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JEAN-JACQUES TAYLOR / The Dallas Morning News | jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
ARLINGTON – When given an opportunity on Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys chose not to quit.
Hip, hip, hooray.
At one level, it was impressive how they battled back from their largest first-quarter deficit of the season, but at another level it’s sad that our standard of excellence for them has been reduced to crediting them for not quitting.
As my mom would say, "My, how the mighty have fallen."
These Cowboys, picked by many to be Super Bowl contenders before the season began, saw whatever billion-to-1 shot they had to make the playoffs vanish during a 30-27 loss to New Orleans. Eight losses pretty much ends any and all discussion of a miracle playoff run.
Perhaps, though, the Cowboys gained something more important than a victory. Maybe, they gained some self-respect.
Maybe, they finally understand the importance of 45 guys playing as hard as they can for as long as they can because that’s the only reason they rallied from a 17-point first quarter deficit.
Sometimes, when you go as hard as you can good things happen such as Jesse Holley hitting Reggie Bush from behind and forcing a fumble. And Gerald Sensabaugh intercepting a deflected pass. And Martellus Bennett, surrounded by four Saints, coming up with a fumble recovery.
The Cowboys turned Holley’s forced fumble and Sensabuagh’s interception into points, triggering what would’ve been a sensational come-from-behind victory.
But the NFL is not about gum drops and lollipops. It’s about the bottom line as Wade Phillips and Brad Childress can attest, each having been fired this month.
In this league, good teams figure out creative ways to win, while bad teams figure out creative ways to lose. There’s certainly no question what category the 3-8 Cowboys fit into as we head into the holiday season.
Not after Roy Williams’ 47-yard catch-and-run resulted in a fumble, Terence Newman gave up a 55-yard completion, setting up Drew Brees’ winning touchdown pass and David Buehler missed a 59-yard kick by about a foot – all in the final 3:20 – as the Cowboys managed to lose a game they really should’ve won.
Enthusiasm and effort and passion compensates for a lot of flaws. Failing to compete, as we’ve seen up close and personal with this team, can and will lead to embarrassment.
It was only three weeks ago that Green Bay put a 45-7 beatdown on the Cowboys. In case you forgot, that loss was preceded by a 35-17 butt-kicking at the hands of the mighty Jacksonville Jaguars.
And it seemed like the Cowboys were headed for yet another awful performance on national television when the Saints extended their first-half lead to 20-3.
But they decided to fight.
“They demonstrated again what they’ve done last couple weeks, battle and fight,” Jason Garrett said. "Adversity is going to happen to you individually and happen to the team. It’s how you respond to that. We were down 17-0 to a good team and nobody blinked. We just went back to work. We have to continue to do that and find a way to win this type of game.
"There were a lot of things to be proud of, but we didn’t get the job done. Ultimately, you have to get the bottom line right. We want to fight, battle and play the right way. If we continue to work and play the way we’ve been playing we’ll get some of these victories."
Afterward, Garrett seemed at peace.
There’s no shame in losing to a good team, when you’ve played hard – even if you didn’t always play well. The locker room was also devoid of sad faces.
The players had left everything on the field, and it wasn’t quite good enough.
For now, unfortunately, moral victories must suffice.
The lessons the Cowboys have learned this season are harsh and painful. It will make them better in the future.
Find solace in that.
It’s just about the only good thing from this lost season.
ARLINGTON – When given an opportunity on Thanksgiving Day, the Cowboys chose not to quit.
Hip, hip, hooray.
At one level, it was impressive how they battled back from their largest first-quarter deficit of the season, but at another level it’s sad that our standard of excellence for them has been reduced to crediting them for not quitting.
As my mom would say, "My, how the mighty have fallen."
These Cowboys, picked by many to be Super Bowl contenders before the season began, saw whatever billion-to-1 shot they had to make the playoffs vanish during a 30-27 loss to New Orleans. Eight losses pretty much ends any and all discussion of a miracle playoff run.
Perhaps, though, the Cowboys gained something more important than a victory. Maybe, they gained some self-respect.
Maybe, they finally understand the importance of 45 guys playing as hard as they can for as long as they can because that’s the only reason they rallied from a 17-point first quarter deficit.
Sometimes, when you go as hard as you can good things happen such as Jesse Holley hitting Reggie Bush from behind and forcing a fumble. And Gerald Sensabaugh intercepting a deflected pass. And Martellus Bennett, surrounded by four Saints, coming up with a fumble recovery.
The Cowboys turned Holley’s forced fumble and Sensabuagh’s interception into points, triggering what would’ve been a sensational come-from-behind victory.
But the NFL is not about gum drops and lollipops. It’s about the bottom line as Wade Phillips and Brad Childress can attest, each having been fired this month.
In this league, good teams figure out creative ways to win, while bad teams figure out creative ways to lose. There’s certainly no question what category the 3-8 Cowboys fit into as we head into the holiday season.
Not after Roy Williams’ 47-yard catch-and-run resulted in a fumble, Terence Newman gave up a 55-yard completion, setting up Drew Brees’ winning touchdown pass and David Buehler missed a 59-yard kick by about a foot – all in the final 3:20 – as the Cowboys managed to lose a game they really should’ve won.
Enthusiasm and effort and passion compensates for a lot of flaws. Failing to compete, as we’ve seen up close and personal with this team, can and will lead to embarrassment.
It was only three weeks ago that Green Bay put a 45-7 beatdown on the Cowboys. In case you forgot, that loss was preceded by a 35-17 butt-kicking at the hands of the mighty Jacksonville Jaguars.
And it seemed like the Cowboys were headed for yet another awful performance on national television when the Saints extended their first-half lead to 20-3.
But they decided to fight.
“They demonstrated again what they’ve done last couple weeks, battle and fight,” Jason Garrett said. "Adversity is going to happen to you individually and happen to the team. It’s how you respond to that. We were down 17-0 to a good team and nobody blinked. We just went back to work. We have to continue to do that and find a way to win this type of game.
"There were a lot of things to be proud of, but we didn’t get the job done. Ultimately, you have to get the bottom line right. We want to fight, battle and play the right way. If we continue to work and play the way we’ve been playing we’ll get some of these victories."
Afterward, Garrett seemed at peace.
There’s no shame in losing to a good team, when you’ve played hard – even if you didn’t always play well. The locker room was also devoid of sad faces.
The players had left everything on the field, and it wasn’t quite good enough.
For now, unfortunately, moral victories must suffice.
The lessons the Cowboys have learned this season are harsh and painful. It will make them better in the future.
Find solace in that.
It’s just about the only good thing from this lost season.