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Cowboys already feeling a draft?
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of their first three-game losing streak of the Jason Garrett era and wondering when they will break out of it.
I’m wondering that as well, but also some other things for this week’s edition of Five Wonders.
It’s way too early to think about the draft, right? Well, that’s what happens when a team loses three in a row and might not be able to stay in the race before Tony Romo returns. I don’t wonder if the Cowboys will draft a quarterback. My stance is known: when Romo is done, then that’s when I draft a quarterback. But I do wonder if they will look heavily at running back and wide receiver after what has happened this season. They didn’t feel the running back spot fell the right way for them last spring and didn’t take one despite it being considered a strong class for backs. Receiver Terrance Williams will be in the final year of his contract in 2016. The Cowboys haven’t gotten anything from Devin Street. I’m not sure they can count on Brice Butler. I wondered this back in the summer about the Cowboys needing protection if something happened to Dez Bryant or Williams because of injuries. So far they don’t have an answer. They need an answer next spring at both positions.
You can complain about the number of pick plays the New England Patriots ran against the Cowboys all you want, but they were willing to do it, knowing the officials would not throw the flag all the time. That’s the tradeoff. But I wonder if the Cowboys need to address how they handle pick plays, rub routes, bunch formations. They have played a lot of man coverage, going to the strengths of their cornerbacks, but playing zone eliminates the pick-play issues. If they stick with man coverage, then they have to do a better job of passing off the receivers from defensive back to defensive back. The way it is going now, they don’t have an answer for those plays. By the way, why don’t the Cowboys scheme some of those plays to get their receivers open?
I wonder if the Cowboys go with eight offensive linemen on the gameday roster if they’re not going to make a change at left guard with La'el Collins for Ronald Leary. Collins has been inactive the past two weeks after starting against the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys don’t see the need for an eighth linemen when they need to spread snaps around to other spots. Mackenzy Bernadeau is the backup interior lineman because he can play center. Collins can’t, and Zack Martin would be the backup center if they de-activate Bernadeau. By going with seven, however, do they have their best players on the roster? And for a wonder inside a wonder, I wonder when the league just allows teams to dress all 53 players for games. But that’s another story for another time.
I wonder if it’s Christine Michael time. I actually thought Joseph Randle ran hard and fairly well against the Patriots. I’m just not seeing much from Darren McFadden. Michael has two carries the past two weeks in third-and-1 situations. It’s time to expand his playing time. It’s a little like the quarterback situation. I don’t know that Matt Cassel will be better than Brandon Weeden, but it just feels like a time for a change. The same goes at running back. I’d give Michael more looks as a runner than McFadden.
I wonder if the Cowboys’ inability to create a turnover will end Oct. 25 against the New York Giants. They haven’t taken the ball away since their Week 2 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, but they have played Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Those quarterbacks don’t give defenses many chances. Eli Manning doesn’t give many chances, either, these last few years, but he has thrown two interceptions in his past two games. He has thrown more interceptions against the Cowboys (23) than any other team. So that’s a positive, right?
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of their first three-game losing streak of the Jason Garrett era and wondering when they will break out of it.
I’m wondering that as well, but also some other things for this week’s edition of Five Wonders.
It’s way too early to think about the draft, right? Well, that’s what happens when a team loses three in a row and might not be able to stay in the race before Tony Romo returns. I don’t wonder if the Cowboys will draft a quarterback. My stance is known: when Romo is done, then that’s when I draft a quarterback. But I do wonder if they will look heavily at running back and wide receiver after what has happened this season. They didn’t feel the running back spot fell the right way for them last spring and didn’t take one despite it being considered a strong class for backs. Receiver Terrance Williams will be in the final year of his contract in 2016. The Cowboys haven’t gotten anything from Devin Street. I’m not sure they can count on Brice Butler. I wondered this back in the summer about the Cowboys needing protection if something happened to Dez Bryant or Williams because of injuries. So far they don’t have an answer. They need an answer next spring at both positions.
You can complain about the number of pick plays the New England Patriots ran against the Cowboys all you want, but they were willing to do it, knowing the officials would not throw the flag all the time. That’s the tradeoff. But I wonder if the Cowboys need to address how they handle pick plays, rub routes, bunch formations. They have played a lot of man coverage, going to the strengths of their cornerbacks, but playing zone eliminates the pick-play issues. If they stick with man coverage, then they have to do a better job of passing off the receivers from defensive back to defensive back. The way it is going now, they don’t have an answer for those plays. By the way, why don’t the Cowboys scheme some of those plays to get their receivers open?
I wonder if the Cowboys go with eight offensive linemen on the gameday roster if they’re not going to make a change at left guard with La'el Collins for Ronald Leary. Collins has been inactive the past two weeks after starting against the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys don’t see the need for an eighth linemen when they need to spread snaps around to other spots. Mackenzy Bernadeau is the backup interior lineman because he can play center. Collins can’t, and Zack Martin would be the backup center if they de-activate Bernadeau. By going with seven, however, do they have their best players on the roster? And for a wonder inside a wonder, I wonder when the league just allows teams to dress all 53 players for games. But that’s another story for another time.
I wonder if it’s Christine Michael time. I actually thought Joseph Randle ran hard and fairly well against the Patriots. I’m just not seeing much from Darren McFadden. Michael has two carries the past two weeks in third-and-1 situations. It’s time to expand his playing time. It’s a little like the quarterback situation. I don’t know that Matt Cassel will be better than Brandon Weeden, but it just feels like a time for a change. The same goes at running back. I’d give Michael more looks as a runner than McFadden.
I wonder if the Cowboys’ inability to create a turnover will end Oct. 25 against the New York Giants. They haven’t taken the ball away since their Week 2 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, but they have played Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Those quarterbacks don’t give defenses many chances. Eli Manning doesn’t give many chances, either, these last few years, but he has thrown two interceptions in his past two games. He has thrown more interceptions against the Cowboys (23) than any other team. So that’s a positive, right?
