Dallas played it's final game of the season in LA versus the NFC team everyone has been chasing since week 1 and fell as expected.
The game honestly felt like a 20 point whipping and only vastly improved red zone play by both DAL units kept it in realm of competitive.
The Rams were able to run it at will and that is still job 1.
If you can't stop the run, you can't stop the pass.
The Rams just took whatever they wanted basically every run play.
On the other hand DAL couldn't get Zeke going at all.
He was routinely hit in the back field and showed little of the star quality we are used to seeing.
Zeke has to get better as a receiver out of the backfield. DAL has to work to get him the ball where is comfortable on those passes or they have to go get a 3rd down back with speed who can spell Zeke in some useful way not as a very, very poor mans version of the same guy.
As the team post postmortems this season I think they can be very proud of the turn-around from 3-5 and the playoff experienced gained by so many young guys. DAL was one of the youngest teams in NFL history to win a playoff game.
What went right:
Richard came in and provided a boost to the young secondary. The new CB techniques he employed lifted Byron Jones to elite and while they didn't bring the turnovers you like the coverage was excellent most of the year. As we have seen with SEA CBs that leave the scheme can fall of the face of the earth quickly so DAL should continue to draft CBs and be less concerned about paying any of them franchise money.
Young guys galore stepped up and outperformed expectation. LVE was obviously special for a rookie LB. Schultz after looking like a cut seemed to get everything going in the direction of future Pro Bowler. He has to get bigger, stronger and slightly more polished but he looks natural as a receiver and he blocked well. Gallup looks like a star in the making. His route-running can be a bit suspect and some of those routes leave Dak looking foolish. They must be on the same page around depth and sight adjustments.
Dak rebounded from a very poor stretch of games to play at a very high level. Dallas has it's QB and he is a winner. At this point anyone complaining about Dak is just trolling. He outperformed guys on this team and guys we faced that all made more money and were drafted well ahead of him. He is going to be paid soon enough and I suspect he will make top 10 money. If he does the challenge will be even greater for him to get more out of a lesser roster tied up in franchise QB cap cash. Hopefully he and the team will opt for guaranteed money and success over more cap hit. Team success really adds to a players lifetime income beyond contract.
Young defense all in all was great. They were certainly not in LA but that team had 2 weeks to prepare for DAL and they simply were too much.
The Amari Cooper trade was huge and look great going forward. He is a legit WR1 who gets elite separation, makes plays after the catch and is still a young player. He had the physical tools to go top 5 in a draft and he has honed those skills.
OL Depth signings really helped this team. We lost a lot of games up front but kept the ship afloat at least. Played bullyball at times and were especially good at home where communication is much easier.
What went wrong:
DAL took the pre-season off. Dak is a gamer QB and he needs rel live game reps. Practice reps mean little to him and his early season game rust was painful to watch. Next year he needs at least 5-6 quarters worth of true reps with the 1st team group in preseason.
Dez/Witten needed to be replaced. BUT the replacements weren't brought in early enough. TE may well be fine next year and Amari has steadied the WR group but that receiving corps was in the bottom 2-3 before the trade.
Big misses: TWill, TFred and DI provided you a combined near zero. With TFred that's life and he should be counted on again next year. He's everything you want in a player. TWill and DI though should be gone. They gave this team nothing in a season where anything might've helped push it over the top. TWill playing at his best would have been better than Gallup this year. But he had GTD money and entered early retirement. DI has issues and it;s easy to judge form afar but soem guys just don't like footbal and all those signs are there with DI and have been since college thus how a Cali guy ended up at Iowa State then missed so many collegiate game. Trying to hold out hope of his talent is sending the team the wrong message.
What now:
Lacking an R1 draft pick you can't expect a starter to walk though the door. Will be interesting if Jerry sees the need to go FA to replicate that R1 hype and such. Lots of money available if he so chooses though the team has plenty of guys to pay internally.
This young team should improve and step forward in the off-season but it will remian imperfect. Jeff Heath has very much peaked and Xavier Woods and the other safeties are staring at very real ceilings. This team must have a better back up RB. Someone who is truly a threat in some aspect of the game.
DAL has a lot of FA on paper but only a few who move the needle; and almost surely, much of the money will go to guys that aren't yet FA. Figuring out what it takes to get DLaw, Zeke, Dak, Byron, Amari done is key. Secondary players like Beasley and DWilson will need to gauge league value and if they want to offer a home team discount to return to s young ascending team.
Coaching is gonna be a touchy subject. What Linehan did worked well enough to go 8-2 for the final 10 games and win a playoff game but it can be painful to watch at times. Kris Richard earned those HC interviews but the Rams game was a remainder that he was actually fired. His system does have some kryptonite out there. Jason Garrett has grown into a quite strong CEO type HC. Saban is his mentor and he seems a very similar guy. But that control freak, even-keeled stuff works a lot better in college. WE won;t even get into how much everyone wants to see a QB Coach that's not semi-related to Linehan.
Job 1 for DAL is ensure there is no step back. This team can't go on a yo-yo with these guys at their peaks. They are poised to be really good bot management and coaching must execute at high levels. The right guys must be resigned and the right bolstering via FA while the draft continues to produce. It is a very tall order but teams do not win Super Bowls on accident. They either sell out like Denver and win then eventually fall off a cliff or they build young, fast and lean then lose guys in FA. DAL must know what it is facing and manipulate it best possible. Sell these FA internally and league-wide on the Star power and financial opportunities that brings of being a Dallas Cowboy on a playoff team.
Dak must work hard this off-season. Ball security and timing with these WRs are key. He's also got to take care of his body in prep for long career with lots of hits. Fans want to see him run a lot more but that's not a great idea. He needs to continue to pick hit spots and reduce wear and tear. We saw what happened with Romo. We really could use Brees or Brady-like longevity. If a new OC coach comes in they need to be developing a system together. Use fresh wrinkles and league-wide innovation to their benefit but also hand Dak more say in what feels right. You didn't draft a 1st overall QB that can be QB robot. The guy you have is already risk averse and makes plays at key moments so you gotta hand him some easy stuff to get in the flow of games. Rubs and play action are huge for him.
The Draft:
Lacking an R1 you pretty much must go best available player. DAL targets needs and fits and I love that balanced versus BPA. But they can't forced a need pick.
Short wish list:
1. Safety
2. OL -always but DAL must get cap hit for OL down a good deal.
3. DL -always and with Rod here you should take those shots yearly in rounds 2 or 3.
4. RB -need a complement to Zeke given how much he rests now to stay fresh.
5. Slot WR - DAL had the right idea with Switzer they just weren't ready to give up on Bease yet. Go back to that well.
