Cowboys Concern About Tom Brady's 7-0 Record? 'Not at All!' Say Defensive Leaders
FRISCO - What the Dallas Cowboys' defensive leaders are now saying about legendary quarterback Tom Brady and his intimidating 7-0 lifetime record vs. "America's Team'' is technically true.
Said safety Jayron Kearse, getting cute with the calendar: “It’s 2023. He ain’t beat us this year. That’s all we’re worried about.”
Well, that's accurate. Brady's Win No. 7 vs. Dallas came by a score of 19-3 in Week 1 of this season ... but in 2022.
So ... yay?
Part of the Dallas locker room's point: These Cowboys, for better or worse, are not the same as those Cowboys. To wit: Brady's first win came in 2003, when his Patriots won, 12-0.
In 2003, Cowboys defensive players Micah Parsons, Quinton Bohanna, Kelvin Joseph, Damone Clark, Osa Odighizuwa, Sam Williams, and DaRon Bland weren't trying to fight their way to the Super Bowl ...
They were trying to fight their way out of diapers.
So 7-0 doesn't matter?
“No, not at all,” said veteran DeMarcus Lawrence.
The 12-5 Cowboys, who play Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs on Monday night, continue to grapple with change. Should they move Micah around more to get his sack brilliance back on track? Will the return of injured defenders Leighton Vander Esch and Johnathan Hankins help cork the Bucs running game?
Why? Putting it simply, the Dallas Cowboys don't trust the options that are currently available.
Does it matter? “No, not at all,” DeMarcus Lawrence said.
Is yet another new cornerback - this time Xavier Rhodes - going to suddenly get the majority of first-team reps in practice to get him up to speed as quick as possible?
Trevon Diggs is holding down his side of the field, but the likes of Trayvon Mullen, Nahshon Wright, Mackensie Alexander and young Joseph have all failed to take advantage of their chances.
With the type of weaponry at Tom Brady's disposal, the Buccaneers will no doubt make that side of the Dallas defense a point of focus this week.
Bland has been a playmaker in his rookie season, leading the team in interceptions with five - with the slot his best spot. And outside? Rhodes will potentially see some snaps if early indications from Quinn and Jerry Jones are anything to go by.
The once-stout Dallas defense that for the first half of the year was earning "Doomsday 4'' acclaim has become leaky. Coordinator Dan Quinn's unit has been involved in the Philadelphia Eagles (34 points) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (40 points) took the unit to school.
And let's not even talk about the Washington debacle.
With Hankins and Vander Esch returning and the likely addition of Rhodes, the Dallas defense is getting some timely reinforcements. And in Lawrence's heart of hearts, he understands that while "7-0'' might not be a mind-warping big deal, "8-0'' darn sure would be.
"I ain’t getting any younger,'' said nine-year vet Lawrence, 30. "This is the time.''
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