"I told our trainer, man, it's kind of tight," Newman said. "So I went and kind of worked out to see how I felt. I was running and planting, and then I just got mad and said, hey, I am going to play. I don't care."

If the Cowboys are going to do something they haven't done since 1996 - have a winning record in December and January - they should follow Newman's lead and get mad.

About their reputation as front-runners who don't rise to the occasion. About all the craziness they've had to endure this season. And, most of all, about all the analysts who point to history as proof the Cowboys won't survive the season's final month.

"December is bad normally for us, but history changes," Newman said. "Look at politics, look at the president (elect)."

The Cowboys cruised into December last season with the NFL's best record only to go 2-2 and lose momentum. The result: a loss to the Giants in January that extended their franchise-worst playoff-win drought to 11 years.

Newman is sick of hearing about their December blues and is hopeful his teammates feel the same.

"Last December was last December," Newman said forcefully. "This is a whole new December. We didn't do well early in the season this year, yet we did last year. Maybe it will be a complete switch and we'll turn the tables and run the whole next six games and make the playoffs, win that too and the Super Bowl, and everybody will love us."

Newman isn't the only player in the Cowboys' locker room talking change. Greg Ellis says he's got a good feeling about the stretch run.

"I'm going to put it to you this way: I like what I'm smelling from this team. All right? I really do," Ellis said Tuesday. "... You can put that in big, bold print. I like what I am smelling from this team."

Those comments drew chuckles from fans and the media, but Ellis' nose shouldn't be dismissed. He's been with the team since 1998 and usually gets it right when talking about its mood.

That certainly was the case last month when he said he was disappointed with the entire organization after the overtime loss to Arizona.

"You put that in bold letters when I said I was disappointed in the team ... and I didn't like what was going on then," Ellis said. "But right now, it's a good vibe. Guys have stepped up. And it wasn't the lip-service step up. It was like, 'I'm going to do my job.' That's the kind of stuff it takes to be where you want to be."

The stuff the Cowboys need now is the stuff Newman showed when he decided to play against the 49ers: They need to get mad and not care.

About the Steelers' hard-nosed reputation. About everybody saying the Giants will repeat as NFC champs. About all those critics who say they're going to fold.

"The thing about this team I really like, despite all the things we had go on, guys will still fight," Marcus Spears said.

But wanting to fight isn't enough. They need to play angry, something they have rarely done in the Wade Phillips era.

If they do that, history just might change.

torsborn@express-news.net