Rico Dowdle called out the Cowboys last week and never backed up, off the field or on. Told ‘em where he was coming as well as his ETA. Like a burglar emailing his itinerary. Not only were the Cowboys unable to stop a guy telegraphing his intent, they didn’t seem particularly upset by the audacity such chutzpah required.
Coming off the field at halftime, at which point Dowdle had already left his tread marks all over the Cowboys’ defense, he and Trevon Diggs looked like they were going out for beers.
Pardon the old school reference, but Darren Woodson, the Cowboys’ last great safety, will tell you such in-game fraternization signals the end of civilization as we know it.
Even if you were raised to love your enemy, you’ve got to ask yourself why the Cowboys seem to have a bigger problem with one of their own.
Cowboys
Of course, Matt Eberflus hasn’t made anyone nostalgic about his return to Dallas as defensive coordinator. His all-zone, all-the-time scheme seems a poor fit. Back when Dan Quinn was the DC, the Cowboys played mostly man, and if they couldn’t stop the run then, either, they still led the league in turnovers. Twice, in fact.
Diggs, one of the prime beneficiaries of Quinn’s defense, has been the most vocal about his issues with Eberflus’.
“It’s very frustrating,” he told The Dallas Morning News. “It’s all these points, the receivers are running wide open down the field, too many busted coverages. It’s a lot.
“I feel like we’re all over the place, and we don’t really have an identity.”
Related
Couple things: First, can you imagine one of Jimmy Johnson’s cornerbacks making such public comments? Bill Parcells’? Second, Diggs and DaRon Bland, who will make a combined $36 million this year, have zero picks or pass breakups to show for it so far.
Easier to blame the scheme than the man in the mirror, right?
Now, it’s certainly possible that everyone is at fault here. And by everyone, I mean from the owner’s suite on down.
Bland gave Hunter Renfrow enough room to make a three-point turn on the pivotal 4th-and-4 during Carolina’s winning drive, so it was easy to point the finger at him. Except he was supposed to get help underneath from Kenneth Murray, who didn’t get there in time. He rarely does. The former Oklahoma linebacker, a first-round pick of the Chargers, is now on his third team in six years because he’s not good in coverage. Crazy thing is, according to Pro Football Focus, he’s better in coverage this year than against the run, where he hasn’t helped the Cowboys’ reputation any.
DeMarvion Overshown, due to arrive before Thanksgiving, couldn’t get here fast enough to help out one of the league’s worst units. But it’s not just the linebackers. Remember when Jerry Jones said their inability to stop the run was one of the reasons they traded for Kenny Clark? Well, it’s been six games, and teams still run on the Cowboys like they were a Depression-era bank. Clark, ranked 82nd among defensive tackles by PFF, isn’t helping enough.
Meanwhile, PFF ranks the guy the Packers got for Clark and a couple firsts as the best edge rusher in the league.
But it’s not just that Micah Parsons apparently covered up a multitude of sins, starting with the fact the Cowboys can’t cover or tackle. Clearly the Cowboys don’t have enough talent on that side of the ball. Because if they did, sooner or later someone would stumble into a good play even if they lined up 10 guys.
Just the same, if we’re going to blame Eberflus, then we ought to blame Jerry for hiring him.
Related
When Quinn left to command the Commanders, the Cowboys could have retained the same scheme and some much-needed consistency by elevating Joe Whitt Jr. to DC. But, for reasons only Jerry can explain, he likes former head coaches as coordinators. So he brought back Mike Zimmer, who was out of gas, then Eberflus, coming off a debilitating run as the Bears’ head coach.
Whitt’s defense in Washington isn’t exactly tearing it up at 26th in the league. But they’ve given up seven fewer touchdowns than the Cowboys as well as 55 fewer yards per game. Basically, they’re league average.
Think what the Cowboys’ record might be with Dak Prescott’s offense and a league-average defense.
Frankly, it should be enough to make your blood boil, but that’s not the vibe you get from these Cowboys. Say what you will about their character, but they appear to be extremely well adjusted.
How’s this for irony Sunday: When officials penalized a player for unsportsmanlike conduct, it was Dowdle who drew the flag for waylaying Shemar James.
Maybe it’s old school, but it seems the Cowboys could use a little of the juice fueling Dowdle these days. Adrenaline occasionally makes up for a lack of talent. Or a poor scheme. Or a bad hire.
Who could have imagined a year ago that Rico Dowdle — Rico Dowdle — would come to define what’s wrong with the Cowboys? He did it on the field and in the postgame presser when he said, “They wasn’t buckled up.” Sounds like an epitaph to me.
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.