Tag: Mike McCarthy

How to buy Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland Browns NFL Week 1 tickets

Tickets are now available for the #Browns home opener against the #Cowboys. Get yours before they’re gone:

The Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys will kickoff their respective regular seasons with a Week 1 matchup on Sept. 8, 2024, at 4:25 p.m. at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

This opener features two teams from different conferences that will have high expectations heading into the 2024 NFL season. That will make for an exciting matchup.

Even though the season does not begin until September, only limited tickets remain for this first game in Cleveland.

SHOP: Cleveland Browns vs. Dallas Cowboys tickets

In terms of the Cowboys, a big year awaits the names at the top: Quarterback Dak Prescott and head coach Mike McCarthy. Is this their last chance in Jerry World?

On the flip side, the Browns will have their front office brass, head coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry, around for awhile after their offseason extensions that were signed. But can DeShaun Watson solidify himself as their starting quarterback after recent injury struggles?

Will the Cowboys or Browns take this Week 1 battle between two teams that want to start off on the right foot? Tickets for this contest start as low as $200.

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Will 2024 be a breakthrough year for Cowboys, or epic collapse?

Will 2024 be the season where the Dallas Cowboys finally breakthrough, or are they headed for a collapse after a disastrous offseason? | From @BenGrimaldi

Mike McCarthy’s Dallas Cowboys have won 12 games in three straight seasons, yet the team has just one playoff win and zero conference championship games to show for it. After ‘knocking on the door’ for two seasons in 2021 and 2022, McCarthy thought his 2023 group was ready to break the door down, but the Cowboys floundered yet again in the playoffs.

As the 2024 season rapidly approaches, will the Cowboys finally breakthrough and end a 28-year championship drought, or will they collapse after an uninspiring offseason?

The team could end up anywhere in-between these two outcomes, but the upcoming campaign has a heavy boom-or-bust feel at this point. With McCarthy and much of the coaching staff on one-year deals, it appears Jerry and Stephen Jones could be viewing it this way as well.

It’s wild to think about how a coach who’s had so much regular season success in the last three years can possibly be leading a team to the brink of faltering with much of the core of the team returning, but here things are. There are as many reasons to believe in these Cowboys, as there also are reasons to suspect disaster is coming.

Reasons to believe include Dallas’ high-end talent. The organization fielded eight All-Pro players last season and even though they lost one in left tackle Tyron Smith, they’ll also get one back in cornerback Trevon Diggs.

The Cowboys are led by quarterback Dak Prescott, who continues to get better under McCarthy. The duo has been money in their time together, leading the offense to top of the league status when Prescott’s been healthy, and their second year in the ‘Texas Coast Offense’ could yield even better results. That could mean something special considering how good he was in his first year in the system.

It helps that Prescott is surrounded by elite players on offense. CeeDee Lamb is arguably the best wide receiver in the league, and tight end Jake Ferguson, who was a revelation last year, should continue to ascend. The offensive line boasts two All-Pro guards in Tyler Smith and Zack Martin, to pair with yet another first-round pick in Tyler Guyton.

On defense, the Cowboys have a plethora of talent, led by pass rusher Micah Parsons. One of the best edge rushers and defensive players in the game, Parsons has led the Cowboys in sacks in each of his first three seasons and could thrive under new coordinator Mike Zimmer. Parsons was the biggest defensive disrupter in the league last season and Zimmer’s scheme is expected to move his best player around more than his predecessor did.

The defense also boasts one of the game’s best two-way defensive ends in DeMarcus Lawrence. As well, the pick-six king DaRon Bland and the return of Diggs gives Dallas one of the best CB tandems in the NFL. Few teams have that amount of talent on defense.

However, despite all the top-flight talent on the roster, the Cowboys could bottom out because they don’t have much depth. Thanks to a front office that stood by and watched free agency, the team didn’t sufficiently improve this offseason. The team lost much of their veteran depth and solid rotational pieces without adding much to replace their production. Linebacker Eric Kendricks was the only quality addition in free agency, with the team relying on the draft to patch their other holes.

The Cowboys have questions at running back after losing starter Tony Pollard, and not filling the void with a better option than RB Ezekiel Elliott. The team also took a chance on drafting Guyton in the first round, despite his inexperience and the work that needs to be done to refine his game. Guyton may thrive in the future, but he may need time to develop, perhaps not the best way to improve their offensive line in 2024.

