By Keysha Hogan – @TheKeysha
As we watch hour after time delayed hour of Olympic coverage it’s easy to see how the athletes spent their lives tuning out distraction, aiming for perfection and beating the odds for the chance to compete on a world stage. But can our Cowboys buckle down and use the following Olympic customs to make a run for a Super Bowl win this year? They’ll need to hone each of these traits in order to do what we all know they are capable of.
Self-discipline
Earlier this summer, Dez Bryant was arrested for a class “A” assault/family violence misdemeanor charge involving his mother. She sat amicably beside her son in a press conference while he read a prepared statement denying that any assault took place. We may never know the full truth of what took place that night, but from this and previous run-ins with law enforcement we do know that Bryant has anger issues that need to be addressed. The team will eventually get ahead of this incident and offer him help so that the NFL will show mercy. From the beginning, Bryant has been a playmaker but management and coaching can only take a player and a team so far. In order to consistently bring his real “A” game he will have to train himself to abide by the rules.
Determination
Before the Blue and White scrimmage this past Sunday the Cowboys had 18 players nursing injuries. It’s well known that injuries are common during training camp but because of the variety of veterans and rookies suffering they had to bring in players for the workout and thin some of the periods to limit the reps and wear on their bodies. Overcoming real or imagined limitations is going to test the conviction of this team. There will be awful games up north on frozen fields that will aggravate every arthritic joint and tendon they have, but it must not stop them if they want glory on that first Sunday in February.
Focus
For most of us, achieving focus is near impossible with the entire world at our fingertips every second of the day. We’re constantly managing work and family while squeezing in time for play. But we are also not making millions of dollars and are not the subject of hundreds of newspaper articles, websites and TV shows. Tuning out the droning static of constant judgment and criticism will help the team eliminate the fears that this season will be like the others.
Confidence
In a way, the Cowboys already encompass many of these character traits because they made it to the NFL. But in order to go to the next level they will have to know that the past 17 championship-free seasons don’t matter anymore. They must battle through this season knowing that every victory is a step closer to the ultimate triumph. And being champions will be amazing but knowing they gave it everything they had will be worth its weight in gold.