IRVING, Texas - The Cowboys had their roughest day on defence when they lost to Philadelphia on Thanksgiving to raise doubts about their playoff hopes. Vince Carter Jersey .They responded with four straight games that were anywhere from good to great on a December winning streak that ended a four-year post-season drought.We took a butt-kicking like men, said defensive end Jeremy Mincey, and came back and retaliated like men.Theres a similar bounce-back theme for Dallas (12-4) in Sundays wild-card game against Detroit (11-5) because the Cowboys gave up a franchise-record 480 yards passing to Matt Stafford in a 31-30 loss to the Lions last year.Not only did Calvin Johnson have 329 yards receiving — the second-most in NFL history — but the Cowboys let the Lions go 80 yards in just 50 seconds in the final minute for the winning touchdown.Stafford sees something different this year, though.Theyre in all the right spots all the time, it seems to me, he said. Theyre playing extremely physical up front and doing a great job of playing with a bunch of passion and getting after the passer and stopping the run on the way.Big plays were a problem a year ago for the Dallas defence, which finished last in the league and gave up the first two 600-yard games in franchise history (yes, Detroit was one of them). And big plays were a problem against the Eagles on Thanksgiving, when LeSean McCoy had a 38-yard run to set up one score and Jeremy Maclin had a 58-yard catch to set up another.Whether that loss was an aberration or a trigger, its hard to say. But the Cowboys gave up 170 fewer yards in the rematch, held Indianapolis to 1 yard rushing a week later and had a season-high four takeaways in the regular-season finale against Washington.The big plays were definitely an aberration. The Cowboys gave up 135 big plays passing and rushing last season. That number was 85 this season.The ball is critical — turnover ratio, but certainly big plays are a close second to that, coach Jason Garrett said. If you prevent big plays, its hard for teams to score against you.It wasnt hard for teams to score against the Cowboys a year ago.You have to play good, sound, fundamental defence, you have to tackle well, Garrett said. So we really tried to make an emphasis on being better in those areas, and I think we have made improvement.Mincey wasnt around a year ago — he went to the Super Bowl with Denver before coming to the Cowboys as a free agent. He was a steady presence for an improving unit early in the season, and now has emerged as the team leader with six sacks.While the Cowboys were close to the bottom of the league in sacks, they had nine the last three games of the regular season. Theyve also forced 10 turnovers in that span, surging to second in the league with 31.Were dominating our opponents, Mincey said. Everybody understands whats going on, understanding what they need to do specifically as an individual and those individuals doing what they need to do in bringing a collective effort because everybody has the same frame of mind, same frequency.Linebacker Bruce Carter, who struggled with the switch to the 4-3 defence last year, had two interceptions last week against the Redskins and leads the team with five. Along with Brandon Carr struggling to stay with Johnson, Carters difficulties were exposed a year against Detroit.Bruce has always had a knack for making plays on the ball, whether its blocking punts or intercepting passes or picking up fumbles, Garrett said. But I think, like with anybody else, he gets better with experience.And the Dallas defence sure did get better after Thanksgiving.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler Discount Raptors Jerseys . 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The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., who trains out of San Diego, will fight bantamweight champion (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey on July 5 in the co-main event of UFC 175 in Las Vegas.KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Once the new year rolled around, Ned Yost turned his attention to the upcoming season, the new pieces that the Kansas City Royals brought in and the possibilities for new lineups.He made the prospect of a contract extension seem almost like an afterthought.I think were in great shape headed into this year, Yost said Tuesday, shortly after the club announced their managers one-year boost through the 2016 season.We came as close as you can to winning a world championship last year, he said, and when you dont do it, it leaves a taste in your mouth. Its something you strive to do, and I think everyone in that locker room will tell you they want to finish this thing off.Yost became the Royals manager in May 2010 and presided over a massive rebuilding effort that culminated with the end of a 29-year playoff drought this past season. The Royals took San Francisco to the seventh game of the World Series, leaving the tying run on third base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, before their season finally ended.With most of the major pieces of that team back, combined with free-agent acquisitions such as Alex Rios, Kendrys Morales and Edinson Volquez, hopes in Kansas City are higher than ever that the long-downtrodden franchise will be able to compete for the post-season again.As we all know, baseball is a very tough business, Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. Youre always striving for organizational harmony, and we have our key leaders — in this case the manager — signed through the next two years, it helps to create that harmony.The longest-tenured manager in club history, Yost will soon become its winningest. He already has 373 victories, trailing only Dick Howser (4004) and Whitey Herzog (410), and should eclipse two of the franchises iconic names by the time summer rolls around. OG Anunoby Jersey. osts contract was due to expire after the upcoming season, but there was little question that he would receive an extension. He has a close relationship with Moore dating to their days in the Braves organization, and Yosts ability to guide a young and unproven lineup to its first AL pennant since the Reagan administration only strengthened his organizational standing.Not everything has gone perfectly for Yost, of course.He has often been lampooned for his in-game adjustments, including a questionable decision to use starter Yordano Ventura out of the bullpen in the playoffs. And his often-surly nature, which has seemed to mellow with time, has drawn the ire of some longtime Royals fans.He came to our organization in a point in time when we needed to be re-energized, and Ned brought a lot of hope and optimism, Moore said. Those are the character traits that we believe are very important for a successful major league manager.Yost said hes been busier this off-season than ever, doing appearances and events just about every weekend since the season ended. But even as he sat in a deer stand on Tuesday, waiting for something worth shooting to amble by, his thoughts were already on the upcoming season.I go back and I look at the World Series and theres not much I would have done different, Yost said. I feel like we were in every single game. You look at the matchups we had, the situations that ended up costing us, they were all matchups we wanted. ... They just didnt work out. But you still have that taste, you know? You were that close to winning the World Series. Cheap Chargers Jerseys Cheap Browns Jerseys Cheap Texans Jerseys Cheap Ravens Jerseys Cheap Panthers Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Titans Jerseys Cheap Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Bills Jerseys Cheap Colts Jerseys Cheap Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Rams Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Falcons Jerseys Cheap Bengals Jerseys ' ' '