Dallas Cowboys: Why the Cowboys are a mediocre team

ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 12, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

After losing games by double digits two weeks in a row, and dropping their record to 5-5, the Dallas Cowboys as a team is simply mediocre.

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells famously said “you’re what you’re record says you are!” It’s probably one of the most profound cliches in all of sports.

Parcells cliche definitely speaks volumes and hits home with this current Cowboys team. After witnessing the Cowboys lose another awfully played game, its time to concede this team is beyond mediocre.

I’m not overreacting by any stretch. I carefully came to this conclusion after going back and watching every game and dissecting different things, like schemes, turnovers, play calling, penalties, player availability, performance, and coaching.

Head coach Jason Garrett

Simply put, Jason Garrett is an average coach at best. When it comes down to in-game adjustments, fitting a scheme according to your team’s personnel, or simply out coaching an opponent, Garrett can’t do it.

In fact, teams come out after halftime and completely stop whatever success the Cowboys had in the first half.

Case in point are the last two losses against the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. In the Falcons game, the Cowboys were down 10-7 heading into halftime. Up to that point, the Cowboys were still in the game and held Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense in check to some extent.

To be fair, Garrett is a good coach whenever he has the talent on the field. Basically, that means he’s a star studded coach. Garrett needs stars to win games.

After halftime, the Falcons defense destroyed and stifled the Cowboys offense as Dak Prescott was sacked a total of eight times. Falcons defensive end Adrian Clayborn became a household name because Garrett and Scott Linehan (offensive coordinator) couldn’t figure out how to give “poor ole” Chaz Green some help.

In that particular situation, using an extra tight end or using a running back to help Green would’ve been the right move. It would’ve allowed Dak more time to make quicker throws or allow the offense to use a different type of play to gain some success.

That’s football 101.

And Garrett couldn’t even figure that simple strategy out. By the time Garrett gained some football sense and benched Green for backup Byron Bell, the game was almost out of reach. Besides, Bell didn’t fair much better than Green, giving up two more sacks.

Guess what? Still, Garrett didn’t make any adjustments. With Clayborn dominating Green and Bell, Dallas’ offense was stuck in neutral, even as Dak tried to do his best to give his team a fighting chance.

Garrett did the exact same thing against the Eagles. Except this time Dallas lead the Eagles at halftime, 9-7. Surprisingly, Garrett started the game giving Bell some help with pass protection.

After halftime, the Eagles adjusted and scored 30 unanswered points, and looked like the best team in the NFL. And Dallas looked as confused as Forrest Gump looking for “Jenny” as it lost its second consecutive game by more than 20 points.

I understand that Dallas were without services of Pro Bowlers Tyron Smith, Sean Lee, and Ezekiel Elliott, but its no excuse to lose in pathetic fashion as Dallas did. This team is way better than that.

I’ll never believe the Falcons, Eagles, Packers, Rams, and Broncos are that much better than Dallas. Realistically, with the talent on this team, Dallas should be at best 8-2, not 5-5 with the slim chances of making the playoffs.

To be fair, Garrett is a good coach whenever he has the best talent on the field. Basically, that means he’s a “star studded dependent” coach. Garrett needs stars to win games.