For those of us who are Dallas Cowboys fans, we should be used to this by now.
This deep into the NFL playoffs and they are nowhere to be found, yet again.
There are kids in college that don’t know the feeling of the Cowboys getting this far.
But even though the Cowboys are not in the NFC Championship Game, there are two Texas boys who will be leading their respective teams today in Minnesota Vikings quarterback and Abilene Wylie grad Case Keenum and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback and Austin Westlake grad Nick Foles.
Be honest, how many of you thought that was going to be the matchup to watch at the beginning of the year?
And if we’re being honest, neither one of them had stellar pro careers early on. Each of them took their lumps, were even teammates for a year with the Rams, before they got their shot this year thanks to injuries.
And now one of them has got a shot to get to the Super Bowl. Go figure.
I actually got to see Keenum play on a very good Wylie team several years ago. To be honest, the NFL didn’t cross my mind like some other quarterbacks I’ve seen like Ryan Tannehill when he was at Big Spring or even Jarrett Stidham when he was at Stephenville. Sure, I thought Keenum would do well at the University of Houston, but the NFL? No way.
Hey, he proved me and I’m sure a lot of others wrong when he flourished with the Cougars and then got his shot in the NFL.
That just proves what hard work, determination and having the right mindset will do. Having those characteristics are why Keenum is in the NFL and why a lack of those same characteristics are why players like Johnny Manziel flame out.
That’s a lesson to all young athletes out there. If you think you are hot stuff and other people around you who don’t necessarily have your best interest keep telling you that and you don’t have the maturity to keep working hard, all that talent will be wasted.
So there you go Cowboys fans, if you’re suffering from withdrawals and need a team or someone to root for other than Tom Brady and the Patriots (Yes, I’ve had enough of them too) then you can root for the Texas boys to do well.
If not, get out of the house, get some exercise or go to the movies. “The Post” is pretty good and you might even learn something about why someone like me fell in love with the newspaper business.
-A big congrats go out to the Midland High girls swimming and diving team for winning the District 2-6A title this week at COM Aquatics.
It’s not surprising to see the team have success in head coach Steve Flato’s first year as head coach of the Midland ISD programs. He had a ton of success in his years at El Paso Eastwood and it was only a matter of time before team championships would come to MISD under his direction. Plus, talent and outstanding facilities to train in should help.
-And finally, the Big 12 is proving that it’s indeed one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country and it’s really going to be a fun run ride. There’s not one Big 12 team that has a losing overall record and every team can defend its home court very well.
Texas Tech knows all too well just how tough it is to win on the road. After beating then-No. 2 West Virginia at home a week ago, the Red Raiders had trouble making shots in losses at Texas (67-58) on Wednesday and at Iowa State (70-52) on Saturday.
Just when you think you have it made, the Big 12 has a way of humbling you pretty quickly.
Follow Oscar on Twitter: @OLeRoy_MRT