It’s also a defensive line that lacks quality on the interior. Osa Odighizuwa is solid player, but the Cowboys are expecting DT Mazi Smith to make a big jump in Year 2. That task has been made more difficult due to shoulder surgery that has kept Smith out this offseason.

Management failures could foreshadow the Cowboys’ downfall as well. The front offices lack of movement on extensions for their key players could come back to bite them. The have been rumors about an uneasiness inside the Cowboys’ locker room and it’s tough to buy into a team with a lame duck coach, defensive coordinator and QB all on the last year of their contracts. Not having Prescott locked into a new contract at this point is as negligent as it can get from a front office.

Lamb and Parsons basically staying away all offseason sends a poor message about the harmony within the organization as well. This offseason has given the strongest impression yet that the Joneses don’t know what they’re doing when it comes to managing the salary cap or the roster.

The last six months has not been an ideal situation for the Cowboys, who appear to be on the brink of imploding.

Having elite players at the key five positions is a reason to believe the Cowboys can keep the double-digit winning seasons coming under McCarthy. When you have a good QB, you have a chance to win a lot of games, which is the main reason to buy into a breakthrough.

Yet the lack of depth and the vibe from a tumultuous offseason could signal a collapse. It’s hard to look at the Cowboys and feel good about where they’re at with training camp looming.

There’s time to get things moving in the right direction with Prescott and Lamb extensions, but as it stands right now, the Cowboys have the look of a team on the brink of crumbling. After not breaking through in the last three seasons, a 2024 collapse could feel even worse, and the Joneses will have no one to blame but themselves.

While most teams close to a breakthrough move forward, management in Dallas chose to pull back. That makes any marked improvement in 2024 unlikely, which could mean an implosion is coming for the Cowboys.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi

Cowboys run-pass splits under center show disturbing predictability

The Cowboys need to be less transparent when Dak Prescott is under center. | From @ReidDHanson

“Line up and beat the guy in front of you,” was an old coaching saying from yesteryear. In the days prior to free agency, simply being better than the other guy was often good enough. It was a time when the haves dominated the have-nots and parity was almost nonexistent.

Today’s NFL is as much a game of strategy and deception as it is about talent. The margins are slimmer than ever before and often times coaching makes all the difference. It’s an area the Cowboys could stand to improve in 2024 as they look to get over the playoff hump in what could be Mike McCarthy’s last season as head coach.

McCarthy’s Cowboys are in the image of a previous era. They don’t rely heavily on screen passes, play-action, motion at-the-snap, or horizontal play-fakes like jet or orbital sweeps. They usually give what they show the defense. If they trot out 21, 22 or 13 personnel (multiple running back or tight end packages), they run the ball at an inordinate rate. It’s an act of transparency the defense can feast on. It swings the advantage to the defense and marks a major missed opportunity for McCarthy.

Playing in a West Coast, Air Coryell-hybrid offense, the Cowboys play a mix of shotgun and under center plays. Shotgun is the predominant attack but plays in which Prescott moves up under center represent a significant portion of the snaps.

Per PFF tracking, the Cowboys run the ball 62.89% of the time when under center. That pass rate was 12.16% below expected.

Defenses naturally think run when quarterbacks line up under center. It’s why play-action under center has consistently been fruitful across the NFL. But the Cowboys are just giving them what they are expecting. Rather than play fake for a pass, they run right into the defense that’s ready and waiting. It’s probably a contributing factor in their 28th ranked explosive play rate under center.

In all fairness, the Cowboys aren’t exactly lighting up the scoreboard passing from under center either.

An EPA/pass of -0.05 is far below their average EPA passing out of shotgun or empty situations. It’s even worse than their EPA/rush under center, which is -0.02. But it’s the transparency that’s the real problem here. The Cowboys are posting a negative EPA regardless of the play call and that’s likely because they are fairly obvious with their intentions.

Based on the numbers and trends, the Cowboys may want to dial down their under-center frequency in 2024. And when they do run those plays, mixing in play action and other play fakes would serve them well in their quest to be less transparent.

