Football 101: QB's job isn't to overcome a pathetic defense

[Cmac]

Kamara and Carr....Co-players of the Week. Defense got gutted, bum-rushed, and manhandled......from the beginning.......but let's dissect Dak. SMH.

 

[thunderpimp91]

The QB isnt to blame for this loss, the offense as a whole did a solid job of grinding with long drives that put points up early despite a lot of shorter gains. I don't think we can just gloss over the warning signs of this offense because the defense played 5x worse though. OL, RB, and WR all need to play significantly better.

Dak last week I felt played very high level football for about four drives and wasn't that great the rest of the way. It was easy to ignore the bad from Dak last week because he didn't need to do much and we won big. This week though we saw a similar situation where he played very good football for a few drives and really battled well. Accuracy wasn't there all day though, he got a couple of receivers destroyed, and simply couldn't move the football when behind big, but obviously its tougher when you need chunk gains and the defense is playing deep shell coverage. I think there is a very good argument that there is more of a supporting cast issue than simply a Dak issue, but there is a lot on offense that needs work.

 

[RonnieT24]

Like the OP I have no patience for anybody who watched that game and came away with "we need a new QB." Honestly I don't even know what game they were watching. What I will say is that I was thoroughly annoyed at McCarthy treating the red zone like it's just like the rest of the field and that there should be no difference in which backs he uses down there. Yes it's cute to say Deuce and Dowdle deserve their chances down close but in a game when it was obvious the defense wasn't going to be getting any stops we needed to be punching it in not setting for field goals and that means using the guy we brought back to be the red zone hammer as the damn red zone hammer. From this day forward any time we get inside the 25 yard line Zeke needs to be the running back. Period. The real takeaway from that game for me was that the Cowboys once again got bullied up front on both sides of the ball. You're not winning anything when that happens. And I honestly don't know how you fix it. Physical toughness comes from mental toughness and this team doesn't have it.. (sigh!)

 

[TheSport78]

For those of you who needed to read this: I'm not wasting time responding to you after this OP.

It's honestly hilarious how little some of you know about this sport. Blaming the QB or the offense for this loss is the height of absurdity. It's that or you're just willfully ignorant. Either way, you're not worth responding to. Sorry, not sorry.


Our offense put up 16 points in the 1st half. Scored on 4 of 5 possessions, with the 1 possession we DIDN'T score on being an INT that wasn't Dak's fault.

16 points in the 1st half? That's pretty good!

Our defense? Um, yeah. Didn't give us a chance at all. 41 points allowed through their first 6 possessions.

Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown

NO QB ON EARTH overcomes this and wins in the NFL.

Not Mahomes.
Not Allen.
Not Burrow.
Not Brady.
Not Montana.
Not Aikman.
Not Staubach.
Not ANYONE.

Dak wasn't very good in the 2nd half, but the game was pretty much over by then. He was pressing. The 2nd INT was bad. It just wasn't our day.

Pretty stats in the 2nd half wouldn't have changed the outcome, and the Little Anti-Dakkers would've surely blasted Dak for "stat-padding" if he WAS good in the 2nd half. These people were blaming Dak at halftime!!!! I wish I was joking. That's really the level of football IQ we're dealing with.


We have a week to figure out why our defense has been completely pathetic in our last 2 home games. Like, historically pathetic. Lamar and the Ravens won't be easy to deal with.

Fix the defense so the offense has a chance. Nobody wins ANYTHING in this league with a terrible defense.

I’m so hurt that you wouldn’t spend time responding to us. Don’t care.

Do you understand that more than one player or phase of the game can be to blame for losses?

Say it with me: the defense, quarterback, offensive line, and coaching were all atrocious yesterday. Come on, you can do it!

 

[cavemanct]

The whole team stinks! Dak stinks! The defense stinks! They all stink

 

[CarolinaFathead]

16 measly points isn’t good. Its sad that our standards are now that low. That’s 8 points per quarter for the first half.

