Dallas Cowboys without Dak and with Dalton~ Monday Night Football ~ My Fitness Pal

 NFL

MNF, October 19 @ 7:15 PM CST

Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys (home team is second)

Y'all. Dak is injured and out for the season (as I'm sure you already know). 

You can follow him on Twitter for the latest updates @dak

He was injured during the NY Giants game last week, on a routine play. Dak decided to run for the first down and instead of sliding, like most QB's do, he takes the defender, Logan Ryan, head on. This is what happened. If you don't want to watch it, I don't blame you, basically his ankle and foot were not facing the normal direction after the play. It is fractured and dislocated. 

He had surgery immediately and is already on the road to recovery. Here is his motivational message to fans.

This did not come without a wave of emotion as Dak was being carted off the field and to add irony to the matter, Tony Romo was calling the game and Jason Garret was the Offensive Coordinator for the Giants. In this full clip, you can hear Romo's sincere concern and you see Garrett on the field side by side with the Cowboys new head coach, Mike McCarthy. No matter what you ever thought about Romo or Garrett, I think it was pretty cool that they were there to support and care for Dak.

As if this situation wasn't emotional enough, Dak is in a contract year. It's always a risk going into a season with a franchise tag, but Stephen and Jerry Jones are standing behind their word that Dak will be a Cowboy after this season and that he will "get paid."

What now? Who is our new QB? 

As they said on Broadway, when we could go to Broadway, the show must go on.

Enter stage left, Andy Dalton. The kid from Katy, Tx, who played college ball at TCU and is now playing for the Dallas Cowboys. 

Dalton came into the game vs. the Giants on Sunday after Dak's injury in the third quarter. He completed 9/11 passes for 111 yards. Zeke picked up on the run game to give Dalton time to adjust. Short routes were working between Dalton and Ceedee Lamb, but we needed some big time plays if we were going to win the game. Enter stage right, Michael Gallup. I'm pretty sure I did a story on him last year, just kidding, I'm not a news reporter, I've just always wanted to say that. But someone should do a story on Gallup! 

He had two catches late in the fourth quarter... one for 19 yards and one for 38 yards. Y'all... wow! Those were some catches!! The 38 yard catch was with his back to the ball, dragging his feet, falling forward while catching the ball and securing it. What? Man, it was pretty to watch and it set up the game winning field goal for the Cowboys. Now we have a 2-3 record (wins - losses). 

Why were we able to win with Dak out? 

To some degree it's the element of surprise. The Giants didn't prep all week to play Dalton, they prepared to play Dak. So, it worked to our advantage a bit and confused their defense. 

This week, we play the Arizona Cardinals and they will be more than prepared for Dalton. He is not just a back-up QB. He played for nine years with the Cincinnati Bengals and had 133 starts. This was his first year as a back-up and now he's the starter. Interesting how it all works out.

I suspect that Zeke will play a large role this week and get the run game going early. And Dalton has a natural connection with Gallup, so if he can get Cooper and Lamb in the rotation, we might have a chance to get the W, if our D can hold up.

Best news ever... we are getting one of our best defensive players back in Leighton Vander Esch. Talk about timing! Our defense has struggled badly and we need all the help we can get. 

The Cardinals & Monday Night Football

They're playing their third road game in a row, but they're a really good team with a 3-2 record and it's Monday Night Football. The stage every QB and team wants to play on!

They will be tough on our defense because Kyler Murray is their QB and their top receiver is DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins has the most receiving yards in the league and is averaging 11.7 yards per catch. It will be interesting to see what Mike Nolan, Dallas Defensive Coordinator, and his staff come up with. I hope our secondary eats their Wheaties before the game! 

When the Cowboys score, you'll see them throwing up the #4, for Dak. #4 #respect

Dalton will hold his own and we'll all support him and what we believe this team can do! I've always respected Dalton for what he's done in his personal life and how he stands up for those who are in need. He loves the Lord and I believe will be a great leader for this team while Dak is healing and getting ready for next year.  

GO COWBOYS!! 

via @ESPN

Here's the full schedule.

#GoCowboys
#DallasCowboys

#4

#pray4dak

Random Info
I gave y'all my random oatmeal recipe last time, but didn't go into details about the app I use to set myself up for success when it comes to food in general. 

I use My Fitness Pal. 

This is not something I do to stress myself out or lose a lot of weight or anything like that. I started using it because I like numbers and it is helpful to see exactly what I'm eating. For free, it tracks calories, fat, carbs, vitamins and additional macros by meal and by day. 

While talking to one of my closest friends a few weeks ago about this app, she mentioned that it's similar to her as a financial budget. When she said that it clicked, yes! We both agreed that it is most helpful to plan our meals and snacks in the app the night before the next day, if we can. It is freeing to see what I get to eat and stay within my "budget." 

This may not make sense completely, until you try it. If you don't need this, please ignore this whole section. I am one of those people who loves my Tex-Mex chips and salsa and would eat it all day if I could. I need to "get excited" about my healthy foods in the same way and eat as clean as possible, so when I decide to eat out and enjoy that wonderful Tex-Mex meal, it's already accounted for and I have no regrets! 

Happy eating!! 

#eatclean

#foodisfuel

#myfitnesspal

#hugsomeone

~smile~