3 Cowboys on the Nice List (& 2 on the Naughty List) This Christmas
By Evan Starr
Nice: CeeDee Lamb
Ever since the disaster that was Week 4 in San Francisco, CeeDee has been a different guy. He is averaging over 8 receptions for 105 yards a game including a run of three straight games going for double-digit catches and 150-plus yards.
He is doing everything from screens, to deep balls, to end-arounds. Lamb is entering into the same conversation as Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, and company as the elite receivers in the league.
He has been Dak's favorite target and McCarthy is making it a point to get him the ball all over the field — much to fans' delight.
Lamb was given the number 88 for a reason, and we are seeing an elite pass catcher blossom right before our very eyes. 2023 is his coming out party to the tune of 103 catches for 1306 yards and 8 touchdowns through 14 games. Already eclipsing his career high in yards and just 4 catches and one touchdown away from those respective career marks.
We all knew it was in him, and CeeDee Lamb is showing that elite WR1 capability and then some.
Nice: Mike McCarthy
No matter how much you don't want to admit it, McCarthy deserves a spot on the nice list.
He has this team not only a sure-fire playoff team for the third straight year but has three straight seasons of 10-plus wins. This comes after a decade (2010-2020) of making the playoffs just three times and never once having back-to-back 10-win seasons. It's a nice change of pace.
Is McCarthy among the best coaches in the NFL? No, not quite, but the man has won a lot of football games since stepping foot in the building in 2020. I understand that none of these seasons have ended with multiple playoff wins not to mention a Superbowl appearance. And if you want to hyper-fixate on small sample sizes then be my guest. McCarthy, in 4 seasons, already has as many 10-win seasons as Jason Garrett had in 9.
He's doing something that has not been done in a long time in Dallas. Establishing a winning culture making a habit of regular season success. That's something fans yearned for in the Garrett era, and it would be spoiled to not appreciate what we have now.