Plankton
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What a difference a year makes.
At this time last year, the Dallas Cowboys had won their 10th consecutive game, weathering an aerial blitzkrieg from Kirk Cousins and the Washington Commanders to cement their hold on the top of the NFC East, the best record in the conference, buoyed by a consistent, withering offense and boundless confidence.
As we sit right now, it is a much different story.
After yesterday’s 28-6 debacle against the Los Angeles Chargers, with the only similarity to last year being the aerial blitzkrieg from the visiting team, the team that we saw in 2016 is but a memory. These Cowboys are not a good football team. They play with a lack of confidence, lack of swagger, lack of execution and a general lack of competence. And, while Cowboy fans a year ago were harboring thoughts of possibly making a return trip to the Super Bowl for the first time in 21 seasons, right now, there are serious questions as to whether this team, as presently constituted and playing, is capable of winning another game this season, much less qualify for the playoffs.
This Cowboy team has been built on their offense, with the idea of a strong rushing attack and opportunistic passing game building early leads, protecting the football, dominating time of possession, and taking pressure off of their suspect defense by making the opposition one-dimensional. With the suspension of star runner Ezekiel Elliott, a critical cog in the offense was removed, and they had been dealing with an injured Tyron Smith missing some time. Smith was back yesterday, but it made precious little difference.
Where the largest difference between 2016 and 2017 has been seen is at the quarterback position, and out of the hard questions that come up with a season shrouded in disappointment, the largest, and potentially most perplexing, is which Dak Prescott is the real Dak Prescott? Is it the uncommonly poised, precise and generally mistake free version seen in 2016, or the flustered, inaccurate and mechanically flawed version seen in 2017?
If you have reason for concern, it’s the real question of whether Prescott is the franchise type quarterback that he appeared to be a season ago. And, with the season circling the drain as we speak, a poor record is the least of the Cowboys worries.
Right now, Prescott is a mess. He has become skittish in the pocket, and his mechanics continually break down, causing a lack of accuracy on throws that he made with regularity in 2016. A season ago, Prescott was an effective bus driver, keeping the offense on schedule, and making the right plays at the right time. Now, Prescott has more of a burden on his shoulders without Elliott, and appears to be crumbling under the weight of that pressure. His footwork in the pocket is poor, and even when he moves outside of the pocket, whether it’s planned or unplanned, he is showing a bad habit of throwing the ball off of the wrong foot, and his accuracy is waning. On the pick six thrown to Charger Desmond King, Prescott made the throw off of one foot, and put the ball in a place where Cole Beasley had no shot at making a play. When Prescott did make a terrific play, on his zone read keeper that he broke for a 34-yard touchdown, the play was nullified by a Smith holding penalty.
It’s clear that Elliott provided the offense with a swagger, and its identity as a physical team that imparts its will on the opposition. But, you would think that a team with some good weapons on offense, a good offensive line, and seemingly one of the best young quarterbacks in the game would be able to hold their own, and keep the team in the game. Perhaps, the anointing of Prescott happened a bit too early, and we are seeing that he is more like Alex Smith, a bus driver who needs a lot of support to succeed, than he is an Aaron Rodgers, who can lift up a substandard offense with his excellence.
It’s not to say that all of the problems are on Prescott’s doorstep. The defense continues to be a problem without Sean Lee in the lineup, and serves as nothing more than a speed bump to a good offense. Previously, they had shown a weakness against the run, but had enough of a pass rush to make the opposition’s passing game have to work a bit to make plays. Now, the pass rush has all but evaporated, and Philip Rivers had all the time he needed to carve the defense up like a Thanksgiving turkey. The Chargers took yardage in large chunks, with Anthony Brown continuing to be an inviting target. Brown, like Prescott a promising rookie a season ago, now looks to be completely overmatched by any wideout lined up opposite him. When he isn’t being called for pass interference, he is being abused up and down the field. Any time that an opposing quarterback needs to make a play, he will look toward Brown.
