Category: 2021 Playoffs

Cowboys News: McCarthy’s press conference stuns; new invites for Quinn, Whitt

McCarthy stood by the ill-fated final play and is confident in his job security, but he acknowledged that penalties need to be addressed. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys head coach held his season-ending press conference on Wednesday, and the longer it went on, the more bombshells he dropped. Hard to say what’s more shocking for Cowboys fans who are still bitterly disappointed: that the coach seems smugly confident in his job security, that he’s still defending the quarterback draw that ended their playoff run, or that he continued to ride Ezekiel Elliott over Tony Pollard after Elliott tore a PCL the first weekend in October. At least he acknowledged that penalties will be a major point of emphasis this offseason.

McCarthy’s staff remains a popular bunch. Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore interviewed virtually with the Vikings, Quinn got a new invite from a division rival, and one of Quinn’s defensive assistants is now on the radar for the DC gig at one of Quinn’s old stops.

Elsewhere, a Cowboys legend drags the team for not keeping it simple with one of their top playmakers, a pair of rookies prep for ankle surgery this week, a depth defender heads for greener pastures, Dallas does big ratings once again, and a draft guru has the Cowboys looking to the college champs for next season. Here’s the News and Notes.

Troy Aikman baffled by Cowboys abandoning CeeDee Lamb vs 49ers: ‘The game is not that difficult’

The HOF quarterback can’t understand why the offense got so far away from electrifying WR CeeDee Lamb, given the 49ers’ coverage scheme. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Everyone has an opinion on what the Cowboys should have done Sunday against the 49ers. An after-the-fact gameplan from your cousin Carl who almost made it to state one year and still watches, like, all the games is one thing. When the armchair quarterback in question has three Super Bowl rings and a bronze bust in Canton, though, it’s probably worth paying attention to.

Hall of Famer Troy Aikman had some things to say during a radio interview with Dallas radio station KTCK The Ticket 1310 AM/96.7 FM on Wednesday. In a nutshell, the former Cowboys signal-caller believes the current squad may have simply tried to get too cute when it mattered the most, all but abandoning one of their top playmakers.

“CeeDee Lamb, what did he have? One catch in the game?” Aikman asked.

Here’s a look at the second-year receiver’s day, quarter by quarter:

1Q 32-yard reception wiped out by penalty
2Q 5-yard rush
3Q 0 catches (3 targets)
18-yard reception wiped out by penalty
4Q 10-yard reception
0 catches (1 target)
11 yards after Cedrick Wilson lateral

A single recorded catch. Twenty-one yards, 11 of them tacked on to the end of one of someone else’s grabs. It was the only game Lamb played in all season where he didn’t finish with multiple receptions.

One of the most electrifying players in the league was almost completely shut down… but it was by his own offense.

“There was a lot of single coverage on CeeDee Lamb,” Aikman continued. “If it was back when I was playing — and I hate going back to that point because nobody cares — but what I see around the league… a lot of these offenses, they want to scheme things. The coordinators, it’s all about scheme rather than this corner is playing soft, he’s scared to death. Just run the route tree. Just run a comeback. Run a dig route. Run a curl. Run anything. And you’re going to complete the pass whenever you want, and [Michael] Irvin would have had 10 catches at halftime if they played us the way that they played CeeDee Lamb in that game. So, I just don’t quite understand that.”

The three-time Super Bowl champ and current FOX analyst went on to say that he was talking about the trend with Peyton Manning at John Madden’s memorial service on Tuesday.

“He agreed,” Aikman shared. “The game is not that difficult. If I’ve got a great player at wide receiver, and a corner is playing him single-coverage, throw him the ball. He’s going to win most of the time.”

By ignoring their bread and butter and trying to throw the kitchen sink at San Francisco instead, the Cowboys were sent home unsatisfied once again, still starving when it comes to deep postseason success.

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Cowboys News: McCarthy’s job security, Quinn’s interviews, is Kellen really ready?

