SB Nation Dallas - Cowboys Earn First Home Win 35-19 Over Lionshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48887/dallas-fave.png2010-11-22T19:00:04-06:00http://dallas.sbnation.com/rss/stream/15841322010-11-22T19:00:04-06:002010-11-22T19:00:04-06:00Jason Garrett Improves To 2-0 As Cowboys Head Coach: Monday Press Conference Quotes
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Dallas Cowboys</a> probably dug themselves too deep a hole to make the playoffs even if they were to win out, but the team’s response the past two weeks since Jason Garrett was named interim head coach have nevertheless been encouraging. It’s worth tuning in to watch The ‘Boys again, and that’s a good thing.</p>
<p>On Sunday, Dallas defeated the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Detroit Lions</a>, 35-19, in Garrett’s home debut. On Monday, Garrett was asked a number of questions about his solid start at the helm, the team’s performance against the Lions, and his assessment of various personnel and roster situations on Dallas heading into the final six weeks of the season.</p>
<p>Blogging The Boys has transcribed much of the press conference. (<a href="http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2010/11/22/1829368/how-does-it-feel-to-be-an-undefeated-head-coach-cowboys-post-game" target="new">Read BTB’s full transcription here</a> and <a href="http://www.dallascowboys.com/multimedia/multimedia_center.cfm?id=7006B363-B154-D5F7-D2119740C1D3AB15" target="new">watch the entire presser on the Cowboys’ site here</a>.) Below are excerpts from Garrett’s lengthy chat with the media on Monday.</p>
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<p><strong>Q: How does it feel to be an undefeated Head Coach?</strong><br>
“Let me start with this: It certainly wasn’t pretty in all areas today, but I think what we’re finding out about our football team is it’s got a lot of fight. The offense is struggling early on, the defense is picking them up, special teams are making big plays week in and week out.”</p>
<p>“And then the offense gets going, the defense is out there for too long and all those things. We talk about that: It’s not a question of whether or not adversity is going to happen – it’s going to happen. How do you respond to it? Individually, as a unit and as a football team, and our guys are doing that week in and week out and that’s a real positive sign for our team.”</p>
<p><strong>On what McCann has meant to the team:</strong><br>
“Two gigantic plays. Obviously, last week he makes the huge interception in New York, and then the play he makes today, again you can describe as a game-changing play. He’s such an aware football player. He’s aware as a defensive player and certainly in the kicking game.”</p>
<p>“They had done a nice job trapping us down there in some of those hard-coming-out situations. And they do a very good job with their punt team, both in locating the football and then getting down there. I think it had happened earlier in the game and he was aware of it, and I think he just had it in his mind, “If that situation occurs again, I’m going to try to take advantage of it”."</p>
<p><strong>How are you going to handle the short week?</strong><br>
“It’s quick. I told them “The World Champions are going to be here at 3:15 on Thursday”, and it’s going to happen quickly now. So where you typically have a 24 hour rule, we want these guys to enjoy this game with their family, with their friends, with their teammates. Tonight. And then we’ve got to get back to work tomorrow."</p>
<p>“We’ll accelerate the week. Our Monday, tomorrow, which is typically a follow-up on the game from the previous day, you’ve really got to get into starting your preparation for New Orleans. So we’ll start that.”</p>
<p><strong>On Kitna and his performance:</strong><br>
“He has a lot of moxie, he’s a tremendous competitor. There’s a reason he’s been playing in this league for as long as he has. He’s the kind of guy you want on your football team. He’s the kind of guy you want playing quarterback for you. He’s got a lot of mental toughness; he loves to play the game. I think we’ve seen that the last couple of weeks.”</p>
<p>“The looks didn’t always come up cleanly, and he handled a lot of those situations very well, moving, finding a checkdown, running the football, and really just kind of making things happen.”</p>
<p>“We talk about making the big plays when they are available, but we also talk about making the little plays, the ones that don’t make the highlights. He made a number of those today.”</p>
<p><strong>On why he ran the ball at the end of the first half with two timeouts left, which ultimately resulted in Jones’s fumble?</strong><br>
“When you’re coming out in that situation, you like to just say, “Take a knee”. But what would have happened there – I can’t give you the exact seconds here – but what would have happened if we had taken the knee is we would have had to punt the football. So we felt like we had to run it and really work the thing. I think the number was eight seconds. We had a run that we liked. It was a good run for us. Unfortunately they rallied to the ball and knocked it out, and obviously that was the big play in the game."</p>
<p>“I thought our team did a good job responding to that. Our defense fought and made it hard for them. They did score, but we came back out in the second half and said, “Hey, that’s behind us. We’ve got to go to the next thing”. I thought we did that in all three phases."</p>
<p><strong>Did you talk about that play at halftime?</strong><br>
