A good story in USA Today about the tragedy in Jay Ratliff's family a couple weeks ago. It ties into the whole theme of the Cowboys last week - play for someone you love; a family member, a friend, someone you care about. The Cowboys executed physically on Sunday, but they also dipped into the emotional well for some guidance. Ratliff had this to say about Coach Joe DeCamillis and his pre-game speech to the team.
"Coach DeCamillis told us he just had to live," Ratliff says. "Joe D could barely stand up sometimes last year, but was out there coaching as if nothing happened. The same thing with my grandfather, he lost his legs and sight, but was strong mentally and spiritually.
"It's a whole lot easier to play this game when you're surrounded by people who care for you"
Mike Jenkins also took note of Joe D.'s speech...
"During the second quarter going into halftime, he (DeCamillis) kept saying what do you want to play for, who do you want to play for and what do you want to live for," Jenkins said. "His story (is what sticks with you). The guy broke his neck, he is back with us, never missed any time, maybe a week and it showed how strong he is."
Jenkins thought back to some things that had happened to him.
In his first college game at USF in 2004, Jenkins and teammate Javon Camon delivered a clean but devastating blow to Tennessee Tech’s Drew Hixon that sent him into a coma (Hixon has mostly recovered today). It took Jenkins awhile to get over that incident and it affected his play.
Camon tragically died in an indoor football league game in 2007. It was another crushing blow to Jenkins, but all his life he has tried to make something positive out of a negative.
After the death, he dedicated the rest of his college career to Camon...
Sounds like the Cowboys definitely rallied around the message. Of course, you can't go to that emotional well every week, it just doesn't work that way. But for one week, it was just what Dallas needed.
Praise all around for the Cowboys offensive line, especially the tackles.
It’s pretty amazing that quarterback Tony Romowas sacked once through three weeks of the NFL season. Romo helped his cause by getting rid of the football quicker, making his reads faster and moving around the pocket. Yet, the Cowboys played three different tackles, Doug Free on the left side for three games, Marc Colombo for two and Alex Barron for one. ... There’s a perception the tackles are getting all this help, especially Free, who is a first-time full-time starter at left tackle, and while this is true, it’s not as much as you think.
Read Fan in Thick and Thin's excellent review of the team in the FanPosts.
David Buehler says he wasn't affected by the Cowboys decision to pass up a FG on their first long drive in the Texans game.
"Coach (Pete) Carroll (at USC) would always go for it on fourth-and-short, so I’m kind of used to that," Buehler said. "I’ve just got to stay prepared and stay ready to go."
This headline was kind of funny - Cowboys' rookies making their mark. So I checked the article, and the only rookie mentionioned is Dez Bryant.
Who do the Philly sports fans rank as their biggest rival? Why, us, of course. The Cowboys were the pick, here's a sampling of their comments:
Hating the Cowboys has become part of a Philly fans' DNA! From a young age I was taught to hate the Cowboys . . . To this day, [if] the Eagles go 2-14 and those two wins come against the Cowboys, it would be a good season.
Good wishes to Rayfield Wright, who suffered a minor heart attack.
Ring of Honor and Hall of Fame offensive tackle Rayfield Wright is recovering from a "moderate to severe heart attack" suffered last Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Wright, 65, was released from a hospital in Fort Worth on Saturday, Jeannette DeVader, director of The Rayfield Wright Foundation said. She said his prognosis for recovery was good.