NFL
By: Greg Rector
Baltimore 34 Dallas 17
Well, yet another typical game for the Cowboys this year. The team’s visit to Baltimore went pretty much like every other game this season. There were a few bright spots scattered amongst way too many horrendous plays on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys will now almost certainly have a top 5 draft pick. It’s far too obvious that the team has an abundance of style and very little substance.
POSITIVES:
The makeshift offensive line did a decent job in this one. They limited the Ravens defense ability to get pressure on Dalton almost the entire game. They were also able to run block quite nicely. The one other positive was Michael Gallup who had a very good game. That pretty much covers the good side of things.
NEGATIVES:
The offense sputtered far too often after getting into Ravens side of the field. The offense never kept drives alive enough to get into the red zone, instead, they were forced to have Zuerlein 1 of 4 try field goals in a stadium that is very brutal on visiting kickers. There were dropped passes, inaccurate throws, and then the usual strange play calls. The scoring average below 20 points in the 8 games without Prescott was true to form.
The defense was of course torched all night by the Ravens rushing attack to the tune of 296 yards against. Time and again the Ravens gained large chunks of yards running at will up the gut or to the outside, The defense constantly missed the Ravens runners and the tackling was absolutely horrifying to watch yet again. No sacks again didn’t help matters either. This group under Mike Nolan has been the worst defense fielded by the Cowboys in a very long time.
Jaylon Smith didn’t get to swap jerseys with former teammate Dez Bryant, who just before the game ended up testing positive for COVID 19. That’s 26 positive results for the Ravens organization in the last two weeks. Again the style points for the hope of swapping jerseys was a bigger story than the actual game for Smith. It’s that type of stuff that needs to be ended.
AFTERMATH:
I was neutral and stated so about the hiring of Mike McCarthy. Well, I am no longer neutral. Get him out of there after the next 4 games. There hasn’t been one thing that has impressed me about McCarthy. That’s especially true of his coaching staff with Mike Nolan being the most obvious bad choice McCarthy made. This team is an embarrassing group to watch week in and week out.
Here’s what I have liked seeing this year. The improved Dolphins and Browns. Heck, I even see more positive coaching results from the Giants (Judge) and Rivera (Washington) than anything out of the Cowboys coaches. Stefanski and Flores have been magnificent. Do you know what makes those 4 teams better this season? They have created an identity. All of them are vastly improved on the defensive side of the ball. They are also playing with discipline. Everything that is completely lacking in Dallas.
Memo to Jerry Jones:
Cowboys Nation is exhausted from style meaning more than substance. For the last twenty years, it’s been the same story. Waste a great play by the likes of Romo, Bryant, Prescott, Elliott, Cooper, Gallup etc… with a pathetic group of defenders who are never feared by any opponent. Before you were the owner there was a group called the “Doomsday Defense,” and even in those three Super seasons when you were the owner, the likes of Charles Haley, Deion Sanders, Darren Woodson, all made playing against Dallas something that teams didn’t enjoy one iota. It’s way past time to recognize that without an equal emphasis on improving that side of the ball, this organization will be forever mired in mediocrity. You might not mind that Jerry, but MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of Cowboys fans around the world do mind.
There’s a man who is still an assistant coach in fact he is the defensive coordinator for a team you will see up close and personal on December 20th. His name is Robert Saleh and I urge you and Steven to pay attention to him. You see week in and week out despite a large number of injuries (never an excuse) his defense plays hard, they play tough and make life miserable for many opponents. He was the choice that should have been made last year as I urged them in more than one article. Of course, because you went with a recycled former head coach this year, the cost will be higher to get him. Trust me the investment will be worth it. Hire Saleh, use the top 5 pick in a draft-day deal to acquire more picks, and damn well improve the defense first, with the offensive line as the second area of focus.
Thanks for coming to my TED TALK.
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
