JJT: With Tony Romo behind center, Cowboys believe they can win out

Cotton

One-armed Knife Sharpener
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
119,712
With Tony Romo behind center, Cowboys believe they can win out

Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Staff Writer

IRVING, Texas -- The standings don't matter for the Dallas Cowboys right now. Just like beating the Miami Dolphins didn't mean anything the minute the game ended Sunday afternoon.

The players understand they have little margin for error in their last six games, so there wasn't much jubilation in the locker room after their 24-14 win.

Tony Romo wandered around the locker room shaking hands and handing out words of encouragement, and several players sat at their lockers smiling after the end of the club's longest losing streak in 26 years.

The performance pleased coach Jason Garrett, who's at his best under circumstances such as these. Garrett's strength is motivating his team to live in the moment -- not yesterday or tomorrow -- which is why he's talking about his players having a good meeting, followed by a good walk-through, followed by a good practice each day. He says that gives the Cowboys their best chance to play well on Sundays.

Garrett refuses to let the Cowboys focus on the enormity of the task they're trying to accomplish -- to make the playoffs after starting 2-7, which no team has ever done. Sure, they trail only the New York Giants by two games in the NFC East and the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins by one game. But last place is last place.

A win Thursday over the undefeated Carolina Panthers, who have outscored their opponents by 108 points this season, would give the Cowboys a tremendous emotional boost before they get 10 days to prepare for a matchup at Washington.

"We've got a lot of really good guys on our football team and our football character is outstanding," Garrett said. "A tremendous work ethic, tremendous competitive spirit, and I think we've demonstrated that over the last couple of months."

None of that resulted in wins, but Garrett insists he never questioned his process. All he wants is for the players to work as hard as they can every day. Do that, he tells them, and the results will take care of themselves.

"Just come and spend a little time with us in our locker room on our practice field and watch our team play on Sunday," Garrett said. "That's how we play.

"Give credit to our guys and give credit to our coaches. You just come to work and you keep fighting and you keep battling."

It's no longer enough to battle. Now, the Cowboys must win.

Romo, who returned from a seven-game absence against Miami, gives his teammates confidence. That's important because so much about professional sports is whether a team believes it can win.

The teammates all talk about the Romo factor. Jeremy Mincey. Sean Lee. The rookies.

"He just gives us that juice," wide receiver Dez Bryant said of Romo. "We know who our leader is."

Today's NFL is all about the quarterback, and every time Romo steps on the field, the Cowboys think they have an edge at quarterback. While Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is in the MVP race based on the season he's having, the Cowboys still expect Romo to put them in position to win the game.

Romo makes the running game better because teams must respect his ability to throw. And he makes the defense better because the offense is scoring points and winning time of possession.

The Cowboys ran 38 times and passed 28 times against Miami. They kept the ball for 38 minutes and ran 27 plays more than the Dolphins. It's the formula Dallas used to win 12 games -- and the NFC East -- last season.

So it doesn't matter if history says the Cowboys won't achieve the impossible and make the playoffs.

"We believe," tight end Jason Witten said. "It's not my job to convince you or anybody else that we can do it.

"Our mindset is to take it one game at a time because we believe we can make the plays we need to win games each week."
 

Chocolate Lab

Mere Commoner
Joined
Oct 2, 2014
Messages
19,852
JJT said:
The performance pleased coach Jason Garrett, who's at his best under circumstances such as these.
What circumstances, getting his hide-all-flaws, carry-the-team franchise QB back?
 

jsmith6919

Honored Member - RIP
Joined
Aug 26, 2013
Messages
28,407
"Give credit to our guys and give credit to our coaches. You just come to work and you keep fighting and you keep battling."

Shut the fuck up yall couldn't win one fucking game without Romo
 

Genghis Khan

The worst version of myself
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
37,481
Is it me or is there nothing in that article that indicates the Cowboys believe they can win out?

I bring it up because they need to be focused on the Panthers right now and not 6 games at a time.

That said, I still don't believe they need to win out. But they may need to sweep the Redskins to secure the tiebreaker in the division.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,464
Is it me or is there nothing in that article that indicates the Cowboys believe they can win out?

I bring it up because they need to be focused on the Panthers right now and not 6 games at a time.

That said, I still don't believe they need to win out. But they may need to sweep the Redskins to secure the tiebreaker in the division.
Yeah nothing in the article about it at all from the team about winning out.

And I totally agree with you. They shouldn't worry about anything past the next game up. Which is pretty much the impression I got when Hardy basically said right after the Dolphins game that he was done celebrating and moving on to the next game.
 

Genghis Khan

The worst version of myself
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
37,481
Yeah nothing in the article about it at all from the team about winning out.

