FRISCO, Texas – OK, here we go again … but wait, this has nothing to do with Dak Prescott getting to the line of scrimmage and letting everyone know his snap count is about to begin.
Oh no, this has to do with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday evening heading off on their American Airlines charter flight to Rio de Janeiro, and that's Brazil, as in South America for those geographically challenged.
Yep, an overnighter, 10 hours from takeoff to landing, plus a bus ride to the hotel, now on Rio time, two hours ahead of CDT. So do the math. That's a 12-hour trip to play in Sunday's international game against the Baltimore Ravens.
As George Pickens had to say, "I've never been on a 10-hour, 11-hour flight. Just sleep as long as I can," which seems to be the general consensus in the locker room for those who will have no problems sleeping on a plane.
And just for clarification, this is no vacation trip. All business. No planned sightseeing. No wandering around the city to soak in the culture. The Cowboys will practice at The Star as usual on Thursday and will conduct their somewhat normal Friday workout midafternoon at a local Brazilian soccer team training facility. All accommodations, meals and meetings will be on the hotel property grounds. No wandering allowed.
Then on Saturday, the Cowboys will conduct what they are calling a "walk-around" at the game day's Maracanã Stadium for the players to at least see the playing surface that has attracted significant attention after several of the local soccer players have warned of the conditions. Yet the NFL has assured the two teams the field's conditions will be of standard quality, the league even shipping tarps to protect the grass from the recent unusual amount of rain.
We'll see.
The 1-1 Cowboys will also tour the locker rooms and just get a feel for the 79,000-seat stadium environment. None of this – the 10-hour flight, the grass conditions or being in a foreign country – seems to be distracting the players. Having to face the equally 1-1 Ravens, meaning quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, has given the Cowboys enough to focus on and, well, they better.
Oh, and the last bit of the travel itinerary: The Cowboys return to DFW immediately after the game, meaning a second overnight 10-hour flight within four days, projected to arrive home by early Monday our time.
And as for the following Sunday, no favors from NFL schedule makers. The Cowboys have a noon start at Houston, and four days after that, on a short week, a home Thursday night matchup against Tampa Bay.
Charming, right?
- Cleat It Up: So one of the issues playing on a foreign field is the grass conditions, which dictate what sort of cleated shoes players will wear. Most playing on artificial turf will wear molded-cleat shoes where the cleats are built into the bottom of the sole. If those aren't adequate for grass fields, then they have what's called a 7-cleat shoe, meaning there are seven cleats on the shoe: five in the front, two in the back. But then it's a matter of the length of the cleats, and there are several sizes of those depending on the conditions. As one person told me, normally when playing away games on grass fields, players pregame should examine what type of cleats the home players at their position are wearing as a clear barometer.
- International Thoughts: As Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explained when asked if he's a fan of these international games, he said, "I do. It was our time to go I'm good with it." But Jerry didn't miss a chance to interject when referring to the future: "It's to our preferred thoughts to play in Mexico," like a hop, skip and a jump from Dallas. And with a huge Cowboys fan base, betting would be considered like a home game.
- Thumbs Up: Cowboys' Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith is coming along just fine after surgery to repair the torn ligament in his left thumb. Since being placed on IR-Return, he has to miss a mandatory four games, so Sunday's game in Rio and the following Sunday at Houston is four. He's projected to be ready to play the following game. But, uh, one problem: the Cowboys likely will not have a padded practice during the three-day lead-up to the Thursday night game against Tampa Bay, which means no real practice to test out the thumb or condition. Smith is running now during his rehab, so as for his return, think the next week, Oct. 18 at Green Bay, having 10 days to prepare.
- A Few Reais: That is the Brazilian currency. Currently, the U.S. dollar is worth R$5.10 of those Brazilian Reais … Talk about an OG, Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell has played 280 career games now in his 19th season at 40 years old, the second-most defensive lineman games in NFL history to the 282 of Jim Marshall … One positive step for the Cowboys heading into Game 3 is their red zone touchdown percentage, improving over last year's mediocre 56.9 to 85.7 percent so far this year … After punting on their first two possessions of this season against the Giants, the Cowboys have now scored points in 10 of their last 12 possessions, the exception being the interception against the Giants and the lone punt in their eight possessions against the Commanders after suffering a three-and-out … And for those old enough to remember running back Eric Dickerson of SMU and Los Angeles Rams fame, having gained a Cowboys opponent playoff record 248 yards rushing that 1985 season, the Ravens' Henry needs 30 yards to surpass Dickerson's (13,259 yards rushing) to move into ninth on the NFL's all-time career rushing list.
On the eve of leaving for Rio, we'll turn again to Jones, discussing what makes Dak breaking the franchise career record for touchdown passes so special, knowing the quality of franchise quarterbacks coming before him, starting with Don Meredith, then Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and let's not forget Danny White and, for sure, the previous record-holder Tony Romo.
"He's the poster child of any players I've been around of what you can do to self-improve, and he's the product of his own work ethic. He's a product of his focus on getting better in every detail of his game," Jerry began. "He is, I'm happy to say, he's a better quarterback today than he's ever been, and he's playing a position that can, even though you might have a little diminished physical skills, it's a position that if you approach it the way he's approached his career, you will be a better player. I'm glad we've got him.
"His record indicates the best – an overall view that can still be debatable, but it is debatable because of how he got where he is. To me, that's a noteworthy leg on his chair of being the best. He can be the best out there as far as I'm concerned."
And that's not a lonely corner where Jerry sits.
