With roughly five weeks to go before the Dallas Cowboys pack up and head for Oxnard there are still a few storylines of interest.
Who will Dallas bring in to challenge Tristan Vizcaino for the placekicking duties? Which running back will emerge as Tony Pollard's primary backup?
Will Pollard actually be 100% by the time they put on the pads in California next month? Are the Cowboys done in the free agent market?
All good questions that the team's fan base will be eager to hear the answers to. But there is one thing that is not questionable at all.
Like it or not, going into the 2023 season, both Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy will be on the hot seat.
Depending on how the season plays out, the help wanted signs for quarterback and head coach may by posted at The Star next February.
No More Excuses
For both men, the departure of Kellen Moore has opened up great potential this fall. It also takes away any excuses for falling short of a deep playoff run.
Moore's approach to the offense and play calling was always too vanilla. Moore also seemed unwilling, or unable, to make adjustments to the game plan when needed.
Another issue was his willingness to abandon the run far too early. Some of that philosophy no doubt rubbed off on him from Jason Garrett.
But Moore is gone now. If the Chargers' offense splutters it will remove any doubt on what the cause of the Cowboys' woes were on offense.
But that will only increase the pressure on McCarthy and Prescott. If Dallas' offense also fails – or should the Chargers' offense really take off – then the blame for the recent playoff shortcomings falls on them.
McCarthy's Challenge
By taking over control of the play calling, and more of the offensive coordinator's responsibilities, McCarthy is betting heavily on himself. Can he call the kind of game that helped the Packers win a Super Bowl?
Having a future Hall of Fame quarterback like Aaron Rodgers helped. But Rodgers is up in New York, not in Texas.
McCarthy not only needs to come up with better game plans, and mid-game adjustments, he'll need his quarterback to step up too.
In short, he'll need Prescott to be more Rodgers-like. Get through reads quicker. Check down sooner or pull down the ball and run if nothing is there.
Prescott's Challenge
The challenge for Prescott will be not to try to be Rodgers 2.0. Yes, get through the progressions quicker, go to the check downs or run sooner.
But what has gotten Prescott in trouble in the past is the hero throw. Just chucking up a deep shot and praying his receiver gets it instead of a defender.
Rodgers has the knack to just throw the ball up and have it magically land in the right player's hands. That's something you can't teach or even learn.
It literally is something you either have, or you don't. Prescott does not have that.
So he'll need to learn that there's no shame in hitting a running back or tight end a couple of yards downfield. Even pulling the ball down and getting a few yards with his legs will be good.
Live to play the next down. Even if that means the next down is a punt. Unless time is running out, punting the ball away and relying on the defense to hold works.
Dallas has the defense to lock down an opposing offense, as long as they aren't running right back on the field on a three-incompletions-and-out or an immediate turnover.
Prescott also has a solid corps at wide receiver this year. The excuse that he had no one to throw to will hold no water this year.
The Job-Saving Formula
An offense that can give the defense time to rest, moving the ball steadily downfield, cashing in on scoring opportunities, and eating up clock is a winning offense.
As Super Bowl winning head coach Hank Stram once stated: “Keep matriculating that ball downfield, boys!”
Yes, its old-school football. No, its not sexy football with the big stats.
But it is winning football. And for the sake of both of their jobs, it's the kind of football McCarthy and Prescott need the Cowboys to play in 2023.