And I totally agree with you. They shouldn't worry about anything past the next game up. Which is pretty much the impression I got when Hardy basically said right after the Dolphins game that he was done celebrating and moving on to the next game.
True, and that's encouraging. And if there's one thing Garrett can do it's beat the One Game at a Time drum.
 

ravidubey

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
20,162
With Tony Romo behind center, Cowboys believe they can win out
I hate hearing this shat.

Try beating the 10-0 Panthers at home first. Oh yeah, then you have brutal DL's in Buffalo and the Jets, and the best QB in the league in freezing Green Bay.
 

L.T. Fan

I'm Easy If You Are
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
21,689
I hate hearing this shat.

Try beating the 10-0 Panthers at home first. Oh yeah, then you have brutal DL's in Buffalo and the Jets, and the best QB in the league in freezing Green Bay.
There was a point where it was a solid held belief by several that the Cowboys before Romo got injured were one of the best in the NFC. Romo is back now so maybe they can regain the perception.
 

Clay_Allison

Old Bastard
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
5,488
I hate hearing this shat.

Try beating the 10-0 Panthers at home first. Oh yeah, then you have brutal DL's in Buffalo and the Jets, and the best QB in the league in freezing Green Bay.
Fortunately GB is playing like crap lately.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,464
There was a point where it was a solid held belief by several that the Cowboys before Romo got injured were one of the best in the NFC. Romo is back now so maybe they can regain the perception.
Well we are 3-0 with Romo so there is some validity to that.
 

p1_

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
26,455
Regardless of our capability with Romo back, it's still a tall order to ask this team to streak through the remaining schedule virtually perfect. That's what is required to make a playoff bid.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,464
Regardless of our capability with Romo back, it's still a tall order to ask this team to streak through the remaining schedule virtually perfect. That's what is required to make a playoff bid.
Sure, which is why we need to worry about the Panthers for now. I'll talk about winning the division a few games from now if we have won a few more in a row. I think it's NFC East champs or bust this year. The good news is we are only 2 games back.
 

ravidubey

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
20,162
There was a point where it was a solid held belief by several that the Cowboys before Romo got injured were one of the best in the NFC. Romo is back now so maybe they can regain the perception.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I think Dallas can beat anyone and everyone they face with Romo behind center and should be favored to win most.

Problem is the margin of error is now zero, unless New York goes 3-3.

That's reality, so IMO the players/coaches/skeletor need to STFU about running tables of any kind.
 

L.T. Fan

I'm Easy If You Are
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
21,689
Oh, don't get me wrong. I think Dallas can beat anyone and everyone they face with Romo behind center and should be favored to win most.

Problem is the margin of error is now zero, unless New York goes 3-3.

That's reality, so IMO the players/coaches/skeletor need to STFU about running tables of any kind.
It's hard to not think in those terms for fans, players and coaches since you just went through a 7 consecutive loosing streak. That in itself draws all the focus to having to run the table to have any chance. It's a lot easier to do the so called one game at a time approach if you are running neck and neck with your competition but not so easy to maintain that focus when you fell on your ass out of the blocks and watched the field moving down the road almost out of sight.
 

ravidubey

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
20,162
It's hard to not think in those terms for fans, players and coaches since you just went through a 7 consecutive loosing streak. That in itself draws all the focus to having to run the table to have any chance. It's a lot easier to do the so called one game at a time approach if you are running neck and neck with your competition but not so easy to maintain that focus when you fell on your ass out of the blocks and watched the field moving down the road almost out of sight.
I'd just like them to say they believe they can win their next game and improve. Table-running adds pressure and a distraction they don't need.
 

L.T. Fan

I'm Easy If You Are
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
21,689
I'd just like them to say they believe they can win their next game and improve. Table-running adds pressure and a distraction they don't need.
I agree with that but their circumstance is as such that it is next to impossible to think of playoffs without thinking what is required to accomplish it. Dallas is in a, unique position. They potentially have a playoff team but have an extremely difficult obstacle to overcome in order to be able to prove their point. It's unusual to the extent that it is near impossible to disregard the whole coconut.
 

ravidubey

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
20,162
I agree with that but their circumstance is as such that it is next to impossible to think of playoffs without thinking what is required to accomplish it. Dallas is in a, unique position. They potentially have a playoff team but have an extremely difficult obstacle to overcome in order to be able to prove their point. It's unusual to the extent that it is near impossible to disregard the whole coconut.
It's true. They'd like to say they "are what they are (3-7)", but they don't believe that. I don't think anyone believes that (Vegas sure doesn't).
 
Top Bottom