by Nick Eatman
Sunday
For the past eleven months, Dez Bryant had not been able to escape it. Sometimes he didn’t really want to, but on other occasions he had no choice but to be reminded about a haunting experience that hadn’t exactly improved over time.
Bryant knew he caught the ball back in January against the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. He knew he made the catch, switched the ball to his left hand, extended that hand to the goal line, and made three steps in the process. Whether or not the ball hit the ground was irrelevant to Bryant, as well as thousands of Cowboys fans, because to him, he had secured the catch long before he went to the ground.
For a moment, the NFL officials agreed with him, ruling it a catch on the field. But after a Packers’ challenge, the play, which came on fourth down, was overturned. The Cowboys never got the ball back again and instead of taking the lead with about four minutes remaining, their season came to an end right there on a chilly, but not freezing, Lambeau Field.
Everywhere he had gone since that play, Bryant said he was reminded about it “at least a couple of times.” It could have been at a restaurant or grocery store, from a valet attendant, or just some random person he ran into; but make no mistake, they all seemed to chime in with some sort of “it was a catch” or “you got robbed” comment.
On Twitter, the hashtag #dezcaughtit had been used more than 70,000 times by Cowboys fans who just couldn’t get over the moment that prevented them from advancing to the NFC Championship Game, where they would’ve faced a Seattle team they had already defeated back in October of that season.
For a guy who was reminded of the play daily, Bryant said the “catch” in Green Bay still “felt like yesterday” to him.
But that was lifetimes ago compared to the situation in which the Cowboys now found themselves. At just 4–8 and likely needing to run the table and win out for any chance at the playoffs, Dallas trekked back up to Green Bay and once again caught somewhat of a break in the weather. In December, the Wisconsin town is typically an icebox with snow or sleet, but on this Sunday afternoon, the Cowboys were met with some rather cold rain, but nothing that resembled the usual “frozen tundra.”
When Bryant went out for pregame warm-ups, he instantly heard a chant of “Dez caught the ball! Dez caught the ball!” which made him chuckle as he pointed up to a patch of Cowboys fans, showing his approval.
But determined to stand out and prove last year was a fluke, Bryant appeared to be pressing once the game started. He dropped a couple of passes that he usually hauls in, including one in the end zone that bounced off his hands, resulting in an early interception.
Later in the first half, Bryant made what looked like another highlight-reel catch, reminiscent of the one from the playoffs. While this one was ruled a catch as well, the replay officials again reviewed the play and overturned the call.
Bryant wasn’t just in shock. For the first time in his six-year career, he seemed as if he was losing confidence. Maybe it was the weather, which included a steady rainfall, but Bryant switched gloves three times during the game. Nothing was working, as he finished with just one catch for nine yards.
The star receiver wasn’t alone, though, in his troubles. The Cowboys’ defense hung around for a while, keeping the game close at 14–7 before the bottom dropped out. Poor tackling in the fourth quarter allowed Green Bay to pour it on with two late touchdowns, pushing the final score to 28–7.
The Cowboys sunk to 4–9, but still they weren’t out of playoff contention just yet. If they could manage to win the next three games and finish with a 7–9 record, there was a shot they would win the NFC East.
But for a team that was having trouble gaining positive yards on three straight plays, winning three straight games seemed implausible, if not impossible.
However, those narrow playoff chances were the reason why the Cowboys refused to make personnel changes that would’ve given them more options to compete. For one, Tony Romo continued to stay on the active roster, although with his left arm in a sling, it was rather obvious he wasn’t coming back to action. The word around Valley Ranch was that if the Cowboys snuck into the playoffs, somehow managed to win their first playoff game, and then advanced to the divisional round, which would’ve been a four-game winning streak with Matt Cassel running the show, Romo might have a chance to come back. And thus, the Cowboys saved his roster spot until the playoffs were no longer an option.
Secondly, Bryant was not healthy. His foot was good enough for him to play in games, but not exactly healthy enough for him to practice each week. In fact, one of the funnier moments of the season—yes, there were a few—occurred when members of the training and equipment staffs were working on a specialized shoe that Bryant could wear in practice.
As a member of the Nike Jordan brand, Bryant gets dozens of shoes each month, and his locker is filled with different pairs that he wears in practice. Returning from this fractured foot injury wasn’t easy, and finding a shoe that fit just right was a challenge.
Bryant wanted to switch out the soles of one pair of shoes and put them inside another. But the sole was double-sided taped so well that no one could get it out. Assistant equipment manager Bucky Buchanan, associate trainer Britt Brown, and two other interns from both staffs were all working on this one shoe and trying to rip out the sole. At one point, eight different hands were holding, tugging, or ripping at the sole—and none of them belonged to Bryant, who was barely standing on two feet as he found the scene utterly amusing.
“I wish I had my phone so I could take a picture of ya’ll,” Bryant said, which was met with a playful cuss word or three.
