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Sturm: Morning After Week 3: More Of The Same
When the Cowboys Needed a Response, There Was None To Be Found Again.
Bob Sturm
Sep 23, 2024
We spend about eight months between seasons every year wondering about moves that are made and moves that are not. We speculate, ponder, and attempt to project what it really means on the field. We study and formulate what they must be thinking, and then we conclude and surmise before they tape the ankles and get back to work.
You know, they tell us, seasons are not won in the offseason. They are won on the field, and we like our team very much, they would say.
Yet, the Cowboys are stuck right now in a rut that they apparently cannot get out of. Their best players all look like they are definitely not enjoying their current situations as they continue to be at the heart of what is going wrong. Instead of lifting the Cowboys out of the muck, many of their very best players — especially yesterday, as the Baltimore Ravens crushed them with very little effort — appear to be underperforming, perhaps because the internal pressure to fix things is more than they can handle.
When you look at the game yesterday – particularly the one that was effectively over after Derrick Henry bounded in from 26 yards out for yet another touchdown to make it 28-6 very early in the 3rd quarter – you are struck at how many of the best and highly compensated players are all looking like they are in a prolonged slump. They have proven over large samples that they are top players, yet, right now, when the team needs them most, they cannot lift their squad out of the mire. They have taken a collective downturn all at a time when they were being used as the cornerstones of the entire build.
Surely, it cannot last. Surely, after the Saints debacle, those men would draw a line in the sand and say it is too far from what they will accept and allow.
Instead, what we saw yesterday was that your best players were some of your worst. And I am sorry, but that is not how this league is set up to work. If we are going to hand the money to these guys — either already have or soon will — we need to demand their very best when the team needs them the most.
Of course, that might be how we got to these 10,000 days in the wilderness to begin with, by not building a roster that can support those we demand so much of as the Tony Romo era reminds us, but allow me to digress. For better or for worse, these are the men who the hopes are pinned to. Either, this thing performs on the backs of your Prescotts, Lambs, Parsons, Diggs, and Smiths or the ship sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
And right now, it is sinking. In fact, we wonder if it is already sunk.
I spent all week gearing up for the best response that they could muster. We knew playing a desperate and quality Baltimore team would be quite a challenge, but I just knew that the Cowboys' leadership would have the wagons circled to make sure they didn’t suffer a third straight total humiliation at home.
I knew it. And now, I learn again how little I actually must know about these guys. Because not only did they allow a third straight humiliation, but the best players all looked like the worst versions of themselves.
Dak Prescott couldn’t put his throws close to where he wanted them way too often. CeeDee Lamb couldn’t catch the ball or hold on to it and seemed to be dealing with emotions that might not be conducive to peak performance for him. Micah Parsons could not figure out the zone read to save his life and looked like he was shaking his head more than he was making plays. Trevon Diggs was one of many who had no idea how to help in run support or simply have Zay Flowers locked up on the final Ravens' 3rd down. Tyler Smith had one of his worst games we have seen. DeMarcus Lawrence was over-running everything as badly as Parsons. How many names down the list should we go of their best players needing to perform?
Brandon Aubrey was objectively good again. There is the entire list.
Otherwise, in a situation where America is demanding to check your guts, you allow four more touchdowns in the first 33 minutes, while scoring none. It is 28-6 before many people can even get back to their seats after halftime. You are being humiliated again, and we must only assume you have the inability to do anything about it.
Alas, this team has taken the massive step backward that many of you clearly expected when they did nothing to atone for the playoff humiliation that broke much of the fanbase.
They didn’t fire the coach. They didn’t execute meaningful change. They didn’t address the shortcomings. They basically ran it all back.
And for that, they have been served the Green Bay game again and again.
There were some indicators this summer that bad things were on the horizon as chaos was looming. On July 12th, I almost stumbled upon the truth:
We seem to have a pretty clear idea of where this thing is, and it started with the opening coin flip. Mike McCarthy is a head coach who loves to defer because the halftime double-up (scoring before the half and then receiving to start the 2nd half and scoring again) is one of his favorite strategies, but we were given a real indicator of his situation when he chose to receive the opening kickoff.
It was not something he believes in, but it does reveal his desperation. He saw what happened last week when the Saints took the opening kickoff and then took the lead with ease. And once someone takes the lead on the Cowboys, they never have to face the Dallas pass rush. They run the ball and only pass on their terms and in their circumstances. This has been how San Francisco, Buffalo, Green Bay, and New Orleans have not only beaten the Cowboys but basically beat them without Dallas even touching a hair on their QBs' heads. This tilts the field to where Parsons is just a guy.
