How ‘bout them Cowboys?

Posted

Whether at a football watch party, at work, or just walking down the street, we’ve all heard that universally-known phrase — “How ‘bout them Cowboys!”

Coming into the 2019 National Football League season that phrase echoed all around the nation.

After Sunday afternoon, well, all you hear is crickets.

The Cowboys, with the NFC East title on the line, went to Philadelphia and laid an egg, losing 17-9 to drop to 7-8 on the season while the Eagles moved to 8-7.

In reality, the 2019 Dallas Cowboys proved exactly what they are, an average football team. Nothing more, nothing less.

They take after their coach, Jason Garrett, a solid coach with sort of All-American, Johnny Appleseed looks, and a former Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

Garrett admittedly is a top-of-the-line person, just a great guy. But he has about as much fire in him as a lit match in the middle of a hurricane.

And that’s exactly how the Cowboys played all season long, going 1-7 thus far against teams with a winning record entering the final week of the regular season.

To be fair, Garrett had one shot to win the Super Bowl, but an injury to Tony Romo derailed that chance. Current quarterback Dak Prescott came in that season as a rookie, and led the Cowboys into the playoffs where they lost a tough one to Green Bay. The irony was that a then-healthy Romo probably would have won that game, but Garrett couldn’t replace Prescott at that point due to his solid play. It’s almost like the old saying goes — good guys finish last — when it comes to Garrett.

Prescott against the Eagles on Sunday mirrored his coach and the season: average. The Mississippi State graduate was 25-44 for 265 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions, compiling a paltry quarterback rating of 74.5 percent. It was another mundane performance from the fourth-year quarterback.

Star running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has seemed to never be in tip top shape this season after a big pay day in the offseason, chipped in an average performance with 47 yards on 13 carries, a 3.6 average per rush.

And the story goes on and on for the Cowboys on Sunday, just an average, uninspired effort.

The biggest question now is what does Dallas owner Jerry Jones do, specifically with Garrett who he’s seemed to have held on to for way too long?

I think this time Jones may actually make a change, one that is long overdue.

Let me say first, I don’t think the Cowboys’ overall talent is great. I just don’t. They have some nice playmakers on offense, but tight end Jason Witten needs to get back into retirement, and the wide receivers are meh, at least outside of Amari Cooper.

The defense is solid, but again, certainly not at the top of the NFL.

But there is enough talent for a new coach to come in and get more out of this team, which would have made them the NFC East champions this season, and earned a bid into the playoffs.

Discipline, toughness, fire and some innovation on both sides of the ball would certainly make this club a dangerous playoff contender.

The question is, does Jones go the NFL route in the coaching ranks, or the collegiate route? And if it’s the NFL angle, a previous head coach or does he look at coordinators.

Let’s start with the college coaches and some names that I feel will be kicked around at Cowboys Headquarters. Urban Meyer heads the group as a surprise candidate who’s also being rumored with the USC job. Meyer just wins, is a motivator, is very organized and detailed, and a guru with the special teams while also having obvious connections with Elliot.

Lincoln Riley, current Oklahoma head coach and former East Carolina offensive coordinator, is also a top candidate. Riley has made a big splash with the Sooners and is an offensive genius of sorts, while also growing up just three hours away from Dallas.

Don’t laugh at this one, but Jim Harbaugh could be a name surfacing. His game is better suited for the NFL, which was proven by his narrow miss of a Super Bowl title with the San Francisco 49ers. Harbaugh and the Michigan fanbase have a tumultuous relationship which could aid the cause if approached by Jones.

From the NFL head coaching ranks, Sean Payton, McCarthy, Bill Cowher, and Ron Rivera all are names being mentioned that are viable. Payton and McCarthy have won Super Bowls with the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers respectively, and are at the very top of the list, while Cowher is obviously a long shot, and Rivera a heck of a coach, but maybe not as big a splash as Jones needs to make. Payton, McCarthy and Cowher would be the big fish in the coaching search.

Coordinator wise, all eyes are on John McDaniels, offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. Annually he’s approached by NFL franchises, and annually turns them down, leaving many to believe he’s next in line when Bill Belichick steps down.

So all eyes are now on Dallas and Jerry Jones to see what happens next. Maybe Santa will bring Cowboys fans a new coach as a top of the line gift, they’ve been waiting since 1996 for one, and the patience is wearing thin.