Alas, another Cowboys season ends in disappointment. We really shouldn’t be surprised as the norm around these parts is no sniff of a championship, at least over the last 20 years or so.
Jerry jones says Jason Garrett is safe. That’s a shame, really, because if we face facts, Garrett is a bottom-tier coach in this league. The only time he’s had success with the Cowboys was when DeMarco Murray or Zeke and Dak fell into his lap (not to mention Tony Romo).
Is he a decent leader? That’s probably his strong suit – rallying guys and motivating them. But he has no clue of how to run a game plan and make the big decisions when it is most important.
Anyone else tired of watching Garrett piss away games with bad game management? Remember the Packers game earlier this year? Garrett gift-wrapped a game-winning opportunity for Aaron Rogers when all he had to do was simply run the ball instead of throw it. He did the same thing at the Raiders a few weeks ago but a bigger blunder by Derek Carr got him off the hook. There are too many examples over the years to run down.
Then you look at Sunday’s game vs. the Eagles. Both teams had nothing to play for, yet Garrett plays Dak and Zeke the entire game. The Cowboys would have benefitted with a loss, giving them the 15th overall pick instead of the 19th. Four spots in the first round is much greater than a 6-0 win at Philadelphia that no one gives a crap about.
Nope, Jerry likes his golden boy, a puppet who simply does what he is told and is one of the best clappers in the business. Instead of Garrett getting his walking papers, expect to see Scott Linehan and other coaches take the fall for another disappointing season.
So where does Dallas go from here with its roster? Well, for starters, begin with the wide receivers. That is the Cowboys’ biggest issue on offense, having no real speed threat to stretch the field and defenses around the league adjusting to it. Dez Bryant is (unfortunately) the Cowboys’ best receiver, and he’s not as good as he thinks he is. Time for a change. If I were in charge, I’d move Dez and give Calvin Johnson a call. If there’s any team that Megatron would consider coming out of retirement for at the age of 32, it’s Dallas. Now, the Cowboys may have to trade something to Detroit for his rights (a ham sandwich?), but that’s the easy part. Then I’d draft a speedy receiver in the second or third round. Hey, it’s all worth a try.
With their first round pick, go with the front seven on defense, hopefully a linebacker. Addressing that backup left tackle spot might be a priority as well at some point, as a parking cone would have been more effective than Byron Bell when Tyron Smith went out. For the rest, I’d be happy if they simply went D-line and O-line.
Everyone seems to be concerned with Dak Prescott and some of his struggles this season. I’m one who isn’t worried; he will figure it out. He’s simply too smart and has the talent. Dan Bailey? Time to go see a good head doctor and work it out for the next seven months.
The unfortunate part of all this is that Coach Clap will be back, and that already puts the Cowboys behind the eight-ball. Hopefully this team can overcome that and get back to the playoffs, instead of watching from their couch in another year like they will be doing this January.
