We gots to do better!

Observations from Sunday:

- Jason Garrett tried to prove a point and the Cowboys almost lost the game because of it. 

Garrett came under fire for only running the ball 11 times all of last week, so he decided to double that total in the first half on Sunday.  That approach was somewhat understandable as the Cowboys got a pretty good push against a Haynesworth-less front four, but they should have mixed it up much more.  The Cowboys play best when they are spreading the ball around to all of their playmakers.  The wide-receivers didn’t even catch a ball until the 4^th quarter, and Roy Williams didn’t register a single stat.  Which brings me to my next point?

- Roy Williams has a cancerous lackadaisical attitude and the sooner the Cowboys get rid of him the better off they will be.

Yes, I said it.  I just can’t watch this anymore.  There is just something about a guy dropping a pass and then smiling about it that bothers me.  He doesn’t even seem upset.  He takes no ownership of his faults.  Sure, Tony Romo let some passes sail but he hit Roy in the perfect spot on deep in cut on third down and Roy Williams dropped the ball.  He did get hit on the play, but he dropped the ball before he got hit. Even Laron Landry questioned his manhood. The Redskins players were getting hit after catches too, but they were holding on to the ball.  Roy hasn’t shown any toughness going back to the Denver game when couldn’t manage to get on the field for one last play from the goal line.  If Bill Belicek coached this team, I have no doubt that Roy would be sitting on the bench right now, if not totally inactive. 

This team is far from a finished product.

Although the offense was excruciating to watch, and the Cowboys still haven’t shown themselves as one of the elite teams, this Sunday is somewhat of a win-win situation.  First of all, they got the W which is huge when you consider that both the Giants and Philly took care of business and are nipping at the ‘Boys heels.  Second, no one (inside or outside of the organization) is going to be talking about how great or dominant this team is.  This gives the Cowboys an opportunity to go back to the drawing board and truly get ready for this stretch-run.  Here’s what the Cowboys need to do to bring Oakland back down to earth, and hopefully position themselves a strong playoff run in January:

1.  Offensive balance. 

I understand that this is easier said than done, but the Cowboys certainly have the capabilities.  I don’t think it’s necessary to run the ball 22 times in a half.  A solid 12-15 rushes (7-8 for Barber) should suffice.  You want to pass the ball a good amount in the first half.  Most NFL coaches and personnel people will say that you pass the ball to move the ball and score points early, then you run the ball to ultimately when the game.  Imagine giving Marion Barber the ball 13 times in the second half with a 7+  point lead.  I don’t see the Cowboys losing very many games with that formula, and a consistent Tony Romo.

2.  Razzle Dazzle.

The Cowboys need to open up that playbook a little bit more.  There were a couple of times in the game where they motioned Miles Austin into the backfield but refused to give it to him.  Marion Barber was able to pick up the first down the first time they showed this look, but he was stuffed on the same play later on in the game.  The Cowboys just got too predictable.  They ran the ball on 1^st down nearly every time in the first half and every 3^rd and short play as well.  You have to keep those defensive players honest by actually running a reverse on occasion.  A flea-flicker or double-pass might not be a bad idea either.

3.  Pressure up the middle.

I think the analysts are giving the Cowboys too much credit for their defensive performance on Sunday.  Although they held up their end pretty well, the Redskins did them plenty of favors with missed field goals and red-zone issues.  The main problem that I noticed was a lack of rush up the middle of the offensive line.  Jason Campbell made it look easy as he consistently stepped up into the pocket to deliver a third down strike and he even shook off a couple of guys while he was doing it.  They can’t allow that to happen down the stretch if they are to have any shot at being a contender.

4.  Consistent play on special teams.

The one constant of this Cowboys squad has been special teams play.  They have done a great job in this phase of the game.  They have not given up a big play and have made some pretty special plays of their own.  They need to continue to do well here, and get better if possible.  Felix Jones had a chance for a huge return on the first kickoff of the game had he simply made a move to the outside rather than the inside.  If they can maintain their production on special teams while pulling it together on offense and defense then they should be in good shape for the playoffs.

5.  Continue to be a tough/gritty football team. 

Many will argue that there is no way the Cowboys should’ve won the game on Sunday, and it would be hard to argue against that.  They were outplayed by the Redskins, and a terrible red-zone offense along with poor field goal kicking ultimately doomed the team.  But I don’t think this team cares about winning ugly.  They need to keep that mentality, while cleaning up the mistakes.  Continued tough defense and special teams play could make this team into a contender.  A strong (second half) running game could make this team into a contender.  And, a judicious, ball-secure, playmaking Tony Romo could make this team into a contender.  Ten games into the season and we still don’t know who this team is.  But I get the feeling we’re going to find out real soon.

Later Nation