Dallas (8-7) vs Philadelphia (13-2) Dec 31st 1 PM

[lbz88]

I would purposely lose this game. Cooper Rush would play the whole game. Anyone injured would be ruled out! Losing will at least help us draft higher plus let us see what Rush can do in a game. Worse part is, it doesn't sound like Jerry is going to do anything about Garrett.

[rocketfuel]

I know we're down on the coaching staff, but at some point we're going to have to put some responsibility on the players and the GM. Dez cost us the game, with his diva all about me attitude on the sidelines and that costly turnover that changed the complexion of the game. He's getting paid like an elite player, while not even being our top 3 weapon. Dak, while making some plays happen with his legs, is really not seeing the field well quickly enough. He had the luxury of Zeke last year that gave him favorable situations, but now he's faced with what most quarterbacks face and he's not doing as well....it's almost like he's regressed. Same coaching staff, so part of the blame has to be pointed back at Dak. I also think our o line isn't as good this year as their reputation. We keep saying it's a great line, but they really do seem porous at times and get pushed back. They are very talented, but only show it in flashes. They need to get Tyronn healthy and work with that o line on technique to get it back to where they were... And I feel like Zeke cost us the season because of his own personal life choices---he doesn't want to talk about it to the press, but maybe he should answer those questions....you screw up the Cowboy season for a franchise that depends on you...and you won't take questions on it? I would like to take a look at Cooper Rush just to see how he does during a game. It's partly the players and also partly the coaching...and partly the GM. The coaching, especially on the offensive side of the ball, are probably B minus. We certainly do not have an elite coach or a fresh wizard like Shaun McVay trying new things, but I mean did they fumble the ball like Dez or clearly miss seeing the field where some receivers were wide open...or get suspended 6 games?

[zookman65]

Good points Rocket but I would argue that recency bias in play here in that through Dak's first 25 games he was the most successful first 2 year QB in history. It all changed against Atlanta when he got his brains beat in 10 times against Atlanta which was completely Garrett stubbornness and unwillingness to adjust. Garrett was preaching his "next man up" bull **** before and after the game. Garrett is a disaster and needs to go before we waste this young cores prime much like Garrett's play for a coin flip ending mentality hurt Romo's teams.

I am sick of Garrett and Dez. This teams needs to rid themselves of both

[rocketfuel]

Good points Rocket but I would argue that recency bias in play here in that through Dak's first 25 games he was the most successful first 2 year QB in history. It all changed against Atlanta when he got his brains beat in 10 times against Atlanta which was completely Garrett stubbornness and unwillingness to adjust. Garrett was preaching his "next man up" bull **** before and after the game. Garrett is a disaster and needs to go before we waste this young cores prime much like Garrett's play for a coin flip ending mentality hurt Romo's teams.

I am sick of Garrett and Dez. This teams needs to rid themselves of both

I think it's a domino effect....all of these factors coming together. Dak is smart, big and athletic....but, he still does not see the field like a vet---at least not at football speed. He's young enough that he still can be molded by a really good offensive mind. I think Garrett and Linehan are not as good at adapting. When Tyronn went down, our offensive coaches stuck with the next man up philosophy which was disastrous. They didn't offer sufficient help on Tyronn's side or at least mix in playcalling that punished over-aggressive pass rush on that side. That Atlanta game pretty much knocked us into the unlikely to make the playoffs category...and the Chargers and Seahawk games put the final nails in that. The playcalling was also incredibly predictable that allowed teams to key in on our running the ball. I think I mentioned before we played the Rams that I noticed how Shaun McVay would design these plays that were incredibly hard to defend....there was this one play near the endzone that forced the safety to have a Rosemary's baby dilemma of who to guard. I think we were always built like a house of cards....with a few strong things propping everything else up....when you take a few key cards off that stack, it just implodes quickly. Some of the more fundamentally built teams can adapt or at least hold serve for key injuries. Our o line played much better last year. Zeke with his break out ability really kept defenses honest and last year teams had trouble with Beasely. It was a completely favorable scenario for Dak and he was smart enough to take advantage of it. This year teams figured out that it's better to take out Beasely. They are not as threatened by Dez. And Dez is such a distraction on the sidelines. During a crucial time in the game, the players were busy baby sitting him rather than focusing on the game. How can Dak concentrate on playing the right way, when he has a diva wide receiver that is constantly chirping about getting the ball....when you force it to Dez, it's an instant turnover. I am afraid that Dak's development will be set back if you don't have the right offensive mind and core developed around him. With Dez's price tag, we easily could have gotten some marquee weapons around. This team is built too one dimensionally---it's a run the ball team, feed off the run into play action... like in the playoffs last year and even this year, when those favorable scenarios are taken away this team flounders. It reminds me of a boxer that knocks out opponents when they go with a certain style of fight, but when that's taken away, that boxer suddenly becomes very vulnerable. That's part GM, part coaching, and part personnel. We need to get more weapons in there to offset any loss if Zeke suddenly isn't available...and Dez is just not living up to his contract.