“We talk about the adversity thing all the time. You’ve got to keep going. It’s a 60-minute game, and it’s worth it. It’s worth it to fight hard and battle for 60 minutes.”</p>
<p>“There are going to be adversities, there are going to be bad plays. Those guys get paid too. They’ve got a lot of good football players on their side, they’re a very well coached football team and you’ve just got to keep on fighting through those things.”</p>
<p><strong>Has <span>Felix Jones</span> surprised you in the last two weeks?</strong><br>
“No. Ever since Felix Jones got here, we’ve liked him as a football player. He’s battled through some injuries early in his career, but they were injuries that were legitimate injuries. It’s never been a question of “This guy is a space player, he can’t run tough inside”. We’ve always felt that Felix Jones could do that. We’ve had other backs that we liked. We love getting Marion the ball. We love getting <span>Tashard Choice</span> the football. I think Felix showed his toughness today. He got banged up a little bit and came back and wanted to be part of it at the end. That shows a lot about the kind of toughness that he has, what he feels about this football team and playing on Sunday afternoon."</p>
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https://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2010/11/22/1831085/jason-garrett-improves-to-2-0-as-cowboys-head-coach-monday-press-conference-kitna-nfl-week-12Michael Bean2010-11-21T15:26:33-06:002010-11-21T15:26:33-06:00Cowboys Vs. Lions: Jason Garrett Moves to 2-0 As Dallas wins, 35-19
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<p>Arlington, TX (Sports Network) – <span>Bryan McCann</span>’s 97-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter ignited Dallas to a come-from-behind victory over Detroit, 35-19, at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a> Stadium.</p>
<p><span>Jon Kitna</span> threw for 147 yards and three touchdowns and ran one in for the Cowboys (3-7), who scored 28 points in the second half to win their second straight game with Jason Garrett at the helm.</p>
<p><span>Felix Jones</span> paced the Cowboys on the ground with 51 yards, while <span>Miles Austin</span> caught second-half touchdowns of three and four yards.</p>
<p><span>Shaun Hill</span> threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns, but was intercepted once as the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Lions</a> (2-8) dropped their third in a row and extended their <span class="caps">NFL</span> record for road losses to 26 straight games. <span>Nate Burleson</span> caught seven passes for 97 yards in the defeat.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2010/11/21/1828264/cowboys-vs-lions-jason-garrett-moves-to-2-0-as-dallas-wins-35-19Brett Perryman2010-11-21T15:05:37-06:002010-11-21T15:05:37-06:00Cowboys Vs. Lions: Dallas Ices Win With Fourth Quarter Touchdowns
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<p>After a wild third quarter gave Dallas a two-point lead, they put the game away with two long touchdown drives. A 16-play drive that began with 4:10 remaining in the third quarter ended with a second <span>Miles Austin</span> touchdown on just his second catch.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Lions</a> drove into field goal territory, but a <span>Jay Ratliff</span> sack pushed them back and forced a punt. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a> overcame two <span>Marc Colombo</span> penalties, thanks to a 24-yard catch-and-run by <span>Felix Jones</span> and a disputed horsecollar penalty on Julian Peterson. Three short runs set up a 4th-1 at the Lions 29, where <span>Jon Kitna</span> faked a hand-off to <span>Marion Barber</span> and took a naked bootleg in for the score. The run by Kitna was the longest Cowboys QB run since 1980.</p>
<p><span>Terence Newman</span> intercepted <span>Shaun Hill</span> on the Lions’ third play to close out the win. Dallas was outgained by Detroit, 329-265, but took advantage of several big plays in the second half for the decisive win.</p>
<p>They will take their two game win streak to Thanksgiving Day, as they host the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/">New Orleans Saints</a> after a short week of preparation for both teams. The Saints host the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/">Seattle Seahawks</a> this afternoon at 3:05.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2010/11/21/1828220/cowboys-vs-lions-dallas-ices-win-with-fourth-quarter-touchdownsBrett Perryman2010-11-21T14:20:22-06:002010-11-21T14:20:22-06:00Cowboys Vs. Lions: Dallas Regains Lead As Third Quarter Gets Crazy
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<p>A slow first half had fans sitting on their hands, but things have picked up in the third quarter in Arlington. After an exchange of punts backed the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a> inside their five, a holding call on <span>Leonard Davis</span> while <span>Jon Kitna</span> was in the endzone handed the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Lions</a> two points.</p>
<p>The Lions did nothing with the ensuing drive and punted. <span>Nick Harris</span> nearly pinned Dallas inside their five for the third time, but after a Lions player touched the ball, <span>Bryan McCann</span> picked up the ball and ran 97 yards for a touchdown. It was McCann’s second huge heads-up play in two weeks, as he won a Defensive Player Of The Week aware last week for reading a slant and returning an interception of <span>Eli Manning</span> 101 yards to turn the momentum in Jason Garrett’s first game as head coach.</p>
