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- 2018-2019
Postseason: Cowboys Fail To Silence The Rams But Head Off With
Something To Believe In For The Offseason
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- January 16, 2019 At 11:14 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- "America's Team" had successfully subdued the Seahawks on
“Wildcard Weekend.” While the Dallas Cowboys seemed primed to pursue
a deep playoff push, the divisional round (in nine previous playoff
appearances since 1970) had proven a royal pain in the tush. Dallas
was set to face the Rams in Los Angeles Memorial Stadium and – with
the “home” crowd heavily stacked in the Cowboys’ favor – it was
neither the time nor the place to extend their divisional round
misery and play like mush.
“All Dallas had to do” was beat a Rams team that had lost to a
Saints team that had lost to the Cowboys yet still managed to
destroy an Eagles team which the Cowboys had beaten twice. When it
comes to the parody-driven NFL, blind faith in such “if-then”
statements (no matter how logical) often results in the ill-prepared
paying the ultimate price.
And yet (against all scheme-limited odds and remaining
more-than-alive since starting 3-5) the Cowboys pulling off a long
overdue divisional round victory seemed a reasonable bet. They were
all set. Would all their tried and true metrics for success be met?
Would the Cowboys be filled with woulda’, coulda’, shoulda’ regret?
Or would the Rams simply put on an unexpectedly well-rounded show
that Dallas could not quite slow?
Rams In Lambs Clothing
Games of the “win or go home” variety require your team to be in the
moment. The Cowboys would either do their jobs or begin an offseason
of atonement. There were various opportunities to display that
necessary focus against an opponent capable of some serious hocus
pocus.
"Marinelli's Men" took their traditional first quarter "shark bite"
to test the strength of their opponent's fight (which had been
enough – for much of the regular season – to make the necessary
adjustments to call their remaining game bluff), but it became
immediately clear the Rams would be using significant play action to
gain some serious rope-a-dope traction.
Rams tight end Tyler Higbee showed run-block but quickly released to
zero coverage and was wide open for a 19-yard tote of the rock (with
closest-defender Jeff Heath being plowed right out of the play by
another Rams' receiver determined to knock). The only reason the
Rams did not come away with a touchdown on their first drive was due
to a desperate blitz by LVE (Leighton Vander Esch) in the face of an
unprepared Jared Goff (who inaccurately short-armed an almost
certain scoring pass to Gurley who had beaten a dropped-back Tyrone
Crawford badly). While the Rams would have to settle for three, they
had set the table for a ground game spree.
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- Once “Linehan’s Clan” got their hands on the ball, the “simple”
season-long challenge remained focused on making the right,
player-empowering call. Amari Cooper would get all the attention he
rightly deserved, and the Rams' Marcus Peters would do his best to
get him unnerved. After Cooper would come up just a half-yard short
of a key first down with 6:30 remaining in the first quarter, Jason
Garrett decided to go for it and (on one of the few times on the
night that the Cowboys' running game would get anything right)
Dallas had hat-on-hat across the line with Zeke picking up six for
the first down fix. A mere seconds later on first and 10 from the
Rams' 29, it would be the Cowboys' turn to dine. Dak would go back
to pass and (with Zeke performing an excellent pickup of a blitzing
Rams' safety) he would hit Cooper over the middle at the Rams' 19,
and he would go untouched all the way to the end zone, nice, neat,
and clean.
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- Scott Linehan would call the number of (a hampered-but-willing)
Blake Jarwin once on a nice 13-yard pass after sneaking away from
the offensive line in the first quarter and then once more (later in
the game) for four yards so miniscule. It was clear that something
other than Jarwin's sore-from-the-Seahawks ankle was making him
suddenly seem a far less attractive target. Perhaps Wade Phillips
was taking the less learned Linehan to school?
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- Linehan would also draw up a 20-yard pass to
static-down-the-seam Dalton Schultz from Prescott off a bootleg.
Schultz would ultimately go 1 of 2 on the evening. After THAT play, the
offense would self-extinguish just long enough for the Rams to take
a lead they would never relinquish.
