IRVING, Texas -For a bunch of guys who have been banging heads since the end of July, it would stand to reason that there would be no such thing as a bad time for four consecutive days off. However, there was a point last week when that was very much a worthwhile question.
A week later, it would seem the Cowboys have lucked out after all. As I heard a local radio personality describe it astutely on Tuesday, this was Control Alt Delete week for the Cowboys, the exact thing they needed after that embarassing loss to the Lions.
Not only did the Cowboys get rest of their weary, like Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Orlando Scandrick, Mike Jenkins and Gerald Sensabaugh, but the rest of the division came back to them, with New York losing to an inferior Seattle team, and Philadelphia now trying to stave off a total implosion after starting 1-4.
Maybe it was the time to put their feet up, or the chance to watch their competition looking very suspect, or just the extra time gone by since Week 4, but the loss to the Lions seemed forgotten when the players got back to Valley Ranch on Monday, as much an afterthought as Week 1 was following a win in Week 2 - ancient history.
And maybe it's also fortuitous to be playing New England out of the bye, not only because the Cowboys needed the extra time to get their ducks in a row before one of the toughest games of the year, but because the challenge is so great that the team truly has no room to look back.
The 24-hour rule, so often referenced by Jason Garrett, is in place for wins or losses. Ideally, you could waive it on the backs of a huge win and going into the bye week. But maybe it was also a good thing that the Cowboys had to stew on their loss to the Lions for a couple days, without being punished on Sunday for the fact it stayed on their minds for a little too long.
Against New England, the Cowboys could very easily lose. However, considering what happened in Week 4, I'm liking their chances more than I would have if not for the extra week the players have had to clear their head.