Brandon Aubrey has scored the most points for this team so far. Let that sink in. That is pathetic.
Thing is, you say we scored on 4/5 possession. Yeah. FIELDGOALS. When the other team is scoring with TOUCHDOWNS, the QB and the rest of the offense needs to take it up a notch and match that energy. But they never did. The leader of the offense—aka, the QB, couldn’t muster up the talent and grit to do it, as per usual. Scoring all those fieldgoals tells me two things.


-MM is a coward and never goes for it despite the team digging itself further and further into a blowout
-MM and the OC don’t trust Dak to drive them down the field on a big 4 down conversion. All that money for a QB you can’t trust. What a joke.

Also, 2nd week in a row where Dak “hasn’t played good in the 2nd half”. And that isn’t concerning? This is his what, 9th year? And he just got his 2nd record breaking contract and he continues to play abysmally in the 2nd half? Just disgusting, abhorrent, and downright despicable IMO. This team is truly cooked.

The defense is undefendable. Yeah they played horribly. But how many times has the offense played horribly and the defense stepped up to the plate to make up for it? A few times I’m sure. The offense is supposed to do the same. Two completely different sides of the ball. The defense is playing bad? Time for the offense to step up and match the energy of the opponent’s offense. Patrick Mahomes did just that yesterday.

Dude, most of your post is relatively reasonable, even if understandably biased against Dak based on your frustration with his absurd contract, but dude…

8 points per quarter is outstanding points production for the NFL. I think you mean to criticize our RZ efficiency and over all offensive efficiency in enemy territory yesterday. The obvious rebuttal to that criticism is that a short field makes the running game more paramount and not having one makes the QB’s job WAY harder.

Of course, elite QBs find a way…

And Dak isn’t one and the Jones need to stop treating him like he is.

 

[Nav22]

Im not upset with Dak about yesterday but in general he’s nothing but a front runner.

You can't even define what that term means to you, much less be able to give concrete examples with actual evidence to prove your point.

But hey, you're also the genius who told us it's easier than ever to find a QB. Oops!

 

[starfan1]

Dak can get better without a doubt and I dont give a crap what the guy makes. Bunch of butthurt jealous fans in here. where is the vitriol for the pathetic defense? I mean they were carved up like swiss cheese. Yesterday was just 1/17th of the season and as I've said before the NFL is a week to week league.

The only issues i have at the moment is the things that were exposed yesterday are the same things that has haunted this team for awhile now and I'm not talking the QB. No running game ,no run defense and the pass defense was weak as well.

I'm not going to over react yet but our WR group looks pedestrian beyond CeeDee. teams need to make plays when they are afforded that opportunity. daks throw (or lack thereof) to elliott. The missed block by the WR by i can remember who i think it was Brooks that could have extended the drive, He also slipped and caused an int.

there are things the offense can do to get better but if your gonna be concerned about this team it better start with the defense. The offense could have scored TD's on the first 5 drives and still lost yesterday. It was green bay all over again. Is this an off day or a sign of things to come.is New orleans that good or is dallas that bad.

OL also came down to earth yesterday as well as both tackles looked pedestrian

If this defense is going to be like this all year now is the time to bid farewell to Parsons there is no reason to keep him get something for him.

 

[Redsfan_83]

I have said 100x that Dak is not the only problem on this team, but for $60 large ones per year, he damn well better be the solution, but with that contract, ownership now has no chance to rebuild where needed. Our well-documented problems on this team came full force last night (no WR2, no RB1, no run-stopping game, no TE depth, no CB depth, and rookies littered all over the OL). This QB contract has tied Jerry's hands for another 4 years and if you as a Cowboys fan are not yet convinced that things will never change, then you aren't paying attention. For this reason alone I hated extending him, it was time for a rebuild and all Jerry did was set me up for another 4 years of pain as a fan.

You can all wave your pom-poms when we beat up on the lesser likes, but even I was fooled thinking this team has turned a corner.

 

[CyberB0b]

For those of you who needed to read this: I'm not wasting time responding to you after this OP.

