CFZ Where do the Cowboys go from here?

[RustyBourneHorse]

Well, after last night's disaster, there's only one question that can really be asked. Where do the Cowboys go from here? The Cowboys thought themselves to be contenders. They seem to think that they are still on par with SFO, which they clearly are not. They completely looked outclassed. It looked like Manchester City vs Totton (a small town in southern England). So, there are a few ways that I can think of where the Cowboys go.

1. Remain the course. This is probably the choice that Jerry will make for now. The trouble is that the locker room could end up looking like 2019. Remember, the team had come off a great season. They started strong against 3 milk toast teams. Then they narrowly lost to the Saints. They followed that by getting absolutely humiliated against the Packers. It was at this point that the alarms went off that something was going horribly wrong with the season. So, the way I see it, the team hangs in the balance for next week going into the btw week. But, Jerry might ignore it and play out the rest of the season. The advantage to this is that the team might rebound. However, we are only 4 years removed from Jason Garrett, and the team looks like it quit at a point yesterday just like it did with Garrett. At what point, if the Cowboys continue to stay the course, does the locker room spiral out of control. Does CeeDee Lamb even bother staying when his contract ends? Does he demand a trade in the offseason? Does Micah want to stay long term? Who knows? If the team collapses and this turns into a 2019 season, this could be devastating for the Cowboys as a franchise (not to Jerry though as he will always make money, which is his Super Bowl).
2. Wait it out one more week and have the heat turned up on the team - See how things go this week. Everyone's seat, imo, should be hotter than a smoker grill at max heat after that disgrace of a performance. As much as I like Mike, his seat should be boiling. Dak's seat should be boiling. And all down the line. It could work, but it could also implode the locker room.
3. Wait it out another week and make a trade or two - well, the only positive here is that you could fill a few key holes. Specifically, RB and CB. It's clear what we are doing at RB isn't enough. Also, losing Diggs hurt, so maybe seeing if we can get another CB would be good to help replace Diggs. But, how many draft picks is it worth to potentially pour into the team to just make the playoffs with no guarantee of success beyond making the playoffs?
4. Set course for a tank? - the trouble here is that the defence has a lot of talent, but, then our offense was useless last night. If we lose to the Chargers, maybe the Cowboys start selling to begin a rebuild? If that's the case, then Mike probably gets sacked either at the bye or after the season. Downside, Micah probably wants out and DQ might leave (unless he gets the HC job).
5. Start seeing what Lance can do after the Chargers game - you wouldn't start him immediately, but maybe you start trying to give him playing time. Think of 2006. Bledsoe was the starter, but, after a few weeks, Romo started getting more involved a bit. Specifically against the Texans. Then, the next week, he replaced Bledsoe midway through the Giants game. Here's a bit of irony. Much like that season, we happen to play the Giants, at Panthers, and Washington after we play Philly (only difference is the Washington game is at home this time and the other two aren't primetime games this time). Perhaps during the bye week and going forward, we consider Bledsoeing Dak for Lance. If Lamb continues to get frustrated, it won't be long until he decides he's wanting to try something different. So, if Dak is milk toast against in two of our next three games (Chargers, Rams, and Eagles), it might make sense to go this route, especially as the games mentioned starting with the Giants are games that would be favourable to build confidence in a new QB. But, if it backfires, Dak is furious, the locker room is furious, and it implodes even more quickly.

There are a few other things that can be done. But, in the meantime, these are the top 5 scenarios that I can see this season going with where they are. I had us going 4-2 at the bye, and this season is salvageable. But, Jerry needs to take a serious and honest look at this roster and decide what is the best course of action. Not to mention, Moore is going to have an opportunity to prove himself against us. Don't think for a minute he wasn't licking his chops after last night. Then again, it's likely both he and McCarthy are rubbish at playcalling (for different reasons). Either way, this next game is massive for McCarthy and this team. How that game goes likely determines jobs, both in coaching and in terms of players. How will Jerry play this? What's the right decision? Where do the Cowboys go from here?

 

[cowboys5xsbs]

Jerry is too dug into this season to pivot. They made big moves this off-season and think they can still compete sadly. All we can do is sit back and watch the circus.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

Jerry is too dug into this season to pivot. They made big moves this off-season and think they can still compete sadly. All we can do is sit back and watch the circus.

That's the scariest part for me. Jerry might think we are so far along that he might choose option 3. In all honesty, we don't really do much good with our second round pick, so I wouldn't be opposed to using that on a CB in a trade that can become a nice piece for us longer term opposite Diggs and to fill in for Diggs the remainder of the season. The trouble is, how do we fix the RB game? If he goes 1st round pick, that could completely backfire and set this team back drastically, especially with the QB class this year. So, to me, if you are right, I hope he holds onto the 1st round pick as he could well choose option 3.