The NFL season is a long grind, and if you want to come out on top, you have to overcome many obstacles that stand in your way.
There are many keys that I noticed throughout last season that Dallas could zone in on next season that will help them, ranging from players and coaches to cleaning up mistakes.
Below are some keys I think could bring the Cowboys more success next season.
Kellen Moore
Kellen Moore needs to find a rhythm and stick with the game plan. Moore tends to go away from certain things that have worked well.
With questions lingering around the receiving core, Moore needs to get creative and attempt to get some of them open.
Stick with the run. Although the offensive line may take a step back, you have two running backs that will be productive. It would be great if Moore could find a way to utilize them both on the field together.
Look, I am just a fan. I don't have the playbook in my hand or sit in the film room with the team to see what works and doesn't work, but I think a little more consistency could help.
Dak Prescott
Say what you want I have heard them all. Prescott will be a key to the Cowboys' success next season. Look, he is the best quarterback in the NFC East. His leadership skills are something that people hint about when they talk about him.
Now that CeeDee Lamb is the clear-cut top guy on the depth chart, Prescott had Lamb's locker moved down next to him so they could have more conversations and communicate together regularly.
Dak Prescott asked for CeeDee Lamb's locker to be moved next to his: “My 2 other locker mates left, so I was a little lonely. With him being young, hopefully he's my WR until I'm done playing. Just bring him closer, more conversations, he's right there to talk and communicate.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 25, 2022
One additional note I will say about Prescott, many say he needs to take more chances down the field. I agree, but once he starts to take those chances, and the result is negative, those folks won't be happy.
Prescott will be fine, others can continue to doubt his ability to win big games, but other things go into winning football games.
Penalties
I harp on this all the time. Dallas needs to be more disciplined and stop giving away free yards. Penalties happen, but when you are the most flagged team in football, it falls both on the players and the coaches.
The players for continuing to make the mistakes, the coaches for not clamping down on it in the film room, and maybe they do, but it did not show much last season. It should be the number one priority this off-season, and it sounds like it might be.
Mike McCarthy on Cowboys' top offseason priorities:
1. Clean up penalties
2. Being better at handling adversity
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 1, 2022
Time Management
We saw it every week throughout last season, Mike McCarthy not calling a timeout when needed, or when he did call one, it was at an unorthodox time. When the Cowboys were rolling, sports talk shows had segments dedicated to how McCarthy would cost them a game because of this.
He found himself answering the question almost every week about this, and I believe it should be an additional point of emphasis rolling into next season.