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- What was that? "What about Beasley?" While the mighty mite was
nursing a nagging ankle sprain, he was ready and willing to ignore
the pain. He was rewarded with two opportunities so measly.
For as little as Goff accomplished through the air (in amassing a
pedestrian 186 yards on 15 of 28 passing attempts with a QBR of 56.5
and a rating of 74.4), the Rams' running game made it easy for Jared
to simply not care. He gladly took what Marinelli's Men gave him,
and his ability to use play action to either ground and pound or
find receivers snug as a bug in a tired zone rug, made a
hope-to-catch-up rally by the Cowboys look pretty dim.
If not for Goff's hesitation (in finding wide receiver Brandin Cooks
in the back corner of the end zone), the Rams would have had a 14-7
lead over Dallas to quiet the very local and loud chapter of Cowboys
Nation. While the Cowboys would remain on top 7-6, it certainly
appeared Los Angeles was beginning to find the right combination of
tricks.
With the Cowboys down 13-7 and a little more than six minutes to go
in the first half, Prescott (on second and five from his own 30)
literally threw a "no-look" pass to Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam,
who had a sure interception for a touchdown but whose hands were a
major letdown. On the very next play, Dak reminded the national
television audience how – even when he can climb the pocket and step
into his throw – his faulty footwork and inability to "lead the
receiver" from a relatively static position can straight up wreck
the mission.
The Cowboys (with over four minutes remaining in the second quarter
and the Rams facing a third and 14 at midfield) appeared to have
finally stemmed L.A.'s offensive tide and forced them to yield. Alas –
with Byron Jones being called for an "illegal use of hands to the
face" penalty while attempting to jam Brandin Cooks – that reality
would not come to pass. Yes, it was subtle, but the officiating crew
would accept no rebuttal. DeMarcus Lawrence (on the same play) was
the first of Marinelli's Men to get enough of a hand on Goff to
force an errant throw. A wasted chance to stagger the Rams’ flow.
Todd Gurley would easily run it in from 35 yards (on yet another
misdirection play in the following half minute), making the score
20-7 and that much harder for a suddenly inconsistent Cowboys team
to remain in it.
On their next series (from their own 19 with 3:22 remaining in the
half), Linehan's Clan would return to action with a triple dose of
all things Zeke to ensure satisfaction. Linehan would use a pinch of
delayed misdirection to free Zeke for a quick 12-yard dump pass,
followed by a 5-yard run, and then Elliott's longest play of the day
(heading left and suddenly cutting right for a 15-yard escape to
help Dak and Co. to find their way). Prescott would find another
first down pass to Jarwin to add in, and it appeared as if Linehan's
Clan might actually find a way to score before intermission.
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- Then
(like clockwork) Dak threw behind a wide-open Gallup with Jarwin (of
all players) drawing double coverage and Rams’ safety John Johnson
was just a step too far away to do anything but potentially watch
Gallup catch Prescott's fling. Another defining (or declining) third
down awaited, but the Rams' front four overwhelmed the "Average Wall
Of Dallas," to make their way to Dak unabated. Rams’ defensive end
Dante Fowler, Jr. took the path of least resistance (or the long
way) around La'el Collins to get his mitts on Prescott's helmet with
no apparent concern by officials to limit. La'el was not only able
to keep Dak upright (with what can only be described as an in-game
Heimlich), but he was able knock Fowler away, allowing Prescott to
continue the play until the disinterested officials decided they had
something (untimely) to say.
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- The referees called the play dead, saying Prescott was "(the
seldom
used) in the grasp." The phantom result had Cowboys Nation suddenly
searching for their Dean Blandino voodoo dolls to violently clasp.
Though it had been a while, bashing the since-replaced Blandino is
never out of style. Dallas was forced to punt, because of an
officiating mental runt. Fans had felt (and still feel) the Dallas
Cowboys have been the victims of bad officiating all season, and
this play simply reinforced the reason.
Nonetheless, a potentially game-turning offensive series for Dallas
that began solidly, fell apart so wildly. LA would quickly get
themselves into position for a long field goal, but a bad kick
prevented Dallas from starting the second half in a deeper hole.
