Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
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ARLINGTON, Texas – They are not perfect.
The Cowboys have been subject to offensive slowdowns and turnovers here and there. The defense has leaked against the run and pass at times, and of late, special teams coverage has become a genuine concern. Yet here they sit, 7-4 and atop the NFC East, guaranteed to still be in first place even if the Giants win Sunday in New Orleans, by virtue of a the conference-record tiebreaker. They have won four games in a row, the first two with ease, the last two by the skin of their teeth.
As a former Cowboys coach once said, while being beaten down with the big picture question of just what he thought of his team, "ask me after Thanksgiving." Some years, it's not so obvious.
This Black Friday it's crystal clear. These Cowboys are grinders.
They've met adversity in games and in the season as a whole. At one time they sat at 3-4, having been blown out by Philadelphia, and yet they have answered the bell.
Thursday's nip-and-tuck win over Miami was a microcosm of the season.
"I thought it was a good illustration with the will that our football team has," head coach Jason Garrett said. "We knew it was going to be a 60-minute battle against those guys. I thought our guys kept fighting. I thought individually guys kept coming back from adversity I thought collectively as a team we did. When one side wasn't getting it done, the other side was stepping up and vice versa. Different parts of it made contributions throughout."
The Cowboys have been at this point before, in good shape through three months, and not closed on a high. Having been here since Parcells' first year, tight end Jason Witten is aware it's impossible to know much about a team until at least this point in the season, but says this year's bunch is different.
"Different from the standpoint of there's great chemistry," Witten said. "I think Jason (Garret) has done a great job of laying out expectations, and there's a clarity of where we're trying to go. I think there's a great foundation that's been set here, and it's really been showcased the last few weeks. And even when we were going through adversity, a tough loss in New England, got our butts kicked in Philly, there wasn't any moaning and groaning.
"Guys came together."
While in recent years the Cowboys have earned a reputation of a team beginning to come apart by this time of the season, they now appear to be getting stronger.
With the emergence of the running game with DeMarco Murray, they have added an element of strength offensively since the early part of the year, along with a bona fide threat at wide receiver in Laurent Robinson. The hodge-podge offensive line has been altered, and has since come together.
Since the season started, questions have been answered about the kicker position, where Dan Bailey is lights out, having now made 26 field goals in a row, including four that won games late. Defensively, players have embraced Rob Ryan's scheme, which was still so new to them at the beginning of the season.
The Cowboys are also expecting to get back at least a couple of important players after their 10-day rest, in receiver Miles Austin and cornerback Mike Jenkins, and are hopeful that fullback Tony Fiammetta, who has led the way for the biggest running games of the season, can return soon as well.
For all the reasons for optimism going forward, there may be none greater than the fact the Cowboys have earned their current place in the standings the hard way.
Whereas they were giving away games they should have won to start the season, surrendering late leads against the Jets, Lions and Patriots, now the Cowboys are winning the close ones.
"To win some of these games you've got to be mentally tough," quarterback Tony Romo said. "You have to believe in yourself and you have to keep going. Sometimes the offense has to pick it up, sometimes defense, sometimes special teams. This team is just understanding we believe in each other and I think the guys know we can get the job done if we trust each other to go out there and get the job done."
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas – They are not perfect.
The Cowboys have been subject to offensive slowdowns and turnovers here and there. The defense has leaked against the run and pass at times, and of late, special teams coverage has become a genuine concern. Yet here they sit, 7-4 and atop the NFC East, guaranteed to still be in first place even if the Giants win Sunday in New Orleans, by virtue of a the conference-record tiebreaker. They have won four games in a row, the first two with ease, the last two by the skin of their teeth.
As a former Cowboys coach once said, while being beaten down with the big picture question of just what he thought of his team, "ask me after Thanksgiving." Some years, it's not so obvious.
This Black Friday it's crystal clear. These Cowboys are grinders.
They've met adversity in games and in the season as a whole. At one time they sat at 3-4, having been blown out by Philadelphia, and yet they have answered the bell.
Thursday's nip-and-tuck win over Miami was a microcosm of the season.
"I thought it was a good illustration with the will that our football team has," head coach Jason Garrett said. "We knew it was going to be a 60-minute battle against those guys. I thought our guys kept fighting. I thought individually guys kept coming back from adversity I thought collectively as a team we did. When one side wasn't getting it done, the other side was stepping up and vice versa. Different parts of it made contributions throughout."
The Cowboys have been at this point before, in good shape through three months, and not closed on a high. Having been here since Parcells' first year, tight end Jason Witten is aware it's impossible to know much about a team until at least this point in the season, but says this year's bunch is different.
"Different from the standpoint of there's great chemistry," Witten said. "I think Jason (Garret) has done a great job of laying out expectations, and there's a clarity of where we're trying to go. I think there's a great foundation that's been set here, and it's really been showcased the last few weeks. And even when we were going through adversity, a tough loss in New England, got our butts kicked in Philly, there wasn't any moaning and groaning.
"Guys came together."
While in recent years the Cowboys have earned a reputation of a team beginning to come apart by this time of the season, they now appear to be getting stronger.
With the emergence of the running game with DeMarco Murray, they have added an element of strength offensively since the early part of the year, along with a bona fide threat at wide receiver in Laurent Robinson. The hodge-podge offensive line has been altered, and has since come together.
Since the season started, questions have been answered about the kicker position, where Dan Bailey is lights out, having now made 26 field goals in a row, including four that won games late. Defensively, players have embraced Rob Ryan's scheme, which was still so new to them at the beginning of the season.
The Cowboys are also expecting to get back at least a couple of important players after their 10-day rest, in receiver Miles Austin and cornerback Mike Jenkins, and are hopeful that fullback Tony Fiammetta, who has led the way for the biggest running games of the season, can return soon as well.
For all the reasons for optimism going forward, there may be none greater than the fact the Cowboys have earned their current place in the standings the hard way.
Whereas they were giving away games they should have won to start the season, surrendering late leads against the Jets, Lions and Patriots, now the Cowboys are winning the close ones.
"To win some of these games you've got to be mentally tough," quarterback Tony Romo said. "You have to believe in yourself and you have to keep going. Sometimes the offense has to pick it up, sometimes defense, sometimes special teams. This team is just understanding we believe in each other and I think the guys know we can get the job done if we trust each other to go out there and get the job done."
