parcellsguys
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Going into last Sunday's game against the big bad Eagles most NFL fans were waiting for the Cowboys to get the snot beat out of them. Well we all saw what happened, the only snot flying around was McNabb's as the Cowboy defense sacked him four times while the Cowboy offense rolled up 33 points.
These Cowboy players should be very proud of the way they played against the Eagles, but let's not forget that the win only counts once. There won't be any parades or champagne popping just yet. Yes, the win was great and all, but a loss this week will do more damage than that win did good.
When the final gun sounded last Sunday the players should have immediately started thinking about what needs to be done to beat the New York Giants. Coach Parcells put it best when he references horse racing. They don't pay out a single penny to the horse who is leading at the first furlong. Great teams get excited over wins in November and December, not September and October. The ultimate goal for any team is the playoffs, then the Super Bowl. It's a good thing Coach Parcells is around to keep this team focused.
Making sure a team doesn't get too high or too low is one of the biggest challenges in the sports world. These players put in a lot of work leading up to a game so it's easy to see why they get so excited when they achieve a short term goal. The job of the coaching staff is to make sure these same players are locked in on the long term goal soon after a big win.
Many teams use the term "the 24 hour rule", but I am betting this doesn't always work with these young guys who are making millions for playing a game. So how does Coach Parcells keep his players level headed after such a big win? I think the first thing he does is make it a habit to have talented players who know the true way to be team players. They are team oriented first and really only care about team goals. Secondly, he gets players who are well adjusted off the field as well as on the field. Third, he makes sure that he is as up front with a player about what he thinks the player does well and what the player doesn't do well. He never sugar coats what he says to his players and that makes them respect him first and foremost. Fourth, he wants players that are hungry to win NFL games, not just play in them.
Coach Parcells has built this team with players looking to prove something to the world. Drew Bledsoe was supposed to be done. Terry Glenn was not a #1 receiver anymore. Dat Nguyen was too small to play linebacker in the NFL. Jason Ferguson, Rob Petitti, Keith Davis were not supposed to be good enough to play at this level. No one thought Julius Jones could be a feature back coming out of college, no one thought Jason Witten was worth a first round pick and no one thought anyone could control Keyshawn Johnson enough to get him to play at his full potential. This team can fight on the sidelines one minute and work together on that same field the next minute. They are becoming a family right before our eyes.
The reason this team will stay focused is that Bill Parcells himself has the most to prove. He will be in the Hall Of Fame on the first ballot when he retires, but many people started saying he was through after the disappointing 2004 season. "He can't win in today's NFL...", "The game has passed him by...", "Why doesn't he just retire already...". Those people are obviously not seeing that accolades and past accomplishments are not what drive Coach Parcells.
When Bill Parcells can look around and see that these players have accomplished the ultimate NFL goal of winning a Super Bowl then he may just look satisfied. Until then he will make sure they are not overwhelmed by one victory in the fifth game of the season. Bring on the Giants.
Go Cowboys.
