did -- whether we're talking about defensive tackle Jeremy Mincey forcing an overtime incompletion on third-and-2 with heavy pressure on quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. ...
... Or Dez Bryant's sensational leaping 37-yard catch over cornerback Jonathan Joseph on the game-winning drive. ...
... Or Dan Bailey making a 49-yard field goal after missing a 53-yard kick as time expired in regulation.
The Cowboys have now won four consecutive games, matching their longest winning streak since Garrett took over eight games into the 2010 season.
"We don't really live in that four-in-a-row thing," Garrett said. "We're focused on this day and what we need to do to prepare for the challenge and then get ready to play our best football for three hours.
"We've got the right kinds of guys on our team. Guys who compete. When things don't go well, they have the right kind of demeanor -- they're going to play the next play."
Now, Dallas travels to Seattle -- the league's toughest place to play -- against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Garrett will spend the week downplaying the game's hype. He'll talk about the need for the Cowboys to focus only on themselves and their individual improvement because that's what eventually leads to the collective improvement of the team.
He won't have any problem getting his players to buy into the concept. They repeat his mantras publicly and privately. They see tangible evidence Garrett's process works.
"We've been through a lot," Carr said. "There have been ups and downs. We've been blown out and we've blown leads. We probably wouldn't have won this game last year.
"We understand teams are going to make plays and they're going to battle back, but we talk about playing with poise. You can learn how to win -- and that's what we're doing. We have a lot of guys with chips on their shoulders and attitudes about how they've been treated and we're all playing and practicing with the same urgency and accountability to one another."
None of this means the Cowboys won't struggle at some point this season. It doesn't mean they'll win the division or even make the playoffs, but so much of professional sports is about confidence -- and these Cowboys have it.
The four teams they've beaten are a combined 7-12. Still, you can tell there's a different vibe to this team.
It starts with their ability to run the ball and, for now, there's nothing anyone can do about it.
DeMarco Murray rushed for 136 yards on 31 carries -- his fifth straight 100-yard game -- while Tony Romo passed for 324 yards. Rolando McClain, every player on defense will tell you, has given this defense an attitude and identity.
They play with a relentless style. Four or five players are always around the ball, and now every player is accountable to every other player. It hasn't always been that way.
Whether it was conscious or not, too many times players waited for DeMarcus Ware, Jason Hatcher or Anthony Spencer to make an impact play.
"I feel like in the past, we relied on our great players too much," Barry Church said. "Now, we're all accountable. We all want to make plays."
The Cowboys have not been 4-1 since 2008. That season ended in disaster, with the Cowboys losing 33-24 to Baltimore in the Texas Stadium finale then getting destroyed 44-6 in Philadelphia with a playoff berth at stake.
This team has missed the playoffs each of the past four seasons. It's not good enough to take anything for granted, and it understands that.
"I think you just play. Your record is what it is," Romo said. "You want to put yourself in the best position at the end of the year. Being 4-1 is great but we have a long way to go.
"We did far too many things that don't allow you to win in this game today."
It's yet another indication Garrett's process is working.
