plasticman
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My question is, was last Sunday's victory the type of game that inspires the team, brings them closer, unites them in a way that helps them perform better as a team?
A team of great players cannot defeat a great team. A great team is built from the type of players who want to win for their teammates as much as they do for themselves. What drives them is they don't want to let their teammates down. This is a concept of a true team.
Was this a momentum building game, the type of game any emerging team needs to get to the next level?
Throughout history these games have existed for those teams labeled "dynasty" and don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting this is where this team is headed. I'm just saying, for those type of teams, this kind of game was a necessary step. They all have a game they can look back on as the one that told them they could be special.
For the Cowboys of the 90's, that game came on November 24th, 1991.
The Cowboys had started out 1-2 that season and then won four in a row. However, they then lost three of the next four including a heartbreaker overtime loss to the Houston Oilers in which Emmitt Smith fumbled the ball in overtime deep in Cowboy territory. This created the winning field goal for the Oilers. Michael Irvin told the press not to even dare blame the loss on Emmitt. They followed that loss with another to the defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants.
Now at 6-5, having lost three of the last four, the Cowboys faced the most dominant team in the league in their stadium, the undefeated, 11-0, Washington Commanders.
The Commanders scored first on an INT return. Aikman was injured in the 2nd half and replaced by Steve Beuerlein. Yet, the team fought on, the defense shut down the Commander running game. Beuerlein played great, throwing a TD to Michael Irvin. However, it was Emmitt that dominated the game, 34 carries for 132 yards.
The Cowboys defeated the previously unbeaten Commanders in their own stadium, 24-21. The Commanders would go on later that season to win Super Bowl 26. I believe that game, which could have turned their season either way, was the turning point for that future dynasty. It was the game that showed them what they could be. Despite a daunting opponent in their home stadium, despite a poor start, despite the adversity of losing their starting quarterback, the Cowboys prevailed while depending on a player they had defended after the press tried to scapegoat him after the overtime loss. This team had come together. They went on to an undefeated December.
That was the first season Jimmy Johnson's team went to the playoffs. They would go on to defeat the Bears in the wildcard round before losing to the Detroit Lions that 1991 season. Of course, we all know about the following four seasons.
Was the game against the Falcons a "turning point game"? It contains the adversity of starting two untested OT's. It has the unlikely outcome, the product of sticking together and fighting every second for every inch. Only time will tell.
A team of great players cannot defeat a great team. A great team is built from the type of players who want to win for their teammates as much as they do for themselves. What drives them is they don't want to let their teammates down. This is a concept of a true team.
Was this a momentum building game, the type of game any emerging team needs to get to the next level?
Throughout history these games have existed for those teams labeled "dynasty" and don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting this is where this team is headed. I'm just saying, for those type of teams, this kind of game was a necessary step. They all have a game they can look back on as the one that told them they could be special.
For the Cowboys of the 90's, that game came on November 24th, 1991.
The Cowboys had started out 1-2 that season and then won four in a row. However, they then lost three of the next four including a heartbreaker overtime loss to the Houston Oilers in which Emmitt Smith fumbled the ball in overtime deep in Cowboy territory. This created the winning field goal for the Oilers. Michael Irvin told the press not to even dare blame the loss on Emmitt. They followed that loss with another to the defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants.
Now at 6-5, having lost three of the last four, the Cowboys faced the most dominant team in the league in their stadium, the undefeated, 11-0, Washington Commanders.
The Commanders scored first on an INT return. Aikman was injured in the 2nd half and replaced by Steve Beuerlein. Yet, the team fought on, the defense shut down the Commander running game. Beuerlein played great, throwing a TD to Michael Irvin. However, it was Emmitt that dominated the game, 34 carries for 132 yards.
The Cowboys defeated the previously unbeaten Commanders in their own stadium, 24-21. The Commanders would go on later that season to win Super Bowl 26. I believe that game, which could have turned their season either way, was the turning point for that future dynasty. It was the game that showed them what they could be. Despite a daunting opponent in their home stadium, despite a poor start, despite the adversity of losing their starting quarterback, the Cowboys prevailed while depending on a player they had defended after the press tried to scapegoat him after the overtime loss. This team had come together. They went on to an undefeated December.
That was the first season Jimmy Johnson's team went to the playoffs. They would go on to defeat the Bears in the wildcard round before losing to the Detroit Lions that 1991 season. Of course, we all know about the following four seasons.
Was the game against the Falcons a "turning point game"? It contains the adversity of starting two untested OT's. It has the unlikely outcome, the product of sticking together and fighting every second for every inch. Only time will tell.
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