In the sport of football, there is always work and improvement that can be had. Looking at the Dallas Cowboys schedule, they have a long week before their next game (due to them playing on Thursday night). How can they take advantage of this long week and what can they work on to improve their team before the playoffs?
Defense:
I won’t spend too much time on this topic because I already covered it in a recent post about how the Cowboys’ defense has been declining. However, I do stand by my point, the defense needs to change some things up and start getting back into the flow from the start of the season.
With injuries all over the board, I get how we are struggling but Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn needs to sharpen his blade before the playoffs arrive. He needs to figure out how to hide his defense and “un-expose” it from opponents.
Dak Prescott:
You wanna know something, I don’t blame Quarterback Dak Prescott for those picks last game. I also don’t even think that fumble was his fault because it was a bad snap by the center. What I do want to see change is his mindset.
Dak has been playing great but his decision-making has been a bit off. I see guys down the field that he could easily hit but instead, he goes for the doubled cover man. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore needs to spend more time with his QB. I mean, he was a quarterback when he was younger, someone please tell me why he doesn’t have Dak under control. That brings me to my third subject which needs heavy work this week for the boys.
Head Coach Mike McCarthy:
Mike McCarthy made me very angry on Thursday night. That was one of the easiest games to win and yet the Cowboys struggled the whole game until the very end. You wanna know something else! There were some pretty good play calls during that game that I don’t disagree with, but there was something that made my blood boil.
Why was Mike playing his starters? Why 2 weeks before the playoffs did he decide to let players like Dak, Elliott, Lamb, and other stars, play the entire game? I was biting my nails the entire game hoping and praying that none of our players get injured. After going up 10-0 at the start of the 2nd quarter, I wouldn’t have benched a few of my starters to avoid any risk of injuries.
Mid-way through the game I saw Dak take a hit to his knee and he started to limp a bit. That is not good! We need these guys for the games that really matter like the playoffs.
So how can Mike fix this problem? Honestly, he just needs to make better business decisions. Sometimes football isn’t all about how well you call plays, sometimes it’s more about thinking of the future and playing smart. That is one thing that I was very upset about on Thursday.
Overall, Dak has been playing great, although there may be a few things that need some touch-ups, he’s doing alright. The defense is declining but I trust Dan and feel like he’s got this. For Mike, I hope he starts playing smart football and looks at the big picture.