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Raise the Rook: Cowboys must adjust to Tyler Guyton’s possible weaknesses

Since Tyler Guyton has struggled in true pass sets, the Cowboys must adapt when building their 2024 offfensive attack. | From @ReidDHanson

There are many ways for a smart coach to make things easier on his passing offense and the Cowboys may need to consider changes with a rookie left tackle in tow. Motion at the snap, rub routes, RPOs, screen passes, and play-action are just a few of the ways to get the ball out quickly, accurately, and to the first read. Teams with young or limited quarterbacks will lean on these tricks often. It puts them in position to succeed because it makes things quick and easy.

Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys haven’t seen a need for tricks such as this. Dak Prescott is one of the smarter QBs in the league, well known for his accurate pre-snap reads. His ability to stand in the pocket, move through progressions and deliver timely passes is some of the best in the NFL. Prescott’s 480 attempts in non-play-action dropbacks ranked sixth in the NFL in 2023. His passing grade of 87.5 in these situations ranked second league-wide, trailing only Patrick Mahomes.

What does any of this have to do with Tyler Guyton?

Everything.

Standard pass sets in a gimmick-free offense means maximum exposure for pass-protecting linemen. Play-action buys time with the run fake and first-read schemed passes keep the TTT down, but pass protecting in true pass sets ups the difficulty level for passers and pass protectors alike.

Guyton comes to Dallas as an abnormally inexperienced first-round draft pick. He’s raw in his development and untested in many responsibilities. Per Pro Football Focus, he only has 111 true pass set snaps which make up only 20 percent of his overall workload (lowest in his class).

Assuming he wins the starting LT job, the Cowboys will try to protect Guyton as much as possible, but since they can’t protect him all the time, he’ll have his work cut out for him in 2024.

Guyton’s pressure rate allowed at Oklahoma was a trusty 3.3%. It wasn’t as good as class leaders Joe Alt or Olu Fashanu, but it put him in elite company. That number slips, however, when just looking at true pass sets. His pressure rate in true pass sets balloons to 6.2% making for a significant swing from one type of blocking assignment to the next.

Recent draft picks with a college pressure rate of over 6.2% in true pass sets are players like Charles Cross, Christian Darrisaw, Andrew Thomas and Mechi Becton. It’s a concern but based on the names listed, it’s hardly a death sentence.

Given Guyton’s extremely limited experience in true pass sets, McCarthy may want to meet him halfway in his blocking assignments. Engineering more first-read plays on the back of motion and play-action is a great way to simplify things for Guyton as a rookie.  A steady dose of screen passes is another previously prescribed solution.

At the end of the day, playing on an island in true pass sets is going to be an unavoidable reality for the rookie LT. It’s something to monitor in training camp because if he’s not up the task the offense may have to fundamentally change.

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The curious case of the Cowboys’ lame duck coaching staff

The Cowboys have been noncommittal with their coaching staff, casting shadows on their intensions, says @ReidDHanson

The term “lame duck” hails from 18th century England, describing a broker of the London Stock Exchange who had defaulted on debts. The offending party would be in lame-duck status and effectively locked out until they could pay off their debts and regain their membership. Since then, the term has expanded to politics and sports.

In politics “lame duck” signifies the period of time between a general election and an outgoing politician’s time in office. In sports it refers to an athlete or coach in the final year of his/her contract. The 2024 Cowboys are loaded with lame ducks. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb headline the list of players, but the entire coaching staff populates the list of coaches.

As if the Dallas front office was somehow unsure of what they had in the coaching ranks, they opted to kick the can on that particular decision-making process. It’s an action that’s understandable for a young and unproven coaching staff, but for an experienced group that consists of Mike McCarthy, Mike Zimmer and Brian Schottenheimer, it’s mighty curious.

Entering Year 5 of the McCarthy era, the Cowboys have a pretty good idea of what they have. McCarthy was hired to get a talented team over the top in a way Jason Garrett could not. What McCarthy has done is deliver one postseason win amidst three consecutive 12-win seasons. Props are certainly due to a coach who could deliver the consistency no other Cowboys coach could do before, but over the top was about the postseason, not the regular season, and McCarthy’s only win in the playoffs has come against an 8-9 Tampa Bay team that was just lucky to be there.

