“Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte” is a weekly newsletter curated by DMN sports columnist Kevin Sherrington where he hits all of the latest sports topics around North Texas and all major sports.
Sign up for the Sports Roundup newsletter to receive exclusive content from Sherrington every week. Read an excerpt from this week’s newsletter below.
Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte
– Dak Prescott just enjoyed the best season of his career; Javonte Williams is the Cowboys’ best running back since Zeke Elliott in his prime; and George Pickens might be the most talented receiver they’ve ever had. And what did it add up to? Seven wins. Economics wasn’t exactly my forte, but it seems to me that spending even more on offense at the expense of a pathetic defense is just throwing more money in the dumpster fire raging at The Star.
Cowboys
– Frankly, it wasn’t just that the Cowboys had so little talent on defense other than at tackle, where there’s an obscene surplus. The dumb stuff was worse. Lining up offsides or jumping before the snap or shoving someone who’s already out of bounds or pulling off someone’s helmet. Less like watching an NFL game than a frat party after midnight.
– If Matt Eberflus is really out – and this move has my blessing – let’s hope Jerry Jones doesn’t limit himself to former head coaches in his next hire at DC. Hire the best guy, hopefully someone who fits this personnel.
– Given the challenges the Cowboys faced off-the-field this season and how he navigated those difficulties with rare humility, Brian Schottenheimer clearly was the right man for the Cowboys. But is he the right coach? Mike Vrabel was my guy, if you’ll recall. Worked out pretty well in Boston.
– Based on his performance in the Citrus Bowl, Arch Manning will re-enter the Heisman hype this fall and make a pretty good case for best QB in the state. Kevin Jennings and Marcel Reed will give him a run now that Josh Hoover (Indiana) and Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) have hit the road.
– New Year’s wish: Anthony Davis stays upright long enough that the Mavs can start putting the Nico Harrison era behind them before the deadline.
– Story time: One of the prerequisites of the job is to ask questions, preferably in a manner that the subject can understand them. Trust me, it’s not as easy as it looks. Like after Texas Tech’s loss in the Orange Bowl the other day. The Red Raiders had come and gone from the postgame presser, during which Behren Morton had admitted he’d been fooled by the defensive coverage he saw from Oregon on an end-zone interception. Brandon Finney not only made that pick but another one earlier, resulting in Defensive MVP of the Game honors. As a rule, cornerbacks are a cocky bunch and thus good at pressers. At the very least, they’re usually candid. Which is why I asked Finney what was it about the Red Raiders that made for such easy pickings, so to speak. Problem was, about a quarter through my question, I lost track of Morton’s name, which rattled me a little. As I staggered through an extended preamble, Finney’s head slowly cocked to a 45-degree angle. Finally, I punted. Finney, no doubt relieved that I’d stopped talking, gave a formula answer. All of that was bad enough, but at least it was over. Then, a few minutes later, a sportswriter from The Oregonian picked up the ball again. Nodding toward me across the aisle, he said, “I’m gonna follow up on the question about the interception,” he said, “because I think I know what he was getting at . . . ” It was the “think I know” that prompted me to turn to a colleague and whisper, “Probably better than I did,” at which point a writer in the row behind me started laughing. Anyway, on my way out of the presser a few minutes later, I ran into Shawn McFarland, our fine young college/Rangers beat writer. “That was brutal,” I mumbled. Shawn, practically a son to me, smiled, slapped my back and said, “Yes, it was.” Happy New Year to you, too.
More from Sherrington
– Texas Tech’s historic season ends in ugly CFP loss, putting Big 12’s quality in question
– Billionaire Cody Campbell’s been more than just deep pockets for CFP-bound Texas Tech
– Sherrington: Boy, was I wrong about the Rangers (again) and the Cowboys not trading Micah
For more sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News, click here.
To view subscription options for The News and SportsDay, click here.