Whether it was Keenan Allen (who no one in a Cowboy uniform was able to cover) or Tyrell Williams, Brown was beaten early and often. He is a player whose confidence has been completely shattered, and probably needs to be benched, but there are few other options right now. Both Bene Benwikere and rookie second round pick Chidobe Awuzie have been playing special teams only over the last couple of games, but the team continues to put Brown out at the left corner position despite his struggles.
Right now, there is very little that this Cowboy team does well. Aside from Chris Jones having a terrific season in flipping field position for the defense, and eliminating opposing placekickers, this Cowboy team has a broken offense, a defense that can’t generate turnovers or holding penalties, and a coaching staff that has done absolutely nothing to change the script in terms of how they attack and counter their opposition. The 13-3 season that the Cowboys enjoyed in 2016 has probably bought Jason Garrett some cover for the struggles of this season, but it shows a continuing trend of being unable to sustain success for more than a season at a time.
Looking at the remaining schedule, aside from the Giants, what game on the schedule looks like a win? With the way that the Cowboys have been thrown down the stairs the last three weeks, even the Giant game is a question mark as far as a win is concerned. Scoring 22 points in three games, forcing only one turnover while committing eight of their own, and getting steamrolled in the second half of all three games to the tune of 72-6 should provide even the most ardent optimist with a healthy dose of doubt.
Yes, one year later, this Cowboy team looks a lot different.
In 2016, Thanksgiving looked to be the beginning of a good run into the playoffs.
In 2017, Thanksgiving looked to be the beginning of the end.
And, with the disturbing question of whether Prescott is a leading man or a supporting actor is one that looms as the most important issue to answer before the end of the year.
Normally, I would go through some items in the game that caught my eye, or interest me in a notes section.
Not in this edition.
Yesterday’s game provided very little that interested me, or was of note to highlight.
But, one thing is abundantly clear about the 2017 edition of the Dallas Cowboys.
They are a horrendously coached football team. This team has regressed in literally every area, and all phases of the game. They are sloppy in execution, and inconsistent in technique, and poor in results.
I have said this on more than one occasion – what players are playing at a higher level than they did in 2016? To me, development and improvement from one season to the next is the hallmark of good coaching. Aside from DeMarcus Lawrence and David Irving, I don’t know who would qualify as examples.
The offensive line is worse than it was a season ago. The quarterback play was dissected earlier. The wide receivers do not consistently get separation, and have not been reliable. The run defense without Lee is poor. The secondary, though populated with a lot of youth, provides little opposition to quarterbacks and wider receivers.
The Cowboys play very simple schemes on both sides of the ball. The thought behind that is that players can be much more free and unburdened if they don’t have to think a lot when they are playing, and it makes it much easier to assimilate new players into the rotation if a player is injured.
However, it places a much more important emphasis on execution and doing your job well. And as we have seen this year, this team doesn’t execute well on a consistent basis, with countless unforced errors thwarting good plays on both sides of the ball. We have also seen the Cowboys be severely compromised when losing individual players on both sides of the ball, and as a result, are prone to even more breakdowns and assignment busts.
The great equalizer in this is coaching. Coaching should be the thing to provide the preparation and the ability to move in replacement players without a significant loss of productivity and remaining assignment sound.
Has this happened in 2017?
Prescott mechanically has been poor this year. Who is the one drilling him on this to correct the issues, and holding him accountable for his regression?
Brown has been way too grabby in coverage, showing the same issues that he had demonstrated at Purdue. Who is working with him on his technique to play more with his feet and less with his hands?
Jaylon Smith has been a remarkable tale of perseverance in being able to take the field again after a devastating knee injury. But, his anticipation, run fits and tackling have been poor. Who is working with him on film study and technique?
We can go on down the line, but it all arrives back at coaching. For whatever reason, the play roster wide has been worse across the board compared to a season ago. And, yet, aside from Chaz Green, no one has lost their job. No one has stepped up their play to lift their teammates up and provide a spark.
We will see what this coaching staff is made of in this last month. Can they coax better effort, execution, technique and ultimately, results now that the season is going entirely in the wrong direction?
To me, if there isn’t an improvement shown in these areas, there is little reason to bring the staff back in 2018.