But jokes aside, dealing with Bryant’s foot was a season-long issue, just like Atlanta receivers Roddy White and Julio Jones claimed it would be back in Week 3. Just before the Cowboys and Falcons played, the Atlanta duo chimed in on Bryant’s attempt to return from the fractured foot, with White saying it wouldn’t get back to 100 percent all year, based off his experience of watching Jones deal with the same issue the previous season.
Just like the Cowboys were keeping Romo on the roster, the same went for Bryant, who emphatically told reporters one day in the locker room that he was “not shutting it down until the season is over,” meaning he was not going to go on injured reserve if and when the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs.
While it didn’t seem possible that anyone other than Romo or Bryant could occupy the headlines, another storyline was forming as the Cowboys prepared to face the New York Jets in a rare Saturday night tilt at AT&T Stadium.
While Cassel was the only backup quarterback to win a game for Dallas during the year, his record of 1–5 as a starter didn’t sit well with the ever-frustrated fan base or even some on the coaching staff. Actually, the assistants were somewhat split down the middle heading into the Jets game about sticking with Cassel or moving to their fourth quarterback of the season, Kellen Moore.
Without a doubt, if Moore hadn’t been so short at 5–10, not even close to the six feet the Cowboys listed him as on the official roster, he probably would’ve been inserted into the lineup sooner. With a baby-faced, clean-shaven, and unassuming look, Moore was anything but a prototypical NFL quarterback. Nor did he resemble a college passer, even though he had been a pretty good one.
At Boise State, Moore was the first Division I quarterback to win fifty career games, owning a 50–3 record as a four-year starter for the Broncos. The two-time All-American went undrafted, but spent three years with the Lions, mostly on the practice squad. In Detroit, he spent two seasons with then-Lions offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan, who moved on to Dallas, where he became a major voice in bringing Moore to the Cowboys. Now, Linehan was one of the coaches in the young quarterback’s camp again, wanting to give him a shot.
After the Packers loss, Garrett told the media, “We believe in Matt Cassel,” which might have been tru
e. But that didn’t mean they were above making a change. After a horribly thrown interception early in the Jets game, Cassel was pulled in favor of Moore, who was told by Linehan on the sideline, “You’re up.”
Moore got quite an ovation from the crowd, which turned into a roar when he beat an all-out New York blitz to find Bryant, who did the rest, giving Moore his first career touchdown pass.
On the sideline, the players nearly decapitated Moore, pounding his helmet with congratulatory slaps. The celebration was led by Garrett, who obviously could relate to his new quarterback, having been mostly a backup during his own career. The head coach knew firsthand the challenges of staying ready despite limited practice reps.
The touchdown gave the Cowboys the lead, and better yet, a chance to knock off a Jets team fighting for a playoff spot. But just like Moore showed flashes of preparation and poise, he also displayed a few other moments that revealed his lack of experience. Moore threw three interceptions, including one in the end zone and another on a desperation heave in the final minutes, as the Cowboys dropped yet another game, 19–16.
Moral victories might exist in other NFL cities, but never in Dallas, especially for home games. Many of the Cowboys walked off the field with their faces pointed downward, their record falling to a dismal 1–6 at AT&T Stadium for the season. When Romo rallied the team to a dramatic comeback win over the Giants in early September, no one could’ve imagined that they would then lose six straight at home. Of course, not many could’ve thought three other quarterbacks would take snaps for this offense as well.
And with that, the Cowboys were officially dead. A team that began the year with so much promise and hope was now eliminated from the playoffs with a 4–10 record.
With two games to play, the season couldn’t end fast enough.
Chapter 17
BOWL OF FUN
Friday
At the high school level, assistant coaches find themselves doing more than just giving instruction on fundamentals and running drills.
Not only do they teach classes, grade papers, and administer tests to their students during the day, but the assistants also are the ones who often break down the game film, do the laundry, issue the equipment, and fix things when they break. They drive the school buses to and from games and will order the food that is ready for the team when the game ends.
In college and the pros, there are individuals and even staffs that handle each of those duties.
So it only makes sense that many high school assistants aspire to move up the ranks and field their own program one day. That attitude certainly isn’t confined to only coaches or sports. Getting a promotion usually means more money, and more money can lead to stability for a person and his family.
At Plano, Chris Fisher had been rather upfront about his desire to lead his own team. Having interviewed for five different head-coaching gigs in the past, in several different parts of the state, it was clear that Fisher wasn’t too picky about where he got his shot. He just wanted one.
But this sixth job interview was going to be different. Fisher didn’t just feel it; he knew it. He knew, once he returned to his old stomping grounds of Palo Duro High School in Amarillo and met with the superintendent, the athletic director, the principal, and everyone else on the hiring committee, that he would convince them he was the right person for the job.
Out of nearly eighty applicants, Fisher was one of five final candidates. And while he wasn’t sure who the other applicants were, he was convinced no one was better qualified for this job. And he expressed it wholeheartedly in the interview.
