Category: News and Notes

The Dallas Cowboys were set to have their third noon kickoff in four weeks against the Arizona Cardinals on January 2. The NFL decided on Thursday that regional coverage wasn’t good enough and flexed the game. Safety Jayron Kearse has won the hearts of Cowboys fans with his stellar play in 2021, and he believes that he and his defensive teammates have what it takes to win it all.

Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is known as a mad scientist when it comes to attacking NFL defenses, and with Urban Meyer getting the boot in Jacksonville, he could draw some serious interest for their head coaching vacancy. Bold predictions for Cowboys-Giants, Dak Prescott’s admission that he isn’t playing as well but isn’t in a slump like some suggest, and much more are on deck in this edition of the news and notes.

At the start of the season, the Cowboys offense was predicted to be the class of the NFL. After 14 weeks, there are suddenly more questions than answers. Among them, what has caused quarterback Dak Prescott’s significant slump? Or is it a slump at all? Have injuries along the offensive line finally caught up with Tyron Smith? Can running back Tony Pollard overcome his plantar fascia tear enough to go this Sunday? And how long can the surging defense keep bailing out their offensive mates?

Despite all that uncertainty, Dallas can mathematically lock up a postseason berth this weekend, although much of the playoff picture remains murky. This week’s opponent may be without their starting quarterback, Cowboys fans have learned a lot about their team with the win over Washington, and the Micah Parsons Show is still dazzling audiences. The latest COVID explosion has close contact with the Cowboys’ roster, fans can feel like they’re part of the pregame hype, and we’re looking ahead to perhaps another defensive superstar on draft day. That’s all on tap in News and Notes.

After a long mini-bye that saw a great many Cowboys players either pop up with injury issues or be iffy in their return, there is just one name on the watchlist for Sunday. Tony Pollard will be a gametime decision with his plantar fasciitis tear. Micah Parsons’s hip seems to be a non-concern, and Randy Gregory and Neville Gallimore are said to “look good” for a comeback in Week 14. And fans are reminded that this weekend will mark the first time the lawfirm of Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb will have been on the field together since the third quarter of Week 1.

We’ll explore the Dallas-Washington rivalry and get into what the coaches have had to add to this installment after a back-and-forth of soundbites. We’ll gameplan how to beat the surging WFT defense, and look at yet another award nomination for quarterback Dak Prescott. Safety Jayron Kearse has an unusual (and tasty) superstition fueling his recent rise in play, and former coach Jason Garrett may be moving into a new office very soon. That’s all on tap in News and Notes.

The Cowboys are finally getting the band back together. With the entire coaching staff and every player except Nahshon Wright back from COVID protocols, the Cowboys are nearing full strength for their Week 14 showdown in the nation’s capital. Except for Tony Pollard, maybe; he sat out Wednesday practice with some sort of foot injury. Ezekiel Elliott says he’s full-go, though… as is the defense, now new and improved with DeMarcus Lawrence, Neville Gallimore, and Randy Gregory. That will affect where rookie phenom Micah Parsons takes his snaps on Sunday, but one teammate says it hardly matters because he’s already a gamewrecker of legendary proportion.

Elsewhere, a look at who Washington will be without… and who is lighting it up for the Football Team. We examine an incredible stat about Coach McCarthy’s annual November nosedive, we look at why so many ex-NFLers (like Cowboys Jason Witten and Jon Kitna) are going back to the high school gridiron, we rank the Cowboys’ Top 30 players, and we dig into what has to happen over the course of the next five games for the road to LA to go through Dallas. All that, plus a fascinating look at the first woman to ever put on the iconic Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders uniform. That’s all up in News and Notes.

Knock on wood, but the Cowboys may suddenly be as healthy as they’ve been all season. Five coaches and four players came off the COVID list on Tuesday, with just one big name left to clear protocols. Jerry Jones is predicting big things- literally- for the offensive line when they travel to Washington, where it seems there may be more empty seats than expected. Troy Aikman weighs in on why Ezekiel Elliott has been hobbling around in games, DeMarcus Lawrence has added pressure to put on a show over the final five games of the season, and the offense will try to reverse a troubling third-down trend.

Elsewhere, the Cowboys have put their quarterback up for the league’s biggest honor, we’re fixing the financials in the wake of 2022 salary cap rumors, a certain red-haired Cowboys ex-coach is “on the radar” for the Duke job, and the all-time rushing king will soon be holding court in Vegas, baby. That’s all ahead in the News and Notes

The mini-bye offers a nice opportunity to look forward, and the Cowboys have plenty to look forward to heading into Week 14. Fresh off the return of defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, the club is now set to welcome back Neville Gallimore and Randy Gregory on that side of the ball, not to mention their head coach. It could feel like a whole new team in Washington. Speaking of the Football Team, they’ll be entering their divisional meeting with Dallas minus their star tight end.

Elsewhere, a Cowboys assistant could be heading back to college, Trevon and Aaiden Diggs are breaking down film (and having more trouble with quarterback names), and the TV ratings from the Cowboys’ win in New Orleans are huge… as is the league’s expected salary cap number for 2022. All that, plus CBS rolls out new technology during Tony Romo’s most recent broadcast, and Emmitt Smith puts out the “SOLD” sign in his yard. News and Notes, coming right up…

Have NFL teams not learned anything yet? They haven’t, because for some reason they keep testing cornerback Trevon Diggs. His latest victim was New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill as Diggs snagged his league-leading ninth interception of the season, putting him in a great position to break the Dallas Cowboys’ franchise record of 11 set by Everson Walls in 1981. Linebacker Micah Parsons has resembled more of a cyborg than a human with his 25 quarterback hits, 15 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks on the season, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

The Cowboys and their NFC East rivals will go through a gauntlet of division games in December with no team playing less than three to close out the season. Takeaways from the Cowboys win against the Saints, their shaky identity at times, a rookie report, and more headline this edition of the news and notes.

The Cowboys’ 27-17 win over the Saints wasn’t pretty, by any means. The offense is still in a rut, with a limping workhorse, and a quarterback who’s trying to do too much. Amari Cooper came back and compared himself to Michael Jordan, and Mike McCarthy looks to return soon from his own bout with COVID.

The defense, however, put on a show. Four interceptions, including a house call from one of the big men in the middle. Micah Parsons continues to put together a season for the ages, but he’s got no time for personal accolades… or cheese-flavored corn puffs. He has, however, spawned a catchy new name for his position. And DeMarcus Lawrence made up for 10 weeks of inactivity with a performance that was “electric.” We’re recapping everything from Week 13… and looking ahead to a few of the teams who could be in the bidding for MIchael Gallup’s services. That’s all ahead in News and Notes.