English Cowboy has good showing in home country

By foxsports
Published

LONDON - With starting defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford ruled out for the 11th game in the International Series with the Jacksonville Jaguars, speculation arose as to what defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli would do to fill the void. The longtime defensive coach simply put another Crawford in his place.

Dallas defensive lineman Jack Crawford was a part of the "rush men" rotation, and he finished the game with a sack, forced fumble, and a tackle for loss.

"Every defensive lineman dreams about getting a sack, a fumble, in front of his family and friends," Crawford said after the game.

"And the fact that it happened tonight just made it so much more special."

On Jacksonville's first play in the fourth quarter, with Dallas ahead 31-7, Crawford stripped the ball from rookie quarterback Blake Bortles, causing a fumble and a sack. Though Jaguars offensive lineman Luke Bowanko recovered the ball and saved the possession for Jacksonville, nothing could take away Crawford's second sack of the season, in front of his fellow countrymen, no less.

Still, Crawford didn't have a celebration in mind for when he got a sack in Wembley Stadium.

Said Crawford: "I just kind of freaked out about it. We were both focused on playing the defensive tackle position and having a good time. And then when I got the sack, I wasn't really thinking about the celebration. I was just in the moment."

The second-most rousing moment for Crawford was when he heard the Great Britain national anthem, on Remembrance Day no less.

"It was something special, something rare that you never hear really before hand," said Crawford.

"But hearing that, hearing our National Anthem really being the only I think person on the team just meant that much more. And it was Remembrance Day. That was a special moment."

If Crawford is able to contribute the rest of the season the way he did against Jacksonville to help Dallas to improve to 7-3, then he will certainly take part in more special moments as 2014 comes to a close.