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| Right here and right now, the Cowboys are the best team in this NFL. |
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IRVING, Texas - Let's not get ahead of ourselves, right?
That's the worst thing we could possibly do. We certainly don't want the players and coaches to start thinking too far down the road.
So let's not do that at all.
Let's stay right here in Week Four of the regular season. We're not going anywhere else. We're staying put
And just where is right here? Where is this football team?
You know, it's pretty simple, actually. In a way, it's almost stating the obvious.
But since I've never had the opportunity to say it or write it in a decade of covering this team, why not take advantage of it right here and now.
Yes, these Dallas Cowboys are the best team in football - right now.
No other team is really that close right now. No team is playing the combination of offense, defense and special teams better than these Cowboys.
Not saying they'll win the Super Bowl. Not even saying they'll get there. Who knows, we're not even a quarter of the way into the season. The playoffs are definitely not a lock.
But right here and right now, the Cowboys are the best team in this NFL.
Not saying that the six undefeated teams are the best six in the league, but the Cowboys are tops on that list. And yes, that means the Giants, too.
I know what I said last year before the playoff game and I'm sticking to it. The Cowboys were the better football team for the entire season. They beat New York twice in the regular season and it came down to a few plays in the playoffs.
Trust me, I understand the Giants would take a win in the post-season over two losses during the season any day. Who wouldn't? I get that part, but it doesn't mean the Cowboys weren't the better football team. The Cowboys were throwing into the end zone to win the game. If they make a catch, does that make them the better team all of a sudden?
The fact is, the Giants won that game on that day. Just like they won the next week in Green Bay and then in the Super Bowl against the Patriots.
They were the best football team for that month. And that's the only month that really counts.
Please, save the emails. I get it. The Giants beat the Cowboys when it mattered most and that's why they've got a big 'ol trophy and rings in New York and we're still referencing the 1996 Wild Card game against the Vikings here in Dallas.
If you're the best team in January, you get to play in February. If you're the best team in February, you're the champs.
But since it's only September, there's no need to project where this team might be or end up. We only know where they are now.
And they're the best in football.
There are plenty of reasons why. Talent and depth are high on the list.
I like versatility though. That's what makes this team so special is that they play different types of games. If they need to grind it out and win with defense, they can do that. Did it on the road twice already, beating Cleveland and Green Bay, who combined for 23 wins last year, and lost only once each at home. They've done already lost once at home this season, thanks to the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have won both road games by shutting down what was supposed to be high-octane offenses.
Maybe the Browns aren't that good this year when they face a decent schedule. But no one knew that in Week One. The Cowboys didn't care, just shutting down Kellen Winslow in the second half and Braylon Edwards for the entire game.
It looks like Green Bay will be there once again, but against the Cowboys, the Packers could only get three field goals for three and a half quarters. By then, the Cowboys' offense had gotten into rhythm and plenty of points for what turned out to be a rather easy win.
An easy win over the Packers at historic Lambeau? On Sunday Night Football, on a short week after what defensive end Chris Canty simply called "a war" against the Eagles just six days earlier?
In that Philadelphia game, the Cowboys |
Nick Eatman - 
