Stephon Gilmore To Wimbledon? How Soccer Workout in England Gives Dallas Cowboys Boost
FRISCO - The national narrative about the Dallas Cowboys not being able to "beat good teams" is gone after two weeks of finally playing - and beating - teams with winning records. Most recently, Dallas earned a hard-fought revenge win against rival Philadelphia on Sunday night after the Eagles handed the Cowboys a 28-23 defeat back on Nov. 5.
Sunday night's win was in convincing fashion and partially thanks to a smothering performance by the Dallas defense, that didn't allow the Eagles to score an offensive touchdown.
And maybe the brightest star of the defense on Sunday night was cornerback Stephon Gilmore. ... fresh off a meaningful offseason trip that helped his NFL work ... via Wimbledon?!
Stephon Gilmore
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Now in his 12th season, Gilmore was acquired from the Colts back in March in exchange for a compensatory fifth-round selection in last April's draft. And on Sunday, Gilmore appeared to have turned back the clock.
The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year showed everyone he still has quite a bit left in the tank with maybe his most impressive showing in a Cowboys uniform. Typically matched up against the Eagles' best receiver, A.J. Brown, Gilmore routinely showed he was up to the task.
Brown caught nine balls for 94 yards but was kept out of the end zone, as were all other offensive players who wore green on Sunday night. Gilmore was credited with three impact plays that helped halt the momentum of the Eagles' offense.
And there might have been some extra motivation for Gilmore, who told us that Brown called him "old" during the Eagles' first possession of the game.
“It lit a fire in me a little bit,” Gilmore said.
Also helpful for "Gilly,'' it seems: An offseason trip to England to watch tennis at Wimbledon, where he encountered a trainer who gave him some soccer-related tips that seem to be paying off now.
Gilmore forced a fumble from Brown and stopped DeVonta Smith short on an Eagles' attempted 4th-and-9 conversion.
It was a win that most certainly has thrust the Cowboys into contender status for some who previously denied Dallas was for real, and quite possibly changed the narrative not only of the Cowboys but for Gilmore's season as well.