[zookman65]

I think it's a domino effect....all of these factors coming together. Dak is smart, big and athletic....but, he still does not see the field like a vet---at least not at football speed. He's young enough that he still can be molded by a really good offensive mind. I think Garrett and Linehan are not as good at adapting. When Tyronn went down, our offensive coaches stuck with the next man up philosophy which was disastrous. They didn't offer sufficient help on Tyronn's side or at least mix in playcalling that punished over-aggressive pass rush on that side. That Atlanta game pretty much knocked us into the unlikely to make the playoffs category...and the Chargers and Seahawk games put the final nails in that. The playcalling was also incredibly predictable that allowed teams to key in on our running the ball. I think I mentioned before we played the Rams that I noticed how Shaun McVay would design these plays that were incredibly hard to defend....there was this one play near the endzone that forced the safety to have a Rosemary's baby dilemma of who to guard. I think we were always built like a house of cards....with a few strong things propping everything else up....when you take a few key cards off that stack, it just implodes quickly. Some of the more fundamentally built teams can adapt or at least hold serve for key injuries. Our o line played much better last year. Zeke with his break out ability really kept defenses honest and last year teams had trouble with Beasely. It was a completely favorable scenario for Dak and he was smart enough to take advantage of it. This year teams figured out that it's better to take out Beasely. They are not as threatened by Dez. And Dez is such a distraction on the sidelines. During a crucial time in the game, the players were busy baby sitting him rather than focusing on the game. How can Dak concentrate on playing the right way, when he has a diva wide receiver that is constantly chirping about getting the ball....when you force it to Dez, it's an instant turnover. I am afraid that Dak's development will be set back if you don't have the right offensive mind and core developed around him. With Dez's price tag, we easily could have gotten some marquee weapons around. This team is built too one dimensionally---it's a run the ball team, feed off the run into play action... like in the playoffs last year and even this year, when those favorable scenarios are taken away this team flounders. It reminds me of a boxer that knocks out opponents when they go with a certain style of fight, but when that's taken away, that boxer suddenly becomes very vulnerable. That's part GM, part coaching, and part personnel. We need to get more weapons in there to offset any loss if Zeke suddenly isn't available...and Dez is just not living up to his contract.

Very strong take. I have heard if Dez were cut post June 1 there would be a savings of 8 million/year next 2 years on cap however we would need to replace him. Draft is a crapshoot for impact in first year and a free agent of any note would eat up the savings. Cowboys in their typical between a rock and hard place with regard to veteran cap impact. Other elephant in room is Witten simply making too much money at this point and actually on field too much given his abilities or lack thereof. Many plays this year where he was a blocking liability in addition to having very little in the way of actual receiving impact.

[rocketfuel]

Very strong take. I have heard if Dez were cut post June 1 there would be a savings of 8 million/year next 2 years on cap however we would need to replace him. Draft is a crapshoot for impact in first year and a free agent of any note would eat up the savings. Cowboys in their typical between a rock and hard place with regard to veteran cap impact. Other elephant in room is Witten simply making too much money at this point and actually on field too much given his abilities or lack thereof. Many plays this year where he was a blocking liability in addition to having very little in the way of actual receiving impact.

