The outcome oi this season depended on the reliability of a player with a long and consistent history of unreliability.
As great as Tyron Smith is or has been, his impact on games diminishes somewhat when he is not in uniform. The situation beomes evn more volatile given management's lack of effort when it came to providing an adequate backup plan.
This was either pure risk or pure naivety on the part of Cowboys management. After 7 consecutive seasons of missing 3 or more starts, their decision to back Tyron up with a journeyman or low round rookie can only be described as foolhardy.
In the perfect world, Tyron would have been the swing tackle, Tyson smith would be the starting left tackle, the starting left guard would be the guy drafted right after the Cowboys took Schoonmaker in the 2nd round. That would be 344 LBS 6 FT 5 Inch O'Cyrus Torrence. We saw him in Buffalo a few weeks ago.
If this season ends abruptly, it won't be a coaching issue or lack of talent. It will be poor planning and strategy.