So, McCarthy, knowing his defense is now facing the best rushing team in the industry on this Sunday, wants to take the lead. If his team can somehow get up on Baltimore, perhaps they will be forced to be a passing team, and then Dallas can look like the bully they once were.
As you know by now, they most definitely did not score on their first drive. They were trying to build a drive, but on a 3rd and 1, they had a false start from a rookie tight end (Brevyn Spann-Ford), but then converted the 3rd and 6 when Prescott hit Brandin Cooks. However, they quickly faced a 3rd and 10 when they had a false start from a veteran tight end (Jake Ferguson) and could not connect with Cooks on the 3rd and 15.
They punted, and Baltimore required five plays to score a touchdown on their first drive. Four were run plays, and all were poorly defended by some of your best defenders (more on that in the Zimmer Report), and they never faced a single 3rd down. 7-0.
The Cowboys found a few nice plays on their 2nd drive before a 3rd down sack ended the mission, so here comes Brandon Aubrey to casually nail a 65-yard field goal like it was nothing too difficult. 7-3, with 6:33 left in the 1st Quarter.
The Ravens' 2nd drive also was easy. This time it took seven plays, but only one was a pass play. There was one 3rd down, but it was 3rd and 2, which we know is an easy get for Baltimore against Dallas. On 2nd and 9 from their own 42, Lamar threw an easy and quick pass out to the sideline to Nelson Agholor just six yards down the field. At the moment of the catch, there are exactly two men on that side of the field. It is one versus one as Agholor is being covered in man by rookie corner Caelen Carson. Yet Carson has an easy angle on him, so the degree of difficulty of the tackle is rather moderate at best. Instead, Carson’s tackling effort is very poor – especially since he knew he had no help coming – Agholor shakes him and runs for a gain of 56 yards to set up the next touchdown. It is now 14-3, and the game is already in jeopardy. Two drives, two touchdowns.
Dallas’ 3rd drive is a promising counterpunch with some positive signs of life, including two big pass plays to Ferguson (24 yards) and Lamb (18). But, on 1st and Goal, Tyler Smith commits a killer holding penalty, and on the very next play, Lamb fumbles inside the 10. Again, the best players are making the big mistakes.
Dallas’ first eight drives went: Punt, FG, fumble, punt, punt, field goal, punt, turnover on downs. Eight drives for six points.
The Ravens had 28 points on their first six drives.
At the risk of completely ignoring the furious rally by the Cowboys in the 4th Quarter, I would just say that it only matters if you can pull off the miracle comeback. Otherwise, we are giving you points for not giving up, and that seems like a very small consolation prize in Week 3 for a team that dares to talk Super Bowl in the preseason.
No, we are not congratulating you for trying. That is what the paychecks are for.
They are in a significant mess right now, and I think the 2nd half rally might — combined with the very short work week of a Thursday game — keep Mike McCarthy from being fired. With a Thursday game, almost no NFL franchise would fire their coach and expect them to play in that short time. Frankly, I am not even sure what it would accomplish or who the Jones family would possibly think could help as the head coach. You cannot possibly believe Mike Zimmer can handle that when his defense is reminding us of Mike Nolan and Monte Kiffin right now.
Do I think McCarthy is the cause of all this chaos? Well, he is the head coach, but no, not really the cause. However, I have written at length that you should have either fired him or extended his contract to promote some level of stability, because the lame-duck coach approach usually does not inspire a team culture to fight through the adverse times.
Does this team look like it is fighting as hard as it can?
You won’t believe this, but I would like to return to one sentence from my July 12th piece as I ask the Jones family how this all worked out for them:
And here is the scary part: you are a pretty healthy football team, and you look this out of sorts.
The 2024 Dallas Cowboys look like a completely clueless operation that not only does not appear to be a contender, but they presently look like a full-blown implosion is in play.
Thursday has been upgraded to a must-win and a game in which I would imagine McCarthy is coaching for his job. With a 10-day break after that game, this would be the time to make a significant change.
But, again, I ask, what exactly would that accomplish at this point? Why didn’t you do that in January? In other words, Jerry, what exactly is your plan?
I say this and hope I don’t regret the hyperbole because I know it is bad form to be a prisoner of the moment. But I do think that these last nine months have been the worst period of Jerry Jones' job performance I have seen since I’ve been covering this team. I realize the gravity of that statement, but I am willing to publish it.
It is that bad right now. And there appears to be no real end in sight.
When the Cowboys Needed a Response, There Was None To Be Found Again.
