On a day of giving thanks, Anthony Spencer is likely doing just that.
Last week against the Redskins, his first sack of the year was stricken from the record by the officiating crew, the result of a long and generally pointless play-review; his consolation prize, of course, was the game-clinching interception. Still, the frustration was obvious moving into Thursday's Thanksgiving Day match-up with Oakland, the new home of Greg Ellis, who Spencer replaced in the defense.
"Yeah, it's frustrating, of course it's frustrating, but at the same time, what can I do?" Spencer said on Tuesday. The self-evident answer, for Spencer, was to remain positive in the face of such seeming futility.
The approach yielded some positive, and long-awaited results--for Spencer, the team and fans alike--in Thursday's 24-7 win.
Spencer finally ended the drought, dating back to week 15 of 2008, recorded his first and second sacks of the season on Thursday; but the sacks alone are hardly sufficient in explaining the kind of day seen by the Purdue product. Arguably the defensive player of the game for Dallas, Spencer recorded 8 tackles (second only to Keith Brooking, with 9), 6 of which were solo, and a pass deflection.
Since being drafted in 2007, many in Cowboys Nation have been waiting patiently (or not) for some sign that Spencer may be "putting it together," as they say; at the risk of overvaluation--it being one game, against the Oakland Raiders, no less--this may have been just that.
