If Dak stays, does it mean the same for Big Mike?

[Coogiguy03]

So Dak is responsible for the 12-5 record, but it's the TEAM who is responsible for the 2-5 playoff record? Lol

looooooooooooooool

 

[Coogiguy03]

We were a12-5 #2 seed, and lost to a 9-7 #7 seed at home..... and we were relatively healthy. Dak laid an egg in the first half and the game got out of hand. We had a top 5 defense, better receivers than the Packers, a better offensive line than the Packers, and arguable a better RB stable as well. Leadership reflects directly on performance. We showed we had a better team over the course of the season, yet we lost, badly. If Dak is the leader of this team, he failed miserably. If he isn't, why would we want to keep him?

disagree, their team was WAY better than ours

 

[ShiningStar]

Dak gives us the best chance to be relevant for the next 3 years. As an older fan of the Cowboys, myself and other fans my age and older, are running out of time to ever see the Cowboys in the super bowl. I will take being relevant right now over a rebuilding era. Life is too short. I still watch and cheer for the Cowboys albeit with lowered expectations, and I would still rather a watch a 12 win team than a 4–5-win team for the next few seasons. jmo.

But we re not relevant. We re a big fan base so we re always the lead in the sports talk world if thats what you want. But on the field and as a franchise? No we are a joke and the joke is stale. Like a comedian who doesnt update his act. Everyone has us figured out. IF the Eagles dont melt down, we dont even make the playoffs.

 

[fairviewfarmer]

Dak gives us the best chance to be relevant for the next 3 years. As an older fan of the Cowboys, myself and other fans my age and older, are running out of time to ever see the Cowboys in the super bowl. I will take being relevant right now over a rebuilding era. Life is too short. I still watch and cheer for the Cowboys albeit with lowered expectations, and I would still rather a watch a 12 win team than a 4–5-win team for the next few seasons. jmo.

Imo, we are relevant when we make the playoffs.
Again, jmo.

 

[DuncanIso]

Big Mike shouldn't be in this position in the first place. He should have got a new deal from Jerry this offseason. It's disrespectful to treat your coaching staff that way. After the third in row 12-5 season, Jerry should have done the right thing by giving Mike another 5-year deal. Extend Dak and make things right with your head coach, Jerry. Shame on you!

That playoff game killed it.

he still has a chance.

 

[OGSixshooter]

Dak didn’t play well in the first half but our defense began quitting on the Packers opening possession. Our top 5 defense during the regular season looked like a bottom 5 defense against the Packers. It doesn’t matter how much better we were than Green Bay, our best performances during the regular season didn’t show up against them. The performances we had against Arizona, San Francisco, and Buffalo is what showed up against Green Bay. The Packers were hot team that were playing better football than we were entering the playoffs. One of our own players admitted our defense quit. After a rough first half, Dak started getting it going, but it was too little too late because our defense could never make a stop. He kept battling the entire game. He set a Cowboys franchise playoff record with over 400 passing yards.

He set another Cowboys franchise playoff record with 41 completions. He tossed 3 TDs and led us to 32 points, while our defense kept allowing Green Bay to score touchdowns. Not once could we hold them to an FG. When San Francisco got down big to Detroit in the NFC conference game, their defense stepped up and got them back in the game. Purdy was having a bad day, but he had help from his defense. Our defense looked like garbage throughout the entire game. I’ve never seen a softer group than what we have on that side of the ball. Once we got punched in the mouth last season, we laid down and we even laid down to a bad AZ team. You fans that are putting it entirely on Dak are wearing blinders.

You're kind of generalizing. Yes, we had a "top 5" defense, but there more than concerning signs in December. And then Gilly separated his shoulder. That was huge. It threw the entire D in disarray.

Well, at that point you needed your QB to ball...after all, giving him what he is demanding requires getting rid of Gillmore types, so let's see what Dak can do. And Dak felt the pressure...he knew his D was compromised and HE folded. HE didn't step up. You're seeing a different movie my friend.

 

[Whiskey Cowboy]

Dak didn’t play well in the first half but our defense began quitting on the Packers opening possession. Our top 5 defense during the regular season looked like a bottom 5 defense against the Packers. It doesn’t matter how much better we were than Green Bay, our best performances during the regular season didn’t show up against them. The performances we had against Arizona, San Francisco, and Buffalo is what showed up against Green Bay. The Packers were hot team that were playing better football than we were entering the playoffs. One of our own players admitted our defense quit. After a rough first half, Dak started getting it going, but it was too little too late because our defense could never make a stop. He kept battling the entire game. He set a Cowboys franchise playoff record with over 400 passing yards.

