It's fair to say that this season has not gone how the Dallas Cowboys expected it to. Following a 12-4 campaign last year, the Cowboys entered this season with hopes of becoming the first NFC East team to repeat as division leaders since the Philadelphia Eagles did it back in 2003-04. But two Tony Romo collarbone injuries later and Dallas sits in the cellar of the division at 4-10.
However, head coach Jason Garrett has no intention of going quietly. He told Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News that he will not be sitting Dallas' other veterans despite the circumstances. Wide receiver Dez Bryant, defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford and cornerback Brandon Carr, all of whom are dealing with nagging injuries, will still be suiting up for Dallas' final two games. It doesn't matter to Garrett that the Cowboys have already been eliminated from playoff contention.
"If guys are capable of playing, they're playing," he said. "The objective is to win the game in Buffalo on Sunday. Anything else is secondary to that."
Bryant broke his foot during Dallas' season-opener against the New York Giants. Though he returned and has been playing since Nov. 1, he has lacked explosiveness and closing speed. He has failed to top 62 receiving yards in all but one game that he has appeared in this year. That's a far cry from the dominant pass-catcher he has been throughout his career.
ESPN's Jean-Jacques Taylor reports that Garrett won't be giving playing time to big names only this week. The head coach wants to see a strong finish from his team and is expecting both veterans and rookies to earn their snaps with extra effort in practice. It's likely that Bryant will be on the field for his usual high number of plays. The Buffalo Bills will offer him a chance for some last minute redemption this season.
