What is your theory why this team has looked soft, frail, fatigued the last month?

[Risen Star]

Well, the head coach did say he was going to take it easy down the stretch on a team that is already coddled.

 

[ICP]

No depth, poor coaching, players mentally checked out, bad culture stemming from the front office, take your pick, we've been enduring this for the past 27 years

 

[JayFord]

theyve been giving it all they got all season

i know yall dont want to hear this but the Cowboys have been grinding HARD this season and it takes a toll on your mentally and physically

thats why i wanted Philly to hurry up and win the east i wouldve sat starters the past 2 games maybe giving them a half the first game and a quarter the last one

 

[kskboys]

And I guarantee, if Dak could complete a few passes this team would suddenly not look frail and soft. Our O was putrid, and that is primarily on Dak. I'm not a fan who just blames the QB willynilly, but this game was mostly on Dak. 3 and out, 3 and out, 3 and out. Rinse wash repeat. What did Dak have, one drive the entire game? That's all I remember.

 

[zrinkill]

This started when Jerry went on his Odell Beckham Jr nonsense.

The idiot cannot NOT distract his own team.

 

[thunderpimp91]

1) They are beat up
2) They really haven't had anything to play for over the last month
3) They lack depth at LB & CB

It'll be interesting to see what happens this week. Can they just flip the switch? Can this offense look like the one that played Philly?

 

[Whyjerry]

This team typically tanks in December. The weak schedules propped up the record. It’s just their annual swoon. Up to them if they want to change that.

 

[Vtwin]

And I guarantee, if Dak could complete a few passes this team would suddenly not look frail and soft. Our O was putrid, and that is primarily on Dak. I'm not a fan who just blames the QB willynilly, but this game was mostly on Dak. 3 and out, 3 and out, 3 and out. Rinse wash repeat. What did Dak have, one drive the entire game? That's all I remember.

And it was the typical, hurry up drive against a defense playing to not give up a big play in the last minute or two of the half.

 

[Creeper]

I thought the depth they were bragging about at the beginning of the season would have kept this team fresher down the stretch. But this team has looked run down and very weak at the point of attack the last month. We've lost the trenches several times over the last few weeks, and our DBs/LBs look slowfooted and are not tackling with the same authority. I know injuries are part of it, but every team in the league has injuries. And that doesn’t explain us getting beat up in the trenches by a far inferior Texans team. What is your theory? S&C? A team bored w/ the regular season?

I remember when Dave Winfield of the NY Yankees retired some years ago he was asked why, if he was still in good physical condition he decided to retire. Winfield replied that he was tired, not physically but mentally. He said that most people do not realize the mental preparation it takes to play baseball at the professional level almost every day for 162 games. He said, he just could not prepare himself mentally to play anymore.

That's baseball where there is not contact. Most plays in baseball involved on 2 or 3 players at most. Football is far more grueling so I imagine getting mental focused for every game is tough. There are probably a few guys every week who are fully engaged and focused. I am not saying this is the problem with the Cowboys but it sure looked like they were not focused yesterday. I mean when is the last time you saw a punter just drop a snap? The kicker miss an extra point, The punt returner let a punt hit him in the face. I really think the team was not focused. Maybe, this was just the culmination of a tired team thinking this game did not mean that much and some of them kind of took the day off mentally.

Last year Dallas played their starters against the Eagles in a meaningless game against the Eagles. They set a lot of personal records and scored a lot of points against the Eagles backups. But when they played SF 49ers, they came out looking flat and soft. The picked it up towards the end of the game but in the end, a mental mistake ended their chances of winning.

We will learn a lot about this team next week. If they come out playing inspired and efficient football then all this will be considered a fluke. But if they come out flat again then changes will need to be made to fix what has to be a cultural problem in Dallas.

 

[Mk2_Cowboys]

The reason they look soft , frail and fatigued is because they are soft , frail and fatigued . Jerry and Stephen assemble teams that are undisciplined, lack character and toughness and are mostly gutless . Couple that with a Meat Head coach and you get what’s coming Monday .

 

[Aven8]

For one getting LVE back should be a big boost. But he won’t answer everything. Moore has to be creative this week. This is our 2nd game against Tampa and he must change it up.

 

[foofighters]

I thought the depth they were bragging about at the beginning of the season would have kept this team fresher down the stretch. But this team has looked run down and very weak at the point of attack the last month. We've lost the trenches several times over the last few weeks, and our DBs/LBs look slowfooted and are not tackling with the same authority. I know injuries are part of it, but every team in the league has injuries. And that doesn’t explain us getting beat up in the trenches by a far inferior Texans team. What is your theory? S&C? A team bored w/ the regular season?

J
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J
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[1972COWBOY]

Too much sleep in the sleep number beds or Sleep Number beds are over rated.

 

[WillieBeamen]

They have been babied

All season long, but especially the last month. The Head Coach is deathly afraid of injuries that the practices have been light too

 

[jsb357]

Maybe they look soft, frail and fatigued because they are.

 

[offlimits]

Several weeks ago, I noticed a few players started openly talking about the playoffs. I found it a little weird. It seems the locker room has been in a “let’s just get to the playoff” mode for awhile instead of just being where their feet were. One day at a time, Garrett style.

I’ve lost some faith in McCarthy. I think he’s provided poor leadership to the team down the stretch of the season. That matters because he was brought on specifically to improve this franchise’s performance this time of the year.

Does anyone here remember Jimmy Johnson's pressers after a loss... especially an embarrassing loss like tonight? Big Mike just doesn't outwardly project leadership. I miss Jimmy's ruthlessness and he commanded respect from his players. I'll bet all the players were laughing and having a good time on the flight back to DFW. This team looked completely unprepared to play yesterday. That is on the HC.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Was the same last year. This team under McCarthy might be prone to soft finishes

I thought the depth they were bragging about at the beginning of the season would have kept this team fresher down the stretch. But this team has looked run down and very weak at the point of attack the last month. We've lost the trenches several times over the last few weeks, and our DBs/LBs look slowfooted and are not tackling with the same authority. I know injuries are part of it, but every team in the league has injuries. And that doesn’t explain us getting beat up in the trenches by a far inferior Texans team. What is your theory? S&C? A team bored w/ the regular season?

 

[bewp7]

that is what they are

that is cowboys culture and have been for a long time

 

[Bobhaze]

Two words.

Mike McCarthy

I would say the “two words” are Jerry Jones. He’s the constant of the last 27 years of playoff futility and he is THE biggest influence on the soft culture of this team. He coddles certain players, holds petty grudges, limits the authority of his HC, then undermines him with his stupid public comments.

 

[Praxit]

16 games with few close losses. Including 2 OT games.

Guys are hurt, worn out. Micah looks gassed after one Qtr.