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- 2018-2019
Regular Season: Cowboys Escape From New York And Prepare For Playoff
Work
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This edition of "The Tortured
Cowboys Fan" has also been published by the fine folks at
Sports TalkLine.
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December 31, 2018 At 11:52 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
- “America’s Team” had succeeded in winning the NFC East the
previous week and had nothing to achieve (from a playoff seeding
aspect) in their final 2018 regular season game. Unvarnished truth,
however, suggested the Dallas Cowboys required an offensive
performance tweak to (help) avoid one-dimensional shrinkage when
entering the postseason flame.
Just because you can do a thing, of course, does not mean you will
do a thing (with enough of the right resources to avoid the failure
sting). Garrett’s Gang sat players (in Tyrone Crawford, Zack Martin,
and Tyron Smith) who absolutely needed the day off and another
player (in Ezekiel Elliott) who certainly could have used it but
remained ready to knock someone’s block off.
While the Cowboys, again, had nothing (technically) for which to
play, the New York Giants (who were enduring a miserable season by
comparison) still had more than enough rivalry venom for America’s
Team to (try to) make ‘em pay. Dallas was going for a
momentum-building two in a row, but “you know how those NFC East
games go.”
Dak Prescott’s pro career arc – with a handful of (frankly)
surprising exceptions – had been pretty clear. If you took away one
or more of his most capable Cowboys colleagues (through injury or
defensive hocus pocus), Prescott’s production would reliably go dark
within a vanilla offense he would then be unable to reasonably
steer. The woefully-undermanned Giants were (as always) determined
to display their fans’ “Beat Dallas” defiance, but New York’s
well-documented “art of heart” would pale in comparison to whether
or not Dak could raise his game, fill (at least some of) the
expected execution gaps, and sidestep his teammate overreliance.
While “Marinelli’s Men” were expected to do their jobs in stopping a
Giants offense largely made of nothing-to-lose slobs, Cowboys Nation
figured Garrett might allow Dak to spend a handful of series
attempting to kickstart his offensive attack before giving way to
the comparatively immobile Cooper Rush (who – with half the starting
o-line – surely would have been turned to mush).
Marinelli's Men would perform their customary first quarter, "test 'em
out, make 'em shout" shark bite but – to sudden fan fright – the
Giants (after a nice kickoff return) went from their 38-yard line to
the Cowboys' six, demonstrating more than the expected energy and
fight. All was not lost, however, as another Eli Manning
interception was tossed. The Giants' Sterling Shepard was the deep
end zone target, but the Cowboys' Chidobe Awuzie would snag it.
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- "Linehan's Clan" would punt on their first possession, but the
Giants would give it right back with a fumble transgression. Dak and
Co. would begin their next series at midfield, but another stalled
offensive effort would end in a Brett Maher missed kick yield. A man
who can keep his team's hopes alive from 65 must know he was not
immune from begin shown the door after missing from 34. The Dallas
defense (with a -4 yard grunt to force another Giants punt) appeared
to have successfully adjusted, but the national television audience
was placing bets on how much longer it would take before the
Cowboys' offensive plan became completely busted.
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- What happened next would leave even (a considerable portion of) of
Cowboys Nation vexed. Dak and Co. would drive from their own 35
(while absorbing a deep miss to Amari Cooper and an untimely holding
call by La'el Collins, who nearly became the red zone party pooper)
to see the tight end position suddenly come alive. Prescott found
Block, err, Blake Jarwin alone in the end zone for what would become
seven, and Cowboys Nation felt like they were in heaven.
Marinelli's Men would allow ONE yard to the G-Men. Then, Dak and Co.
did it again! From their own 25, Linehan's Clan and repeat
opportunities appeared to happily collide. After digesting a rare
offensive pass interference call on rookie receiver Michael Gallup
and a sack of Dak that might have held them back, Gallup, Cole
Beasley, and Jarwin helped "matriculate the ball down the field." A
pass interference penalty on the Giants got Dallas closer to what
fans were (once again) yearning, with the two-minute warning
nearing. Then, just like a(nother) Thanos snap, Prescott connected
with Jarwin for a 19-yard touchdown, and Cowboys Nation squealed!
Dallas’ tight end position was once again showing its worth through
an inexplicable rebirth.
Before the Cowboys (with their 14-0 lead) could exhale, Marinelli's
Men interrupted the celebration with a quick fail . . . allowing the
Giants' own talented-but-inconsistent tight end Evan Engram to score
on a 21-yard touchdown pass that kept Manning's attack from looking
completely stale.
