After interim head coach Jason Garrett led his Dallas Cowboys to a 33-20 upset victory over the New York Giants at the New Meadowlands, many wondered aloud whether the gumption--a word I’ve chosen only because I finally had the opportunity--seen in the Cowboys Sunday was the result of an adroit head coach or, simply enough, of the change.
Dallas linebacker Bradie James, in what was hardly an indictment of the job done by his new head coach, the man formerly known around town as “Redheaded Jesus,” told reporters recently that the change did send players a message, that regardless of the head coach--whether it be Wade Phillips, Garrett, or a popular Disney creation--that the players must play.
"It doesn't matter if the coach is Donald Duck," James said, per the Dallas Morning News. "We've got a job to do.
"He's my boss, just like if your boss turned over. You've got a job to do. Our job is to go out and play hard, play to the best of our ability and let the results take care of themselves."
Many players expressed a sense of responsibility for Wade Phillips’ fate in the aftermath of the firing last Monday, and James’ words Tuesday seemed to contain a twinge of that lingering sentiment.
"Last week was one of the worst times as a football player I've had," he said. "It was the bottom of the barrel. Anytime you lose your head coach in the middle of the season, you don't know what's going on.
"But the best thing about it is we got a chance to express ourselves by playing. It didn't matter who we were playing against. We had gotten to the point where it's about us."
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