erod
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Quietly, teams are starting to out-Dallas the Cowboys. Time of possession is no longer in a stranglehold. Third-down efficiency is in the crapper on offense. Zeke's yards are coming tougher to come by. Receiver production is way down. Dak's numbers are dropping precipitously week by week.
Everything is trending the wrong way except the defense, and the 11-2 record. Still the best record in the NFL. No way to deny that. The Cowboys are in great shape in that regard.
But as with every season, there are realities tucked inside the results. You're almost never as good or bad as your record says you are. Yes, Mr. Parcells, you are what your record says you are so far, but there are underlying truths that hint where you are headed.
Lots of good records have been one-and-done in the playoffs. The Cowboys look destined to be a quick out if things don't change dramatically, and soon.
Some points to ponder:
1. A loss is not necessarily a bad thing, but a loss to the Giants really hurt badly. The Cowboys are effectively only 1 1/2 games up on New York because the tie-breaker is lost. This season turned from home-field throughout to potentially a wild card. Not likely, but a lot more possible than 24 hours ago. However, the flip side is that there won't be this month of meaningless football to navigate, which could have been a dangerous trap. Now, they've got to play. There's no looking too far ahead now, and that's a good thing.
2. The defense continues to improve, and that is so promising for now and yonder. Sean Lee....good gosh, he's playing incredibly well, and knock on wood, his body seems to have found its balance at outside linebacker the past two seasons. Anthony Brown? You are kidding me. Best 6th-round pick in forever around here. Brandon Carr played Beckham amazingly well last night aside from one quick slant. McClain, Collins, Wilson, Hitchens, Heath.....contributions coming from unlikely areas. They have found a little strut on defense, and that's great to see. They are swarming and hitting everything. This finally looks like a true Rod Marinelli-style defense.
3. The book is out on this offense, but playcalling is not the problem. When you can't get the 4-5 yards you're used to on first down - run or pass - it makes the game difficult. The Giants were stacked up on the line all night, begging to be hurt for big plays. They were betting Dallas couldn't take advantage, and they were right. Just like Minnesota. The Cowboys are 2-for-26 on third down the past two weeks, and that's because they can't damage these fronts on early downs lately. They're going to see the same thing against Tampa, Detroit, and Philly (remember, the Eagles shut Dallas down for 3 1/2 quarters). The Cowboys have to learn quickly how to execute against those looks, or it could be trouble. Dak has to let the ball go quicker, and make decisions before the snap to beat it. That's what veterans understand and rookies don't. Most of the play happens for a QB before the ball is even snapped.
4. OK, let's do the quarterback thing. Everybody needs to just relax no matter what. Dak Prescott is the future, and Tony Romo is available right now. Those two facts don't have to argue with each other. It's all good no matter what they do in the long term. I personally believe, like I have all year, that the ONLY chance at a championship this year is with Romo in the end. That is not a slight to Dak, who is going through what rookies go through and has a fantastic career ahead of him. I could not possibly be more excited or impressed with our young rookie QB. That we found him is the stuff of Cowboy legend already. It's such a relief. However, the only elite QB here at this moment is Romo, and of course, that's only if he can still take a hit, which we don't know. Playing him would not set Dak back. It would change nothing regarding Dak's career. It might even be good for him. If he comes out and looks just as lost against Tampa, this might be the time to make the change for this season. See what Romo can do for a couple of weeks, see if he can take a hit and get up, and then you have a clear picture what the best option is for the playoffs. That would clear the air for the coaches and players, Jerry, us, everybody. If Dak can shake off the recent weeks and get back to form, then that's perfectly fine, too. There are no hand grenades with this.
5. Along the same lines, it's going to be a tough go for Zeke moving forward. Teams are stacked up for him and the short routes to Beasley, and are determined to make Dak Prescott do everything downfield and outside. Again, 2-for-26 on third down says that approach against Dallas is working. Tampa can play defense, too, and they'll be putting the game on Dak this weekend as well. Zeke can't run through walls enough to win the game for Dallas. Dak has to throw teams out of these fronts, and if he can't...... Romo might be the best solution to get Zeke some running room. An elite veteran QB will murder those sell-out fronts against the run.
This is such a unique team with unique circumstances, the coaches have a lot of decisions to make this week, and I'm not even talking about Dak/Romo. The Cowboys are going to have change a lot of things offensively, put in a lot more pre-snap adjustments and reads, and change the tempo. The defense is hitting stride, while the offense is falling apart.
