Smiley N. Pool/Staff Photographer-SportsDay
Written by: William Heiges II
In keeping with the holiday season, this is something that might be relatable to most if not all Dallas Cowboys fans out there. To me, the Cowboys this season make me think of the children’s book The Polar Express, which went on to become a successful animation film of the same name. In the story, a young boy who has doubts about the existence of Santa Claus gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (along with other children) to board a magical train for the North Pole to meet Santa and receive the first gift of Christmas. Throughout the film, the boy battles with doubts of Santa being real based on how his parents and the media have influenced him to have second thoughts. The phrase “seeing is believing” is what the boy is told and hence reiterated to the audience on the subject of Santa Claus. When he and the other children arrive at the North Pole, he sees the bells from Santa’s sleigh and even though they are shaking, he cannot hear a single sound despite the other children being able to. One bell comes loose from the chain and the boy picks it up and shakes it next to his ear but still hears nothing. It is at this moment he pauses and tell’s himself ‘I believe’. He repeats this phrase, and the next time he shakes the bell, he hears a beautiful sound before he turns and witnesses Santa Claus, real and up close. Everyone who has seen this film knows what happens afterwards; the boy is chosen to receive the first gift of Christmas and he ends up selecting the bell that fell from Santa’s sleigh so that he could always shake it and hear the sound that let him know he still believed.
Back to the Cowboys, this season has been a roller coaster effort at times but after starting 3-5, Dallas has gone on to win six of their last seven games to end up at 9-6 with a division title and one guaranteed home match in the postseason. This team has been unpredictable, inconsistent offensively, and at times the young defense has had to carry more than they should to put this team on top. Even with the recent success, I have at times found myself finding it difficult to believe in this team and almost rarely hear anything when I shake the bell that symbolizes what Dallas can do in the postseason. But just like the movie ending, I am hearing the bell loud and clear now. Dallas has a special group, especially on the defense. The offense has one of the best running backs in the league with Ezekiel Elliott and the addition of wideout Amari Cooper has paid off dividends. The only real issue that many, including me at times, has with this team is the play-calling in the red zone and inconsistency from Dak Prescott. Even though Dak misses open receivers or has a miscommunication with them, he’s a fighter. Dak will fight and battle to put Dallas on top no matter what it takes. Are the Cowboys a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde act? Sure, but they have taken care of business lately, winning all the “must-win” games no matter how pretty or ugly they’ve been. I believe in Dallas to win their first playoff game and go onward to the next round and more if they keep it all together.
Hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas earlier this week and always remember to never stop believing in the things that matter the most.