Surely the Cowboys were just finding “strange” success against a
Giants’ defense that – for most of the season – had proven a royal
mess? While the score was 14-7 with Dallas seemingly in command at
the half, there would be a high-powered offensive exchange and more
defensive mange before either team could get the last laugh.
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- Linehan's Clan would (GASP) punt to start the third quarter,
seemingly putting Dallas' offensive reality back in order. While the
Giants would add a field goal to get on their own roll, the "Dak
Attack" would find none other than Blake "Not Just A Blocker" Jarwin
for "Three! Three touchdown passes!" Fans half-expected the Count
from "Sesame Street" to appear on-screen and repeat, Repeat,
REPEAT!
The last Cowboys tight end to catch three touchdowns in one game was
Billy Joe Dupree. While Blake Jarwin (with his 7-8 catches for 119
yards) was a mere mortal by comparison to other members of Dallas’
historically talented tight end garrison, he had Cowboys fans from
around the world going tee-hee, Tee-Hee, TEE-HEE!
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- Nonetheless, one of these high-scoring squads was being made to look
like gods by Marinelli's Men (who were showing shades of what many
hoped they had left in Indianapolis) again and again. After seeing
Jeff Heath get stiff-armed by Saquon Barkley on consecutive plays,
fans feared it was going to be one of those days. A 21-10 Dallas
lead was quickly flipped into a 25-21 New York-slanted difference,
before Rod Smith scored from the Giants' one to slow their age-old
rival's fun.
Though Dallas would retake the lead, the Giants would heavily
sandwich a Cowboys' fumble (courtesy of Amari "Oaf With The Loaf"
Cooper) with 10 more points of their own. Dallas had just over 2:35
remaining in the game to reach the end zone or come up lame. Just
when Cowboys Nation thought Dak was all out of tricks (appearing to
have stalled at the Giants' 27 with a Fleming false start suggesting
Dallas would fall apart), Prescott called upon "Lump Of Cole"
Beasley to deliver the fix. Dak (looking to stun from on the run)
fired a 32-yard dart to a back-of-the-end-zone streaking Beasley.
Cole had to successfully drag his knee to make the
carefully-reviewed completion good. Just as Cowboys Nation was about
to lose their collective mind, a 15-yard taunting penalty was called
on reserve nose tackle Antwaun "Babe In The" Woods.
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- Jason Garrett had a pivotal decision. He could have Brett Maher kick
the (not-so-given) extra point and go with his longstanding views of
“playing not to lose” . . . or he could instruct Linehan and
Prescott to go for it and potentially watch GM Jerry and Cowboys
Nation blow a fuse. Garrett chose the path less traveled, and his
offense did not come unglued or unraveled. It was not until Prescott
found Gallup for the two-point conversion (followed by a timely
turnover-on-downs forced by Marinelli's Men) that victory was firmly
achieved and believed.
Short Shots And Hot Spots
Dak Prescott (intentionally or not) has let the aggressively-scoring
genie out of the bottle, and Cowboys Nation would LOVE to see more
of this quarterback at full throttle. YES, Yes, yes, it was against
the languishing Giants that Prescott displayed his most “flexible”
success. Absent the Cowboys’ complete set of starting offensive
linemen and the steadying services of Zeke . . . Dak was “supposed
to” freak, appear erratic, and put on a performance particularly
weak.
Not only did Prescott keep his cool all game long, he repeatedly
overcame Linehan’s “Choose Your Own Adventure” calls (all on his
own), delivering his team’s 10th victory of the season, and looking
strong. Did Prescott (in going 27-44 for 387 yards with ZERO
turnovers and FOUR touchdowns) suffer moments of Dakuracy? Sure
(even sustaining four more sacks for an insane regular season total
of 56), but he more than made up for it throughout the second half
blur.
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- “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” – contrary to people who continue
comparing Dak to “That Announcer Guy” strictly by the numbers –
simply wants to see Prescott rise above ever-present restrictions
(by his play-caller and suddenly unavailable guys) to steadily
demonstrate that he, too, can occasionally improvise. Dak KNOWS he
is empowered to prevent Linehan’s Clan from going through the
play-call motions like performance bumblers. And just like “That
Announcer Guy,” he gets to show the pro football world (for
consecutive opportunities and at least one more game) that – when
faced with unexpected challenges – he can make successful,
non-scripted adjustments on the fly.
Cole Beasley’s dazzling touchdown catch from Prescott (who broke
Linehan’s playbook latch to execute it from scratch) should remind
Cowboys Nation of the 2012 home game against the Giants. Dez Bryant
caught a moonshot from “That Announcer Guy” with six seconds
remaining and a lead that needed regaining. Dez came down with the
scoring catch but his body-supporting left hand touched down just
out of the back of the end zone. Following a thorough booth review,
there was nothing fans could do but moan.
