Cowboys In Washington: The Tearing, Seeds And Differences
By Mike Fisher | @fishsports
LANDOVER, MD (105.3 THE FAN) -- "Right before people's eyes," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said following Dallas' 44-17 win at Washington, "we have basically torn it up in December."
And the playoff-bound Cowboys have also torn up preconceived notions of what and who they are, with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray all posting record-setting seasons on offense, the previously "Worst Defense In History'' recording four takeaways against Washington, and coach Jason Garrett's crew posting an 8-0 road record, part of a shocking 12-4 campaign that leaves Dallas believing that next week's playoff opener (at home at 3:40 Sunday against the Lions) can just be the next logical step.
"I've been speaking on it the whole year, we've got to grow and mature," Dallas defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. "It's clear as day these seeds are turning into flowers, and I'm happy, man. Coach is going to continue to give us sunshine and rain, and we'll be all right."
All's right with Dez, who caught early scoring passes of 65 and 23 yards to give him 16 touchdown receptions on the season, breaking Owens' team record of 15 set in 2007 and triggering the blowout.
And with DeMarco, who rushed for 100 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries, passing Emmitt Smith for the team single-season mark as he ends the season with 1,845 yards.
And with Romo, the leader of the 4-0 December team with incredible numbers that include 75-percent passing with 12 touchdowns and one interception. His 114.4 season passer rating is sixth best in NFL history and the sort of stat that history says makes a guy an MVP candidate.
"I'm a different player than I was,'' Romo said, fulfilling that training-camp promise of "being the best me I can be.''
"Now,'' he added, "you got to go out and do it."
The bar keeps getting raised, but before we require a Cowboys team to "go out and do it in the playoffs,'' a note of appreciation for the ride. Few among us thought this was anything more than yet another 8-8 team, yet another fall-just-short team, yet another edition of the franchise stuck in the mud of NFL mediocrity.
Next week is next week. But for the moment? They have torn it up. They are seeds growing into flowers. They are … different.
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