The Dallas Cowboys may be bitter rivals to the New York Giants, but they have a lot that can teach the 2017 New York Yankees.
New York Yankees, meet America’s other team. That’s right, the Yankees and the Dallas Cowboys are more alike than one would initially assume.
The popularity of the two teams is on the same level, with fans across the globe gravitating towards their winning ways. When it comes to New York sports, though, being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys is a big no-no. This is even the case for those Boys fans who grew up in the 1960s and 70s when the Football Giants had very little to offer.
Regardless, whether fans like it or not, the team the Yankees can learn the most from when it comes to handling their young players is the Dallas Cowboys.
With their first game of the season resulting in a loss to the rival Giants, the Cowboys continued to stick with the plan of continuing to see what quarterback Dak Prescott had to offer the team. Even through ups and downs, the Cowboys stuck by their rookie quarterback.
It ultimately paid off gloriously.
The Yankees will have their hands full in the coming seasons with various prospects making their debut in the major leagues. While they won’t likely be keeping all of their prospects up until the time of their call-ups, there will still be an abundance of prospects who find their way to the Bronx.
Last season, the Yankees didn’t really have to bother with any hiccups when it came to their rookies. With Gary Sanchez’s astronomical start, they had no choice but to keep him in the game.
What if he started out struggling? Would they have given him a chance?
We saw a little bit of the struggles with Aaron Judge after he launched a few home runs. Towards the end of the season, he took a nosedive and ended up becoming a part-time player in favor of players who didn’t necessarily perform well either.
While Dallas didn’t have a lot of rookies to work with, they gave them a chance. Mistakes were made by both Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot, but Jason Garrett kept them on the field. They were forced to learn from their mistakes and battle through the struggles in order to make them stronger players.
And look where they ended up.
While the Cowboys lost in a shootout to the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Championship on Sunday, they managed to get in that position partially because they gave their rookies a chance to shine.
It’s easy to give up or lose faith in players after the first signs of struggle in the big leagues. The Yankees need to realize that there will be some struggles on the path to a starting position.
These struggles should be something to work through, not something that will deter them from ever getting another chance.
Tyler Austin didn’t have the immediate impact that the Yankees were anticipating last season. Heck, in Derek Jeter’s first full season in the Bronx, he committed 22 errors. Yet he still managed to win Rookie of the Year and went on to have one of the greatest careers for a shortstop.
All because he was given a chance through the struggles.
Sunday, the calls were raining down on the Cowboys to bring in reliable back-up Tony Romo. But Garrett and the Cowboys stuck with Prescott and they ended up coming back from an 18-point deficit. No matter what, the Cowboys stuck to their guns and handled their rookies right. It’s time for the Yankees to do the same.
The Yankees have given players too many chances and given up on players practically right away. It’s time to be smarter with their rookies and allowing them to grow instead of passing judgment right away. That’s what the Yankees should be learning from the Cowboys and how they handled Prescott and Elliot.
But if they’re learning that, let’s make sure they don’t learn how to lose in dramatic fashion like the Cowboys. We don’t want that. We actually want another ring someday.