A 3.5 magnitude earthquake registered mid-afternoon in Irving, Texas near the old Texas Stadium on Tuesday and was felt inside the Cowboys' Valley Ranch practice facility just a few miles away. In total, eight earthquakes hit North Texas within about nine hours of each other on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"I was actually laying on the couch over there and I felt a little rumble, and I was like ‘What the heck is that,’ " defensive end Jeremy Mincey said.
Although the shock from the earthquake was felt throughout the facility, it did not last more than a few seconds.
"It didn’t scare me, it was over before I could even realise what it was," said wide receiver Cole Beasley. “Dwayne [Harris] was like ‘Did you feel that?' And I was like 'Kind of, but I don't know what that was.' I’ve never felt an earthquake before."
Defensive end Tyrone Crawford said the Cowboys' defence was reviewing a tape of the win against the Detroit Lions when the earthquake struck.
"We seen the screen shake, and no one really knew what it was. Some guys said 'earthquake.' I’ve never experienced it. I don't know what to do when an earthquake hits, I've heard things fall," he said.
Crawford joked that defensive tackle Josh Brent, a 320-pound beast, simply leaned against the wall.
"It was a 3.5? Is that big? Well, next time we need to be coached what to do in case of an earthquake," Crawford said.
The Cowboys will visit the Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET with freezing temperatures and snow forecast for the clash.