Zimmer was added as the new defensive coordinator in 2024. He was brought in to tighten up the Dallas defense and add some accountability to a unit that long enjoyed a relatively hospitable environment under player’s coach, Dan Quinn. But it speaks volumes he was hired to a one-year commitment to match McCarthy and company.

To borrow an expression from Mark Cuban, the Cowboys are “keeping their powder dry” for the future. Maybe they want to re-sign McCarthy and staff or maybe they don’t. Surely, they know the answer but unlikely they want anyone else to know that is.

Under McCarthy, the Cowboys have failed to find any more postseason success than under Garrett. Despite having the talent of a top-five roster most years, they’ve accomplished next to nothing. Some may blame the clutchness of players like Prescott, Lamb and Parsons as to why there hasn’t been postseason success. But the issue, which seems to be systemic, has been lingering throughout different rosters dating back to the turn of the century. It’s hard to blame the players when the culture seems to be the culprit.

If McCarthy hasn’t changed it by now, it’s unlikely he ever will. Maybe that’s an irresponsible conclusion given sample size or maybe that’s just being realistic.

Reading into the Cowboys’ actions regarding their coaching staff can get dangerous. The front office knows these coaches. They also know which coaches are going to be on the market in 2025. They want a successful in the 2024 season but based on their actions (or inactions) in free agency and coaching, they aren’t actively pursuing it. Letting everyone play out their deals on the coaching staff will allow a clean break in 2025 and save literally millions of dollars. If that’s what they want to do.

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Jerry Jones’ and Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys relationship might be on the rocks

Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy have tried to get the Cowboys over the top for four season, and it may be taking its toll.

The Dallas Cowboys, one of America’s marquee teams regardless of the sport, haven’t been to a Super Bowl since the end of the 1995 season. That was also the last season the Cowboys went to an NFC Championship game. In the time since, Jerry Jones has filtered through six different head coaches, and a series of coordinators, and there’s no question that the team’s identity runs through Jones and his son Stephen, the team’s CEO/EVP/Director of Player Personnel.

The Cowboys hired former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy before the 2020 season. In the four seasons since, McCarthy has put together a 42-25 regular-season record with a 1-3 mark in the postseason. The regular-season record on its surface looks great, but the postseason failures sting, and the team’s 48-32 wild-card loss to the Packers at their end of the 2023 season was another example of that.

Nobody would have been surprised if Jones had fired McCarthy after the season given Jones’s mercurial temperament, but for the time being, the decision has been made to stay put. But how hot is McCarthy’s seat, and how much rope does he have, especially if his in-game issues with situational football and clock management continue?

Per NFL insider Ty Dunne on Dunne’s Go Long Substack, the answer is complicated. As Jerry Jones is not one to sit back and let his head coach provide the team’s identity, there’s something missing in the equation, and it’s entirely possible that McCarthy’s frustration matches and mirrors Jones’ in its own ways.

Multiple people high up in the organization indicate that current players are more concerned about Jerry Jones than their own head coach. They know ownership can undermine the head coach at any moment.

“So that means you can get a talented team like they’ve had,” this personnel source says, “but they’re going to underachieve when the coaches can’t influence the players the way they need to.”

Jason Garrett navigated this world best he could.

McCarthy is doing the same, but he may be growing frustrated.

“He’s doing it the best he can,” the former Cowboys personnel man says. “Some of the people I’ve talked to have said that he’s getting fed up with it a little bit.

“It’s hard. I feel bad for Dak. I think Dak’s a really good quarterback who is capable of taking a team to the Super Bowl. He’s got to overcome a lot of things.”

Jerry Jones did give more control to Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells, but he wasn’t happy about it, even when the Cowboys were winning as a result of it. That has led to the Cowboys hiring head coaches whose ability to defer is a key attribute.

Which it really shouldn’t be.

“You hired him for a reason,” one NFL executive told Dunne of the situation.. “You believed in what their philosophy was. Let him execute the philosophy. If it doesn’t work? Then, you move on from him. But when you’re meddling and you’re not only telling the personnel people who to draft and who to sign, but you’re also influencing what plays are called and things like that, it’s just going to hurt what’s going on.”

