Who are the real Dallas Cowboys: Jekyll or Hyde?
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys season has been nothing short of confusing three weeks in, so who exactly are these guys?
The Dallas Cowboys have been quite the roller-coaster this season. In just three weeks of meaningful football, it’s hard to know what kind of team these Cowboys really are. They’ve been up and down, hot and cold, winners and losers… the Cowboys are basically the NFL equivalent of Jekyll and Hyde.
The 2-1 Cowboys are figuring some things out these days. After handily beating the New York Giants in Week 1, they were utterly manhandled by the Broncos in Denver. Arizona in Week 3 was supposed to be the rubber match for Dallas, but even that game the Cowboys produced a bipolar effort – getting trounced in the first half and then putting on a clinic in the last half.
Jekyll and Hyde
The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is probably somewhat familiar to all of us. Dr Jekyll, a respected man of medicine, takes a serum that transforms him into an evil self-indulgent murderer, Mr. Hyde. After a while of playing around, Mr Hyde begins to take over, no longer putting Jekyll in complete control of his other self.
Dallas got lazy and allowed Hyde to sneak in this offseason. If they don’t stop him now, it may prove to be too late, just like the story goes.
The rest is an amazing story of struggle between the two entities: good and bad. Who wins in the end? Neither, because Dr. Jekyll allowed Mr. Hyde to grow too strong and their fate was collectively sealed.
Awesome story to read at bedtime. Terrible when it relates to the Dallas Cowboys personality in this Super Bowl-aspiring season.
The Dallas Cowboys
Three weeks in and we still have no idea who these guys really are. At times the running game seems to completely cave to opposing eight-man fronts. Other times it imparts its will upon opponents, steadily moving the ball in the hands of Ezekiel Elliott.
At times Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, Jason Witten, and Brice Butler look like an unstoppable force, asking opponents to pick their poison. Other times they look pedestrian, unable to break from even single coverage.
The Dallas Cowboys defense looks completely different every time they take the field. Fans never know who’s going to take the field – the pressure-producing rotation that employs the NFL’s top pass-rusher or the rag tag rotating door that couldn’t stop a snail in peanut butter.
Even Dallas’ number one man, Dak Prescott, has been uncharacteristically unreliable. One moment he can’t beat single coverage, the next moment he’s dazzling opponents with both his arm and his feet.
The State of the NFL
Unfortunately for us, this is the state of the NFL today. There are no sure things in this parity-driven league and the only thing you can reliably expect is the unexpected. Did anyone expect the Broncos to lose to lowly Buffalo a week after whooping the Boys? How about the dysfunctional Redskins beating down the Raiders? And the Steelers?
The margins are so slim that any one thing can tip the balance of a game. BUT the Dallas Cowboys have real issues that need addressing. The secondary is a legitimate concern. If the pass-rush isn’t hurrying the passer every single play, the opposing quarterback has his way with that revamped and oft-injured secondary.
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Who are the Dallas Cowboys?
At this point, the Dallas Cowboys are staying true to the story. They are both Jekyll AND Hyde. They got lazy and allowed Hyde to sneak in this offseason. If they don’t stop him now, it may prove to be too late, just like the story goes.
If it sounds like I’m copping out and not answering my own question then you’re right. It’s just at this point, the Cowboys have shown us some potentially terminal things. Teams are going to stack the box to stop the run. If Dak Prescott can’t make them pay for that, this team may resemble Mr. Hyde.
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The coaching staff is, at times, quick to abandon the run. If they abandon their strength at the first adversity they see, how can they expect to keep Mr Hyde at bay? Same goes for the defense. They are both Jekyll and Hyde right now. Who will they be when they play some of the NFL’s top talent? That one worries me a little.
But for whatever potential illness this team suffers from, there is proven cure. Dak, Dez, Zeke, Wit, and Cole have all proven themselves. So has the offensive line. They were dominant last season and there’s no reason to think they can’t be again.
The truth is the next few games are going to be struggle for this team as they battle for their true identity.
As the level of competition picks up, so will the pressure to suppress the cancerous Mr. Hyde.
This season has the potential to be great. And it also has the potential to go tragically wrong. The only way they can permanently exorcise Mr Hyde is by overcoming their challenges ON the field.
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The Dallas Cowboys have endured their share of challenges this young NFL season. Suspensions, controversy, personnel changes, and poor play have all made their impact on this club. The result is a true Jekyll and Hyde type of team. Which personality wins will be determined on the field. Let’s just hope it’s not too late.