Dallas would begin the second half where they left off, under more
third down pressure but with an easy enough opportunity to blow an
achievable first down measure. Zeke went over the middle from the
slot and (with Jarwin causing just enough defensive hesitation in
the opposite direction) Dak "merely" had to hit a slow-jogging
Elliot in stride. Prescott threw well behind the required spot,
almost causing another would-be interception, and displaying more
untimely accuracy regression.
After that, the Rams would continue to either steamroll Marinelli's
Men with their running game or occasionally catch them in crooked
coverages to make their (normally reliable) zone look completely
blown. Byron "Pro Bowler (In Name Only?)" Jones spent several plays
in such a situation, further frustrating Cowboys Nation. Even when
the Rams would fumble (but once on the night of this playoff fight),
the football failed to take a fortuitous tumble.
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- Down 23-7 and seemingly unable to “go to 11,” Nigel Tufnel and
Spinal Tap, err, Dak and Co. would string together a series of
Gallup + YAC at the sticks including a fourth and one pitch to Zeke
for a suddenly not-so-hard five yards. The Cowboys would absorb a
10-yard holding penalty that made their next play first and 20 but
(as the pocket would begin to break down) Dak escaped to his left to
make a big play (that would mimic his week 16 freewheeling way),
connecting with Gallup IN STRIDE on a 44-yard catch for
near-touchdown money. Gallup adjusted his route, caught the Rams'
secondary (suddenly) out of position, and almost singlehandedly
cauterized the Cowboys' scoring attrition. Zeke finish the job on
second and goal. Dallas would go for two to make it an eight-point
game, and Dak hit Amari Cooper to keep potential victory barely in
frame.
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- The well-earned score seemed to energize Marinelli's Men to play
well enough to quickly get Linehan's Clan the ball again. Dak (with
just under 2:30 remaining in the third quarter) would connect once
more with Gallup for 14 yards. Dak would chase that first down throw
with another to Cole Beasley (unbelievably his first of the night
during their all-important postseason fight). Even Noah Brown got in
on the receiving act, coming up just one yard short of keeping Dak
and Co. untracked. Garrett (to begin the fourth quarter) would elect
to go for it, but the Rams front just managed to prevent a spinning
Zeke from collecting it.
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- Whatever magic Marinelli's Men used for that single third quarter
series to stop themselves from being further castrated had sadly
evaporated. The Rams (with under 7:30 remaining the game) refused to
capitulate and down the field for another time-consuming touchdown,
they would instead matriculate.
Dak and Co. (with just over 7:15 remaining) would do their desperate
scoring best to resume rather than succumb to their playoff doom.
Dak would find Gallup for a quick 24-yard strike, and then a quieted
Cooper for an eight-yard curl. Dak would convert a fourth and one,
though his narrowly-successful keep-and-slide would nearly cause
on-edge fans to hurl. From the shotgun, Dak would find Zeke on
second and one. After a broken-up pass on third and three, the
Cowboys were nearly done. Dak (with 2:53 remaining in the game on
fourth and three) would barely receive the snap in time to avoid a
delay of game penalty. Just when Dak's pass protection began to
cave, he scrambled to the right and aimed for his fave, with the
football landing at Amari Cooper's feet. Linehan's Clan was about to
make a sullen sideline retreat when a flag was thrown. The Rams’ Aqib Talib had pushed Cooper out of the back of the end zone,
preventing Amari from even leaping for the touchdown bone. Prescott
would quickly motor it in from the Rams' one to make the score 30-22
and keep alive the Cowboys' late game run.
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- The Rams were on their own 28 at third and seven with two minutes
remaining, and Marinelli's Men were hoping to make the thus-far
unfazed Goff fortuitously cough. Dallas was so rope-a-doped from the
Rams' all-night play-action that they left a gaping hole on the
right, where the typically statuesque Goff ran for first down
satisfaction. C.J. Anderson would add another first down to
effectively ended their divisional round fight.