He set another Cowboys franchise playoff record with 41 completions. He tossed 3 TDs and led us to 32 points, while our defense kept allowing Green Bay to score touchdowns. Not once could we hold them to an FG. When San Francisco got down big to Detroit in the NFC conference game, their defense stepped up and got them back in the game. Purdy was having a bad day, but he had help from his defense. Our defense looked like garbage throughout the entire game. I’ve never seen a softer group than what we have on that side of the ball. Once we got punched in the mouth last season, we laid down and we even laid down to a bad AZ team. You fans that are putting it entirely on Dak are wearing blinders.

First of all, don't lump me in with the anti-Dak'ers. I'm illustrating what I saw happen. Motivation was the problem. That's a leadership issue. Maybe the defense came out cold because of the Quinn situation, but as the proclaimed leader of the team, the QB needs to put that team on his back and carry them to a win, or at least keep it within reach while the other unit sorts things out. That's alot to ask. That's why Dak is paid as well as he is, and thats why the great QBs make as much money as they do. That Green Bay defense was really average, and Dak should have shredded them. Rather than doing so, he folded, and didn't show up until the Packers let off the gas, after the game was well out of reach.

Look man, I want to believe in the guy it would make this whole fiasco alot easier to stomach. He had my faith for 8 years, but lost it after continuing a trend of epic failure in the postseason. I'm not taking anything away from the Packers, but they were starting a first year QB with a decent, not great supporting cast and an average defense. There's literally no excuse for losing that game the way they did.

We've seen Dak light up the scoreboards against better defenses with worse supporting casts. He can be a truly elite QB, but he isn't consistent and the likelihood of that guy showing up against playoff teams decreases dramatically. Rather than taking control, he handed out punts and points for the other guys. That's a problem. I get holding onto faith for your guy, but how badly does he have to fall on his face for you and others to understand that he's simply not the caliber of player that his pay grade suggests?

 

[Asklesko]

Yes. I don't see how you keep the successful quarterback but not the successful coach.

 

[KJJ]

You're kind of generalizing. Yes, we had a "top 5" defense, but there more than concerning signs in December. And then Gilly separated his shoulder. That was huge. It threw the entire D in disarray.

Well, at that point you needed your QB to ball...after all, giving him what he is demanding requires getting rid of Gillmore types, so let's see what Dak can do. And Dak felt the pressure...he knew his D was compromised and HE folded. HE didn't step up. You're seeing a different movie my friend.

I’ve been pointing out that defensive and offensive rankings mean nothing once you get to the playoffs. Regular season records are thrown out once you get to the playoffs. It’s going to be difficult for any QB to “ball” if they’re having to carry their team in the playoffs because of a defense that starts showing cracks late in December. You could see our defense was falling apart at the end of last season. We struggled at home to beat Seattle in a shootout. We should have lost to Detroit at home, but we got lucky. I posted several times that we were in trouble heading into the playoffs because of our defense.

 

[KJJ]

First of all, don't lump me in with the anti-Dak'ers. I'm illustrating what I saw happen. Motivation was the problem. That's a leadership issue. Maybe the defense came out cold because of the Quinn situation, but as the proclaimed leader of the team, the QB needs to put that team on his back and carry them to a win, or at least keep it within reach while the other unit sorts things out. That's alot to ask. That's why Dak is paid as well as he is, and thats why the great QBs make as much money as they do. That Green Bay defense was really average, and Dak should have shredded them. Rather than doing so, he folded, and didn't show up until the Packers let off the gas, after the game was well out of reach.

Look man, I want to believe in the guy it would make this whole fiasco alot easier to stomach. He had my faith for 8 years, but lost it after continuing a trend of epic failure in the postseason. I'm not taking anything away from the Packers, but they were starting a first year QB with a decent, not great supporting cast and an average defense. There's literally no excuse for losing that game the way they did.

We've seen Dak light up the scoreboards against better defenses with worse supporting casts. He can be a truly elite QB, but he isn't consistent and the likelihood of that guy showing up against playoff teams decreases dramatically. Rather than taking control, he handed out punts and points for the other guys. That's a problem. I get holding onto faith for your guy, but how badly does he have to fall on his face for you and others to understand that he's simply not the caliber of player that his pay grade suggests?

