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Mental, physical toughness keys Cowboys' run to playoffs
December, 21, 2014
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- “2014 NFC East Division Champions.”
The words on the 60-yard video board high above the field at AT&T Stadium still hadn’t changed two hours after Jeremy Mincey and Tony Romo doused Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett with blue Gatorade.
The message read loud and clear well after Dez Bryant finally had stopped saluting fans in the end zone with some dance moves.
And it was still visible long after the navy blue T-shirts that read “Cowboys Run the East” and matching baseball caps had been passed out to the players.
Dallas 42, Indianapolis 7.
The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot with the win for the first time since 2009, ending the longest playoff drought since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989.
Unbelievable.
It really is when you consider these Cowboys started training camp without its three best defensive players from a 2013 unit that was one of the worst in NFL history.
Don’t forget, Tony Romo failed to practice on consecutive days in training camp and started the season with three interceptions in his first 14 passes as the Cowboys trailed the San Francisco 49ers 28-3 at halftime.
And less than a month ago, the Philadelphia Eagles humiliated the Cowboys 33-10 on Thanksgiving Day to put Dallas a game behind them in the NFC East.
Well, Garrett has talked about this team’s mental and physical toughness all season. It has been on full display since the Turkey Day debacle.
We can put to rest all the talk of December swoons since the Cowboys are 3-0 this month and have outscored their opponents 121-62. Dallas has had a 21-point lead in each of its last three games.
You probably have to go back to the 1990s when the Cowboys ruled the NFL to find a performance this good against a quality opponent late in the season.
Their best players led the way.
Romo finished with a 151.7 passer rating and four touchdown passes, while Bryant caught five passes, including his 14th touchdown. And DeMarco Murray carried 22 inspiring times for 58 yards less than a week after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his left hand.
The Cowboys led 14-0 after the first quarter, 28-0 at halftime and 42-0 early in the fourth quarter.
Garrett’s much-mocked “process” has finally taken hold, and you’re seeing the results. These Cowboys have an identity -- playcaller Scott Linehan called 40 runs and 22 passes -- and they refuse to stray from it.
Leadership isn’t about words and rah-rah speeches; it’s about action and the reaction to adversity. Do you cower? Or do you fight?
And Garrett is central to their identity.
“He gives us mental toughness,” Murray said. “He’s a great coach, a smart coach, a very confident coach. He allows us to play the game.
“He doesn’t overcoach us, and he doesn’t try to do too much. He allows us to go out there and execute the game plan and have fun doing it. He's a great coach and a great guy.”
Garrett shows his players he cares about them personally, while also demanding excellence on the field and accountability off it. He doesn’t let money or draft status determine who plays, and players appreciate that.
“He cares about us,” Mincey said. “When players believe a coach really cares about them, they’ll do anything for him.”
Garrett excels at keeping the Cowboys’ focused on today -- not yesterday or tomorrow. That’s among the reasons the Cowboys haven’t had letdowns after emotional wins over New Orleans, Seattle and Philadelphia this season.
It’s also why they didn’t crater after consecutive losses to Washington and Arizona or following the crash against Philadelphia.
Don’t misunderstand, the emotions flowed in the Cowboys’ locker room, and they had earned the right to celebrate.
But they didn’t party like they won the Super Bowl or even a playoff game, and more than one starter talked about the importance of getting back to work on Tuesday and preparing for the next game.
“The way you play in securing [the division] matters, and we played really well,” Garrett said. “Our players understood that, but again we have to clean it up.
“We’ve got challenges ahead, and we’re going to take an unemotional view of it and get ready for that next challenge in Washington.”
This is the only way Garrett knows how to do the job, and it’s approach that has the Cowboys playing their best football as they are in the playoff picture for the first time in five years.
December, 21, 2014
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- “2014 NFC East Division Champions.”
The words on the 60-yard video board high above the field at AT&T Stadium still hadn’t changed two hours after Jeremy Mincey and Tony Romo doused Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett with blue Gatorade.
The message read loud and clear well after Dez Bryant finally had stopped saluting fans in the end zone with some dance moves.
And it was still visible long after the navy blue T-shirts that read “Cowboys Run the East” and matching baseball caps had been passed out to the players.
Dallas 42, Indianapolis 7.
The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot with the win for the first time since 2009, ending the longest playoff drought since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989.
Unbelievable.
It really is when you consider these Cowboys started training camp without its three best defensive players from a 2013 unit that was one of the worst in NFL history.
Don’t forget, Tony Romo failed to practice on consecutive days in training camp and started the season with three interceptions in his first 14 passes as the Cowboys trailed the San Francisco 49ers 28-3 at halftime.
And less than a month ago, the Philadelphia Eagles humiliated the Cowboys 33-10 on Thanksgiving Day to put Dallas a game behind them in the NFC East.
Well, Garrett has talked about this team’s mental and physical toughness all season. It has been on full display since the Turkey Day debacle.
We can put to rest all the talk of December swoons since the Cowboys are 3-0 this month and have outscored their opponents 121-62. Dallas has had a 21-point lead in each of its last three games.
You probably have to go back to the 1990s when the Cowboys ruled the NFL to find a performance this good against a quality opponent late in the season.
Their best players led the way.
Romo finished with a 151.7 passer rating and four touchdown passes, while Bryant caught five passes, including his 14th touchdown. And DeMarco Murray carried 22 inspiring times for 58 yards less than a week after having surgery to repair a broken bone in his left hand.
The Cowboys led 14-0 after the first quarter, 28-0 at halftime and 42-0 early in the fourth quarter.
Garrett’s much-mocked “process” has finally taken hold, and you’re seeing the results. These Cowboys have an identity -- playcaller Scott Linehan called 40 runs and 22 passes -- and they refuse to stray from it.
Leadership isn’t about words and rah-rah speeches; it’s about action and the reaction to adversity. Do you cower? Or do you fight?
And Garrett is central to their identity.
“He gives us mental toughness,” Murray said. “He’s a great coach, a smart coach, a very confident coach. He allows us to play the game.
“He doesn’t overcoach us, and he doesn’t try to do too much. He allows us to go out there and execute the game plan and have fun doing it. He's a great coach and a great guy.”
Garrett shows his players he cares about them personally, while also demanding excellence on the field and accountability off it. He doesn’t let money or draft status determine who plays, and players appreciate that.
“He cares about us,” Mincey said. “When players believe a coach really cares about them, they’ll do anything for him.”
Garrett excels at keeping the Cowboys’ focused on today -- not yesterday or tomorrow. That’s among the reasons the Cowboys haven’t had letdowns after emotional wins over New Orleans, Seattle and Philadelphia this season.
It’s also why they didn’t crater after consecutive losses to Washington and Arizona or following the crash against Philadelphia.
Don’t misunderstand, the emotions flowed in the Cowboys’ locker room, and they had earned the right to celebrate.
But they didn’t party like they won the Super Bowl or even a playoff game, and more than one starter talked about the importance of getting back to work on Tuesday and preparing for the next game.
“The way you play in securing [the division] matters, and we played really well,” Garrett said. “Our players understood that, but again we have to clean it up.
“We’ve got challenges ahead, and we’re going to take an unemotional view of it and get ready for that next challenge in Washington.”
This is the only way Garrett knows how to do the job, and it’s approach that has the Cowboys playing their best football as they are in the playoff picture for the first time in five years.
