Dallas Cowboys: No need to panic, not yet

The Dallas Cowboys lost their season opener to the Carolina Panthers and looked pathetic on offense, but it’s not time to push the panic button.

Everyone knows the Dallas Cowboys stunk up the joint when they lost to the Carolina Panthers in their season opener.

The offense looked and operated liked the ones from the 2015 season. That’s the year the Cowboys went 4-12 ( Tony Romo was injured) and Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel performed terribly as NFL quarterbacks.

My goodness, I literally had flashbacks watching the Cowboys play pathetically against the Panthers.

The offense struggled like a fish trying to make its way back into the water. Even when the opportunity presented itself for the offense to make a play, Dak Prescott and company failed to capitalize on it.

To be fair, the Cowboys defense played really well. In fact, the Cowboys defense looks like it will be ranked in the top 10 of the NFL. Based off of how the offense played on Sunday, it’s going to have to play like one of the best defenses in the league.

As bad as the Cowboys looked on offense, it’s not time to panic or push the panic button. Yes, this team played bad, Dak looked like a  lost lamb, the receivers couldn’t get separation, the offensive line gave up six sacks, Scott Linehan’s play calling belongs in the Pop Warner league, and Jason Garrett still claps louder than thunder.

Oh, and Jerry Jones is still the primadonna owner.

I’m sure there are more issues at hand for this team, but that’s the least of their problems at the moment. But even with all of those issues, this team can still be successful.

After Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, you would’ve thought that Dallas had went 0-16 instead of 0-1. From social media to ESPN, it appeared Dallas had no chance of winning any games moving forward.

The criticism is so bad that some are questioning who will be the next coach for Dallas after Garrett’s firing. Other outrageous stuff I’ve heard are: “Dak is no longer a franchise signal caller!”, “Will Garrett take over play-calling duties?” “Dallas will win only three games and a land a high draft pick!”

I understand the anger and criticism, but it’s only one loss and its a snapshot of how bad this team can play from an offensive standpoint. But Dallas can win plenty of games if it plays to its strength instead of avoiding it.

More from Dallas Cowboys

• Dallas Cowboys Linebackers: 2023 Position Overview
• Ballhawk University: Why the Cowboys will be takeaway leaders
• Dallas Cowboys Player to Watch: Sleeper TE John Stephens, Jr.
• Dallas Cowboys: The impact of Micah Parsons and a well-rounded secondary
• Dallas Cowboys still unsure about their left guard position for 2023

If Dallas had committed to its running game, they would have increased their chances of winning the ball game because the play action would’ve been at its disposal. This team cannot feed Ezekiel Elliott the ball 15 times and expect to win many games, if any.

So what if the Panthers had stacked the box with eight or nine players! Dallas could’ve made them pay dearly with a RPO (Run-pass-option) or Dak simply running with the ball.

The Panthers utilized Cam Newton‘s running ability to the fullest extent, and it wasn’t until the second half of the game that Dallas’ defense figured out how to stop Cam.

Simply put, Cam was the only offensive weapon for the Panthers.

Dallas could’ve used Dak in a similar fashion to jump-start the offense to the best of its capabilities. Dak is a big man, standing at 6’2 and weighing 240 lbs. Dak ran the ball five times for 19 yards, but Cam ran the ball for 58 yards and a touchdown.

That’s a big difference when Dallas lost by a touchdown.

We’ve all seen what Dak can do when he runs with the ball. Having Dak as a dual threat is the best option moving forward as this offense struggles to score more than eight points.

Granted, the Panthers have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean Dallas is supposed to score eight measly points. Make the defense adapt to you, not the other way around.

As I watched film on the Panthers game, Dak had plenty of chances to run with the ball when no receivers were open. Instead, Dak chose to underthrow and overthrow receivers. The results contributed to a negative play that proved Dallas was one dimensional.

Site expert Reid Hanson said it best in his article. Reid wrote “But that’s a lot to ask of a coaching staff who’s about as creative and adaptive as a bologna sandwich. So let’s try this – when all else fails, call some running plays for Dak”.

All Dallas has to do is be creative and let Dak run with the ball. The defense will take care of the rest.

And if the Cowboys fail to do that against the New York Giants and fall to 0-2, then its time to push the panic button.

Period!

• Published on 09/13/2018 at 12:00 PM
• Last updated at 09/13/2018 at 05:06 AM