Bob Sturm
Sep 23, 2024
We spend about eight months between seasons every year wondering about moves that are made and moves that are not. We speculate, ponder, and attempt to project what it really means on the field. We study and formulate what they must be thinking, and then we conclude and surmise before they tape the ankles and get back to work.
You know, they tell us, seasons are not won in the offseason. They are won on the field, and we like our team very much, they would say.
Yet, the Cowboys are stuck right now in a rut that they apparently cannot get out of. Their best players all look like they are definitely not enjoying their current situations as they continue to be at the heart of what is going wrong. Instead of lifting the Cowboys out of the muck, many of their very best players — especially yesterday, as the Baltimore Ravens crushed them with very little effort — appear to be underperforming, perhaps because the internal pressure to fix things is more than they can handle.
When you look at the game yesterday – particularly the one that was effectively over after Derrick Henry bounded in from 26 yards out for yet another touchdown to make it 28-6 very early in the 3rd quarter – you are struck at how many of the best and highly compensated players are all looking like they are in a prolonged slump. They have proven over large samples that they are top players, yet, right now, when the team needs them most, they cannot lift their squad out of the mire. They have taken a collective downturn all at a time when they were being used as the cornerstones of the entire build.
Surely, it cannot last. Surely, after the Saints debacle, those men would draw a line in the sand and say it is too far from what they will accept and allow.
Instead, what we saw yesterday was that your best players were some of your worst. And I am sorry, but that is not how this league is set up to work. If we are going to hand the money to these guys — either already have or soon will — we need to demand their very best when the team needs them the most.
Of course, that might be how we got to these 10,000 days in the wilderness to begin with, by not building a roster that can support those we demand so much of as the Tony Romo era reminds us, but allow me to digress. For better or for worse, these are the men who the hopes are pinned to. Either, this thing performs on the backs of your Prescotts, Lambs, Parsons, Diggs, and Smiths or the ship sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
And right now, it is sinking. In fact, we wonder if it is already sunk.
I spent all week gearing up for the best response that they could muster. We knew playing a desperate and quality Baltimore team would be quite a challenge, but I just knew that the Cowboys' leadership would have the wagons circled to make sure they didn’t suffer a third straight total humiliation at home.
I knew it. And now, I learn again how little I actually must know about these guys. Because not only did they allow a third straight humiliation, but the best players all looked like the worst versions of themselves.
Dak Prescott couldn’t put his throws close to where he wanted them way too often. CeeDee Lamb couldn’t catch the ball or hold on to it and seemed to be dealing with emotions that might not be conducive to peak performance for him. Micah Parsons could not figure out the zone read to save his life and looked like he was shaking his head more than he was making plays. Trevon Diggs was one of many who had no idea how to help in run support or simply have Zay Flowers locked up on the final Ravens' 3rd down. Tyler Smith had one of his worst games we have seen. DeMarcus Lawrence was over-running everything as badly as Parsons. How many names down the list should we go of their best players needing to perform?
Brandon Aubrey was objectively good again. There is the entire list.
Otherwise, in a situation where America is demanding to check your guts, you allow four more touchdowns in the first 33 minutes, while scoring none. It is 28-6 before many people can even get back to their seats after halftime. You are being humiliated again, and we must only assume you have the inability to do anything about it.
Alas, this team has taken the massive step backward that many of you clearly expected when they did nothing to atone for the playoff humiliation that broke much of the fanbase.
They didn’t fire the coach. They didn’t execute meaningful change. They didn’t address the shortcomings. They basically ran it all back.
And for that, they have been served the Green Bay game again and again.
There were some indicators this summer that bad things were on the horizon as chaos was looming. On July 12th, I almost stumbled upon the truth:
My, oh my, have the chickens come home to roost.
We seem to have a pretty clear idea of where this thing is, and it started with the opening coin flip. Mike McCarthy is a head coach who loves to defer because the halftime double-up (scoring before the half and then receiving to start the 2nd half and scoring again) is one of his favorite strategies, but we were given a real indicator of his situation when he chose to receive the opening kickoff.
It was not something he believes in, but it does reveal his desperation. He saw what happened last week when the Saints took the opening kickoff and then took the lead with ease. And once someone takes the lead on the Cowboys, they never have to face the Dallas pass rush. They run the ball and only pass on their terms and in their circumstances. This has been how San Francisco, Buffalo, Green Bay, and New Orleans have not only beaten the Cowboys but basically beat them without Dallas even touching a hair on their QBs' heads. This tilts the field to where Parsons is just a guy.
