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By Jon Machota
Sep 17, 2022
26
Mike McCarthy knows the Cowboys can’t have another offensive performance like they did in Sunday night’s 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas was the only NFL team not to score a touchdown in Week 1. It had no trips into the red zone, too many offensive penalties (eight) and only three plays of 15 or more yards.
McCarthy planned to spend some extra time on Friday going over this Sunday’s play-call sheet with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
“The most important thing is to not overreact,” the Cowboys’ head coach said. “I just want (Moore) to feel that from me. I got to do a better job; we all got to do a better job. We understand that after Week 1. He’s in Year 3 now, so I’ve seen him grow in all areas that I feel are important to being a coordinator. I have great confidence in him this Sunday.”
Even if the Cowboys had been successful in the season opener, adjustments to the game plan would have been needed now that franchise quarterback Dak Prescott (thumb) is out for at least a month. Backup QB Cooper Rush will be making only his second career start Sunday afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In previous years, the Dallas offense has been among the NFL’s best — Prescott playing behind one of the league’s top offensive lines and having multiple standout options on the perimeter. On Sunday, however, Rush will be playing behind a much more inexperienced offensive line and throwing to an unproven receiving corps with a lot less star power.
“We just got to trust what we’ve built on our menu,” McCarthy said. “We have to adjust when we have changes in the lineup. We’re definitely working through that. I want to make sure we’re helping, but maybe not being as conservative as you’d like to be.
“To be honest, in Kellen’s time as a coordinator, he’s been able to play very, very aggressively. But we’re in a phase right now where we got to be a little smarter in certain situations. That’s all part of growing as a play caller.”
Cooper Rush’s time
Rush said this week that his emotions are similar to last year before his first career start, a 20-16 win in Minnesota on Sunday Night Football. Rush was 24-of-40 passing for 325 yards, one interception and two touchdowns in that game, including the game-winner to Amari Cooper with 51 seconds left.
“Every time you get this opportunity, you just want to make the most of it,” Rush said. “When (we’re) out there on the field, I do feel in command and in charge. I think those guys, it goes back to knowing your stuff — they know that I know it. And when you know your stuff, you can go out there and lead and command and guys will respect it.”
During that 2021 win over the Vikings, Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb caught six of his eight targets for 112 yards. The Pro Bowler hasn’t had a 100-yard game since. Last Sunday, he caught only two of his 11 targets for 29 yards.
“He’s an elite receiver,” Rush said of Lamb. “We’ve all seen the tape of what he does out there. I got to try to find him and he’ll go make plays, just give him a shot. Trust him. We’ve had a good week together, so I’m looking forward to that.”
More on Lamb
Lamb was frustrated by his lack of production in his first game as the Cowboys’ No. 1 wide receiver. Defensive attention had been spread around between him, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup the last two years. But with Cooper in Cleveland and Gallup still working his way back from a knee injury, most of that attention in the Cowboys’ opener was focused heavily on Lamb.
The Buccaneers did a good job of playing underneath Lamb, while still having some help over the top. The Bengals don’t play the exact same defensive style, but Lamb should again expect significant attention. He also can’t afford to have any drops when given opportunities, but the other wide receivers — like Noah Brown, Dennis Houston and Simi Fehoko — will have to make the Bengals pay. Brown did the best job of this last week, leading the Cowboys with five catches for 68 yards.
“You got to play through being covered,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan while talking about Lamb. “You got to catch balls covered. You say, ‘Well, that’s a trite thing to say,’ but you can’t — just because they doubled you up — not make some plays.”
Ja’Marr Chase caught 10 passes for 129 yards and a TD in Cincinnati’s Week 1 loss. (Sam Greene / USA Today)
Ja’Marr Chase vs. Trevon Diggs
This should be one of the best matchups of the day. When asked about Chase on Friday, Diggs simply responded, “He’s a very good player,” followed by dead silence.
“He’s an athlete,” Chase told reporters. “He’s got great ball skills in the air. He’s super fast. He’s not too much technique-sound — he’s a little hit or miss. He’s all the way on or he’s not on at all. But he’s definitely a great athlete.”
The two played against each other once in college. Chase had six catches for 140 yards and a touchdown in LSU’s 46-41 win over Alabama in 2019. Diggs finished that game with 10 tackles.
Injury updates
• Five players have been ruled out for Sunday’s game: Prescott (thumb), Gallup (knee), S Jayron Kearse (knee), LG Connor McGovern (ankle) and DE Tarell Basham (thigh).
• With Kearse out, look for second-year safety Israel Mukuamu to play a role after being inactive last week. Either safety Malik Hooker or LB Leighton Vander Esch will be wearing the green dot, meaning they have the radio in their helmet and will be calling the defensive plays. Kearse normally handles that job.
• Second-year offensive lineman Matt Farniok is expected to start at left guard, in place of McGovern. The other four offensive line starters will be rookie Tyler Smith at left tackle, Tyler Biadasz at center, Zack Martin at right guard and Terence Steele at right tackle.
• Thursday was Gallup’s first practice in full pads since his injury last season. “I think we’re in the final stages,” McCarthy said of Gallup’s recovery. “He had good soreness (Friday). It will be great to get him out there for a full week next week. He looks great.”
