IRVING, Texas - Jason Garrett loves the story of Pudge Huffelfinger, by all accounts the first American pro football player.Heres why: The basics of winning football in 1892 were no different than they are today, which means the message doesnt have to change.And the message never changes with the Dallas coach. Not during three straight 8-8 seasons that raised persistent questions about his job security. And not during a breakthrough this season that has the Cowboys (12-4) set for Sundays wild-card game against Detroit (11-5), their first in the post-season since 2009.Hes been giving the same speech since the first day he got the job, cornerback Orlando Scandrick said.Circumstances have changed.Garrett took over when owner Jerry Jones fired Wade Phillips with the Cowboys at 1-7 in 2010. Garrett was the offensive co-ordinator, and Jones believed quarterback Troy Aikmans backup from the Super Bowl days of the 1990s could match the success of one of his coaches, Jimmy Johnson.When the Cowboys finished 6-10, there was little reason to doubt the move. But then came the .500 rut, questionable game management by Garrett, and three straight season-ending losses that kept the Cowboys out of the playoffs. Not to mention several significant changes in the coaching staff.Garrett came into this final season of his contract with Jones steadfastly maintaining an extension wasnt imminent. But now the question has essentially been answered, replaced by talk of Garrett as a Coach of the Year contender.I think Jason is going to be a better coach five years from now than he is today, and I think hes a much better coach today than he was five years ago, Jones said earlier this season. Hes a growing, smart, hard-working coach that is really getting some great experience.Garretts unflinching message is simple. Show up every day and do your job. Be the best version of yourself, regardless of circumstances. Be ready to play, whether its home, road, parking lot or the moon, as he likes to say.I think you coach them emotional on how to be their best, Garrett said. Thats ultimately what youre asking them to do: be your best, not try your best.The message was never lost on the two players hes been around the longest , quarterback Tony Romo and tight end Jason Witten, even through the monotony of season-ending disappointments. Romo recently said one of the best moves Jones made was keeping Garrett even though the Cowboys got within a year of the longest playoff drought in franchise history.Hes done a great job motivating, said Romo, who set a franchise record with an NFL-leading 113.2 rating this season. I think hes just a great leader and someone that everyone looks up to. Hes done a great job this year.Case in point, according to Witten: Garretts upbeat outlook after a season-opening loss to San Francisco that included three first-half interceptions by Romo in his first game since back surgery at the end of the 2013 season.I think great coaches are always a step or two ahead of the rest of us, Witten said. He just kind of pointed out a lot of things we did well and talked about, Guys, if we continue to do these things, were going to be a real good team.The son of former NFL coach and scout Jim Garrett, Jason grew up in the game with brothers John, who was on the Dallas staff until a shuffling two years ago, and Judd, a former practice squad player and now director of pro scouting for the Cowboys.John Garrett agrees that his younger brother succeeds through his consistent message. He says it helped that the Cowboys drafted offensive linemen in the first round three of the past four years. Now they have NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray to take some of the load off Romo.Jones also took some of the load off Garrett by pulling play-calling duties last year, although it took another season for him to get more comfortable with the hiring of Scott Linehan before this season.I always knew that Jerry and Stephen (Jones) and the entire organization had the utmost respect for him and they really believed in him as a leader, as a good football coach, and as the leader of the team, John Garrett said. With all those traits and all those beliefs, what has to come with it is success on the field. If they had not had a successful year, you wouldnt have been surprised if they didnt stick with him.Now that Jones has, it might be worth noting that his coach hasnt had a losing record and is 41-31 in four-plus seasons. And that there are only two coaches with more wins in Dallas: Tom Landry and Johnson.We were always to the point there were a few things that happened that could have went a different way, Scandrick said. It wasnt like we were just horrible and this coach is terrible. No. And it wasnt his fault that we werent getting over the hump.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuylerUnder Armour Shoes Sale . There is no argument that the line of Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek was one of the hottest in the NHL leading into the post-season, and they did combine for three goals and seven points, but it was the depth of all four lines that helped propel Montreal. NMD Sale . Or how his team has defended Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Or just about anything that has happened on the court in the first-round playoff series. Instead, Rivers and his players spent Saturday talking about how they would respond to an audio recording of a man identified as Clippers owner Donald Sterling telling his girlfriend not to bring black people to games. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/. -- The Detroit Lions made it crystal clear to Golden Tate that he was their top target in free agency. Air Jordan Sale . Milan was held to 1-1 at home by Torino. Cagliari scored six minutes from halftime when Mauricio Pinilla blasted home from the penalty spot after Facundo Roncaglia tripped Marco Sau. The home side could have doubled its tally in stoppage time as first Fiorentina defender Stefan Savic almost scored an own goal then Albin Ekdals shot clipped the top of the upright. Wholesale Shoes Adidas . Spieth again showed game well beyond his 20 years with a 9-under 63 on the North Course, giving him a one-shot lead over Stewart Cink going into the weekend at the Farmers Insurance Open.KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Drew Smyly picked up where fellow Tigers starter Rick Porcello left off, tossing seven shutout innings and leading Detroit to a 9-2 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night. Porcello and the Tigers bullpen retired the final 18 hitters in an 8-2 victory the previous night, and Smyly (2-1) retired the first four he faced. After a issuing a walk to Alex Gordon, the former reliever then retired the next six in a dominant performance. Smyly wound up allowing two hits and two walks before giving way to Joba Chamberlain, who threw a perfect eighth. Phil Coke allowed two runs in the ninth to lose the shutout. Nick Castellanos drove in three runs the Tigers, the first off spot starter Danny Duffy (1-2) and two more off the Royals bullpen. That was it until the ninth, when Detroit tacked on six more runs, the highlight a three-run shot by Torii Hunter. The win was the Tigers fifth straight over Kansas City. Duffy moved from the bullpen back to the rotation in place of Bruce Chen, who went on the disabled list this week with a bulging disc in his back. Duffy was on a pitch count and wound up lasting just four innings, allowing two hits and walking four while throwing 75 pitches. Kansas City played without catcher Salvador Perez, who was given the night off after fouling a pitch off his shin in the series opener. Royals manager Ned Yost said he expects the All-Star to be back in the lineup Sunday — though they sure could have used his bat in this one. Thhe only hits the Royals could muster off Smyly came on Eric Hosmers double in the fourth and a single in the fifth by Danny Valencia, who was thrown out trying to reach second.dddddddddddd Meanwhile, the Tigers took advantage of Duffys erratic ways. The left-hander walked the bases loaded in the fourth inning, and Castellanos followed with a liner to left that Alex Gordon caught on the run. But rather than throw home immediately, the Gold Glove winner hesitated, and that gave Miguel Cabrera time to score. In the sixth, reliever Louis Coleman allowed a double to Cabrera and intentionally walked Victor Martinez, who has been hot all series. Herrera came in and Castellanos ripped a double to right, driving in both runs while ending a 0-for-15 slump. That was plenty of support for Smyly, who made 63 appearances out of the bullpen last season and two this season, but who may be firmly establishing himself as the fifth starter. The victory was Smylys first as a starter since beating the Royals on July 6, 2012. NOTES: Royals RHP Aaron Brooks made his big league debut, giving up all six runs in the ninth. ... Tigers RHP Robbie Ray is expected to be promoted from Triple-A Toledo to start Tuesday against Houston in his big league debut. ... Tigers RHP Anibal Sanchez (cut middle finger) had no problems throwing Friday, manager Brad Ausmus said. Sanchez went on the DL on April 27. ... LHP Jason Vargas starts Sunday for Kansas City. RHP Justin Verlander starts for Detroit. ' ' '