EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -Bradie James reached into the past for a little inspiration as the Dallas Cowboys head into their most uncertain time of year: December.
The linebacker spoke with Tony Dorsett, the Hall of Fame running back who was part of the first wave of Dallas glory days. The kind of days James and his teammates are trying to relive.
“He was talking about one mystique they had when he was here was that when they put on the blue jerseys, they would lose,\’\’ James said of Dorsett, who won a Super Bowl with Dallas in his rookie season, 1977. “The only way that they could right that wrong was to go out there and kick people\’s tails in the blue jerseys.
“So for us, in December, the only way we can get through December is to win. Point-blank. Simple.\’\’
Not so simple.
ular season and postseason.
Plus, the Cowboys last won a playoff game in the 1996 season. No, not quite as far back as Dorsett\’s tenure, but certainly a long drought.
Romo doesn\’t want to hear any of that. He knows the Cowboys lead the NFC East at 8-3, the Giants are two games back, and handing them a sixth loss Sunday pretty much would make the Giants an afterthought in the division.
“We don\’t look at other seasons,\’\’ Romo said. “This is this season, it\’s a brand new football team. Nothing that happened in 1999 and 2004 or 2008 has any bearing on what is going to happen this December.\’\’
What the Giants need to happen this December is a turnaround. A quick one, too, because they host Philadelphia and visit Washington in the next two weeks. A sweep would put them in position to win the division, or at the least be solidly in the wild-card mix.
But winning lately has not been so simple for New York. After starting 5-0, including a victory at Dallas in the regular-season opener for Cowboys Stadium, the Giants have gone 1-5, with the victory coming in overtime against Atlanta. Quality opponents New Orleans, San Diego, Arizona, Denver and Philly beat them.
If ever there was a time to recapture what worked for the first five games, it\’s now. In fact, if it doesn\’t happen now, the Giants won\’t be making any playoff appearances.
Chase Blackburn said. “We have to win them to get to the playoffs. We\’ve got to make our run right now. It\’s a five-game season.\’\’
Dallas still has San Diego and New Orleans on tap, along with the Redskins and Eagles. The Giants\’ final two games are against Carolina and at Minnesota. Neither of those schedules is easy.
So if you want to drag out the old must-win description, go ahead.
“People have been saying that this is their season, what they\’re playing for,\’\’ James noted. “This is our season, too, because if we go in and beat these guys, we don\’t have to worry about them coming back to haunt us.\’\’
The Giants haunted the Cowboys two years ago on their way to winning the Super Bowl as a wild card. Oddly, it\’s the only late-season game Romo has lost to New York; he\’s 2-0 against New York in December.
“We don\’t talk about that stuff,\’\’ he said. “When you lose, you learn from it. When you win, you learn from it and improve on it. That is what this team has been able to do is put blinders on and continue to go forward. And we are going to keep doing the same thing.\’\’
In contrast to the Giants, who can\’t keep doing the same thing. They\’re also banged-up in the backfield, with only starter Brandon Jacobs and rookie Gartrell Johnson healthy at running back. Eli Manning\’s performances have been spotty since he sustained a foot injury, and he now has a stress reaction that developed from the first problem.
New York also is without defensive leader Antonio Pierce. The middle linebacker was placed on injured reserve this week.
That doesn\’t bode well against Dallas, which has a formidable running back trio of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice, and one of the league\’s best tight ends, Jason Witten, although he\’s battling a foot problem.
Do such matchup woes worry the Giants?
“There\’s no fear at all,\’\’ linebacker Michael Boley said. “You can\’t play the game with fear. In every aspect of the game, you get hit, you\’ve got to get right back up.\’\’
And right away, because time is running out on his team.
—
AP Sports Writer Jaime Aron in Dallas contributed to this story.
Add A Comment