So, McCarthy, knowing his defense is now facing the best rushing team in the industry on this Sunday, wants to take the lead. If his team can somehow get up on Baltimore, perhaps they will be forced to be a passing team, and then Dallas can look like the bully they once were.
As you know by now, they most definitely did not score on their first drive. They were trying to build a drive, but on a 3rd and 1, they had a false start from a rookie tight end (Brevyn Spann-Ford), but then converted the 3rd and 6 when Prescott hit Brandin Cooks. However, they quickly faced a 3rd and 10 when they had a false start from a veteran tight end (Jake Ferguson) and could not connect with Cooks on the 3rd and 15.
They punted, and Baltimore required five plays to score a touchdown on their first drive. Four were run plays, and all were poorly defended by some of your best defenders (more on that in the Zimmer Report), and they never faced a single 3rd down. 7-0.
The Cowboys found a few nice plays on their 2nd drive before a 3rd down sack ended the mission, so here comes Brandon Aubrey to casually nail a 65-yard field goal like it was nothing too difficult. 7-3, with 6:33 left in the 1st Quarter.
The Ravens' 2nd drive also was easy. This time it took seven plays, but only one was a pass play. There was one 3rd down, but it was 3rd and 2, which we know is an easy get for Baltimore against Dallas. On 2nd and 9 from their own 42, Lamar threw an easy and quick pass out to the sideline to Nelson Agholor just six yards down the field. At the moment of the catch, there are exactly two men on that side of the field. It is one versus one as Agholor is being covered in man by rookie corner Caelen Carson. Yet Carson has an easy angle on him, so the degree of difficulty of the tackle is rather moderate at best. Instead, Carson’s tackling effort is very poor – especially since he knew he had no help coming – Agholor shakes him and runs for a gain of 56 yards to set up the next touchdown. It is now 14-3, and the game is already in jeopardy. Two drives, two touchdowns.
Dallas’ 3rd drive is a promising counterpunch with some positive signs of life, including two big pass plays to Ferguson (24 yards) and Lamb (18). But, on 1st and Goal, Tyler Smith commits a killer holding penalty, and on the very next play, Lamb fumbles inside the 10. Again, the best players are making the big mistakes.
Dallas’ first eight drives went: Punt, FG, fumble, punt, punt, field goal, punt, turnover on downs. Eight drives for six points.
The Ravens had 28 points on their first six drives.
At the risk of completely ignoring the furious rally by the Cowboys in the 4th Quarter, I would just say that it only matters if you can pull off the miracle comeback. Otherwise, we are giving you points for not giving up, and that seems like a very small consolation prize in Week 3 for a team that dares to talk Super Bowl in the preseason.
No, we are not congratulating you for trying. That is what the paychecks are for.
They are in a significant mess right now, and I think the 2nd half rally might — combined with the very short work week of a Thursday game — keep Mike McCarthy from being fired. With a Thursday game, almost no NFL franchise would fire their coach and expect them to play in that short time. Frankly, I am not even sure what it would accomplish or who the Jones family would possibly think could help as the head coach. You cannot possibly believe Mike Zimmer can handle that when his defense is reminding us of Mike Nolan and Monte Kiffin right now.
Do I think McCarthy is the cause of all this chaos? Well, he is the head coach, but no, not really the cause. However, I have written at length that you should have either fired him or extended his contract to promote some level of stability, because the lame-duck coach approach usually does not inspire a team culture to fight through the adverse times.
Does this team look like it is fighting as hard as it can?
You won’t believe this, but I would like to return to one sentence from my July 12th piece as I ask the Jones family how this all worked out for them:
The offense is worse. The defense is worse. You paid your QB and WR, and now you probably already wonder if you made a horrible mistake. Your rookies look like rookies, and your veterans look like they are already tired of this season.
And here is the scary part: you are a pretty healthy football team, and you look this out of sorts.
The 2024 Dallas Cowboys look like a completely clueless operation that not only does not appear to be a contender, but they presently look like a full-blown implosion is in play.
Thursday has been upgraded to a must-win and a game in which I would imagine McCarthy is coaching for his job. With a 10-day break after that game, this would be the time to make a significant change.
But, again, I ask, what exactly would that accomplish at this point? Why didn’t you do that in January? In other words, Jerry, what exactly is your plan?
I say this and hope I don’t regret the hyperbole because I know it is bad form to be a prisoner of the moment. But I do think that these last nine months have been the worst period of Jerry Jones' job performance I have seen since I’ve been covering this team. I realize the gravity of that statement, but I am willing to publish it.
It is that bad right now. And there appears to be no real end in sight.