While the triumphant Rams were happily disguised in lambs clothing
(rather than simply playing dead for the team that beat the teams
that proved LA could, indeed, be bled), the premature start to the
Cowboys’ offseason can be traced directly-yet-unequally to a
formidable defense (statistically near the top) that suddenly,
unforgivably (?) could not provide a stop AND offensive flexibility
that Dallas’ brain trust apparently continues loathing.
(Not So) Short Shots And Hot Spots
While it is historically commonplace in competitive sports (from
multi-layered playoffs to winner-take-all end games) to “stick with
what got you here,” it is that rare coach or star player who
suddenly and significantly changes the direction in which they have
been largely known to steer.
Rams’ wunderkind head coach Sean McVay bravely made such an
alteration (with more creativity than “normal” for Cowboys Nation)
in ditching many of LA’s offensive traditions, against a Dallas
defense so confident, so seemingly business-as-usual that they
allowed themselves zero suspicions.
After asking Jared Goff to operate out of the shotgun the least of
any NFL team prior to the playoffs, the cleverly-coached Rams were
inexplicably firing their shotgun early and often at the Cowboys for
buckshot payoffs. When any of the Cowboys’ lithe-and-loaded
linebackers – particularly LVE – dropped back to play receiver
trackers, the Rams dropped their sheep’s gun to regularly,
repeatedly, and reliably run for ever-increasing yardage, resulting in plenty of Cowboys carnage. Such a mammoth return on
rushing made (normally) manageable defensive leaks look like they
were practically gushing.
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- Once nose tackle Antwaun Woods tore his labrum during second
quarter, the ability of Marinelli's Men to substantially stop the
run got further and further out of order. The Rams' offensive line
was able to regularly redirect Antoine Woods, Maliek Collins, and
Tyrone Crawford on running plays (through double-teams or straight
up hat-on-hat) that were carefully dialed, allowing both Todd Gurley
and (the man who ate) C.J. Anderson to run wild. And Dallas’
defensive ends? Practically dead ends. L.A. would run away from Tank
Lawrence all night, and Randy Gregory was repeatedly steered away
from the ground game fight.
Marinelli’s Men must have thought they were trapped in an ED
television commercial stuck on a three-hour loop (for a brand so bad
that even the mightiest erect, err, execution only managed to
droop).
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- Rams guard Austin Blythe and center John Sullivan were only too
eager to share how they were able to bludgeon Dallas much more than
every now and then. “They have good players, but we just felt
scheme-wise we were able to . . . we had a lot of tips and tells on
what they were going to do in front of us,” said Sullivan. He and
Blythe went onto describe how there were practically no plays by
Marinelli’s Men that they were unable to quickly diagnose again and
again.
“Usually, they like to play a 3-technique but if [Maliek Collins] got
a little wider, and looked like he was going to play [either]
tackle, he was going to slant out and we were going to get another
movement from the other side too. If [Antwaun Woods or Tyrone
Crawford, in turn] is going to come in, the tell is going to come in
from the [opposite] side,” said Blythe. And with each second that
Linehan’s Clan was not on the field attempting to increase their own
yield, they could only stand by and watch (the purposely-plain)
Marinelli’s Men wilt and writhe. The Rams piled up a season-high 273
yards rushing against a barely-blitzing defensive
front-turned-physical-runt that was no longer successfully stunting
or upfield mushing. It was the largest rushing total allowed by
Dallas in seven years, and it reinforced the most repeatedly-stated
of Linehan-era fears: the timely inability of the Dallas offense to
shift gears.
While so many within NFL circles, sports media, and the greater
football fandom were lauding the current capabilities and untapped
possibilities of the latest model of Marinelli’s Men, such
performances (especially in the face of sudden attrition at the
defensive tackle position) do not consistently last 16+ consecutive
games, and those collective groups received a lil’ Los Angeles
reminder that Linehan’s Clan was and remains ill-equipped to return
the favor any more than every now and then.