“I truly believe all of the other jobs I interviewed for led me to that moment,” Fisher said. “When it was time to talk football, we talked X’s and O’s and I knew some of the people in the room were getting me. When it was time to talk about the kids, I had no problem doing that, mainly because I was one of those kids. I’ve walked through those hallways. Some of those teachers now were my teachers back then.
“I told them about the community, having grown up in the Northside [of Amarillo], and that I understood what this school and this football team means to the people there. Those people are my family, literally, so I better know this community.”
Lastly, Fisher recalled a moment that made the school’s principal come to tears.
“I just told them about my journey as a coach: There might be other candidates who have won playoff games like we did. There might be some other candidates who have stood on that [Cowboys’] star at Texas Stadium. But the ones who have done that, haven’t worn the blue and white. They don’t know what it means to be a Palo Duro Don. I’ve lived in other places, but Amarillo has always been home. I’ve been a Palo Duro Don since I was a little kid coming to Dick Bivins Stadium. And I’m a Palo Duro Don right here as I sit before you. This is home. And I want nothing more than to come home.”
Three weeks later, Fisher was announced as the next head coach of the Palo Duro Dons.
In his introductory press conference, which included nearly thirty of Fisher’s family members standing in the back, he once again brought his passion, showing the Amarillo faithful that this former kid who sold programs at the Palo Duro games, who then played and starred for the Dons, was ready for the challenge of taking over the team, but still wasn’t afraid to ask for help.
“I need one Northside family and that’s what I’ve been sent here to do,” Fisher said to those in attendance. “That’s my job. I need one Northside family from grades K through 12 with one single mission. And that’s preparing kids for life after high school. Whether it’s college or whatever they choose to do. We need to raise better young men and women. We need to instill them with that character it takes to be successful. We need to hold them accountable, and that’s what we plan to do. It’s not going to be an easy fix. It’s not going to be a quick fix. But, we can do it together.”
The word “family” was mentioned two other times in his press conference, but when he spoke of his own family, including his wife and three daughters who were all in attendance, the joyful, upbeat press conference took an emotional turn.
Said Fisher to his daughters, Alyssa, Jaylen, and Aynslee, “Last, but not least, girls, you know the deal. We spend a lot of time away from each other. I spend a lot of time with other peoples’ kids. But you guys, you never ever questioned it. Every second that we have together is precious. And all I want to do is be a good man for you. We are going to do this, and we are going to be successful. I have to say thank you. I’m not here without you, and everything I do is for you.”
One person who couldn’t be on hand was also a big part of Fisher’s family. But Darion Foster, who had lived with his Uncle Chris for the last eight years, was back in Plano for the wrestling team’s senior night. Luckily, his mother, Heather, was able to get down to the Dallas area and be there for her son.
But unlike the football season, where senior night represented the final game of the year, Foster was fortunate enough to advance to the district tournament, where he finished third, good enough to then move on to the regional tournament in nearby Allen. Foster won his first match rather quickly, but was eventually knocked out by the state’s top wrestler, Patrick Bryan, who gave Foster quite the compliment afterward.
“He came up to me and said, ‘In all honesty, you were my hardest match I’ve had in Texas this year,’ ” Foster recalled. “That was pretty neat, especially considering where I started from. So I didn’t like to lose, but I couldn’t feel that bad about it.”
But the biggest news surrounding the Plano football program wasn’t the fact that a longtime assistant was leaving to take a head-coaching job. And it wasn’t that a few seniors had moved on too, such as Foster with his wrestling or quarterback Matt Keys’ starring in the school play, Legally Blonde.
A story that became national news centered on star running back Brandon Stephens, who had b
een firmly committed to Stanford for nearly four months. However, just a few weeks before National Signing Day, when students across the country sign their letter of intent to the college where they will play football and other fall sports, Stephens had decided to re-open the recruitment.
He loved Stanford. He loved being there on the beautiful campus in Palo Alto, California, but something just didn’t feel right.
“I just wasn’t sure it was the right fit anymore,” Stephens said. “Nothing really happened with them to change my mind. They didn’t do anything. I just had to pull back and see where my heart was. And it really wasn’t there with them at that time.”
So with one phone call to a recruiting coordinator who had spent several months calling and texting the running back, Stephens informed Stanford of his decision to look elsewhere.
“They were disappointed, but they understood,” Stephens recalled. “After that call, it was a huge relief for me. I knew I didn’t have a lot of time, but there were some other places I wanted to visit. I just knew I wanted something different.”
But nothing too drastic. All of the things he loved about Stanford—the rich tradition, being far from home, living on the West Coast, the wide-open style of football in the Pac 12—were considerations Stephens still coveted.
And ultimately, he would find those at another school. Only this time, he would keep it a secret until the end.
Saturday
There are many fans, media critics, and perhaps even some coaches who believe college football has too many bowl games.
The 2015–2016 schedule rolled out forty such contests, meaning 80 of the 128 teams in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision played in the postseason. There’s also a growing belief by some that other than the two semifinal games in the College Football Playoff, and then the National Championship Game, none of the others really mean anything.