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan that Gallup is “right on target” and has a chance to play next week against the New York Giants. If Gallup doesn’t return then, he’s expected to play in Week 4.
• Prescott was at practice on Thursday, wearing what appeared to be a protective brace over his surgically-repaired right thumb.
The latest on Jason Peters
The veteran offensive tackle won’t play Sunday, but he has a chance to play in Week 3. Peters has been working on the left side of the offensive line, but he has the ability to play either tackle positions.
“First, we got to get Jason where he’s ready to play any of the positions,” Jerry Jones said on The Fan. “He’s not there yet, but he’s getting there fast. Then there is no doubt that he has the ability to (play) swing (tackle). That will give us some options.”
Jalen Tolbert’s status
Many were surprised (including Jalen Tolbert himself) when he was one of the team’s inactives last Sunday. It doesn’t sound like that’s going to change this week. The third-round pick has made strides, but he’s still got a little ways to go.
“He’s a young player that, frankly, a lot has been asked of him,” McCarthy said “We were all so, so impressed when he arrived. And the hamstring injury really played a factor in this, because having him play all the positions — treating him, frankly, how we treated CeeDee when CeeDee arrived and not really having the opportunities early on special teams — he’s a step behind the other guys. That’s really all it is. I just think it’s kind of where Jalen is, and I think you have to recognize Dennis (Houston) and Simi (Fehoko) for what they’ve done.
“But yeah, he’s full go. Just really, I want to say: The last two weeks, he’s been crushing it in practice, so I look for him to push for future opportunities.”
Zack Martin on holding calls
Since Martin has only five holding penalties in his nine-year career, the All-Pro guard seems like a good person to break down the call that went against Steele in Week 1. Martin said the way those plays are officiated hasn’t changed much since his rookie season in 2014.
“I really think it’s just a feeling thing,” he said. “You can kind of feel the defender and how he’s moving. If he puts the brakes on, the ball’s probably coming behind you. It’s either, ‘Hey, work back into him,’ or if you think you’re going to get tossed off, I mean, sometimes you’ve got to let go. A three-yard run is better than a negative-10 play. I think it’s just getting those reps and feeling the defenders and kind of playing off how they’re playing.
“Any time the ball passes you and your man reaches for it and you don’t let him reach for it, they’re going to call that,” Martin continued. “If the ball was on the other side of the field, they probably wouldn’t have called that a hold — that’s what I’m talking about, the feel. … That’s still something we’re working on and getting better at. I think it comes with time. A lot of these guys are young guys. They want to make every single block and make sure they’re doing their job, which is awesome. We want that. But there’s also a time to be smart and understand what’s going on.
“There’s only so many officials. Their eyes are going to the ball. If the ball’s coming behind you or right next to you, you’d better believe that there are going to be several sets of eyes on your block.”
The Cowboys were called for four false starts on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, too. Martin called those “unacceptable.”
“The pre-snap stuff should never happen,” he added. “That’s something we definitely have got to clean up.”
La’el Collins faces his old club
The former Cowboys right tackle pointed to coaching, when he was asked this week about signing with the Cincinnati Bengals after Dallas released him in March. Collins mentioned wanting to reunite with former Cowboys offensive line coach Frank Pollack, Collins’ O-line coach during his first three NFL seasons.
“To be coached by a great offensive line coach, who also played the position, that was big for me,” Collins said. “I got to the point in my career where I felt like I wasn’t getting the things I needed. Coming here, that was definitely the reason why.
“At this stage in my career, any player wants to be coached and wants to be coached hard and wants that feedback. I think Frank does a great job of that. Obviously, playing the position, it’s all about the Johnnys-and-Joes, not the Xs-and-Os. It’s just one of those things.”
Micah Parsons’ workload
Parsons — who likely will have some reps against Collins on Sunday — played every defensive snap last Sunday, something that he hopes can continue all season.
“I can keep that up,” Parsons said. “I put so much work in this offseason. I gotta make sure I’m able to play every defensive snap. I told coach (that) I don’t want to come off. Obviously, I’m sore, but that comes with the game. I just love what I do.”
Parsons was scheduled to do a weekly interview every Tuesday this season on FS1’s debate show “Undisputed,” but he did not appear on the show this week.
“My starting quarterback went down and we lost. I just didn’t think it was appropriate for me to be on the show at that point,” he said. “I need to step up and be a leader. It shouldn’t be on TV, it should be in this locker room. This is where my focus should be right now.”
Parsons did not rule out appearing on the show in the future.
Frustrated fans
That was a popular topic Friday on The Fan, when Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones conducted their weekly interviews. Cowboys fans are understandably angry with the lack of offseason roster upgrades and the poor showing in the season opener.
“We’re one game into the season,” Stephen Jones said. “What comes to my mind is (Aaron) Rodgers a couple years ago when he said ‘Relax.’ It’s a long season. I certainly understand, and I’m not dismissing the frustration. I’m certainly not dismissing the disappointment we had in our first game, how we executed. We have to be better if we want to be the type of football team we know we can be.”
Jerry Jones said he’d also be mad if he was a fan of the team. To those who want him to sell the team: “Those same fans know I will never sell this team.”