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- Ezekiel Elliott – with 1,434 yards – won his second NFL rushing
title in three seasons . . . while being able to skip the final
regular season game for completely restful reasons. All hail the
two-time rushing king (who remains eager heading into the postseason
to continue do all-purpose his thing).
Will They Or Won’t They?
Here it is, folks. Here is what that “backs against the wall” theme
invokes. One of the moments Cowboys Nation hoped would arrive has
finally come, and they are certainly ready to beat the playoff drum.
“America’s Team” has regained entry into “The Tournament,” and the
limit could be the sky (or the firmament).
Winning the NFC East division crown was nice (especially after
starting the regular season 3-5 and concluding 10-6), but the Dallas
Cowboys – historically – always have their eyes the ultimate prize
(the one for which the timeliest teams are willing to pay a biggest
price).
The Dallas Cowboys host the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium on “NFL
Playoff Wildcard Weekend,” and what better team against whom the
Cowboys should have to successfully find their way around the
postseason bend.
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- Some will want to view this contest as a continuation of the
opportunity lost in 2014, when “it should have been the Cowboys and
not the Packers” who were Seattle’s visiting attackers. Four years
later, almost everything about these two teams is different, even to
the most stubborn debater.
For those (fans and prognosticators) in the here and the now, there
was a 2018 early-season game. The hosting Seahawks limped into the
contest at 0-2 wondering what the heck to do. Dallas arrived at 1-1
with offensive inconsistencies that were no fun. While Seattle
handily won the game, the Cowboys repeatedly misfired way out of
frame. They suffered from ED (Executional Dysfunction). Seahawks’
safety Earl Thomas (currently on injured reserve with a broken leg)
feasted upon those mistakes (of the team to which he very much
wanted to be traded) with absolutely zero compunction.
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- The Seahawks have been transformed from a pass-heavy team to
following a run-first theme. Seattle quarterback “DangeRuss” Russell
Wilson, however, remains a quarterback who can rope-a-dope defenses
with mobility and throw-any-pass ability. While your defensive spy
can give it a try, it is rare that even the best defenses can
completely stop this guy.
Will Marinelli’s Men be able to “maintain (reasonable) contain,”
allowing “Kris’ Kids” enough of a chance with Seattle’s receivers
(in Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett) to smother and restrain? Or will
Wilson eventually find his targets and connect with them like
magnets?
Will Marinelli’s Men also show enough respect to little-used Seattle
tight end Ed Dickson (to prevent being caught off guard, as was the
case for teams ignoring his predecessor, Luke Willson)?
Will Jaylon "Smooth" Smith, Leighton "The Wolf Hunter" Vander Esch,
Sean "The General" Lee, and the rest of the “Hot Boyz” be able to
keep Seattle running back Chris Carson AND Russell Wilson from
continuing their soul-crushing style of rushing?
While the Cowboys (over the past three years) have been a run-first
team, they, too, have indulged the team-changing theme. Coaches have
come and gone and the arrival of one particular player has helped
Linehan’s Clan realize a new dawn. After admitting their
receiver-by-committee solution to having a true number one was kaput
and done, they traded for Amari Cooper who (until the last few
weeks) has been quite the production trooper. Though Dak Prescott
has been inconsistent, he has shown passing and running improvement.
He has increasingly combined his stable of improved receivers with
his will to win and has helped turn Dallas into true believers.
Will Garrett and Linehan do all they can to encourage (the new)
Prescott (who played against the Giants) to drive the offense “Every
Which Way But Loose,” or will Seattle’s defense (especially veteran
dagger, linebacker Bobby Wagner) scare them back into their early
season mantra of “play to outlast (and risk being outclassed)?” Will
Dak continue bringing more receiver AND tight end action into the
game day fold while warding off Seattle safety Bradley McDougald?
Will Marc Colombo have his health-hampered WALL (Wanton Aggressors
Living Large) ready to protect Dak from an avoidable fall (with
Seattle defensive ends Frank Clark and Jarran Reed giving chase all
over the place)? Will the WALL be able to drive block with attitude
for Ezekiel, granting him the additional latitude towards results so
positively unreal?
Will America's Team (continue to) overcome their offensive coaching
. . . or upon the Cowboys' success will Garrett and Linehan keep
encroaching?
Will the winner be in Russ we trus(t) . . . or will it be Dak whom
we back?
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- Will the new year bring Dallas some (new) playoff bling?
We shall see. We always do.
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