It’s about the coaches now, as Dan Quinn begins a busy week of interviews. Is Mike McCarthy safe? And is Kellen Moore even HC-ready? | From @ToddBrock24f7

And just like that, it’s over. The 2021 campaign is complete for the Cowboys, and the immediate focus turns to the coaching staff. Who’s staying? Who’s going? Who’s talking to whom? Mike McCarthy wasn’t a topic Jerry Jones wanted to discuss Sunday night, but Stephen was casting a big vote on confidence on Dallas radio by Monday. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn embarks on a busy week of job interviews with no fewer than four other clubs, but the anemic wild card showing suddenly calls into question whether his offensive counterpart Kellen Moore is really ready for a promotion.

Elsewhere, plenty to unpack from what transpired on the field, from the many details that doomed Dallas to Ezekiel Elliott’s mystery ailment that’s finally been named, from the role the officials played to that bizarre final play. We’re searching high and low for somebody wearing a star who was a bright spot, and we’re facing facts about just how bad it really was. Dak Prescott had a cringeworthy line in his postgame press conference… but also did a stand-up thing for some of his lesser-known teammates. And we’re looking at the Cowboys’ now-solidified spot in the draft order… because that’s the next thing to look forward to now. News and Notes rolls on…

Stephen Jones on Cowboys keeping McCarthy: ‘Absolutely. Very confident.’

Jerry had no comment Sunday night, but Stephen was decisive Monday: McCarthy will return in 2022, even as 2 coordinators could leave. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Sunday night, in the immediate aftermath of the Cowboys’ stunning loss to San Francisco in the wild card round of the 2021 postseason, team owner Jerry Jones was unwilling to discuss the future of head coach Mike McCarthy.

McCarthy has been on the job just two seasons, compiling an 18-15 regular-season record. But the sky-high expectations for this season’s squad, coupled with a series of underachieving and embarrassing losses, plus a pair of coordinators who are already hot prospects on the head-coach-interview circuit, have cast serious doubt on the long-term belief in the McCarthy Experiment, for many fans and football minds alike.

But Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, speaking on Dallas radio Monday, tried to put the debate to bed when he was asked about McCarthy’s continued employment with the organization.

He gave a three-word answer.

That curt vote of confidence comes as offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn prepare for a busy week of interviews with other clubs.

At least one NFL insider reported over the weekend that were the Cowboys to fall to the 49ers, the Jones family would be forced to at least consider firing McCarthy and replacing him with either Moore or Quinn. Those reports only gained traction and volume with the Cowboys’ anemic and unprepared showing in the 23-17 loss.

A contingent from the Broncos will travel to Dallas to interview with both Cowboys assistants on Tuesday. Quinn is said to have three other interviews lined up for the week. Moore has been invited to speak to other teams, too.

“It’s real hard to keep people from taking a head football coaching opportunity,” Jones told The K&C Masterpiece Show. “There’s a big difference between being a coordinator and being a head coach. Certainly, we understand; they deserve it. They have their full body of work and a very successful season. Dan has had success as a head coach. That just comes with the territory, and we’ll have to roll up out sleeves with them. We’ve had great relationships with both men, and we’ll just work with them as they navigate these waters. And as we do that, we’ll be thinking about what the future holds for the Cowboys, as well. Obviously, that will be first and foremost.”

Trying to reading between the lines of what a Jones says in a live radio interview is always rife with danger. Both Jerry and Stephen have been known to blow smoke or spin a story the way they want it perceived in the public eye.

But Stephen’s answer sure makes it sound like the Cowboys are committed to McCarthy, even if that means losing both Moore and Quinn.

