Are These Dallas Cowboys Different?
By Kim Dunning
The Dallas Cowboys are on a two-game winning streak. They are ugly wins but none-the-less they are back to back wins. This is nothing new to Dallas fans as the team can string back to back wins together and usually end up .500. The month of November has always been a good month in the Tony Romo era for the Cowboys and everyone says wait until the cursed month of December. But it really seems that this Dallas Cowboys team is different and there are a few reasons to suspect so.
Nov 28, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) throws as he is grabbed by Oakland Raiders nose tackle Stacy McGee (92) during a NFL football game on Thanksgiving at AT
First of all, the maturity of Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is amazing. This guy, as much as people love to hate him, he is having probably the best season of his life. He isn’t making stupid decisions and he isn’t throwing many picks either this year. It seems that Romo’s big contract wasn’t such a waste. He’s becoming a leader especially with the younger players like wide outs Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams. Romo has seemed to grow right before our eyes and he isn’t getting the credit he deserves. Throw out all the stats, Romo is balling this year and his team for once in a long time is rallying around him.
Secondly the players are making plays when it counts. Let’s take cornerback Brandon Carr’s interception on Thanksgiving for an example. Carr, who struggles at times, stepped up big with an interception in the end zone against Oakland’s Matt McGloin to seal the victory for the Cowboys. It may have seemed like the heart and soul went out of the defense when linebacker Sean Lee went out with his injury in the Saints game but with his leadership on the side the Cowboys defense is starting to make plays and step up to help out the offense. Both sides of the ball are communicating during the game on the sidelines and it is the feeling that regardless of what former Cowboy Will Allen says, this team is starting to pull together. For those who don’t believe this team is pulling together all you have to do is pay attention to their body language. If you looked at the players last year, when this team was down at the half, they lost their fire and will to play. Their body language looked flat and there was no hunger. Just look at the Oakland game on Thursday and see the difference they came from behind to win. Finally, these players have finally learned that their actions on the field speak louder than their words to the media. These guys have finally stopped listening to what the media says and are just playing football.
Nov 28, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr (39) intercepts the ball in the end zone against Oakland Raiders receiver Jacoby Ford (12) in the fourth quarter during a NFL football game on Thanksgiving at AT
Finally, this team has a fire to them and a will to win. With unknown players stepping up and making plays when they need to and some fire to the coaching staff with the addition in the off-season of Rod Marinelli, this team is finding ways, although not convincingly enough to earn respect from the media, to win games. Ugly wins they are but none-the-less they go into the win column. Although we are still in November, the Cowboys put away the “curse of the blue jersey’s” on Thanksgiving with a win and ride momentum into the “cursed” month of December. Perhaps this team has what it takes to squash that December superstition as well. Perhaps this team is different from the other teams that end up the season in a win and get in.