I’ll keep repeating our QB isn’t the problem but it will become the problem if he leaves in free agency.

 

[KingintheNorth]

I would think not.

In this scenario they bet on Dak and they will not admit to it being a mistake (not agreeing that it is a mistake).

McCarthy would be the fall guy.

With the severe limitations the Jones put on this team, and Dak being a top 15'ish QB receiving top 5 QB pay, this team's only chance is a really good Head Coach.

That next HC hire will determine whether or not Jerry experiences real success again or passes as a 30-year football loser.

 

[Chuck 54]

Probably not without some playoff success, but I can assure you that if Jerry didn’t resign Dak, we wouldn’t get Bellichek or any other big name coach. No one is coming to Dallas without a QB except another first time head coach.

 

[Whiskey Cowboy]

I’ll keep repeating our QB isn’t the problem but it will become the problem if he leaves in free agency.

So you're saying the defense was the problem against Green Bay? OK, I'll humor you. How do you expect to allocate more assets towards that defense when Dak and Lamb are making dang near $100m annually? This is before you pay Micah, who is clearly the catalyst that keeps the defense going. Would we need to do the same with Rodgers or Burrow in the backfield?

 

[KJJ]

So you're saying the defense was the problem against Green Bay? OK, I'll humor you. How do you expect to allocate more assets towards that defense when Dak and Lamb are making dang near $100m annually? This is before you pay Micah, who is clearly the catalyst that keeps the defense going. Would we need to do the same with Rodgers or Burrow in the backfield?

The defense was a big part of the problem against Green Bay. Parsons has yet to show up in the playoffs. He only has one sack and four QB hits in four playoff games. I’m not sure I want to be paying him close to the salary Dak is currently making, which may be what it will take to get him extended. He’s been a great player during the regular season but once the playoff starts, he’s run out of gas. The last few games of the season he’s not producing near to the level he does earlier in the season. We could allocate more assets to the defense, but that doesn’t guarantee it’s going to be better in the playoffs. If you move on from Dak and we were to invest on building a defense that can play consistently throughout the regular season, we might not have a good enough QB to make the playoffs. The average QBs that have reached the Super Bowl and won it had all-time great defenses. You’re not going to win a Super Bowl with an average QB these days regardless how good your defense is.

Practically every Super Bowl in recent years is coming down to a QB having to make a play. San Francisco had a great defense, but their QB couldn’t make a play when the game was on the line to win a championship. That’s happened with their last two QBs. As for Rodgers and Burrow, they both need real good defenses to get it done. Everything gets thrown on the shoulders of Rodgers because he hasn’t had great defenses and it’s only led to one Super Bowl win. Burrow‘s defense had trouble containing Cooper Kupp in the Super Bowl. When the game came down to Burrow having to make a drive to win the game he came up short. He’s a very good QB, but he’s not as great as some of you try and make him out to be. He’s had his struggles, especially in the last two openers. He turned the ball over something like four or five times against us and lost to Cooper Rush a couple of years ago. He’s had his struggles along with injuries that have kept him out of the lineup.

 

[JoeKing]

That playoff game killed it.

he still has a chance.

I don't think that loss should have mattered. Jerry is just being spiteful.

 

[Whiskey Cowboy]

The defense was a big part of the problem against Green Bay. Parsons has yet to show up in the playoffs. He only has one sack and four QB hits in four playoff games. I’m not sure I want to be paying him close to the salary Dak is currently making, which may be what it will take to get him extended. He’s been a great player during the regular season but once the playoff starts, he’s run out of gas. The last few games of the season he’s not producing near to the level he does earlier in the season. We could allocate more assets to the defense, but that doesn’t guarantee it’s going to be better in the playoffs. If you move on from Dak and we were to invest on building a defense that can play consistently throughout the regular season, we might not have a good enough QB to make the playoffs. The average QBs that have reached the Super Bowl and won it had all-time great defenses. You’re not going to win a Super Bowl with an average QB these days regardless how good your defense is.

