Tag: highlight catch

Gallup says departed brother helped on circus catch: ‘He was right there with me’

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup’s circus catch changed the game and capped his career-best outing on the anniversary of his brother’s suicide.

November 17, 2018 was one of the darkest days imaginable for wide receiver Michael Gallup. November 17, 2019 was one of his very best as a Dallas Cowboy. On the one-year anniversary of his younger brother’s death, the second-year wideout logged a career-high nine receptions for 148 yards in an important 35-27 win over the Detroit Lions.

Gallup provided perhaps the turning point of the game with an improbable catch in the second quarter. And while it would be a cheap cliche for some sportswriter to suggest that the 23-year-old wideout had some sort of divine intervention in making the acrobatic grab of a tipped ball, Gallup himself says his brother was with him.

But Gallup admits his highlight moment almost didn’t happen at all.

“I wasn’t even supposed to run that route,” Gallup said after the game. “I kind of messed myself up. That’s really why I had to catch the ball, because I messed it up. I’d just seen [quarterback Dak Prescott] throw it in the air, and [Lions cornerback Mike Ford] was behind me, so I had to fight through him. Then luckily, the ball didn’t go too far after I missed it the first time.”

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Gallup wouldn’t rule out the possibility that his brother may have provided a slight nudge while that ball was fluttering in the air.

“I know he was right there with me when I bobbled that deep ball,” Gallup said. “I know he was right there with me.”

The circus catch moved the chains on a critical third down and extended the Cowboys drive. Two plays later, running back Ezekiel Elliott punched the ball into the end zone to give Dallas a lead that they would not relinquish. Gallup compiled over 100 of his receiving yards before halftime.

“We needed him,” Elliott told the media after the win. “We needed him right there. He definitely carried us through the first half. He’s the reason we won the game.”

“It’s no surprise. No surprise at all,” Prescott said of Gallup’s play during his postgame press conference. “If you watch practice or if you could see practice, that’s what he does week in and week out. He’s somebody that I have so much confidence in, the way that he wants to learn, he wants to get better. He’s a hungry player, and it’s fun to play with him.”

Gallup’s sideline grab impressed his fellow receivers, too.

“Even after he caught it, I said, ‘You wanted that one bad,'” Cooper joked with reporters. “I don’t think I’ve ever made a catch like that. Being interfered, not initially catching it because you’re being interfered, and then catching it? Like I said, he really wanted to catch that ball.”

“He’s an amazing player, he makes some incredible catches,” Randall Cobb said at his locker. “I think we’ve got to get him more involved and find ways to get him the ball and let him do what he does.

“He’s been making plays since I got here: through OTAs, through training camp. I think people are starting to understand exactly how good he can be. And he’s going to continue to grow, continue to get better. That comes with experience, but to see a young guy like him making plays consistently throughout the season is huge for him as a player, and it’s huge for our team.”

The concept of team is an important one for the 2018 third-round draft pick our of Colorado State. He’s demonstrated it repeatedly in his short pro tenure with the Cowboys, even in the devastating wake of his brother’s suicide last year.

The club was in Atlanta to play the Falcons. After the win, Gallup, a Georgia native, was joined by family members in a private room at the stadium. That’s when he was given the news of his brother Andrew’s death the previous day. Michael stayed behind with family when the players returned to Dallas. But the rookie rejoined his teammates and played just four days later, though, recording two catches against Washington and earning a game ball that Thanksgiving Day from coach Jason Garrett before returning to Georgia the next morning for the funeral.

“I just have so much admiration for Michael as a person and how he handled that situation,” Garrett offered Monday during a phone interview with 105.3 The Fan. “I can’t imagine what he was going through, what his family was going through. And he just handled it so beautifully, with so much grace last year. And I was just so impressed by him as a person and the character he has and his family and how they all came together around this tragedy. He’s just handled everything so beautifully since then. Obviously, we’ve talked a lot about how he continues to develop and grow as a player, and he certainly did a great job for us yesterday.”

Though obviously pleased with Sunday’s win and his contribution to it, Gallup admitted that his brother had been on his mind leading up to kickoff.

“Obviously, it’s going to be tough around this time every year,” Gallup said. “His birthday was November 10. So it’s always a hard one. But to go out here and have fun, do what I love, and he knows that. I’ve always loved this game and he’s up there watching me. It’s a good feeling, to be able to do that for him and have the family watch as well.”

But if the young speedster was struggling with memories of his brother, he kept it to himself. Most of his teammates didn’t even know about the tragic anniversary until it was pointed out to them by reporters after the win.

“Man, you just gave me chills,” Elliott said when told. “MG’s been a great dude ever since I met him. I knew he was going to be special. I knew he was talented. For him to go out there and have the day he did- today, on the one-year [anniversary] of his brother passing away- I’m sure it means a lot to him. I’m happy for the kid.”

“You did it for your bro?” Cooper asked Gallup directly in the locker room. “Yeah, he did it for bro. Hey, it explains a lot now, how he really wanted that ball? It explains a lot now. He did it for bro.

“Proud of him,” Prescott declared. “I know his brother’s proud of him. That’s what you do when you’re a player like that, when you’re a ballplayer, being able to go out there on that field and be at peace, it takes away and just allows you to be who you are. That’s what Michael Gallup did tonight. Just showed the type of player he is, in the midst of the anniversary. Proud of him. Proud of him.”

As for what Andrew would have said about the Cowboys’ win and his older brother’s incredible catch? Gallup grinned broadly just imagining it.

“Man, shoot. I don’t even know what little Andy would say. He’d just probably look at me and smile, to be honest.”