Cowboys Corner – 2021 Post Mortem

By: Greg Rector

The Song Remains The Same

As with every season for 26 years straight the Dallas Cowboys season ends with a whimper and not a bang. Once again they had a start at home in a big game straight out of a horror movie. Name the mistake and the Cowboys made it. Lining up in the neutral zone not once but twice (Randy Gregory) absolutely got dominated on both sides of the ball in the first quarter. The play calling on the very first drive was the total opposite of what has worked all year. There were moments, but they never got that play to swing the momentum back into their favor. This is the pattern that never seems to change with the Dallas Cowboys. Give full marks to the Niners for coming out and executing on both sides of the ball. It’s always teasing the fanbase but when it matters most, come out and lay an egg.  There are no excuses from me. The Dallas Cowboys lack a killer instinct, on both sides of the football, it’s that plain and simple. The haters on the sports shows get to gloat, same with fanbases league-wide. Have at it folks, we deserve every last bit of it.  Another season wasted and you better believe the words I want to use are not fit for public consumption. This old Marine Corps Master Gunnery Sergeant is absolutely disgusted once again by the Dallas Cowboys and their habitual failure to show up in big games. Sure they had just enough in them to make it close, only to fail thanks to penalties that killed them once again, 14 penalties are from being undisciplined. This was a total team failure all game long. All the weapons at their disposal, finally almost totally healthy and the Cowboys come up painfully short once again. The 23 -17 final score was flattering. This game will go down as yet another choke job by the Cowboys. Enough of that, let’s look back at the 2021 season.

The Negatives

Too many times exactly what happened versus the Niners was the undoing of the Cowboys. The same horrible starts plagued them against the Broncos, the Raiders, and even go back to week one versus Tampa Bay. Too many times big plays were given up early. Too many times the offense simply wasn’t in sync. Against certain teams, you can get away with it but facing better teams you have to start better. The formula for success from week two through week 8 was running the ball, setting up the play-action passes and teams had to pick their poison. Opponents adjusted and the Cowboys didn’t. Too often Kellen Moore stuck with a very vanilla running game, Elliott up the middle and teams were stuffing those plays routinely. After Dak missed the Vikings game, there were also too many games where he wasn’t throwing his receivers open, those games were winnable folks. The lack of discipline all year was a major issue for the offensive line especially. Too many false starts, way too much holding, and delay of game penalties being avoided by wasting a timeout. That’s coaching folks. The Cowboys’ offense on 4th down gambles was pretty good but when they didn’t work it was game-changing every time. The self-inflicted wounds have to be cleaned up in a big way. Simply put the Cowboys imploded upon themselves far too often. It has to be acknowledged that defense often times hurt themselves as well. They had far too many offsides and neutral zone infractions. In fairness, there were also a few games where you could question the pass interference calls, but that happens to every team in every game. The Dallas Cowboys for all the stars at so many positions still have not learned to win a big game. You can’t make that many mistakes, you can’t take penalties and most of all when something doesn’t go your way, shake it off and get right back at it. Until there’s a take no prisoners approach things will not change for the Cowboys. Four losses at AT&T Stadium is totally unacceptable. Opponents have no reason to be afraid of a trip to Dallas, and they play like it. Injuries and Covid of course impacted results as well, but other teams managed to overcome those same problems.  I won’t use any of that as an excuse. My first player cut of course however is Greg Zuerlein, 12 misses combined between field goals and extra points is unacceptable. Just as bad was not cutting him. That again is on the coaches. The 2021 Dallas Cowboys season was decided by the failures on the field and on the sideline.

The Positives

For the second time in franchise history, the Cowboys were 6-0 versus their NFC East rivals. The defense absolutely did an amazing turnaround. From being the 28th ranked defense in the disaster that was 2020, the Cowboys defense at the end of the regular season was ranked 7th overall. Thank you Dan Quinn for having the open mind to coach up this group to play to their strengths. We all figured Cover 3 was going dominate the defensive calls based upon his history. Fooled everyone by playing the press-man coverage on 63% of snaps that allowed a very fast group to play far more aggressively than most saw coming. What can you say about Micah Parsons? Simply changed the entire make-up of the defense. His rookie season was incredible. You also have to give Trevon Diggs big kudos for doing exactly what he said he would after a rookie season where he had his hands on 14 balls, he committed to personally be better, and I would say 11 interceptions fit the bill quite nicely, most in the NFL in forty years. No team got more for less money than the Cowboys did with their group of safeties. Kearse, Kazee, Hooker, and Wilson all played awfully well. Kearse is in fact the very first guy I want to see get a new deal. From a special team, sub-package player to calling the defensive plays, what an improvement for him. Leading the league in takeaways after being so bad at it for so many years was absolutely the best part of 2021 for me. As you all know I am a defense-first guy, and always will be. On offense, the positives were definitely fewer. For me, two players stand out the most. Cedric Wilson stepped up when Gallup was injured early and again late in the season. The other positive was Dalton Schultz, he had a terrific season. Terence Steele held his own subbing in for both Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, far from as elite as either of the starting tackles, he still managed to play better than many thought possible. The fact the Cowboys actually blocked punts and had some very good kick returns were also a welcome sight after years of being an afterthought by too many coaching staffs.

Next Year

Once again it’s the wait until next year’s refrain for Cowboys Nation. The off-season could be full of fireworks. The Cowboys enter 2022 with just over $19 million in cap space. I am on record that Amari Cooper should be moved after his Covid behavior. That would free up even more cash. Will the Cowboys change their ways regarding free agency? Not likely even though the holes that need to be filled are just as big as ever. The O-Line has big question marks at both tackle positions and at left guard where both Connor McGovern and Connor Williams absolutely struggled mightily. Tyler Biadisz at the center as well gave up a lot of pressure on opposing defensive tackles. Insiders are impressed with late-round draft pick Josh Ball as a tackle, but thanks to an ankle injury he didn’t play one snap.  The team also needs to add a linebacker especially if the plan going forward is to have Parsons used off the edge rather than being an off-ball linebacker. Will the two cornerbacks from this draft be able to step into the lineup with regularity in season two? The greatest need for me is still at the defensive tackle spot. We see how important it is to have a monster like Aaron Donald or a run-stuffing monster like Vita Vea. The coaching turnover is inevitable. Dan Quinn is being sought after by so many teams, and Moore also getting interviewed. Will Jerry pull the trigger and move McCarthy or even outright fire him?  The questions are plentiful as they are at the end of every season. The positives need to be built upon and the negatives greatly reduced. After 52 years of being a Cowboys fan, you won’t see me changing my allegiance, not a chance. Unlike some so-called fans who threw garbage at the players after the playoff loss. Those aren’t fans, they’re fanatics and should never be allowed back into the stadium. It’s a game folks, not life or death. Another black mark that’s not needed or wanted. The weekly articles end too soon yet again. I will be around with off-season updates be it free agency, the draft, and maybe even trades. As down as many are today, the sun will still rise in the morning.

As always you can find me on Twitter  @GregCowboys