The Ideal Postgame Locker Room
By Ben Rogers | @BenRogers
ARLINGTON (105.3 THE FAN) -- The vibe in the Cowboys locker room following their 31-21 victory over the Giants was at best, business-like. If hyped up fans were hoping to hear tales of a jubilant postgame setting featuring shoulder-riding chicken fights, champagne spraying, and glorious keg stands, I'm afraid they'll be disappointed.
Players were standing in front of their lockers, but they might as well have been standing in front of their cubicles. They were answering questions from reporters, but they might as well have been filling out TPS reports. They were happy, but no happier than any of us after a long workweek.
And THAT is a very good sign.
The fact that the Cowboys now expect to win, and aren't into over-celebrating, is a fantastic sign of maturity for a team that is outperforming all reasonable expectations. How is this happening? Leadership.
You have to give Jason Garrett credit for keeping his team humble, hungry and grounded. Garrett and his players were incredibly moved by a sneak preview of the movie 'Lone Survivor' last season where they were able to meet the former U.S. Navy Seal that the movie is based on – Marcus Luttrell.
Since then, Garrett has used Luttrell's inspirational story of survival as a metaphor for his team – reminding them to never give up, keep fighting, and play one play at a time.
Luttrell was shot, with a broken back, and surrounded by the enemy when instead of giving up to die he somehow managed to crawl and drag his broken body to safety. He took a rock, drew a line in the dirt and told himself to merely drag his body across that line. Once he accomplished that simple goal, he challenged himself to draw another line and do it again, over and over, one line at a time. He continued that incredibly difficult process until he found help… some eight miles later.
Garrett tells his players to play the game one play at a time, in much the same manner. He often calls upon Luttrell's courageous story to help his guys put the picture in the frame.
So while Cowboys players certainly have plenty to be excited about, their actions indicate that they are focused on bigger things ahead. No one cares how you start. It's about how you finish. This group is very aware of that fact.
In the words of Jemaine Clement, from the classic HBO series 'Flight of the Conchords':
It's business time.
You know when I'm down to my socks, it's time for business.
That's why they're called business socks.
On Sunday, the Cowboys were all about business. Nothing more. Nothing less.
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