Cowboys: Why Philadelphia winning the Super Bowl is good
By Reid Hanson
For as painful as it may be for Cowboys fans to see, having the Eagles win the Super Bowl may actually be good news for Dallas.
You’re going to have to bear with me here, Cowboys fans. Our NFC East rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, just won their first Super Bowl. No longer the laughing stock of the division, now the Eagles join the New York Giants as teams that have won the big game more recently than Dallas. Only the dysfunctional Redskins are saving the Cowboys from being a complete embarrassment.
But there’s actual good news to be had with the Eagles winning last night. Reasons for Cowboys fans to feel optimistic about the future and reasons to be happy with the direction of the franchise:
Comparing the Offenses
When you compare these two teams it’s easy to see that they are similar in many ways. The schemes were undeniably similar.
Since Nick Foles played great, winning the Super Bowl in Carson’s absence, does that make Carson Wentz the NFL’s least valuable player?
Whether it was Carson Wentz or Nick Foles leading the Eagles, they ran an aggressive run-pass option offense. By offering the threat of a run, the signal caller bought time and prevented defenses from committing. Primarily it opened things up on the short routes, particularly to the tight ends and slot receivers.
With Dak Prescott, the Cowboys play a small amount of RPO themselves. But after seeing its success, they may be inclined to employ it more often – especially if it can free Cole Beasley more.
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The take-away is, the Cowboys have the right personnel to mimic this Super-Bowl winning plan of attack. It may seem like the Philly receivers are in a better class, but last year most people thought it was Dallas who had the better receiving corps.
The point is – things can change and change quickly.
From their QB to their WRs to their TEs, the franchises are strikingly similar. In fact, you can throw the running backs in there as well: Ezekiel Elliott and Rod Smith have the same bruising style of running as Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount. Add in the Dallas duo’s homerun ability and you even have an offensive upgrade.
On a side note: Since Nick Foles played great, winning the Super Bowl in Carson’s absence, does that make Carson Wentz the NFL’s least valuable player?
Comparing the Defense
Defensively the Cowboys are not quite the dominant level of the Eagles, but they are certainly trending in that direction. Armed with the pass-rushing pair of DeMarcus Lawrence and David Irving, the Cowboys have the pedigree and depth to be amongst the NFL’s best next season.
The Cowboys’ secondary not only runs a similar single-high scheme as the Eagles, but they also have the same type of rangy defensive backs that can be matched up on backs and tight ends without getting bullied.
Next: Cowboys 2018 7-round mock draft (Jan 31)
Coming off such a disappointing season, it’s easy for Cowboys fans to feel uninspired about the team’s Super Bowl chances next season. But consider the Eagles made the leap from 7-9 last season to 13-3 this year, 9-7 is hardly insurmountable for a young and talented team lke the Cowboys.
Now we just need the coaching staff to pull their weight.