CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- With their season hovering on the brink, the Dallas Cowboys turned to inspiration from former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs.
No, seriously.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said coach Jason Garrett invited the former rival coach to speak to his players for the chapel service at the team hotel Saturday night before their game against the Carolina Panthers.
It must have helped, because the Cowboys won 19-14 on Sunday.
Gibbs lives in Charlotte and owns a stock-car racing team, Joe Gibbs Racing, which is located just north of the city, in Huntersville, N.C.
"He was saying to us that when they called him and asked him to speak, he was like, 'Are you crazy?' knowing what that rivalry was like," Cowboys linebacker Dan Connor said with a laugh.
Connor said Gibbs talked about "battling through adversity," something the Cowboys (3-3) needed to do Sunday. They overcame a 14-13 deficit in the fourth quarter to break a two-game losing streak.
"He was talking about different situations he's been in and how he fought through them," Connor said. "He said when you're in a situation, you think it's the worst thing ever, but you have to have faith in God and push through it. That was the message. He was unbelievable."
Jones said he and his players have "immense respect" for Gibbs, who won three Super Bowl championships with the Redskins. Jones said he even consulted with Gibbs when he was looking to hire a coach to replace Barry Switzer.
Gibbs' message came after Garrett was criticized for poor clock management last week in Dallas' 31-29 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
"He came into chapel, and talked about some of his low times," Jones said. "He spoke about some of the coaching errors. He wasn't directing it to the team at all, relative to our criticism this week of our sideline coaching decisions, but he talked a little about a couple that bit him.
"The players told me that when they hear Joe Gibbs talk about a few bad decisions, they know anybody can make them."
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
