News: BTB: Cowboys Face A Tough Challenge, But Can Take Hope From The Rangers

[NewsBot]

A lot of people want to give up on hopes of Dallas making the playoffs. The baseball team that plays just a stone's throw away provides a reason to rethink that.

After seeing them drop their last two games, a lot of fans are seeing nothing but doom and gloom for the Dallas Cowboys. Having to face the reigning NFL champion New England Patriots next is not helping with that. Terms like "guaranteed loss" are getting tossed around in social media. With Tony Romo still out for five more games, some, even many, followers of the team figure that the Cowboys are not going to be able to turn this around, even though the season is only a quarter of the way done.

If you go to AT&T Stadium, you will notice another professional sports stadium is just a few hundred yards away. Globe Life Park is the home of the Texas Rangers. And if any of the members of that team give a passing thought to the plight of the Cowboys, they probably would scoff at the idea of Dallas' season being over. They have been there. And if you haven't noticed, they are doing pretty dang well at the moment, sitting on a 2-0 lead in the divisional round of the MLB playoffs after taking two from the Toronto Blue Jays up in Canada.

Back in June, when the baseball season was about a quarter of the way done, everyone had written the cellar-dwelling Rangers off. The prediction was that they would lose about 90 games while the surprising Houston Astros were on their way to winning the AL West. Texas had lost their best pitcher, Yu Darvish, to injury, and were struggling in all phases of the game.

But the Rangers had a slogan: Never ever quit. I don't know exactly when that got started, because I follow baseball very, very casually. The only reason I pay much attention to the Rangers at all is just that I am truly a homer at heart. Still, a funny thing happened. The team apparently took that motto to heart, and after the All-Star break, they began an incredible charge. They chipped away, climbing up the standings and finally overtaking the Astros in September. They clinched a wildcard spot with a handful of games, and took the West outright in the final game of the season. Now they have proven that they belong with the two wins in Toronto. And don't say they stole the games, because they flat out earned the wins.

I would bet you that the Rangers' season is being pointed to by one Jason Garrett. That "never ever quit" has to be something that speaks directly to his heart. Anyone who has watched his tenure as head coach knows how he believes in using slogans and such to motivate his players. He would probably use that one himself if it hadn't been taken already.

The fact is that the Cowboys are in a much better position at this point than that baseball team was back in the early summer. They are tied for the division lead, and even with Brandon Weeden, they may have the second best quarterback on the field in the division. He certainly has his limitations, but he has put up some very good numbers.

Even if Dallas doesn't shock the NFL and win against the Patriots, they still have some very winnable games before Romo gets back. Plus they already have two very important wins in the division (funny how the way the NFL put those two games up front worked out for the Cowboys). And we all are very aware of the players that are starting to get on the field. Just the thought of Sean Lee and Rolando McClain both on seek-and-level missions makes the heart warm.

Now is not the time to throw in the towel. Just look at that baseball team that plays so near.

It is their slogan, but it works so well. Never. Ever. Quit.

Follow me @TomRyleBTB​

Don’t forget to resister for our Blogging the Boys meet-up!
Oct 24-25, 2015
Cowboys-Giants in the beautiful Poconos
Three awesome Cowboys-centric events!
Saturday, October 24
(8:00-10:00 PM): Dinner the night before the game Sunday, October 25
(9:00 AM - 1:00 PM): Pre-game brunch Sunday, October 25
(4:30-8:30 PM) Cowboys-Giants game, with free buffet
Click Here to RSVP Click here for more information on pricing, lodging, etc.​

​

Continue reading...