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- 2019-2020 Regular Season: Following Failure Not So Striking Against The
Vikings, Dallas Aims To Be More Adroit Against Detroit
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November 17,
2019 At 9:24 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
- “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” is
human – contrary to popular belief – and it has taken a bit longer
than usual for inspiration to take hold (on a sorry subject so old)
following last Sunday’s mistake-powered grief.
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- “America’s Team” resumed their 2019 inconsistent theme against an
undermanned Minnesota crew led by a quarterback whose up-and-down
tendencies Dallas thoroughly knew. The Cowboys recovered from yet
another early-game hole only to allow their minds a
self-destructive, last-minute stroll. They lost 28-24 and left
“everyone” wondering how they failed to achieve the game-winning
score.
The Blame Game
There are merely 16 opportunities – at most – per year for each NFL
team to get themselves past the entrance to the postseason
tournament dance. Those chances are further limited to six teams per
conference (with four division winners and two wildcard entrants).
Teams that are best-prepared also more routinely demonstrate a
decrease in slip-up tolerance.
Is it any wonder why – on a day that Dak Prescott threw for three
more touchdowns and nearly 400 yards along with a "toe-tapping"
Amari Cooper performance and the re-emergence of Randall Cobb . . .
yet weighed down by a running game momentarily (?) not up to the job
– that everyone's focus is on the Cowboys' head coach and rookie
play-call guy?-
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- Jason Garrett – the Cowboys’ head coach for nearly 10 seasons – has
unswervingly maintained that his team stick to a “process” for
simple, stable, successful, Saban-esque reasons. Yet – no matter how
much Dallas doth allegedly prepare and how much they claim to be
situationally aware – Garrett and his offensive coordinator continue to put
(primarily point-scoring) players in position to have to execute
with perfection as if on a dastardly dare.
“Fit the system to the players. Not the players to the system.” –
Bill “The Big Tuna” Parcells. THIS “sports bible” verse remains
perfectly terse. Discerning fans might expect – check that, insist –
this forward-thinking phrase be something that any good coach first
tells . . . then yells, Yells, and YELLS.
This is clearly not so, and it is fact that – upon surveying the
coaching quality around the rest of the league – Garrett is not the
only head coach who appears to be slow or suffering from untimely
mental fatigue. Yet, nearly 10 years in, Red Ball’s steady process
becomes more and more an inflexible sin.
YES, there were a “nice” mix of play-execution and ever-popular
officiating mistakes.
YES, the maddeningly inconsistent Brett Maher shanked another field
goal, making “Cowboys Nation” look longingly at the other sideline
where a since-healed Dan Bailey might still (for Dallas) be ‘makin
‘em daily, if GM Jerry had allowed him the time (last offseason) to
become physically whole.
YES, there was Jason Witten’s first-quarter drop that caused a
drive-killing stop.
YES, there was the Vikings’ deep overthrow that landed at Xavier
Woods’ feet (where a more aggressive, intercepting dive – at worst –
would have reinforced his aggressive willingness to compete).
YES, there was the third quarter, 2-point conversion the Vikings
would hatch (where Chidobe Awuzie – GASP – would defy the Kris
Richards’ rule to never be a glance-at-the-QB fool, allowing Kyle
Rudolph to easily get past him for a barely-contested catch).
YES, Vikings safety Harrison Smith (twice on the same fourth quarter
drive) should have been called for holding (especially in the end
zone against Jason Witten, where the ref deserved considerable
scolding).
YES, there was the mind-numbing play where “quality control”
coaching eyes were deficiently peeled when there were only 10 Dallas
defenders on the field.
YES, there was the second-to-last drive for Dak and Co. to keep a
Cowboys' victory alive, where – with a high-flying Dallas offense
having quickly reached the Minnesota 11 – Kellen (Moore) got cute
and with two-consecutive (poorly-blocked) run plays, the Cowboys'
momentum he would ultimately pollute. Then, when it came time for
Dak to convert, an undercut pass to the least open of his available
options would end his potent passing spurt.
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YES, "Marinelli's Men" would finally awaken (after a
miserably over-pursued tackling, further exposed by many a screen so
mean) to force the Vikings to punt the pigskin,
err, football bacon.
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YES, Tavon Austin – after excuse-based attrition seemingly forced a
head-coaching admission – was told (without hesitation) to fair
catch that punt (instead of trying Pac-Man hard to gobble up what
appeared to be significant sideline yards), which temporarily (?)
made him look like a mental runt to Cowboys Nation.
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YES, Dak almost got picked off on a slow, opposite-sideline pass to
Blake Jarwin that would have made a certain Vikings’ corner into a
game-ending, pick-six darlin’.
YES, a last-second Hail Mary by Prescott went predictably
intercepted and all for not.
YES, without more (yes, even more from Moore) offensive play call
flexibility that allows for added play execution elasticity, them’s
the breaks.
The ever-present blame game is almost always the same . . . unless a
particularly comfortable, honorable coach or player – associated
with one or more a critical mistake – decides to own it by name
(rather than relying on familiar clichés so typically fake).
Aside from the accepted norm of how well-coached opponents often
can-and-will outperform . . . "You're either coaching it or allowing
it to happen." – Mike Leach. Preach. Preach. Preach.
Will They Or Won’t They?
America’s Team heads to Ford Field – like gladiators into Rome’s
Coliseum – with the singular goal of making the Detroit Lions yield.
While Lions’ star quarterback Matthew Stafford has been lost for yet
another game to an oh-so-familiar transverse process injury so
incredibly lame . . . would the Dallas Cowboys dare to think they
can simply ride in and just lasso a victory in the Lions’ den?
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While all NFL teams (more and more, especially this time of year)
are playing through injury (and putting off season-crippling
surgery), which of THESE teams will make the necessary (GASP)
adjustments to allow more of their available talent to confidently
perform and demonstrate less stupidity?
Will the Lions (inconceivably with their second-string QB) send
Dallas home cryin’, or will the Cowboys be more adroit in Detroit?
We shall see. We always do.
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