Indeed, Nolan's play calling leaves a lot to be desired. Early in the game, it's Marinelli 2.0, the infamous BBDB. It seems that the Cowboys Dee is not even trying to dominate the LOS, just "keep everything in front of them", and hope the offense makes a mistake. "Hold them to a FG!"
So then of course the DBs, sitting back in soft zones, they look pretty bad. I can't even tell yet if they are as bad as they look with this defensive scheme. Calling blitzes in the 2nd half is almost too late, IMO, because by then the defensive mindset is still passive. Hard to switch it up all of a sudden. The game plans just look mediocre at best, so then the entire defense looks lost.
Doesn't help that the Cowboys LBs aren't making much impact, but if you KNOW this, then blitz them more, or at least threaten to blitz more. Make it a chess match. Why don't the Cowboys ever put 9 in the box and give the offense something to think about? Sheesh! The philosophy is just bad unto itself.
And of course, we only get gift turnovers....we need LBs and DBs attacking the ball, trying to strip it and punch it out. Like defenses in the past, there's just not enough aggression, and that starts with the coach.