Practically every Super Bowl in recent years is coming down to a QB having to make a play. San Francisco had a great defense, but their QB couldn’t make a play when the game was on the line to win a championship. That’s happened with their last two QBs. As for Rodgers and Burrow, they both need real good defenses to get it done. Everything gets thrown on the shoulders of Rodgers because he hasn’t had great defenses and it’s only led to one Super Bowl win. Burrow‘s defense had trouble containing Cooper Kupp in the Super Bowl. When the game came down to Burrow having to make a drive to win the game he came up short. He’s a very good QB, but he’s not as great as some of you try and make him out to be. He’s had his struggles, especially in the last two openers. He turned the ball over something like four or five times against us and lost to Cooper Rush a couple of years ago. He’s had his struggles along with injuries that have kept him out of the lineup.

I have the same concerns with Parsons, but thankfully he's under contract for a couple more years, and the franchise tag is an additional option. Wouldn't mind trading him IF somebody made a stupid HW offer. That said, he has alot of time to grow and mature. I don't think we've seen guys best, and that's scary, considering the borderline record pace he's on with sacks and pressures. Dak didn't produce much in the playoffs under his rookie contract, but i was on board with an extension because he was a young, promising player with room to grow. This isnt Dak's rookie contract. He's had 8 years to show up...no sense in beating the dead horse any further.


Regarding Burrow and Rodgers, I used them specifically as examples because of the supporting casts they've had throughout their careers.

Ya, Rodgers only has one ring, but he has a playoff record of 12-10, and most of those years he was lacking at either receiver, RB, OL, defense, etc....but he was still able to advance in the playoffs. He was always a threat and nobody ever wanted to play the Packers when he was under center late in the season.

Burrow is 5-2 in the playoffs without an competent offensive line. He has had Chase and Higgins, which has certainly helped. Mixon and Perine played their parts, no argument about Cincy's defense....but Burrow made the plays when it mattered. The kid has ice in his veins. Doesn't seem like anything phases him, even when he's getting his brains beat in.

I don't think Dak could do the same, but we don't know. He hasn't been put in that position. He's always had a pretty decent- great OL keeping him clean. He's nearly always had exceptional talent at WR. The outlying years being 2022 when he led the league in picks, and 2018(?) after Dez left. We traded for Amari Cooper early in that season because Dak wasn't elevating his receivers to a competitive level. I'm not blaming him for that. It's hard to do, but Rodgers and Brady did it. Mahommes does it, and that's why you pay those guys a ton of money. That's why those guys won championships. They were able to compensate for their teams weaknesses and make it work, leaving money to go around and fill other positions....esp Brady and Mahommes who took team friendly deals. It's no coincidence that those two are considered the best of their generations.

When you pay Dak that kind of money you still have to pay top dollar at WR, and invest in the OL to establish a ground game...to keep him clean. In doing that, you're creating holes elsewhere on the roster and for whatever God awful reason that always seems to be the defensive front 7, minus edge rushers. See what I'm getting at? We can't blame Dak for everything that happens on the field, but his contract is a hindrance to fielding a truly elite defense (team), and it seems he can't compensate for that.

We would be on the same page if Dak were still young, didn't have much playoff experience, and was still trying to find his place in the NFL. At this point, none of those apply, and no QB in NFL history has a worse playoff record than he does. It's a massive red flag that I, like many chose to ignore for awhile but GB was an eye opener. I just don't see how it's possible to build a contender when we haven't seen Dak lead these guys out of the second round. He's a really good QB, I don't deny that, but he needs more along his supporting cast than what his contract allows or will allow. I wish he would prove me wrong and win a dang Super Bowl this season, but I'm not optimistic.
 

 

[khiladi]

The change from KM was the last ditch effort to see if they could get anything out of Dak. They were bad pre-bye, McCarthy actually changed things up and they floundered to end the year. The INTs started returning.

Jerry is relying on McCarthy one more year and if they regress, both are out.

No way Dak can handle a complete overhaul to the offense, since they are already running a dumbed down version of it.

 

[DuncanIso]

we have too many UFAs in 2025.

Dak is too expensive.

 

[rambo2]

Jerry continues to praise Mike for the job he's done with Dak. He's gotten us 12 wins in the last 3 seasons during the regular season. Would Dak have any influence on if they keep Mike or not? Or would they make Dak accept going with a new coach??? Please give your thoughts, I know Jazz has them!!!!

A good chance that will happen. Hopefully, it does.

 

[Coogiguy03]

we have too many UFAs in 2025.

Dak is too expensive.

well we'll have more, and as they say "we can sign dak and still field a team, the cap is a myth!"