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Cowboys don't have time to enjoy long-awaited win
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
MIAMI – Greg Hardy was asked if he could take any time to enjoy the Dallas Cowboys’ 24-14 win against the Miami Dolphins.
He grabbed his cell phone in his locker and looked at the time. It read 4:29 p.m.
“Game’s over,” Hardy said. “Next game.”
The Cowboys lost seven straight games while Tony Romo was out with a broken collarbone. They went more than 60 days between victories.
“It was a long-ass time,” safety Barry Church said.
Couldn’t they take just a little bit of time to enjoy their win?
Not really.
Romo’s return isn’t just about winning Sunday against the Dolphins. Romo’s return now is about beating the undefeated Carolina Panthers on Thanksgiving. And if they do that, the Cowboys could be one game back should the New York Giants lose to the Washington Redskins on Nov. 29.
Sunday couldn’t have gone better for the Cowboys, with the Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles losing. They gained a half-game on the idle Giants.
“Our deal is just to focus on ourselves,” coach Jason Garrett said. “We focus on ourselves and our opportunity each day to get better and each week, and our team has done that.”
Even thinking about the NFC East standings is inappropriate at the moment.
“Can’t. I can’t. We can’t. It’s a distraction. That’s a real distraction,” wide receiver Dez Bryant said. “And we’ve just got to stay sticking together and each and every game, win, lose or draw, we’ve got to feel good about ourselves when the game is over and hold our heads up high after we went out there and gave it our all. I think that’s what we’re going to continue to keep doing. We’re going to fight strong, we’re going to practice strong, and stay together and play together.”
Taking them one game at a time is right out of the coach’s cliché handbook, but it’s absolutely necessary for the Cowboys after a seven-game losing streak. In beating the Dolphins the Cowboys were able to feel good getting on the plane for the ride back to Dallas.
By the time they returned Sunday night, players would head right to Valley Ranch for treatment. The Cowboys will hold a late-afternoon practice Monday – a walkthrough, really – to begin their prep work on the Panthers.
Romo, who took a number of hits, said he felt OK after the game.
“He’s just got to get back to work,” Garrett said. “Heat, ice, stim. And we’ve got a game at 3:30 on Thursday. The Carolina Panthers are coming to down and they’re a damn good football team.”’
The Panthers (10-0) are one of two undefeated teams in the NFL, along with the New England Patriots. They beat the Redskins 44-16, with Cam Newton throwing five touchdown passes to five different receivers. Jonathan Stewart ran for 102 yards.
In 2006, Romo and the Cowboys were able to beat an undefeated Indianapolis Colts in Week 11. They beat an undefeated New Orleans Saints in Week 15 in 2009.
Sunday’s win kept the Cowboys in the conversation for another week.
“It allows you to feel good because you believe in what you’re doing,” tight end Jason Witten said. “I know the staff believes what they’re teaching us. We believe in that work paying off. You enjoy it for a little bit and get back to it. Every week in this league is tough. I think more about resolve and the way we approach it.
“We still got a long way to go to climb out of this. Our mentality is one game at a time and that’s the way we approached last week. We have to continue to do that this week against a good opponent.”
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
MIAMI – Greg Hardy was asked if he could take any time to enjoy the Dallas Cowboys’ 24-14 win against the Miami Dolphins.
He grabbed his cell phone in his locker and looked at the time. It read 4:29 p.m.
“Game’s over,” Hardy said. “Next game.”
The Cowboys lost seven straight games while Tony Romo was out with a broken collarbone. They went more than 60 days between victories.
“It was a long-ass time,” safety Barry Church said.
Couldn’t they take just a little bit of time to enjoy their win?
Not really.
Romo’s return isn’t just about winning Sunday against the Dolphins. Romo’s return now is about beating the undefeated Carolina Panthers on Thanksgiving. And if they do that, the Cowboys could be one game back should the New York Giants lose to the Washington Redskins on Nov. 29.
Sunday couldn’t have gone better for the Cowboys, with the Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles losing. They gained a half-game on the idle Giants.
“Our deal is just to focus on ourselves,” coach Jason Garrett said. “We focus on ourselves and our opportunity each day to get better and each week, and our team has done that.”
Even thinking about the NFC East standings is inappropriate at the moment.
“Can’t. I can’t. We can’t. It’s a distraction. That’s a real distraction,” wide receiver Dez Bryant said. “And we’ve just got to stay sticking together and each and every game, win, lose or draw, we’ve got to feel good about ourselves when the game is over and hold our heads up high after we went out there and gave it our all. I think that’s what we’re going to continue to keep doing. We’re going to fight strong, we’re going to practice strong, and stay together and play together.”
Taking them one game at a time is right out of the coach’s cliché handbook, but it’s absolutely necessary for the Cowboys after a seven-game losing streak. In beating the Dolphins the Cowboys were able to feel good getting on the plane for the ride back to Dallas.
By the time they returned Sunday night, players would head right to Valley Ranch for treatment. The Cowboys will hold a late-afternoon practice Monday – a walkthrough, really – to begin their prep work on the Panthers.
Romo, who took a number of hits, said he felt OK after the game.
“He’s just got to get back to work,” Garrett said. “Heat, ice, stim. And we’ve got a game at 3:30 on Thursday. The Carolina Panthers are coming to down and they’re a damn good football team.”’
The Panthers (10-0) are one of two undefeated teams in the NFL, along with the New England Patriots. They beat the Redskins 44-16, with Cam Newton throwing five touchdown passes to five different receivers. Jonathan Stewart ran for 102 yards.
In 2006, Romo and the Cowboys were able to beat an undefeated Indianapolis Colts in Week 11. They beat an undefeated New Orleans Saints in Week 15 in 2009.
Sunday’s win kept the Cowboys in the conversation for another week.
“It allows you to feel good because you believe in what you’re doing,” tight end Jason Witten said. “I know the staff believes what they’re teaching us. We believe in that work paying off. You enjoy it for a little bit and get back to it. Every week in this league is tough. I think more about resolve and the way we approach it.
“We still got a long way to go to climb out of this. Our mentality is one game at a time and that’s the way we approached last week. We have to continue to do that this week against a good opponent.”