Before Saturday night's game against the then-unbeaten New Orleans Saints, special teams coach Joe DeCamillis showed the team a video from last week's broadcast of NBC Football Night in America. Ex-coach, analyst and Michael Vick apologist Tony Dungy had the following to say about the Cowboys' hopes, in a back-and-forth with host Dan Patrick (Thanks to the DMN Sports Media Blog):
Patrick: "Is their season on the line next Saturday in New Orleans?"
Dungy: "It really is. They've got to win that game otherwise they're not going to make the playoffs."
Patrick: "Do they have any chance of winning?"
Dungy: "No chance."
In fairness to Dungy, most of the football-watching world would have agreed with him whole-heartedly before last night. However, most of the football-watching world isn't given a platform on which to speak; if one should go out on a limb on national television--even a seemingly sturdy one like this--they are left vulnerable for the kind of humble-pie comments dished out by the 'no chance' Cowboys after last night's win.
"That was a little surprising coming from an ex-coach," said Tony Romo after the game.
Receiver Patrick Crayton took the issue a step further, chiding Dungy openly for betraying that 'any given Sunday' truism, which is simultaneously cliched and true.
"He didn't even say, 'If they do this...' He was just flat out, 'No chance,'" Crayton said. "Wow. I thought this is the NFL. If we didn't have a chance we might as well just give them the victory. He should know better. He's been coaching how many years? And to say no chance? Love it. That's good."
Admittedly, things didn't look good for Dallas coming into the Saturday night game--on the road, against an undefeated machine; that said, Crayton and the Cowboys are justified in reminding the ex-coach of his fatalist screed in the wake of a win that, for three quarters, wasn't even close.
