Cowboys aren’t taking playoff opportunity for granted

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jeremy Mincey already knows what’s at stake, but his shoes remind him just how much.

Mincey still wears the Nike Free Trainers he received for playing in Super Bowl XLVIII. The silver shoes with lime green soles are a reminder of where he wants to go again. Mincey’s Denver Broncos fell to Seattle 43-8.

“I wear those at least once a week to remind me what I’m in this game for,” Mincey said.

Mincey is driving that point home to his teammates this week since the Cowboys, who host Detroit in an NFC wild-card game Sunday, have only 14 players on their active roster with postseason experience.

Witten, Tony Romo, Anthony Spencer, Doug Free, Orlando Scandrick, and L.P. Ladouceur are the lone players remaining from Dallas’ 2009 playoff team.

Playoff experience is one thing, but nine active players have played in only three postseason games or fewer.

Although the franchise has five Super Bowl trophies, none of the current players have a Super Bowl ring. Mincey and Spillman are the only Cowboys who have played in a Super Bowl. As a 49er, Spillman lost to Baltimore 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.

“I didn’t like the taste of losing one,” Spillman said. “I’m just ready to get back and let these guys experience the same feeling that I had when I made it to the Super Bowl.

“This is a big deal, so everybody is trying to do everything they can to make sure they’re prepared to do their job on Sunday.”

While some of the veterans admit to being a little more vocal this week, they agree playoff mode set in weeks ago. The close-knit Cowboys clawed their way through a 4-0 December with three road wins to clinch the NFC East.

Spencer started team meetings with the phrase “Punch-out December” to bring a specific mentality to practice and games. Now, it’s “Score in January.”

“You talk about the importance of being efficient and executing in the fourth quarter — the things you need to do be able to do that,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “That’s what correlates to winning. So we’re always trying to emphasize those things and we’re all trying to coach our guys emotionally and be their best with every opportunity they get.”

Players agree they have to trust the routine that got them here, but play harder and smarter since their opponent’s best game is waiting for them.

“It’s hard to get here,” said defensive tackle Nick Hayden, who played in the postseason with Carolina in 2008. “I hope guys don’t take it for granted. Obviously, you’re going to be a little nervous. Just don’t get overanxious.”

Said Mincey: “You just have to start fast. You can’t figure it out as you go. You got to know what’s going on from the beginning. You’ll get in your groove a lot faster.”

Offensive tackle Tony Hills, a Dallas native who grew up in Houston, knows all too well Dallas’ storied Super Bowl past, and he’s eager to bring it back. He made the postseason with Pittsburgh in 2010 and Denver in 2011.

“No regrets, that’s the biggest thing,” Hills said. “Don’t have those shoulda, woulda, coulda moments. Whether it’s once, twice or a hundred, when your name is called, go out there and compete and compete to the highest level. Leave it all out there.”

There’s no room for error now.

“When you have a group of men that all see one thing, that’s powerful,” Hills said. “From the coaches to the players, we have an opportunity this weekend to take a step toward our goal. We all understand what is in front of us right now.”

This story was originally published January 2, 2015 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Cowboys aren’t taking playoff opportunity for granted."