At this time last year, the Dallas Cowboys had won their 10th consecutive game, weathering an aerial blitzkrieg from Kirk Cousins and the Washington Commanders to cement their hold on the top of the NFC East, the best record in the conference, buoyed by a consistent, withering offense and boundless confidence.
As we sit right now, it is a much different story.
After yesterday’s 28-6 debacle against the Los Angeles Chargers, with the only similarity to last year being the aerial blitzkrieg from the visiting team, the team that we saw in 2016 is but a memory. These Cowboys are not a good football team. They play with a lack of confidence, lack of swagger, lack of execution and a general lack of competence. And, while Cowboy fans a year ago were harboring thoughts of possibly making a return trip to the Super Bowl for the first time in 21 seasons, right now, there are serious questions as to whether this team, as presently constituted and playing, is capable of winning another game this season, much less qualify for the playoffs.
This Cowboy team has been built on their offense, with the idea of a strong rushing attack and opportunistic passing game building early leads, protecting the football, dominating time of possession, and taking pressure off of their suspect defense by making the opposition one-dimensional. With the suspension of star runner Ezekiel Elliott, a critical cog in the offense was removed, and they had been dealing with an injured Tyron Smith missing some time. Smith was back yesterday, but it made precious little difference.
Where the largest difference between 2016 and 2017 has been seen is at the quarterback position, and out of the hard questions that come up with a season shrouded in disappointment, the largest, and potentially most perplexing, is which Dak Prescott is the real Dak Prescott? Is it the uncommonly poised, precise and generally mistake free version seen in 2016, or the flustered, inaccurate and mechanically flawed version seen in 2017?
If you have reason for concern, it’s the real question of whether Prescott is the franchise type quarterback that he appeared to be a season ago. And, with the season circling the drain as we speak, a poor record is the least of the Cowboys worries.
Right now, Prescott is a mess. He has become skittish in the pocket, and his mechanics continually break down, causing a lack of accuracy on throws that he made with regularity in 2016. A season ago, Prescott was an effective bus driver, keeping the offense on schedule, and making the right plays at the right time. Now, Prescott has more of a burden on his shoulders without Elliott, and appears to be crumbling under the weight of that pressure. His footwork in the pocket is poor, and even when he moves outside of the pocket, whether it’s planned or unplanned, he is showing a bad habit of throwing the ball off of the wrong foot, and his accuracy is waning. On the pick six thrown to Charger Desmond King, Prescott made the throw off of one foot, and put the ball in a place where Cole Beasley had no shot at making a play. When Prescott did make a terrific play, on his zone read keeper that he broke for a 34-yard touchdown, the play was nullified by a Smith holding penalty.
It’s clear that Elliott provided the offense with a swagger, and its identity as a physical team that imparts its will on the opposition. But, you would think that a team with some good weapons on offense, a good offensive line, and seemingly one of the best young quarterbacks in the game would be able to hold their own, and keep the team in the game. Perhaps, the anointing of Prescott happened a bit too early, and we are seeing that he is more like Alex Smith, a bus driver who needs a lot of support to succeed, than he is an Aaron Rodgers, who can lift up a substandard offense with his excellence.
It’s not to say that all of the problems are on Prescott’s doorstep. The defense continues to be a problem without Sean Lee in the lineup, and serves as nothing more than a speed bump to a good offense. Previously, they had shown a weakness against the run, but had enough of a pass rush to make the opposition’s passing game have to work a bit to make plays. Now, the pass rush has all but evaporated, and Philip Rivers had all the time he needed to carve the defense up like a Thanksgiving turkey. The Chargers took yardage in large chunks, with Anthony Brown continuing to be an inviting target. Brown, like Prescott a promising rookie a season ago, now looks to be completely overmatched by any wideout lined up opposite him. When he isn’t being called for pass interference, he is being abused up and down the field. Any time that an opposing quarterback needs to make a play, he will look toward Brown.