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Keystone Kops, blown opportunities, misspellings, the sun: Details doom Cowboys in comedy of errors

There was plenty that didn’t go the Cowboys’ way Sunday, from jersey misspellings to confusion over plays to the big ball of gas in the sky. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The image of quarterback Dak Prescott and umpire Ramon George literally bumping into one another Sunday as the game clock at AT&T Stadium ticked down to zeroes will be the one that sticks with Cowboys fans the longest after the gut-wrenching 23-17 loss to bounce them from the postseason bracket.

But think back through the game, and there are so many other snapshots that will leave the fanbase shaking its collective head. So many reasons why the ’21 Cowboys are the laughingstock of the league on wild card weekend. So many details that showed this Dallas team was unprepared for the magnitude of the moment.

Jerry Jones: ‘Quite a letdown’, but won’t discuss McCarthy’s status as HC

The Cowboys owner said, ‘We needed to make this happen.’ After another early playoff exit for the team, something else may have to happen. | From @ToddBrock24f7

In the end, it was Jerry Jones who perhaps summed it up best.

In the moments following a devastating 23-17 loss to the 49ers that ousted Dallas from the postseason yet again, the the 79-year-old owner described the team’s pathetic performance as just the latest chapter in a book that Cowboys fans have grown all too accustomed to reading along with.

“We had a team that, all year, would basically disappoint to some degree, and then turn around and show,” Jones told reporters at AT&T Stadium Sunday night. “And this was a game that we needed to show. And against a team like San Francisco, as solid a team as they are, no matter how good we looked on paper, we needed to make this happen.”

Jones, though, was unwilling to entertain axing the character most are painting as the bad guy most responsible for that disappointment, head coach Mike McCarthy.

“I don’t even want to discuss anything like that at this particular time. No discussion.”

But like it or not, Jones will have to discuss a coaching change sooner rather than later. With offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn both listed on the slate for multiple head coaching interviews around the league, there is almost assuredly change coming at or very near the top of the Cowboys coaching staff.

The idea that Jones would be able to keep the trio of McCarthy, Moore, and Quinn intact for another season was always a far-fetched one. But that was before the sloppy and undisciplined playoff loss that Cowboys players simply looked unprepared for. Now, it’s doubtful that many around the team even want to keep all three.

“I’m not going to discuss coaching, the preparation, any of those things,” Jones repeated. “That’s not on the table. The game speaks for itself.”

That it does.

Five-of-14 on third downs. Just 77 rushing yards. A mind-numbing 14 penalties. Five sacks allowed. Only one drive with snaps inside the opponent’s red zone… and that was after the defense’s lone takeaway set up the offense eight yards away. A 53% completion rate from the $40 million-dollar quarterback. A special-teams unit that pulled off a fake punt, but couldn’t get the ball snapped on the ensuing first down without being called for delay of game. An offense that couldn’t execute a hurry-up spike as the clock ticked to zero.

“It’s quite a letdown,” Jones muttered in the stadium tunnel. “Quite a letdown.”

Time ran out on the Cowboys. And now time could be running out on Jones’s chances to bring a sixth Lombardi Trophy to Dallas.

“When you get this combination of players together, you need to have success, because we all know how it goes in the NFL,” Jones said. “The whole thing is set up to take away from the best and add to the ones that need improvement. And personnel-wise, I think we have one of the best.”

While Jones may still believe in the guys actually wearing helmets and pads on Sundays, the focus will, now, inevitably, turn to the guys with the headsets and whistles.

“This is one of the best group of players that I’ve been around.”

Jones himself emphasized the one key word in that sentence.

He knows changes are coming to the coaching staff. Which coordinators get lured away may be out of his control. But whether he elects to retain McCarthy- now 10-9 all-time in the postseason as a head coach- is for him and him alone to decide.

No matter how good we looked on paper, we needed to make this happen.

Those were Jones’s own words. Cowboys Nation waits to see what he will make happen before the 2022 edition.

We had a team that, all year, would basically disappoint to some degree, and then turn around and show.

They disappointed mightily on Sunday. Now it’s up to Jones to turn around and show… something.