Dallas has four weeks to prep for the postseason. There's a lot to do.
Everything is trending the wrong way except the defense, and the 11-2 record. Still the best record in the NFL. No way to deny that. The Cowboys are in great shape in that regard.
But as with every season, there are realities tucked inside the results. You're almost never as good or bad as your record says you are. Yes, Mr. Parcells, you are what your record says you are so far, but there are underlying truths that hint where you are headed.
Lots of good records have been one-and-done in the playoffs. The Cowboys look destined to be a quick out if things don't change dramatically, and soon.
Some points to ponder:
1. A loss is not necessarily a bad thing, but a loss to the Giants really hurt badly. The Cowboys are effectively only 1 1/2 games up on New York because the tie-breaker is lost. This season turned from home-field throughout to potentially a wild card. Not likely, but a lot more possible than 24 hours ago. However, the flip side is that there won't be this month of meaningless football to navigate, which could have been a dangerous trap. Now, they've got to play. There's no looking too far ahead now, and that's a good thing.
2. The defense continues to improve, and that is so promising for now and yonder. Sean Lee....good gosh, he's playing incredibly well, and knock on wood, his body seems to have found its balance at outside linebacker the past two seasons. Anthony Brown? You are kidding me. Best 6th-round pick in forever around here. Brandon Carr played Beckham amazingly well last night aside from one quick slant. McClain, Collins, Wilson, Hitchens, Heath.....contributions coming from unlikely areas. They have found a little strut on defense, and that's great to see. They are swarming and hitting everything. This finally looks like a true Rod Marinelli-style defense.
3. The book is out on this offense, but playcalling is not the problem. When you can't get the 4-5 yards you're used to on first down - run or pass - it makes the game difficult. The Giants were stacked up on the line all night, begging to be hurt for big plays. They were betting Dallas couldn't take advantage, and they were right. Just like Minnesota. The Cowboys are 2-for-26 on third down the past two weeks, and that's because they can't damage these fronts on early downs lately. They're going to see the same thing against Tampa, Detroit, and Philly (remember, the Eagles shut Dallas down for 3 1/2 quarters). The Cowboys have to learn quickly how to execute against those looks, or it could be trouble. Dak has to let the ball go quicker, and make decisions before the snap to beat it. That's what veterans understand and rookies don't. Most of the play happens for a QB before the ball is even snapped.
4. OK, let's do the quarterback thing. Everybody needs to just relax no matter what. Dak Prescott is the future, and Tony Romo is available right now. Those two facts don't have to argue with each other. It's all good no matter what they do in the long term. I personally believe, like I have all year, that the ONLY chance at a championship this year is with Romo in the end. That is not a slight to Dak, who is going through what rookies go through and has a fantastic career ahead of him. I could not possibly be more excited or impressed with our young rookie QB. That we found him is the stuff of Cowboy legend already. It's such a relief. However, the only elite QB here at this moment is Romo, and of course, that's only if he can still take a hit, which we don't know. Playing him would not set Dak back. It would change nothing regarding Dak's career. It might even be good for him. If he comes out and looks just as lost against Tampa, this might be the time to make the change for this season. See what Romo can do for a couple of weeks, see if he can take a hit and get up, and then you have a clear picture what the best option is for the playoffs. That would clear the air for the coaches and players, Jerry, us, everybody. If Dak can shake off the recent weeks and get back to form, then that's perfectly fine, too. There are no hand grenades with this.
5. Along the same lines, it's going to be a tough go for Zeke moving forward. Teams are stacked up for him and the short routes to Beasley, and are determined to make Dak Prescott do everything downfield and outside. Again, 2-for-26 on third down says that approach against Dallas is working. Tampa can play defense, too, and they'll be putting the game on Dak this weekend as well. Zeke can't run through walls enough to win the game for Dallas. Dak has to throw teams out of these fronts, and if he can't...... Romo might be the best solution to get Zeke some running room. An elite veteran QB will murder those sell-out fronts against the run.
This is such a unique team with unique circumstances, the coaches have a lot of decisions to make this week, and I'm not even talking about Dak/Romo. The Cowboys are going to have change a lot of things offensively, put in a lot more pre-snap adjustments and reads, and change the tempo. The defense is hitting stride, while the offense is falling apart.
Dallas has four weeks to prep for the postseason. There's a lot to do.
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