Whether it was Keenan Allen (who no one in a Cowboy uniform was able to cover) or Tyrell Williams, Brown was beaten early and often. He is a player whose confidence has been completely shattered, and probably needs to be benched, but there are few other options right now. Both Bene Benwikere and rookie second round pick Chidobe Awuzie have been playing special teams only over the last couple of games, but the team continues to put Brown out at the left corner position despite his struggles.
Right now, there is very little that this Cowboy team does well. Aside from Chris Jones having a terrific season in flipping field position for the defense, and eliminating opposing placekickers, this Cowboy team has a broken offense, a defense that can’t generate turnovers or holding penalties, and a coaching staff that has done absolutely nothing to change the script in terms of how they attack and counter their opposition. The 13-3 season that the Cowboys enjoyed in 2016 has probably bought Jason Garrett some cover for the struggles of this season, but it shows a continuing trend of being unable to sustain success for more than a season at a time.
Looking at the remaining schedule, aside from the Giants, what game on the schedule looks like a win? With the way that the Cowboys have been thrown down the stairs the last three weeks, even the Giant game is a question mark as far as a win is concerned. Scoring 22 points in three games, forcing only one turnover while committing eight of their own, and getting steamrolled in the second half of all three games to the tune of 72-6 should provide even the most ardent optimist with a healthy dose of doubt.
Yes, one year later, this Cowboy team looks a lot different.
In 2016, Thanksgiving looked to be the beginning of a good run into the playoffs.
In 2017, Thanksgiving looked to be the beginning of the end.
And, with the disturbing question of whether Prescott is a leading man or a supporting actor is one that looms as the most important issue to answer before the end of the year.
Normally, I would go through some items in the game that caught my eye, or interest me in a notes section.
Not in this edition.
Yesterday’s game provided very little that interested me, or was of note to highlight.
But, one thing is abundantly clear about the 2017 edition of the Dallas Cowboys.
They are a horrendously coached football team. This team has regressed in literally every area, and all phases of the game. They are sloppy in execution, and inconsistent in technique, and poor in results.
I have said this on more than one occasion – what players are playing at a higher level than they did in 2016? To me, development and improvement from one season to the next is the hallmark of good coaching. Aside from DeMarcus Lawrence and David Irving, I don’t know who would qualify as examples.
The offensive line is worse than it was a season ago. The quarterback play was dissected earlier. The wide receivers do not consistently get separation, and have not been reliable. The run defense without Lee is poor. The secondary, though populated with a lot of youth, provides little opposition to quarterbacks and wider receivers.
The Cowboys play very simple schemes on both sides of the ball. The thought behind that is that players can be much more free and unburdened if they don’t have to think a lot when they are playing, and it makes it much easier to assimilate new players into the rotation if a player is injured.
However, it places a much more important emphasis on execution and doing your job well. And as we have seen this year, this team doesn’t execute well on a consistent basis, with countless unforced errors thwarting good plays on both sides of the ball. We have also seen the Cowboys be severely compromised when losing individual players on both sides of the ball, and as a result, are prone to even more breakdowns and assignment busts.
The great equalizer in this is coaching. Coaching should be the thing to provide the preparation and the ability to move in replacement players without a significant loss of productivity and remaining assignment sound.
Has this happened in 2017?
Prescott mechanically has been poor this year. Who is the one drilling him on this to correct the issues, and holding him accountable for his regression?
Brown has been way too grabby in coverage, showing the same issues that he had demonstrated at Purdue. Who is working with him on his technique to play more with his feet and less with his hands?
Jaylon Smith has been a remarkable tale of perseverance in being able to take the field again after a devastating knee injury. But, his anticipation, run fits and tackling have been poor. Who is working with him on film study and technique?
We can go on down the line, but it all arrives back at coaching. For whatever reason, the play roster wide has been worse across the board compared to a season ago. And, yet, aside from Chaz Green, no one has lost their job. No one has stepped up their play to lift their teammates up and provide a spark.
We will see what this coaching staff is made of in this last month. Can they coax better effort, execution, technique and ultimately, results now that the season is going entirely in the wrong direction?
To me, if there isn’t an improvement shown in these areas, there is little reason to bring the staff back in 2018.
