Jimmy Johnson: Focused Cowboys possibly a top-five team

Focused Cowboys possibly a top-five team
Jimmy Johnson / Special to FOXSpot

Dallas was focused Sunday. All the talk about distractions with Terrell Owens and what happened with him this week, well, I really don't think it has gotten to that stage yet.
You talk with the Cowboys' coaches and players and they'll tell you that T.O. has been everything that they have asked for on the field — especially with respect to his work habits and how he practices. He had the hamstring injury in training camp and the broken hand, but he played well Sunday and produced.

Hey, go look at some of these past championship teams in both baseball and football. The Cowboys aren't the first team to have some characters. A lot of times, in the locker room or off the field, teams have seen top players with problems. They deal with it and still win. In some ways, these actions get the attention of the other players. That's OK as long as it's not so big that it takes away their focus from the opponent and what they have to do.

You can't emphasize enough how important it is to add talent to your team. Everybody talks about chemistry and attitude. If you get talented players who work hard, you are going to win your share of games. When you have a team that is close to championship level like the Cowboys have, and you add a talented player like T.O., it makes all those other players so much better.

Now that Owens is on the field, Terry Glenn is having big days and Julius Jones is rushing for 122 yards. The Cowboys are able to protect Drew Bledsoe; he is throwing the ball all over the field. All of a sudden, Jason Witten is making catches, too. So everybody focuses on this addition, but in reality it's everybody else helping you win.

Hey, these Cowboys bring back some memories. This is kind of like what we had in the old days when I coached the Cowboys. We had Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek, Alvin Harper and Emmitt Smith. We were able to spread it out and put so much pressure on defenses.

The Dallas defense is outstanding right now. It is getting turnovers and putting points on the board. I think this team has a real chance to make a run in the playoffs. The Cowboys have a top-five defense; and hey, they may be a top-five team.

We have a great game next Sunday with T.O.'s return to Philadelphia. The game in Philadelphia will be emotional for T.O. and the Eagles. But I really believe the NFC East will come down to these two teams. One of them will win the division and definitely do some damage in the playoffs.