Depth of Dallas Cowboys’ misery seemingly has no end
By Ben Davila
The Dallas Cowboys continue to find new and creative ways to hit rock bottom.
The afternoon started off well for the Dallas Cowboys. Sure, the defense gave up a long march into their own territory on Washington’s opening possession. But then, miracle of miracles, they put up a wall on a fourth down goal line play and showed some legitimate intestinal fortitude! No matter. Quarterback Andy Dalton was strip-sacked on the ensuing series, fumbled backwards, and tight end Dalton Schultz was tackled in the end zone for the safety.
It was simply a glimpse into their immediate future, for it became an increasingly dismal afternoon at Fed Ex Field for the Cowboys. There’s really no other way to slice it. This hideous monstrosity finds a hilariously maddening way to plumb the chasm of their infinite despair. Barring something miraculous, this season is probably already lost a mere seven weeks in.
I’m not ready to say they’ve quit outright. That’s a strong charge against any team. In fact, former head coach Wade Phillips’ team eventually did quit. This isn’t that bad–yet. What I am seeing is a defense that just can’t line up correctly or stop anyone to save their lives. The offense continues to spin their wheels without their starting quarterback. In two games now, the Cowboys’ offense has combined to score thirteen points. That’s not going to win anything.
So what is it? Is it bad coaching? Is it bad players? Bad front office? Is it the injuries? To be fair, the injuries are playing a large role in this mess. But this is the NFL. Thirty-one other teams are shedding exactly zero tears for the Cowboys’ injury woes. The NFL is a battle of attrition every year. Some teams are luckier than others. For Dallas, this is just the way the cookie crumbles.
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But wasn’t this team’s lack of success supposed to Jason Garrett’s fault? The way you heard some of this fan base talk, Garrett’s message to his players had worn off and his team had stopped listening to him. While that may have been the case at the very end–and even that’s debatable–I do not recall seeing a team whose body language and general demeanor conveyed a visible sense of defeat on a week-to-week basis. What we’re seeing here is a bunch that has no confidence in themselves. Try as they may, all it takes is a single flub for them to revert back to that “Here we go again” mentality, and the downward spiral commences. Injuries or no, there’s simply a lack of fight, and that’s extremely troubling.
So if a change in Garrett’s message was needed, then was Mike McCarthy the answer? Even when this team was reasonably healthy, they hit the field unprepared and had to make these near-miraculous comebacks on a weekly basis. As it stands now, they’re a “watermelon” onside kick and a last-second field goal away from being 0-7. Under any reasonable metric, this is a complete joke and utterly unacceptable.
I’m sure I can speak for a large swath of the fanbase when I say the excuses about the lack of an offseason program, training camp, or preseason games is contributing to this vomitous concoction. Every team dealt with that–some obviously way, way better than others–and they’re just fine. I know this seems rash, but without an end in sight, I’m already ready to blow this thing up and start over. Evaluate, cut the dead weight, clean house, and give me a team with just a little pride.
- Published on 10/26/2020 at 11:01 AM
- Last updated at 10/26/2020 at 10:53 AM