It's honestly hilarious how little some of you know about this sport. Blaming the QB or the offense for this loss is the height of absurdity. It's that or you're just willfully ignorant. Either way, you're not worth responding to. Sorry, not sorry.


Our offense put up 16 points in the 1st half. Scored on 4 of 5 possessions, with the 1 possession we DIDN'T score on being an INT that wasn't Dak's fault.

16 points in the 1st half? That's pretty good!

Our defense? Um, yeah. Didn't give us a chance at all. 41 points allowed through their first 6 possessions.

Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown

NO QB ON EARTH overcomes this and wins in the NFL.

Not Mahomes.
Not Allen.
Not Burrow.
Not Brady.
Not Montana.
Not Aikman.
Not Staubach.
Not ANYONE.

Dak wasn't very good in the 2nd half, but the game was pretty much over by then. He was pressing. The 2nd INT was bad. It just wasn't our day.

Pretty stats in the 2nd half wouldn't have changed the outcome, and the Little Anti-Dakkers would've surely blasted Dak for "stat-padding" if he WAS good in the 2nd half. These people were blaming Dak at halftime!!!! I wish I was joking. That's really the level of football IQ we're dealing with.


We have a week to figure out why our defense has been completely pathetic in our last 2 home games. Like, historically pathetic. Lamar and the Ravens won't be easy to deal with.

Fix the defense so the offense has a chance. Nobody wins ANYTHING in this league with a terrible defense.

Sorry, did the cowboys offense never get the ball?

 

[SultanOfSix]

Defense won the game last week. It lost the game this week.

In both cases, the offense was pathetic. The offense is also a big problem.

 

[Nav22]

This forums hate for Dak is at a feverish pitch

Whether Dak stayed or left was not my concern. I have a pretty good idea who he is and while he is not the best QB in the NFL...he is a top 10 QB. The issue people have is that he is paid a lot of money. NEWS FLASH...they are ALL paid a lot of money. From Trevor Lawrence, to Joe Burrow, to Tua, to Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, to Lamar Jackosn....you get the point

This front office has convinced many in this fanbase that because you make a lot of money that should equate to Super Bowls. NEWS FLASH...only one team wins the Super Bowl every year, does that mean every other player that did not win the Super Bowl should be paid the vet minimum?

Paying a few players a lot of money does not absolve the front office from putting together a team. Plenty of teams pay their QB, pay WRs, pay OL etc....and still find a way to field a defense that is competent. Go all the way back to the playoff loss to the 49ers 3 years ago. If you cannot stop the run against teams who want to run it....and if you cannot run it yourself. You will never win 4 straight postseason games.

So blaming Dak for yesterday is just cowardly. Which the front office would prefer to do instead of fixing and or attempting to fix this team. They could have signed Cee Dee and Dak long before they did to open up cap space to PROPERLY attempt to fix the glaring holes on this team. Cee Dee and Dak got what the market bears. And they would have gotten it here or someplace else. So the bellyaching about having to pay them was a WASTE of time. Time that should have been spent ATTEMPTING to fix the ability to run and/or stop the run.

Other than Micah...who on this defense is a difference maker? And I can see the organization and many in this fanbase belly aching all over again when they have to pay Micah. You don't want to pay him? Trade him! But he is going to get market value whether its in Dallas or someplace else. Why? Because his talent allows for that.

We have a lame duck head coach, a lame duck o coordinator, a lame duck d coordinator, pretty much a lame duck coaching staff. Marginal players on defense outside of 1 or 2 players. And because Dak makes a lot of money he is supposed to make up for all the flaws? When in the history of this sport has that ever been expected or doable? We are not a serious football organization. Too busy playing "personal agenda" games.

Since the debacle against Jimmy G and the 49ers in the playoffs 3 years ago, the talent on this team has gone down every year. This organization better get out their feelings about what QBs cost and get serious about the holes on this team or they need to sell the team

Excellent post.

 

[zrinkill]

Defense won the game last week. It lost the game this week.

In both cases, the offense was pathetic. The offense is also a big problem.