I think the league is moving in the direction of players being more versatile. Some of the teams that do well like to pick up players that can do many things a la the Patriots....or like the Rams, where Shaun McVay re-purposes his players to do more things. Shaun McVay made Gurley more of a passing threat this year and that's why they are way more dangerous this year. I think there are always plenty of opportunities in the draft.... For instance, we picked for need this year and exclusively picked defensive players with our first several picks. But, there was a Kamara there at the 67th pick in the 3rd round. I think if we had Kamara, we'd probably be in the playoffs right now. He's super fast, makes half a dozen guys miss, can catch the ball and has one of the best visions in the league. People were questioning why Sean Payton would pick another running back after he had Ingram and signed Peterson... He knew what he saw and went with talent over need....it probably saved their season. Besides Dez being a distraction to Dak and his teammates.... we really need a #1 receiver to be faster....Dez has no separation from the corner and we over rely on Zeke causing that separation. I would prefer to add more speed at the wide receiver and also in the backup behind Zeke. I also think that Tyronn is breaking down. He's not playing as well because he has back issues. The way he was able to twist his body to keep defensive players away from Dak, he's not able to do as well. I think we'd probably need to invest in some depth at the tackle position so there isn't this huge drop off after he's out. That Atlanta game was just ridiculous. That wasn't Reggie White doing all those sacks...just some Falcon that in every other game isn't doing as well as he did against us. If you could cherry pick an offensive mind to come and take over, who would you get? One thing also not mentioned about the Rams is how great their special teams unit is....they practically help that team win many games. in that Seahawk game, their special teams were responsible for getting their Rams offensive unit four favorable field positions. They block punts, run balls in for touchdowns or deep near the red zone.

[zookman65]

I would throw a Hail Mary and would go for Scott Frost or Lincoln Reilly from the college ranks as my O-Coordinator. No way that is going to happen but think it would bring a spark and make offense much more dynamic and fit to Dak's playmaking strengths. A dynamic tide end that can actually run down field 15 to 20 yards could free up the underneath crossing pattern that Beasley often runs. Imagine a Gronk type running down the seam with dump off potential to a now more cleared out Beasley underneath. Of course for good measure you could have Zeke in the flat ala Le'Veon Bell. All of this is wishful thinking after hitting the holiday beer a little hard... Cheers

[rocketfuel]

I would throw a Hail Mary and would go for Scott Frost or Lincoln Reilly from the college ranks as my O-Coordinator. No way that is going to happen but think it would bring a spark and make offense much more dynamic and fit to Dak's playmaking strengths. A dynamic tide end that can actually run down field 15 to 20 yards could free up the underneath crossing pattern that Beasley often runs. Imagine a Gronk type running down the seam with dump off potential to a now more cleared out Beasley underneath. Of course for good measure you could have Zeke in the flat ala Le'Veon Bell. All of this is wishful thinking after hitting the holiday beer a little hard... Cheers

Sounds good. I guess the upside of the Cowboys not being in the playoffs is I can catch up on the movies in the theaters. Cheers.

[NFLNBA]

I have no doubt Dak is the problem. That route by Dez was beautiful. I have heard Dez say all year watch the tape so i said screw it I will. OMG Dak has missed so many throws. Most of times he doesn't get ball out when he is supposed too. You will see open guys but he likes to hold ball. He also misses a ton of throws accuracy wise. He likes to make throws off broken plays where he is scrambling. I have no doubt you put a Brees with this team and even without Zeke a playoff team. I absolutely love Dak. Great kid. Simply put he is the weak link. Dez would still look a lot like the Dez we are used to with Romo or a any good passing QB

[NFLNBA]

We can't even put up points on thier practice squad defense. Dak has a lot of work to do.

