NFL
By: Greg Rector
Buffalo Bills 26 Dallas Cowboys 15
Well, the song remains the same for the Dallas Cowboys folks. Yet one more game where the team failed to play anywhere near to their capabilities.
Was a time when the last thing you wanted to see on your schedule was your team coming to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. Those days are long gone as the error-prone Cowboys are more than likely going to hand you an opportunity to beat them on their own field. That was again the case yesterday. Whether it was a strip-sack, another interception, it all adds up to another loss.
Keys: One bright spot to make note of, the Cowboys actually looked and played like a football from the opening kickoff. It must have messed with their minds however because after going up 7-0 they fell right apart for the rest of the game. Even on the first series though, they did as I warned they shouldn’t do, tried forcing the ball to Cooper. Game number four in a row where the highest-paid running back failed to get 100 yards. As per usual every time it appeared they were moving the ball nicely on the ground, which would be abandoned in favor of a pass attempt. Again this coaching staff failed football 101, you go with what’s working until the opponent proves they can stop you. 12 carries for Elliott is woefully short of the workload you expect him to have. 6 yards a carry Jason and Kellen, that means he was having success.
Defense: The Cowboys were thrashed all day by their former teammate Cole Beasley, no one stopped him all day long. Josh Allen picked apart the Cowboys like a master, which is why I had him rated ahead of headcase Baker Mayfield, in their draft year. The Bills indulged in some trickery, and of course, it succeeded when wide receiver John Brown on a reverse, stopped and threw to a wide-open Devin Singletary, for a touchdown. What was a failure yet again was to cause a single turnover. This bunch has been a huge disappointment at making other teams make mistakes. There were signs of life early on in stopping the run, the Cowboys had several tackles for loss in the backfield.
The end result was a loss and in the aftermath, many reports surfaced of the locker room exploding with screaming and yelling by the players. No big surprise with the dysfunction that is so evident on the field they have displayed on a weekly basis. Fans once again want Garrett gone, but good old Jerry says the team would have zero chances of making the playoffs if they changed coaches. The 0-5 record against winning teams tells most people with a functioning brain, that he has been a complete failure at preparing his team, he bungled the clock yet again in the 2nd quarter, which resulted in a missed FG, and not even an attempt to get into the end zone. Until the Owner/GM has a come to Jesus moment and brings himself to admit he’s been wrong about Garrett, this will be life for Cowboys fans, A team that on paper looks great, but get them on the field and they fall apart. Leadership matters, and it is so clear there is none in Dallas. Message to the players, don’t look to the coaches to guide you, take it upon yourselves to live up to the hype.
I am tired of the Cowboys being “Paper Tigers.”
Next up, the Cowboys will ruin my 55th birthday when they face the Chicago Bears.
You can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
