I agree, the players themselves are to blame. How much of that blame? I am one of those who think this team has talent at almost every level/position group on both sides of the ball, who are all capable of contributing significantly to a super bowl winning team. I’m also a football fan who thinks that, if I’ve seen a player do it once (an entire season), they have the talent to be impact players (I.E Demarcus Lawrence in 2017 and 2018) consistently. Whether they want to or not, or are coached well enough to be in a position to do so as well, is an entirely different story.
Football at this level has a razor thin talent gap between teams. I don’t care what anyone says. Every team has talented, smart players. The most important factor is the coaching and whether that head coach is a leader who always has you prepared to succeed and be victorious in any game at any time. The Cowboys have flat out lacked that since Jimmy Johnson in my opinion. And Jason Garrett is an absolute clown and a disgrace as a head coach. After 12 plus years give me one example of how this “coach” has positively impacted this team. It’s truly heartbreaking that he is still coaching for us after his repeated failures and most importantly, demonstrated lack of a killer instinct.
I was a kid at the time of that dynasty, but as much as I loved the Cowboys back then, Jimmy was my absolute favorite part of the team. He had them prepared for every single game and had them playing with confidence. Not only did the cowboys in general just field a talented, smart team, but they were bullies out there and expected to walk all over whoever lined up against them, and I loved watching it. I’m a homer, but Jimmy is the best football coach I have ever seen, and that includes BB in NE. First coach ever to win a National Championship and a Super Bowl. I firmly believe had Jimmy stayed as coach, even with free agency, the way he knew how to scheme, motivate and evaluate talent, the Cowboys would have won 5-6 Super Bowls in a row, possibly more. The point is: If there’s anything I have learned about this game, it’s that coaching is the most important determination of your franchise’s success. Good coaches know how to evaluate players to fit their schemes and put their teams in a position to win with anybody on any day.
Also, I disagree with the Dak assessment. You’re right, he was not highly touted. And yes, he has gotten much better I feel (at times). Let’s assume Kellen Moore did in fact run the game he wanted fully weeks 1-3. I have never seen Dak, prior to this year, play at that level. And to me it was an elite level. Minus that idiotic pick against Miami. And I believe Garrett is actually holding Dak back from his true potential. I prefer Lincoln Riley, based mainly on his QB mentoring success. The guy flat out knows how to get the absolute most out of his QB’s. If anyone disputes that fact at this point, it’s ridiculous. Under his guidance and system, I think Dak can be a top 5 QB, and he has the intangibles to succeed in big games.