Dallas Cowboys: Moving On Looking Back

With a look back at the first loss of the Dallas Cowboys season, we can see where we need to go from here.

With the first loss of the season there is a lot to talk about with the Dallas Cowboys. Many people have pointed the finger at the defense for allowing 39 points. Many have pointed the finger at Brandon Weeden for not being able to throw the ball once Atlanta stopped the run. And there are still others pointing the finger at the coaching staff for not adjusting the play calling.

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After thinking about it and listening to all of the media interviews, we can blame the whole team. This is from the owner, to the coaches, to the players. All the finger pointing isn’t going to change the fact that the Cowboys have a lot of injuries to overcome on key personnel. It isn’t going to change the fact that for now Brandon Weeden is the starting quarterback. And it isn’t going to change the reality that there is no pass rush right now.

So where do the Cowboys from here? Let’s look at this weeks ups and downs.

Since it was a loss we start with the three downs to improve upon:

1. Brandon Weeden Has To Be Better – Say what you will on his ability to manage the first half, Brandon Weeden was terrible in the second. One point brought out was that his first pass of the game to the left side was the interception, which shows there is something up with him. I don’t know if it’s the fact that he doesn’t read a defense well, that gets scared and relies on an internal timer too much, or if he just can’t do progressions well. There is something going on here. Head coach Jason Garrett said in his press conference that Weeden should have thrown outside the numbers, but for some reason didn’t and chose to throw underneath. This MUST change.

2. Adjust, Adjust, Adjust – This is more about the coaching staff. Once the Atlanta Falcons started to put eight men in the box, the play calling never changed. The Falcons dared the Cowboys to beat them over the top, and that never happened, nor was there even a shot at it. The coaching staff should have adjusted to this. I don’t know if it is totally on Weeden, but someone had to have noticed and said something. On defense, you have to force the other team to beat you with a different weapon. There was no bumping, little double coverage, and weak over the top coverage, and Julio Jones killed the Dallas Cowboys because of it.

3. Find a Pass Rush – I know there are a lot of players injured or suspended and I think we can all agree that the pass rush will get better once players come back. There was still no pressure on Matt Ryan. The only pressure came from Sean Lee being Sean Lee and making a play. I don’t know what they can do, but Rod Marinelli has to get creative and find a way to get to the quarterback. I know Drew Brees may not play, but if you don’t figure it out now, Tom Brady is right around the corner.

Now there were some positives:

1. The Run Game, Sorta – In the first half the run game was what we were all hoping it would be. The Atlanta Falcons changed their game-plan to stop the run and they did. If the passing game was scarier to the Falcons then I think the run game could have continued to churn out long runs. This didn’t happen, but if the Cowboys can fix some of the passing flaws, the run game will benefit and it will remain a weapon.

2. Lance Dunbar is a Beast – When the Falcons realized everything was being thrown underneath they controlled the game. However, up until then Lance Dunbar showed why he is on this team. If he can stay involved when Tony Romo and Dez Bryant come back, this offense could get more lethal. He is amazing in the open field. He and Cole Beasley are a nightmare in matchups which will open up Terrance Williams and Dez Bryant later. Scary.

3. Learn By Doing – Being this was the first loss of the season it should show the coaching staff where this team needs to improve. The lack of adjustments should wake up some people that they need to adjust and develop. It is never good to lose, but this is where you learn and get better. I think this was a good game to learn from. The Cowboys are still 2-1 and in first place in the NFC East, it is early in the season, and people will slowly start coming back to help.

So here we are, the first loss of the season and a Delayed Reaction fitting for it. As we look to the Saints next Sunday night the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff must fix some of what went wrong. If not, it is going to be a long 8 weeks.

Come back Tony, come back…

Next: Cowboys Film Review: Standouts

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