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IRVING, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have proven they are a legitimate playoff and possible Super Bowl contender.
Their physical domination of the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks in a 30-23 victory Sunday said as much.
The question they must answer now is, can they handle prosperity?
Will they keep their heads down and keep grinding, or will they get caught up in the giddy hoopla that's taken over a long-suffering Cowboys fanbase and start eating the cheese?
The Cowboys (5-1) are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Diego Chargers for the best record in the NFL.
Their five-game winning streak is the longest since they went 13-3 in 2007, the last time they had legitimate Super Bowl hopes.
But while the measuring-stick victory was quite enjoyable, the Cowboys say they are not satisfied. They have bigger goals in mind that are downright "super."
"It was a big win for our team," tight end Jason Witten said. "Nobody thought we could play with these guys. It gives us something to build on. We are excited, but we are going to keep our nose to the grindstone. We need to better, and we will have to get where we want to go."
The Cowboys say they are not going to buy into the hype and eat the cheese like a fat rat, as former coach Bill Parcells used to say.
Coach Jason Garrett will make a point of being harder on his team after a big win. This is the time to stress the details and focus on what you did wrong.
"You have to just keep grinding away at it," Garrett said. "There’s so many things that when we look at our football team that we have to get better at, and our players see that when we show it to them on tape. It’s all over the tape.
"So there are obviously some good things are going on. It was a good win for our team. Can’t deny that. It’s a positive thing for our team in so many ways. Where we have to get better is at so many places, and we’ll continue to focus on that."
The ironic part about Sunday's shocking domination of the Seahawks is that it came despite a plethora of penalties, miscues and mistakes.
Seattle scored 17 points off a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, a muffed punt that was turned into a touchdown and a fumbled snap that resulted in a field goal.
There were also a number of untimely penalties.
"There were some negative plays in the game and plays that really impacted the game," Garrett said. "Obviously the blocked punt for a touchdown then the fumble return giving them the ball in the red zone going in, so those two are really significant plays in the game, and that was the stuff I was mentioning earlier.
"You can do so many good things in the game, but if you do some of those things that can really impact the game, you can find yourself on the wrong end of the scoreboard at the end of it. So we’ll address those things and go forward."
Garrett said the Cowboys won't spend a lot of time talking about the Seattle game. They did their celebrating on the four-hour flight home and are already focusing on Sunday's game against the New York Giants.
Garrett believes the Cowboys have the right kind of players and leaders, including Witten, who will make sure the team stays focused on the task at hand.
“Well we certainly like the makeup of our team,” Garrett said. “We spend a lot of time talking about the makeup of each player, before we draft them or sign them or bring them into our team. They have to be the right kind of guy, the kind of guy who loves to play football, wants to be a part of a team, guys willing to fight, scratch and claw to be their best so we can be our best. All those things are important to us.”
As Witten said earlier, the Cowboys have bigger goals in mind than a regular-season win at Seattle. It all starts with taking care of business in the NFC East. The Cowboys will come off their Seattle high with their first division game against the New York Giants (3-3) on Sunday.
The Eagles are on a bye week so it's an opportunity for the Cowboys to take over sole possession of first place in the East.
“Every win is big,” guard Ron Leary said. “Of course, when you go to the defending world champs' home and win, that's a big win. But we know we have to do it again. We won the game, celebrated (on the plane), but it's time to move on to the first division game against the Giants.”
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...
Their physical domination of the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks in a 30-23 victory Sunday said as much.
The question they must answer now is, can they handle prosperity?
Will they keep their heads down and keep grinding, or will they get caught up in the giddy hoopla that's taken over a long-suffering Cowboys fanbase and start eating the cheese?
The Cowboys (5-1) are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Diego Chargers for the best record in the NFL.
Their five-game winning streak is the longest since they went 13-3 in 2007, the last time they had legitimate Super Bowl hopes.
But while the measuring-stick victory was quite enjoyable, the Cowboys say they are not satisfied. They have bigger goals in mind that are downright "super."
"It was a big win for our team," tight end Jason Witten said. "Nobody thought we could play with these guys. It gives us something to build on. We are excited, but we are going to keep our nose to the grindstone. We need to better, and we will have to get where we want to go."
The Cowboys say they are not going to buy into the hype and eat the cheese like a fat rat, as former coach Bill Parcells used to say.
Coach Jason Garrett will make a point of being harder on his team after a big win. This is the time to stress the details and focus on what you did wrong.
"You have to just keep grinding away at it," Garrett said. "There’s so many things that when we look at our football team that we have to get better at, and our players see that when we show it to them on tape. It’s all over the tape.
"So there are obviously some good things are going on. It was a good win for our team. Can’t deny that. It’s a positive thing for our team in so many ways. Where we have to get better is at so many places, and we’ll continue to focus on that."
The ironic part about Sunday's shocking domination of the Seahawks is that it came despite a plethora of penalties, miscues and mistakes.
Seattle scored 17 points off a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, a muffed punt that was turned into a touchdown and a fumbled snap that resulted in a field goal.
There were also a number of untimely penalties.
"There were some negative plays in the game and plays that really impacted the game," Garrett said. "Obviously the blocked punt for a touchdown then the fumble return giving them the ball in the red zone going in, so those two are really significant plays in the game, and that was the stuff I was mentioning earlier.
"You can do so many good things in the game, but if you do some of those things that can really impact the game, you can find yourself on the wrong end of the scoreboard at the end of it. So we’ll address those things and go forward."
Garrett said the Cowboys won't spend a lot of time talking about the Seattle game. They did their celebrating on the four-hour flight home and are already focusing on Sunday's game against the New York Giants.
Garrett believes the Cowboys have the right kind of players and leaders, including Witten, who will make sure the team stays focused on the task at hand.
“Well we certainly like the makeup of our team,” Garrett said. “We spend a lot of time talking about the makeup of each player, before we draft them or sign them or bring them into our team. They have to be the right kind of guy, the kind of guy who loves to play football, wants to be a part of a team, guys willing to fight, scratch and claw to be their best so we can be our best. All those things are important to us.”
As Witten said earlier, the Cowboys have bigger goals in mind than a regular-season win at Seattle. It all starts with taking care of business in the NFC East. The Cowboys will come off their Seattle high with their first division game against the New York Giants (3-3) on Sunday.
The Eagles are on a bye week so it's an opportunity for the Cowboys to take over sole possession of first place in the East.
“Every win is big,” guard Ron Leary said. “Of course, when you go to the defending world champs' home and win, that's a big win. But we know we have to do it again. We won the game, celebrated (on the plane), but it's time to move on to the first division game against the Giants.”
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Clarence Hill covers the Cowboys for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Continue reading...