“The Tortured Cowboys Fan” has been practically pleading for a more
open-minded offensive scheme since 2007 to account for those
(tragic) moments when Tony Romo was magically unable (or physically
unavailable) to pull productive plays from his posterior, err,
heaven. Ever since Jerry Jones brought Jason “Red Ball” Garrett back
to Big D as his hand-picked offensive coordinator under then-head
coach Wade Phillips, it has been with intermittent exception
(powered by particularly pathetic personnel) that discerning fans
have witnessed Garrett’s familiar brand of offense showcase any
serious hiccups.
Former Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Norv Turner (after whom
Garrett understandably is a play-call-parrot) is fond of remaining
true to the original “Air Coryell” offensive system by using numbers
rather than the word jumble schemes of most NFL teams.
“It was based on knowing you’re going to have constant change,”
Turner once told 1500 AM ESPN Radio (during his 2014-2016 time as
offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings’ team) regarding his
mentor’s preference of a play-by-number scheme. “They wanted a
system that was easy to learn in terms of initially learning it and
easy to teach,” and now-outdated approach both Turner and Garrett
continue to preach.
Being able to evolve past the ease of learning (which unfortunately
includes opponents) is a (but not THE) missing ingredient, that
helps a team regularly introduce corrections, unforced improvements,
and (if nothing else) greater variation, rather than remain (to that
system) carelessly, defiantly, and even mindlessly obedient.
Turner went on to describe what many fans still glowingly recall: a
system with reasonable pass protection for deep drop-backs, a power
running game, and – GASP – vertical passing (none of which realize
success if you hesitate or stall). Deep passes in Norv’s system were
then and are now all about “(targeting and) being in the right place
at the right time.” Anything less was-and-is unmercifully exposed as
a poor-focus crime. Quarterbacks in such a simplified scheme need to
make quick decisions WITH anticipation (not one in favor of the
other) or watch their teams potentially suffer game-changing
stagnation.
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- Turner concluded with a simple-enough rule that could only go
sideways if undertaken by a play-calling fool (or a dynamic designer
inconceivably handcuffed by a limited personnel pool). “So, I think
what you do is find out what players do best and take the parts of
that system that fit them and emphasize those the longer you’re
together.”
“Then why, oh WHY did “Air Cowboy” work so incredibly well in the
early-to-mid 90’s and during much of “That Announcer Guy’s” career?!
How is it that – since (and save for) 2016 – Linehan’s Clan (with
capable talent to-a-man) has only been intermittently up to the
task?!” perplexed fans routinely ask. Banging on Linehan’s apparent
inability to pump his mental pecs through (anything more than mild)
scheme flex is extremely low-hanging fruit and understood by
“everyone” to be moot (unless and until GM Jerry decides to give an
encrusted system and / or Linehan the change-of-scenery boot).
The near-perfection of the Dallas Cowboys’ back-to-back NFL
Championship teams of the 1990’s (and what might have been
four-in-a-row if not for a few untimely throws) was all about
(often) superior personnel that could transcend almost any potential
playbook hell. Norv Turner – of course, as an offensive coordinator
– was one of the best as far as anyone could tell, but he benefited
from players mentally and physically prepared to give his
play-calling a timely, raw-talent spell. Troy Aikman was as accurate
as any (eventual) Hall of Fame quarterback in the game, but even he
has unabashedly confessed that at 10 offensive positions a team
could have an absolute stud, yet that does not guarantee the QB’s
ability to execute a potent production spree if he is a
timing-and-accuracy dud. And that valid concern is altogether
separate from the Cowboys’ current hustle-heavy, design-lite
offensive system seemingly stuck in the mud.
Aikman would venture (with gentle prodding from his
beyond-reproach former head coach) just “a bit” further following
the Cowboys’ late regular season road game in Indianapolis, while wondering if Dallas’ “gimme” home game against Tampa Bay might
result in a second consecutive swing-and-miss.
"As much as I like Prescott, you know, at times he is inconsistent
as far as his accuracy. I want to ask Troy this. Troy – is accuracy,
is it something that you can, you know, get better with repetition
or is it just something you have it or you don't, 'cause I know you
were one of the most accurate passers around and he (gesturing
towards his FOX Sports colleagues) didn't have the check-downs,
Terry (Bradshaw), that a lot of these quarterbacks have. Can you
improve accuracy?" – Jimmy Johnson.
