Despite a 3-8 record, the Cowboys have not been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and it would be crazy for them to tank, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News writes. The Cowboys are still unlikely to make the playoffs, but coach Jason Garrett would be going against his principles if he were to tank for a higher draft pick, Moore argues. The final games left aren’t about making the playoffs or draft position, he says, but rather they’re about competing at the highest level possible.
Here’s more on the Cowboys and the NFC East:
- Babe Laufenberg of The Dallas Morning News envisions the Cowboys‘ backfield consisting of Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar, and a rookie to be named later in 2016. Still, Dallas will have to wait and see how Dunbar’s knee responds and there is no guarantee that he’ll be 100% next year. There will also be veteran running backs available to Dallas in the offseason.
- No matter how Sam Bradford performs over the final five games of the season, the Eagles will have to make a franchise-altering decision at the quarterback position next offseason, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. The Eagles have whiffed on quarterbacks in the past, but sources tell McLane that Kelly did not have complete control over the position in the 2013-14 offseasons. In those offseasons, Kelly and ex-GM Howie Roseman both had to be in agreement on any QB decision. Now, of course, it’s all Kelly’s decision to make.
- On Wednesday, Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul said that he would like to finish his career with Big Blue.
There’s no way Dallas’ coaches and players are going to tank, but there is obviously a hard-to-overcome level of demoralization that accompanies losing the heart and soul of your franchise. The Cowboys weren’t tanking without Tony Romo earlier in the season, but they still lost five one-score games and went 0-7. Looking at the rest of their schedule, they could conceivably lose all five and – just as it wasn’t earlier in the season – it’s probably not going to be an effort issue. The drop-off from an elite QB like Romo to a terrible one in Cassel is just that drastic. They’re going to have to be better equipped to handle a possible Romo injury in the future. They weren’t this year.
The Cowboys problems go way beyond the qb position. Yes their backups are terrible also but you have a much bigger problem if the rest of your team can’t find a way to win at least a couple games when you lose your qb
I don’t disagree, but they’d be atop the division with a healthy Romo. Even without him, the Cowboys probably aren’t as bad as their record indicates. Looking at their basic stats, they’re above average in rushing offense, rushing defense and passing defense. Unluckiness has played a factor, evidenced by the aforementioned 0-5 record in one-score games. Among those one-score games was a 13-12 loss to Seattle in which Cassel couldn’t even hit the 100-yard mark through the air.
You are what your record says you are. I love the cowboys but if we can infuse top young talent to an already very young team, sign me up.
Don’t have to “tank” but just rotate back end players more. We have to see who is worth keeping. Why not evaluate in real games?