FRISCO, Texas 鈥 Life, it happens.
Not sure have witnessed such euphoria one day here at The Star, the 草莓视频下载入口 ecstatic on Wednesday after the trade deadline moves to acquire defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson.
Then the next day such prevailing sorrow hovering over nearly an entirely empty facility after learning of second year defensive end Marshawn Kneeland's tragic death, renewing the meaning of day to day.
There was barely anyone stirring on was preordained two day pause during the remainder of the team's bye week. If you had to work, and didn't need to come in, take the two days off for sure.
And bless the NFL schedule-making gods for this being the Cowboys bye week. No game, on Thursday, or Sunday, or Monday this week. Could you just imagine if this team, already needing a huge reset at 3-5-1, saddled in a two-game losing streak, and having to practice on Thursday. And Friday. Then play on Sunday.
The NFL, as far as we know, doesn't have a bereavement allowance to cancel games, only one in memory the Sunday after the 2001 9/11 plane massacre in New York City, D.C. and the fields of Pennsylvania. Why if you remember the NFL carried on with games the Sunday after the assassination of President John Kennedy right here in Dallas on a Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, the Cowboys having to go on the road to play in Cleveland on Sunday.
The Cowboys received no special dispensation upon learning of the death of teammate Jerry Brown, back on Dec. 8, 2012, a Saturday upon showing up for the charter flight to Cincinnati, Brown passing away in a car accident involving teammate Josh Brent. Maybe Jason Garrett's greatest coaching job of men, not only facing the Bengals on Sunday with heavy hearts, but actually winning the game, 20-19, the Cowboys scoring 10 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to win on Dan Bailey's walk-off 40-yard field goal.
And hard to forget the passing of strength and conditioning coach Markus Paul, the day before Thanksgiving, suffering a medical emergency right here at The Star and then facing Washington the very next day.
This unfolding on Wednesday night, and authorities finding Kneeland's body at 1:31 a.m. Thursday, DPS troopers and Frisco police ruling death by apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the vicinity of his car involved in an earlier crash, all following an earlier "welfare concern" call at an address associated with Kneeland's residence, according to authorities.
All the more devastating if that's even possible.
Cowboys Human Resources has made counselling available at the Star, though the players on their CBAS mandated four consecutive off days, not to return until Monday.
The hardest part is the juxtaposition of emotions of the high on Wednesday during Williams press conference and, at least for me, now dreading the sorrowful thoughts of walking through these doors on Thursday morning, having been previously prepared to write my Friday column ahead of time to hit the pause button myself for a long weekend.
This was supposed to be about the Cowboys very own Mission Impossible, how this 3-5-1 team might could dig out of this hole over the final eight games of the season to possibly eek into the playoffs, maybe as the seventh seed to grab the final of three wildcard playoff berths. Just going to point out how the Cowboys currently are the 11th ranked NFC team, meaning they would have to make the against all odds leapfrog over four teams to reach No. 7, knowing all along three of the top 10 teams own the head-to-head advantage over them after already having beaten the Cowboys and a fourth team, the Packers, having tied the Cowboys.
Would this team accept the challenge, what would require a day-to-day grind, having to mentally convince themselves there is a chance.
Even an outside chance if they go on a winning streak to catch the 6-2 Eagles, in first place in the NFC East, but knowing Philly has to play over the next three games the 5-2-1 Packers, the 5-3 Lions and then the Cowboys, followed by the 5-3 Bears and 6-3 Chargers, and still in Week 17 having to play the 6-2 Bills.
About an equal grind facing the Cowboys after returning Nov. 17 to face the Raiders in Vegas, though, then the Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Vikings, Chargers and Commanders, all all playoffs teams from a year ago in a row.
Yet all that suddenly seeming highly insignificant when learning the circumstance of Kneeland's death. Began to dread walking into the building Thursday morning to do what I needed to get done, radio segment, TV segment, column and another TV segment to get ahead.
Must have shown on my face, since the first person ran into instead of the usual, hey good morning, hope you have a good day greeting, issued a static "hi." And maybe, too, my mind began to momentarily buffer any emotions, having to return to my car for my security badge absentmindedly left behind.
Then flooding my mind was the aforementioned memory of showing up for that 2012 charter flight to Cincinnati and unknowingly what had taken place in the wee hours of the morning, by osmosis absorbing the emotions of what players, coaches, support staff all were going through. Quietest flight in memory.
Here were my very words after the comeback victory that just might have been blessedly ordained by some higher power:
CINCINNATI 鈥 You wanted guts, you got guts.
You wanted passion, you got passion.
You wanted a show of immeasurable character, you got, well, unimaginable character.
But bet you weren't expecting tears, too.
Cowboys 20, Bengals 19, against all odds and common sense here Sunday afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium, Cowboys fans seriously infiltrating this crowd of 63,590 cautiously hopeful.
Yes, these were battered and bruised Cowboys, their bodies and especially their hearts, mounting maybe the most courageous, gut-wrenching comeback in the franchise's 53-season history.
Did I mention 53?
That was Jerry Brown's number, the practice squad linebacker . . . .
We won't have the gang all back here until Monday when preparation begins to face the Raiders. This will be first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer's challenge, if he hasn't faced enough challenges already, mostly arising from physical ailments, so many injured starters missing in action to rally the troops. Now this will be overcoming emotional and mental challenges, an unimaginable task absent from the head coaching manual or those dinner table conversations growing up with his late father Marty, the longtime NFL head coach.
Like, who prepares for this? So unimaginable for someone seemingly so likeable, so gentle, passing away in the middle of a football season as Marshawn Kneeland has. So tragic.
Unspeakable, really, rendering the importance of football moot.
But this is life, right. It happens, sometimes most unpredictably cruelly.