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- "Well, Jimmy. I believe you either have it or you don't. I do
believe that you can do some things within your footwork in order to
improve your accuracy, but we see a lot of guys – Aaron Rodgers,
Brett Favre over the years – you know, guys who are off-balance and
are still able to put the ball where they want to. I think, as it
relates to Dak Prescott in addition, he's always gonna' have some
issues relatively speaking with accuracy, but the biggest thing that
I see with him right now is there's not a lot of anticipation in
terms of getting the ball out, and if you get the ball out sooner,
then you can be a little bit more inaccurate with some of those
throws, because the ball's going to be on the receivers a little bit
sooner, and they can make those adjustments." – Troy Aikman.
While (nearly all of) Cowboys Nation might like to see Scott Linehan
be given a permanent vacation, a second, undeniable fact
remains. If critical system tweaks, a complete playbook overhaul,
and / or the removal of Linehan (if GM Jerry has the gall) serve to
significantly improve Dak’s general production but still fail to
raise his accuracy station, then there might very well be falsehood
stains all over those gains.
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- “Everyone knows” that prior to the arrival of the shifty,
refined route-running of Amari Cooper, Dallas was desperate for a
super-separating, pass-catching trooper. Yet the Cowboys still had Cole
“On A Dime Every Time” Beasley and Michael “Horse Power” Gallup,
along with a
set of (inconsistent, underutilized, or inconsistently utilized)
tight ends in Geoff “Perpetually-Injured” Swaim, Blake “Journeyman”
Jarwin, Dalton “Shrink Wrapped” Schultz, and Rico “Forever Raw”
Gathers (some with whom Prescott – within a blatantly ordinary
offense – could not develop a consistent passing game lather).
While Linehan and Moore have earned a sizable part of that blame (in
being unable to do just a bit more with less because of their
predictable scheme mess), perhaps Dak’s (temporary?) limitations on
recognition, anticipation, and precision have earned him some of the
same (for a number of moments when there has been sufficient
protection and targets with reasonable separation).
Accuracy may never become ideal for Dak, but Dakuracy must become a
nut he can reasonably crack towards timelier, more pinpoint passes
he can steadily and increasingly stack.
Will They Or Won’t They?
There are – as always – lessons to be learned from coming up short, in the win-or-go-home postseason of almost any sport. While
there are ideas to be collected from mistakes-to-be-corrected, some
organizations (from empowered individuals to entire teams) view
change (from surgically small to large and wall-to-wall) as
something strange and roundly rejected.
Without the magical ability (and serious bravery) to secretly occupy
theater seating within GM Jerry’s mind, Cowboys Nation can only sit
back and hope he will finally, mercifully engage in change of the
meaningful kind. He can giveth, and he can taketh away, from at
least Scott Linehan (and perhaps golden boy Garrett, as well) for
his repeated inability to achieve more with "the roster THEY wanted"
for which Owner Jerry has been willing to pay.
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- It is – after all – the coaches who present and teach the scheme
they believe (and for years now have insisted) is best for each and
every player they have thus-far enlisted. While there will always be
a handful of players who truly eat, drink, and dream about football
(from pursuing intense tape study to being a punishing practice
buddy), the vast majority of the 53-man roster will need more
attention for the long haul. Dallas – like all other NFL teams –
must engage in the annual offseason chore of dissecting their
preferred coaching, scheme, and personnel themes. Which of these
categories will successfully weather such deconstruction and which
ones will suffer (some or significant) combustion?
Will GM Jerry stay the course or (from one or more of those key
components) file for divorce?
Will any such decisions – following such (blunt or surgical?)
incisions – have a substantial impact on the Cowboys’ draft day
tract, and will they be able to handle their free agency
challenges with tact?
Will deficient answers to these questions reinforce concerns over
long-perceived organizational infections, or will this
offseason help Dallas build on their 2018 successes with some
function-freshening inventions?
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- We shall see. We always do.
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