Cowboys Postmortem: Same Old Song and Dance
The 2023 Cowboys felt different at times from past editions. But the ending was oh so familiar.
About a year ago, after the 49ers dispatched the Cowboys, I tried to outline what Dallas could do to get over the hump this season.
Make the offense more Dak-friendly. Trust in player leadership from Dak and Micah. Acquire talent outside of the draft. Divorce yourself fully from the past (Kellen Moore, Zeke Elliott). Lean into the Dan Quinn defense.
And at times, we saw progress on those fronts. Early on, the defense looked dominant. Later, Dak and the McCarthy offense found its stride. The players seemed to say the right things about accountability.
But in retrospect, it never fully came together. Something was still lacking, and it showed when they played higher-level competition.
So, what's the postmortem here?
1. We were right to cut Zeke loose, but Pollard wasn't the answer as the lead back. Dowdle showed flashes, but the draft feel-good story, Deuce Vaughn, couldn't even make the active roster on most game days.
2. Part of the rushing issues stemmed from an offensive line that, in the end, was merely average over the season. Injuries to the line also didn’t help.
3. Lamb showed he's a legit #1 receiver, and Ferguson more than ably replaced Dalton Schultz. But they took too long to incorporate Cooks, and Gallup was basically a no-show.
4. Micah and Tank were the two best defensive players, though it hurt mightily to lose Diggs. The rookie Overshown could have made a big difference, but ultimately the scheme just didn't hold up in the end. That's on both the players and coaches.
5. The undisputed best phase of the game was special teams, specifically Aubrey and Anger. But it's always dicey when you have to hang your hat on special teams.
6. And finally, what to make of Dak Prescott? At times, he played at an MVP level. Other times, the freak-out factor when things don't go his way reared its ugly head at the most inopportune moments. In a league where the pool of good QBs is rather shallow, I don't think there's much of a choice but to hook back up to the Dak wagon.
So, final question. Will Jerry fire McCarthy after this debacle? I say it's 60/40 that he stays on. I know it's fun in some circles to talk about Belichick coming here, but that's a long shot. Belichick always wants final say on personnel, and I can't see the Joneses giving that to him.
In the final analysis, the Cowboys are probably Top 7 in the league in talent, with a horrible habit of coughing it up in big games. Until they change that narrative, it is what it is.