Excellent post.

 

[Nav22]

Sorry, did the cowboys offense never get the ball?

16 points in the 1st half wasn't good?

 

[Coogiguy03]

For those of you who needed to read this: I'm not wasting time responding to you after this OP.

It's honestly hilarious how little some of you know about this sport. Blaming the QB or the offense for this loss is the height of absurdity. It's that or you're just willfully ignorant. Either way, you're not worth responding to. Sorry, not sorry.


Our offense put up 16 points in the 1st half. Scored on 4 of 5 possessions, with the 1 possession we DIDN'T score on being an INT that wasn't Dak's fault.

16 points in the 1st half? That's pretty good!

Our defense? Um, yeah. Didn't give us a chance at all. 41 points allowed through their first 6 possessions.

Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown
Touchdown

NO QB ON EARTH overcomes this and wins in the NFL.

Not Mahomes.
Not Allen.
Not Burrow.
Not Brady.
Not Montana.
Not Aikman.
Not Staubach.
Not ANYONE.

Dak wasn't very good in the 2nd half, but the game was pretty much over by then. He was pressing. The 2nd INT was bad. It just wasn't our day.

Pretty stats in the 2nd half wouldn't have changed the outcome, and the Little Anti-Dakkers would've surely blasted Dak for "stat-padding" if he WAS good in the 2nd half. These people were blaming Dak at halftime!!!! I wish I was joking. That's really the level of football IQ we're dealing with.


We have a week to figure out why our defense has been completely pathetic in our last 2 home games. Like, historically pathetic. Lamar and the Ravens won't be easy to deal with.

Fix the defense so the offense has a chance. Nobody wins ANYTHING in this league with a terrible defense.

Breaking News: never blame Dak for anything in here!! He's making more than anyone, and he's the team leader. He didn't do his job too bad get the guys ready to play

 

[Redline360]

Yes and No

However yesterday's game is an extreme example as the defense was atrocious. No quarterback was winning that game. But let's not act like the offense and Dak were anything special. Barely average and that's being generous.

Sometimes both defenses suck and you need a quarterback to win a shoot out. Unfortunately Dak has never been this type of quarterback. Also both sides of the ball can change momentum in a heartbeat however the offense under Dak is horrible at it. Once we go down by a couple scores it's seems like a wrap 99% of the time.

 

[McKDaddy]

How many curb stompings do truly elite QB's endure per year? Dak seems to get 3-4.

Seems other teams believe in their QB and even if they lose everyone on the team fights & claws to keep it respectable knowing their guy might yet pull out a win.

It's almost like this team knows he isn't capable of overcoming and they all just throw in the towel. Well, at least they understand the situation.

 

[McKDaddy]

Just because their offense was shredding our defense why couldn't our offense shred theirs?

Isn't that supposed to be an option when you paid your QB and he says he's amongst the greats to have ever played?

 

[Romo_To_Dez]

Dak can never carry this team by himself but can play well enough to drive a bus if the defense is lights out every game.
This defense is nowhere good enough to sustain that week in and week out.
Its only game 2, but the exposures come early this season so buckle up Cowboys, we are in for rough ride.

No QB can really carry a team when the defense allows 35 points in one half. I don't expect for the defense to play lights out every single game, because that is unrealistic to ask a defense to do as no NFL defense is going to completely shutdown an opposing offense every game. But there is no excuse for how the Cowboys defense played yesterday allowing TD drive after TD drive and not even forcing the Saints to punt once until late in the 2nd half.

I think it's fair to ask for the defense to average giving up no more than around 25 points or less in most games. And for the offense to at least average around anywhere between 21-28 points in most games. While knowing there will be a couple of games where there is going to either be a low scoring defensive game or offensive shootout where one side of the ball has to carry the other. But for most games both sides of the ball should be expected to show up with a balanced game plan that's complimentary to each other.

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

Obviously the defense is a MAJOR MAJOR issue.

But Daks job is to score TDs and hes certainly compensated enough to have those expectations