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Wild-card round good, bad, ugly: Cowboys failed in myriad of ways vs 49ers

The Cowboys couldn’t overcome a bad game plan and poor discipline in their wild card loss to the San Francisco 49ers. | From @BenGrimaldi

Another season, another disappointing ending for the Dallas Cowboys. This year it came at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, in a home wild-card round playoff game, 23-17.

In a contest where the Cowboys had to play their best football in order to save their season, they played undisciplined and uninspired. In a win or go home situation, in a game where they had yet another chance to show they were a different version of the Cowboys than the last 25 iterations, they demonstrated that although the players and coaches were different, nothing really had changed.

The 49ers beat the Cowboys as much as the Cowboys beat themselves in a tough-to-watch playoff performance.

Winning the NFC East was fun, as was winning six straight and making Cowboys Nation believe things were different this year. In the end, though, it was the same type of issues that had plagued the Cowboys all year that got them dismissed from the playoffs. Bad penalties at the worst times and an offense that never found their rhythm cost Dallas their season.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from the Cowboys’ wild card loss to the 49ers.

Dak Prescott uncharacteristically nasty over Cowboys fans throwing trash at refs

Prescott was upset that fans threw trash at players leaving the field Sunday. When he heard they were aiming at refs, he changed his tune. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Things turned ugly at AT&T Stadium as the Cowboys’ first-round playoff game went final, but one team leader’s comments about it are leaving an aftertaste that, for some, is even worse.

The contest’s chaotic final minute of regulation saw quarterback Dak Prescott drive the Cowboys offense 56 yards in under 30 seconds toward what looked like would be at least a chance at a heroic game-winning touchdown. But time expired before Prescott could spike the ball to stop the clock, and there were a few moments of confusion as officials conferred. When referee Alex Kemp keyed his mic and declared the game over, the hometown crowd voiced their displeasure… and more.

Videos shared on social media shortly after the 23-17 Dallas loss showed fans pelting the field with bottles and trash as the team headed for the tunnel.

It’s a deplorable and dangerous scene that has, unfortunately, played out before at other stadiums. But as bad as it looked on the surface, the situation may have been made worse by comments made soon after; comments that came from the unlikeliest of sources.

When asked about it in his remarks to the media, Prescott admitted he was not aware of the fans’ postgame reaction.

“No, I didn’t see that,” the team captain told reporters. “It’s sad. You’re talking about a team, you’re talking about men coming out each and every day of their lives and give everything to this sport, give everything to this game of football. Nobody wants to succeed more than we want to succeed. I understand fans and the word ‘fan’ for fanatic, I get that. But to know everything that we put into this, day in and day out, try our hardest, nobody comes into the game wanting or expecting to lose, and for people to react that way when you’re supposed to be a supporter and be with us through thick and thin, that’s tough.”

But then Prescott was informed that the fans were more likely aiming at the officials, who were exiting the field alongside the team.

The normally even-keeled Prescott took the bait and went uncharacteristically nasty.

“Credit to them, then,” he said. “Credit to them.”

He got a laugh, but that’s a cringe-worthy look for the team’s leader and Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee.

Yes, his team had just lost a heartbreaking playoff game. Prescott himself knows he will be criticized as part of the controversy over the final play; whether he should have run the ball, whether he should have downed himself earlier to save a few precious seconds, why he handed the ball to his center instead of to the umpire as is generally taught, and so on.

It was the heat of the moment, immediately following a gutting loss that he and many in the Dallas locker room and throughout Cowboys Nation are pinning on the referees.

Prescott’s frustration with the officials and anger over how Sunday’s game ended are understandable, but praising fans for potentially inflicting bodily harm, even if a poor attempt at a joke, is going too far.

Later in the press conference, Prescott was asked to clarify his earlier comment. He didn’t walk anything back, and in fact suggested that the fans merely felt the same way about the officiating as he and his teammates did.

“I guess it’s why the refs took off and got out of there so fast,” he offered. “I think everybody was upset about the way that this thing played out.”

