Mailbag: Tired of the same old excuses?

(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)

I'm so tired of the quotes we heard from Dak Prescott after the game: "Look in the mirror. Are you giving enough?" And also, "We've got to find consistency." That comment is insulting to every Cowboys fan. We've been hearing it for what seems like years. Then there's,* "Got to stop the run." It's eight games into the season. Stop the run?! I don't expect this to ever make it onto the website, but just want you to know, we're getting tired of the same old excuses.–**Alex Stelmach/Stevenson Ranch, CA

Nick: It's ok to disagree, right. Good, because I definitely don't agree with your assessment. I get the frustration part, but it's not any more frustrating than Dak standing up there and saying it. I guess I have a hard time with someone criticizing the ONE player who is asked to go to the podium every single week - win or lose. And he's up there calling out the rest of the players and asking them if they're giving enough?

Fair question to me after a game like that. And of course, he's looking for consistency. All teams are doing that. When a team scores 44 points at home and gets four sacks and two turnovers, and then scores half of that with no sacks and one turnover the next week, it's not consistent. I have no problem for what Dak is saying.

What you're really upset with is the fact the Cowboys just aren't a great team right now. That's it. You want them to be good and win every game and stop the run and score all these points, but the reality is, they're a middle-of-the-pack team right now. Some weeks will look better than others. That's the NFL. That's the nature of it. But you're calling these words excuses, when it seems more like the reason.

Kurt: I get everyone is tired of some of these repeated quotes, but in all honesty, what do you expect them to say? When Prescott is sitting up there in front of the media after a tough loss, being asked for the 100th time what's wrong and how do they fix it, how else is he supposed to respond?

No one is more frustrated with this up-and-down season right now than the players themselves. One of the biggest differences between those guys and us mere mortals is their competitive spirit. Their drive to succeed even in casual activities like ping-pong is off the charts and is a big reason why they're in the NFL. So as much as you and I hate losing, most of these players absolutely abhor it. Their main goal is to win, and when that doesn't happen, it can be gut-wrenching.

With that in mind, maybe consider Crash Davis' conversation with Nuke LaLoosh in the movie Bull Durham: "You're gonna have to learn your clichés. You're gonna have to study them, you're gonna have to know them. They're your friends."

Sure, they're funny lines from a comedy, but there is certainly some truth to them. Despite feeling extremely discouraged, Prescott and his teammates have to keep their emotions in check. Do you think if he got in front of the cameras and started complaining and pointing fingers, things would improve? Hardly. Talk about a sure-fire way to quickly implode a locker room.

So yes, it's frustrating for fans to hear the same old quotes, but remember, it's even more frustrating for the players who have to repeatedly say them.