<p><span>Sean Lee</span> forced a <span>Jerome Felton</span> on the ensuing kickoff, and <span>Jason Hatcher</span> recovered, setting up Dallas at the Lions 19. <span>Tashard Choice</span>’s first three offensive touches moved Dallas to the 3, where Kitna hit <span>Miles Austin</span> for the score to put Dallas ahead 21-12.</p>
<p>The Lions weren’t done themselves, as <span>Shaun Hill</span> hit <span>Nate Burleson</span> for 58 yards, down to the Dallas 12. After a two-yard loss, Hill connected with <span>Calvin Johnson</span> to narrow the score to 21-19.</p>
<p><span>Felix Jones</span>’ hip x-rays were negative, and the back returned to the game for a pair of carries, as Dallas used several short passes to move inside the Lions’ 20 as the third quarter came to an end.</p>
<p>Dallas has not won at home this year. Their last home win came against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/">Eagles</a> in the wild-card round of last season’s playoffs.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2010/11/21/1828144/cowboys-vs-lions-dallas-regains-lead-as-third-quarter-gets-crazyBrett Perryman2010-11-21T13:53:54-06:002010-11-21T13:53:54-06:00Cowboys Vs. Lions: Felix Jones Leaves With Hip Injury
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<p><span>Felix Jones</span> left today’s game early in the third quarter with an apparent hip injury. The <a href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cowboys</a>’ radio broadcast reports that he is having x-rays performed to determine the extent of the injury.</p>
<p>He stayed in to block on the second play of the third quarter and went down to cut a rushing <span>Kyle Vanden Bosch</span>. Vanden Bosch’s knee seemed to catch Jones on the hip, and the running back left the game, only to fall to the ground after reaching the sideline.</p>
<p>Jones started the game well, with two nine-yard runs and a 12-yard gain on a screen play, but his fumble just prior to the end of the first half led to a <a href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lions</a> touchdown.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2010/11/21/1828090/cowboys-vs-giants-felix-jones-leaves-with-hip-injuryBrett Perryman2010-11-21T13:29:09-06:002010-11-21T13:29:09-06:00Cowboys Vs. Lions: Detroit Leads Dallas 10-7 At Half
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<p>The <a href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lions</a> took advantage of another late first-half <a href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cowboys</a> turnover to take the lead just before halftime. With Dallas leading 7-3 on a <span>Dez Bryant</span> catch and about a minute remaining in the half, Detroit downed a punt at the four. On the Cowboys’ first play, <span>Felix Jones</span> ran for eight yards but fumbled, and the Lions won a scramble for the ball at the Dallas 14. On 3rd-5 from the 9, <span>Shaun Hill</span> hit <span>Nate Burleson</span> for the go-ahead touchdown.</p>
<p>After driving 98 yards on their first possession, the Dallas offense has disappeared, managing just one yard of offense before Jones’ run-and-fumble. The Lions have piled up 175 yards of offense and overcome a 40-5 penalty yardage disadvantage, while chewing up 18 minutes of clock.</p>
<p>Dallas will have the ball first in the second half but could be without <span>DeMarcus Ware</span>, who left the game late in the second quarter with a hand injury.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2010/11/21/1828037/cowboys-vs-lions-detroit-leads-dallas-10-7-at-halfBrett Perryman2010-11-21T12:30:30-06:002010-11-21T12:30:30-06:00Cowboys Vs. Lions: Dez Bryant Puts Dallas On The Board
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<p>After a stalled opening drive for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/">Lions</a> and a punt downed at the Dallas two, <span>Jon Kitna</span> drove the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a> 13 plays and 98 yards for a touchdown on their first drive. An offside call on the Lions gave Dallas some room to operate, and a 3rd-2 conversion to <span>Jason Witten</span> gave the drive legs.</p>
<p>Kitna completed passes to <span>Dez Bryant</span>, <span>Felix Jones</span>, Jason Witten and Roy Williams and Jones ran twice for nine yards to reach the Lions 1. <span>Marion Barber</span> was stuffed on first-and-goal, and the Lions sniffed out a play-action pass on second down, before Kitna hit Dez Bryant on a fade for the 7-0 lead.</p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2010/11/21/1827938/cowboys-vs-lions-dez-bryant-puts-dallas-on-the-boardBrett Perryman2010-11-21T11:34:28-06:002010-11-21T11:34:28-06:00Cowboys Vs. Lions: Terence Newman Is Active
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<p><span>Terence Newman</span> had been called a ‘gametime’ decision throughout the weekend, and the decision was to keep him active. Here are the <a href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Cowboys</a> inactives:</p>
<p><span>Tony Romo</span><br> Brandon Williams<br>Phil Cost<br><span>Jimmy Saddler-McQueen</span><br><span>Sam Young</span><br><span>Jermey Parnell</span><br><span>Kevin Ogletree</span><br><span>Sean Lissemore</span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Lions</a> inactives:</p>
<p><span>Zac Robinson</span> (3rd QB)<br> <span>Jason Hanson</span><br> Matt Stafford<br> <span>Isaiah Ekejiuba</span><br> <span>Jason Fox</span><br> <span>Willie Young</span><br> <span>Bryant Johnson</span><br> <span>Sammie Hill</span><br> <span>Cliff Avril</span></p>
https://dallas.sbnation.com/dallas-cowboys/2010/11/21/1827832/cowboys-vs-lions-terence-newman-is-activeBrett Perryman