Honestly, I thought this game was big enough. Cowboys and Eagles, avenging a big loss from earlier in the season and with the possible chance of clinching the division, I wouldn't have expected a story like this to sprout.
But Jerry Jones' comments regarding Saturday's game and being "scared" have popped up and became a storyline in the locker room Wednesday. Obviously, it didn't faze any of the players when asked, which is a good thing considering they are the ones actually strapping on a helmet.
It's not the first time Jerry's comments have been head-scratching. If you missed it, this is what he said on his weekly radio show Tuesday morning on 105.3 "The Fan."
*"Because it is the Eagles and after the butt-kicking they gave us up in Philadelphia, I'm scared," Jones said, referring to Philly's 34-7 win on Oct. 30. "It's that kind of feeling. The respect turns into being afraid of what they can do to you if you have some breakdowns out there, so you can put that scared there if you want to. I think sometimes I know I do my best when I'm scared."
*Honestly, you can take those sentences and chop it up however you want to. But the bottom line is: it really doesn't matter if the owner is scared. He's not playing.
Just like a lot of fans are probably scared. Big deal. Again, not playing.
And when you think about it, why wouldn't Jones be a little scared of what might happen Saturday afternoon against the Eagles. This is a team that completely shellacked the Cowboys in every way about seven weeks ago. It's the only team that has dominated Dallas all year long and now the Eagles are coming off two straight wins, including a whipping of the Jets, who just happened to be coached by the brother of his defensive coordinator – the same defensive coordinator who admitted getting taken to school by Eagles coach Andy Reid on Oct. 30.
Maybe scared is warranted, especially by the owner.
But let's not forget this. A former coach around here, one that is highly respected and goes by the name of "Bill," . . . he used to say all the time that players and coaches, and really everyone in life, is motivated by fear. Fear of losing the game, fear of losing your job, fear of getting hurt and basically just fear of failure all together.
Really, that's no different. So Jerry says he's scared by what happen in what has become the biggest game of the season. He's not the one mixing it up.
