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Big 'D' aims to avoid late-season letdown
By JAIME ARON
Associated Press
Originally published 03:55 a.m., November 14, 2007
Updated 03:55 a.m., November 14, 2007
IRVING -- The way the Dallas Cowboys are rolling up points and rolling over foes, there are no longer doubts about whether they're a legitimate contender in the NFC.
The new question: How legitimate?
Until January, it's all a guess. But the next seven weeks should provide plenty of clues.
What we know so far is that the Cowboys have put themselves in prime position to accomplish the first two goals every team has every season: Win their division and get home-field advantage in the playoffs.
At 8-1, they've also put themselves within reach of a sparkling piece of team history: Most wins in a season. The record is 13, set in 1992 by the first Super Bowl champion of the Troy Aikman-Emmitt Smith-Michael Irvin era.
The win record would be nice, but the Dallas Mavericks can tell you how meaningless that is toward the ultimate goal of winning a championship. The division title would be nice, but it can be picked up along the way to home-field advantage, which comes from having the best record in the conference.
Dallas and Green Bay are tied atop the NFC, and likely will be when the teams meet at Texas Stadium on Nov. 29. Even if they are a game apart by then, the winner will still walk away with the inside track on the No. 1 seed. (If the team that trails in the standings wins, that team would move on top because of the tiebreaker.)
Count on the Cowboys being ready to go for that game. The way they played the past two weeks in Philadelphia and New York showed how good they can be when they feel challenged.
Now, let's talk about the other six games.
Coach Wade Phillips will have to be at his motivational best to keep everyone interested. It probably won't be too hard the next two weeks against Washington (division rival) and the New York Jets (they're terrible, but it's the Thanksgiving game). Then, after that ...
It'll be December, which carries extra baggage around here.
The flops of the past two years continue a trend almost as dark as the 11-year drought without a playoff victory. Since 1996, the season of the last playoff win, Dallas has had only one winning record in December, in 2001, when the Cowboys went 3-2 but 2-9 in all the other months.
Damning as that may be, the bigger issue in December might be focus. With a chance to grab one of the top two seeds -- which means a first-round bye and home-field advantage the next round -- will this club rise to the challenge?
In a way, that's what all seven games are about. Now that they've gotten to 8-1, can they keep playing with the same drive and determination?
Evidence suggests they will.
http://www.caller.com/news/2007/nov/14/cowboys-must-keep-desire-alive/
By JAIME ARON
Associated Press
Originally published 03:55 a.m., November 14, 2007
Updated 03:55 a.m., November 14, 2007
IRVING -- The way the Dallas Cowboys are rolling up points and rolling over foes, there are no longer doubts about whether they're a legitimate contender in the NFC.
The new question: How legitimate?
Until January, it's all a guess. But the next seven weeks should provide plenty of clues.
What we know so far is that the Cowboys have put themselves in prime position to accomplish the first two goals every team has every season: Win their division and get home-field advantage in the playoffs.
At 8-1, they've also put themselves within reach of a sparkling piece of team history: Most wins in a season. The record is 13, set in 1992 by the first Super Bowl champion of the Troy Aikman-Emmitt Smith-Michael Irvin era.
The win record would be nice, but the Dallas Mavericks can tell you how meaningless that is toward the ultimate goal of winning a championship. The division title would be nice, but it can be picked up along the way to home-field advantage, which comes from having the best record in the conference.
Dallas and Green Bay are tied atop the NFC, and likely will be when the teams meet at Texas Stadium on Nov. 29. Even if they are a game apart by then, the winner will still walk away with the inside track on the No. 1 seed. (If the team that trails in the standings wins, that team would move on top because of the tiebreaker.)
Count on the Cowboys being ready to go for that game. The way they played the past two weeks in Philadelphia and New York showed how good they can be when they feel challenged.
Now, let's talk about the other six games.
Coach Wade Phillips will have to be at his motivational best to keep everyone interested. It probably won't be too hard the next two weeks against Washington (division rival) and the New York Jets (they're terrible, but it's the Thanksgiving game). Then, after that ...
It'll be December, which carries extra baggage around here.
The flops of the past two years continue a trend almost as dark as the 11-year drought without a playoff victory. Since 1996, the season of the last playoff win, Dallas has had only one winning record in December, in 2001, when the Cowboys went 3-2 but 2-9 in all the other months.
Damning as that may be, the bigger issue in December might be focus. With a chance to grab one of the top two seeds -- which means a first-round bye and home-field advantage the next round -- will this club rise to the challenge?
In a way, that's what all seven games are about. Now that they've gotten to 8-1, can they keep playing with the same drive and determination?
Evidence suggests they will.
http://www.caller.com/news/2007/nov/14/cowboys-must-keep-desire-alive/