Yes, everybody who loves this team is upset about the loss.

But many who love this team’s quarterback and hold him up as a positive role model are now justifiably upset and disappointed about his thoughtless comments.

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2021 Playoffs: Cowboys’ season comes to anti-climactic end with 23-17 loss to 49ers

The Cowboys were outplayed, but gave themselves several chances to win in the fourth before coming up short. | From @KDDrummondNFL

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After a torrid start to the 2021 season, the Dallas Cowboys’ offense fell into a funk. Injuries and offensive line shuffling led to a lack of confidence in his protection and quarterback Dak Prescott’s performance began to slide downhill. There was much concern over this in Dallas, though not much to do but keep working on things until they got better. That’s why the team didn’t rest anyone in the season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles, hoping to get their mojo back.

It didn’t work. The same issues took the Cowboys down in their wild-card game against the San Francisco 49ers. Pre-snap penalties. Holding calls and general bad blocking happened first, an inaccurate and poor decision making Prescott followed. After a big-play, opening-drive touchdown by the 49ers put the defense on skates, they tried to buckle down however they couldn’t stop the bum rush boosted by the lack of successful drives by the offense. In the end, it was the end of the Cowboys’ season, falling 23-17 after a surreal, wild ending to a poorly-played performance.

Everything failed for the Cowboys in this contest, from coaching to player execution. Anyone looking for a microcosm to the issues found it in the fourth quarter when Dallas ran a successful fake punt, and then tried to double down. They kept the punt unit on the field, trying to trick the 49ers before running out their offense, only to get called for delay of game when the ref wouldn’t let them snap it to allow San Francisco to complete their substitution.

Dallas, trailing by 16 with 12 minutes left, kicked a 51-yard field goal to trim the score to 13, still two scores down.

The Cowboys did what they’ve done many times in the past, made a furious fourth-quarter comeback scoring 10 unanswered points and they got the ball back with a chance to go win it. However Dak Prescott’s fourth-down deep ball fell incomplete when Cedrick Wilson stumbled, giving the ball back to San Francisco.

The defense tried to come up with a stop to get one last try, but that was thrwarted when Randy Gregory was called for his third penalty of the game for defensive holding, tackling an offensive lineman behind the play.

It was the only way this game could go, Dallas setting their franchise record with 14 penalties. Only it didn’t end there. The Cowboys got a third-down stop, upon review, inches short of a clinching first-down for WR Deebo Samuel. Trying for a sneak to end the game, the referee finally called a false start on the 49ers, forcing a punt.

Prescott moved the ball down the field with three plays that got out of bounds, but with 14 seconds left Dallas tried to run a sneak. It worked, only the club couldn’t get the ball snapped to spike it for one try in the end zone.

The club never got to try their shot, after failing miserably to put themselves in a better position throughout the rest of the game.

And so Dallas moves on to the offseason, with potential coaching changes, loss of free agents and several months to digest what went wrong.

 

Cowboys Wire Podcast: Wild-card preview as Dallas takes on 49ers

A preview of what to expect when the Cowboys and 49ers rekindle their rivalry from the 80s and 90s. | From @KDDrummondNFL, @RyanO_Leary.

The Dallas Cowboys (12-5) are all set to begin what they hope will be a month-long journey to their sixth Lombardi trophy. It will be a series of tests which are only unlocked after the previous foe has been vanquished. Their first mission? Taking out the San Francisco 49ers (10-7).

The guys preview the marquee game on the NFL’s slate for wild-card weekend: Cowboys vs. 49ers. Topics include an age-old rivalry renewed, why the analytics love Kyle Shanahan, the formula to make life miserable for Jimmy Garoppolo and betting predictions against the spread and total. Hosted by Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) with Cowboys Wire Managing Editor K.D. Drummond (@KDDrummondNFL).

Follow the Cowboys Wire Podcast:
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