[Mamba42]

I have no doubt Dak is the problem. That route by Dez was beautiful. I have heard Dez say all year watch the tape so i said screw it I will. OMG Dak has missed so many throws. Most of times he doesn't get ball out when he is supposed too. You will see open guys but he likes to hold ball. He also misses a ton of throws accuracy wise. He likes to make throws off broken plays where he is scrambling. I have no doubt you put a Brees with this team and even without Zeke a playoff team. I absolutely love Dak. Great kid. Simply put he is the weak link. Dez would still look a lot like the Dez we are used to with Romo or a any good passing QB

Exactly. People want to blame Dez for the down year but it's impossible to be dominant when you rarely get accurate passes thrown your way. Dak just missed a 50 yard shot to a wide open Williams that would have been a TD too. Really, last year Dak missed a lot of throws too. He was really reliant on amazing plays being made by the WRs (at an unsustainable rate). He's got to be better or we don't have the QB position figured out like we thought we did. Dez is not the problem, Dak is. I'll be pissed if they cut Dez. I was pretty high on Dak coming off of last year, but we were all duped. Let's hope it's just a sophomore slump and not indicative of his ceiling.

[rocketfuel]

Well, Dez had his best years with Romo, when Romo would throw him open or get the ball into him in those tight windows. Dez hasn't matched his 1,300 yard seasons since 2014. The fact is Dez doesn't get that much separation from the corners, so he has to rely on a qb to throw it to him in those tight windows. Daks' not that comfortable getting it to him in those situations because that's where a lot of the turnovers occur. It's not just one or the other....it's a combination of both not quite fitting each others games. If you notice, Dak does better when he gets it off play action or scrambling where his receiver's absolutely wide open. It's not like Dak was that much different from his first year. Our offense in his first year was actually pretty basic, pared down for a rookie. It was just that we had more explosive plays from the running game....and this year teams have adjusted to us and are crowding the line more, daring us to beat them in the passing game. We're doing a lot more check down type offense the way you see Andy Dalton does or a Tyrod Taylor.

The defense seems to have been playing better overall.

[zookman65]

Dak was ok (better than ok) until Atlanta 10 sack brain basher game thanks to Garrett "next man up" philosophy and inability to adapt to real-time situations. I for one will give the kid a chance to see how he regroups going into year 3. Unfortunately we will still have Garrett mismanaging several games every season so that wont change. As we are approaching a 25 year sample size of not making it to the NFC championship game it is getting to the point where a team with even moderate talent should make a run through just normal statistical variation (luck). At some point you have to say the organization is being mismanaged to the point that it is suppressing the upside that random variations should afford you every decade or two. On to 2018. Cheers all.

[Mr.B]

Dak was ok (better than ok) until Atlanta 10 sack brain basher game thanks to Garrett "next man up" philosophy and inability to adapt to real-time situations. I for one will give the kid a chance to see how he regroups going into year 3. Unfortunately we will still have Garrett mismanaging several games every season so that wont change. As we are approaching a 25 year sample size of not making it to the NFC championship game it is getting to the point where a team with even moderate talent should make a run through just normal statistical variation (luck). At some point you have to say the organization is being mismanaged to the point that it is suppressing the upside that random variations should afford you every decade or two. On to 2018. Cheers all.

Linehan is being made the scapegoat. Not impressed with who they want to replace him with.

https://twitter.com/cowboys_tt/statu...92387185623040

[rocketfuel]

For the last 25 years, Jerry wouldn't even put Jimmy Johnson in the ring of honor. Jerry wants to be the GM and the guy the press goes to. Why has Garrett stuck around? Because Garrett will not outshine Jerry and Jerry can under cut Garrett. The two superstar coaches we've had, Jerry has not been able to deal with and practically pushed them out the door. Plus, I do think Jerry sees Garrett almost like a son. I don't think Garrett's a bad coach....just a slightly above average coach, who has trouble adjusting sometimes. Most of the teams that make the big 4 have an elite coach or a fast rising coach that's reaching that level. Whoever we bring in, they have to be willing to be micro managed by Jerry and many of the marquee names are unwilling to do that even though the star on the helmet is a marquee designer label. Jerry clashed with Jimmy because Jerry couldn't handle Jimmy getting some of the credit. I saw in some interviews where Jerry wanted to take credit for the 90s superbowl teams.