Trent Dilfer: Cowboys have mindset issue

Published Sep. 17, 2012 6:55 p.m. ET

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Like many believed after a season-opening win over the defending Super Bowl champs, Trent Dilfer admittedly thought this Cowboys team was different from ones in recent memory.
But a 27-7 loss in Seattle was not the follow-up performance Dilfer was expecting.
The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback said Monday that he believes the Cowboys are dealing with a mindset issue.
"(It's) not an indictment on all 53 (players) and every coach," Dilfer explained on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio. "It only takes a few that don't have the right mindset."
Dilfer then specifically mentioned Felix Jones' fumble on the opening kickoff, a dropped interception opportunity by Bruce Carter, the blocked punt for a touchdown, Tony Romo's "horrible" interception and Dez Bryant's dropped pass that hit him in the facemask.
"This is all within, like the first 10 breaths of the game," Dilfer said. "That's a mindset issue. That's something that if I was the coach, if I had moral authority in that locker room as a player, there would be some serious chewing because that's just really, really bad. That's everything we don't want to be as a team. That's embarrassing to have that much prep and then go out to Seattle and start a game that way.
"Now, if you're going to get beat and you don't execute well or there's a lack of energy, that's not acceptable, but it's not as egregious as this. That was a total brain fart to start that game, and it's just stuff you can't overcome."
Following Sunday's loss, Romo made a similar statement about the way things unraveled for the Cowboys. Romo said he could think of 10 things that a football team can't do and still win a game and the Cowboys did them all against the Seahawks.
As Romo said, "That's tough to overcome."

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