So we lost to the Broncos yesterday, and this is the first time I was really disturbed by the play I saw on the field. The first three weeks, they had two wins and a loss, and I felt o.k., I kept feeling like the Cowboys would get it together. Four weeks into the season though, and the excuses are dwindling. You can nitpick and argue the play calling sucked, you can say we didn't have Felix Jones, arguably our biggest play guy, and you can say Tony made some pretty poor throws yesterday. Each of those statements have merit, and we could argue about them for a long time, but I think the biggest problem the Cowboys face is that honestly, they don't know whats wrong with them. Football is a team game, and right now, this team lacks confidence.
1.) What exactly are the Cowboys? When the chips are down, what do they do?
I don't know.
2.) Do they rely on their defense?
I wish I could say yes because they played a pretty good game, but no, the defense was unable to make a big stop when it counted. Inconsistent play hurt us.
3.) Do they rely on the run?
Honestly, no. We run the ball extremely well, but we don't look like a running team. The Steelers are a running team, the Giants are a running team, we don't utilize the run like they do, so I don't believe we are a running team.
4.) Do we give the ball to Tony and ask him to win the game?
He can't seem to do that, he seems to be too inconsistent, and throwing at Champ Bailey twice when you need a touchdown is just idiotic. He probably gave the receiver the inside release simply to bait Tony into throwing his way twice so he could ensure that the Cowboys wouldn't score, he's that good.
Football analysts always talk about, "what is this team? What's their identity?" and I used to shrug my shoulders, chuckle, and say, "a football team, why does identity matter?" I was young and foolish then (and apparently someone who talked to the t.v.). Your identity is who you are, and football teams have them just like people, and without them, you're lost. This team cannot make sense of what it is they're supposed to do well, and it has everyone running around like they're chickens with their heads cut off. When the chips are down, the Cowboys fail to make plays. That's their identity right now. Don't believe me? Ask Roy Williams.
Even Roy Williams doesn't know what they do.
"I do not know what my role is. I’m just trying to help this team win, whether it’s catching the ball, whether it’s blocking down field, whether it’s whatever. I’m just trying to win. Whatever the game is calling for at that point and time," Williams said. "My role is to make plays whether it’s in the run or pass game."
"Whatever the game is calling for at that point and time..."
Instead of the Cowboys dictating what they want to do in the game, they let the game dictate their play, that to me shows a huge lack of confidence.
Finally, and most importantly, a good read on what a teams identity is is seeing what they do on 3rd down and 3-5 yards. Any less and it's almost always a run, any more and it's almost always a pass, but in that down and distance it's what the team does the best, what they can do in their sleep, what they can do with success almost every time.
What do the Cowboys do when they NEED those few yards?
I don't know, and I don't think they do either, and we're going to keep losing until they find that out.
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They need to make their identity a running football team. Defense isn't a strong suit anymore, nor is the passing game. What they do have is the best 3-back rotation in the NFL, and a very good O-line.
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