This is a pivotal year for the Cowboys. The team has dawdled when it’s come time to pay it’s high-impact players, starting with quarterback Dak Prescott. McCarthy can’t do it alone, and while the Joneses have done an estimable job of giving him the personnel he needs, there are cracks in the foundation. And if things end badly in the 2024 season as they have in one way or another in each of the last few decades, don’t be surprised if the Joneses are on the lookout once again for the next great head coach who is comfortable giving much of his own control away.

As you can imagine, that’s a small (if not nonexistent) list.

Despite uncertainty, Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy continues to climb all-time wins list

From @ToddBrock24f7: McCarthy should overtake five hallowed names this fall and land just outside the top 10, but it may not be enough to save his job in Dallas.

For scores of Cowboys fans hungry for success beyond the regular season, head coach Mike McCarthy is the problem. And the front office hasn’t done much to dispel that notion, letting the 60-year-old and his entire coaching staff head into the 2024 regular season on the final year of their contracts.

Even after three straight 12-win campaigns, it’s do-or-die time for McCarthy in Dallas. According to the reading of some tea leaves, the succession plan is already in place, whether it’s current defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, the curiously-unemployed Bill Belichick, or some back-pocket candidate to be named later.

But maybe cutting McCarthy loose- even if the Cowboys don’t make it to Super Bowl LVIII- shouldn’t be the knee-jerk reaction. Head coaches who are on the league’s all-time top-20 winningest list don’t come along every day.

That’s exactly where McCarthy ranks right now… and he looks to climb a few historic rungs this season.

McCarthy currently stands at 167 regular-season victories. That’s 17th place among all NFL coaches ever, but it shouldn’t take him long to surpass a handful of hallowed names this fall.

With just four more wins, McCarthy will overtake Mike Shanahan, Tom Coughlin, and Pete Carroll for sole possession of 14th place. That could happen as early as Sept. 26, with the Cowboys’ Thursday night matchup against the Giants (who were once coached by Coughlin).

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Six wins would move McCarthy past the legendary Bill Parcells, who got his final 34 wins with the Cowboys from 2003 to 2006. That would make McCarthy the franchise’s second-winningest coach in total victories.

Seven wins gets McCarthy to 174 and pushes him pass Jeff Fisher. There’s a very good chance that will happen before Thanksgiving and be good enough for sole possession of 12th place. (Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin is also tied with Fisher for the moment but will have 11th place all to himself with the Steelers’ first win of 2024.)

Rk Coach W L T Pct.
1 Don Shula 328 156 6 .677
2 George Halas 318 148 31 .682
3 Bill Belichick 302 165 0 .647
4 Andy Reid 258 144 1 .641
5 Tom Landry 250 162 6 .607
6 Curly Lambeau 226 132 22 .631
7 Marty Schottenheimer 200 126 1 .613
8 Chuck Noll 193 148 1 .566
9 Dan Reeves 190 165 2 .535
10 Chuck Knox 186 147 1 .558
T11 Jeff Fisher 173 165 1 .512
T11 Mike Tomlin 173 100 2 .633
13 Bill Parcells 172 130 1 .569
T14 Pete Carroll 170 120 1 .586
T14 Tom Coughlin 170 150 0 .531
T14 Mike Shanahan 170 138 0 .552
17 Mike McCarthy 167 102 2 .620
18 Paul Brown 166 100 6 .624
19 Mike Holmgren 161 111 0 .592
T20 John Harbaugh 160 99 0 .618
T20 Sean Payton 160 98 0 .620

McCarthy passed Bud Grant, Mike Holmgren, and Paul Brown during the 2023 season and is entering very rarefied air for head coaches.

In all likelihood, the Cowboys will win more than seven games in 2024, and McCarthy will find himself on the doorstep of the all-time top 10 in NFL coaching wins.

Strange to think that it still may not be enough to save his job.

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Cowboys noncommittal approach to 2024 is double-edged sword

There are clear benefits to the Cowboys handling of contracts this offseason but there are also damaging disadvantages, says @ReidDHanson.

The Cowboys have taken an interesting approach to the 2024 season. They decided to remain completely noncommittal with their team, focusing on the here and now and keeping options open for the future.

They let most of their noteworthy players leave uncontested in free agency and did next to nothing to lure outside free agents to fill the holes. The Cowboys top star players, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, are all set to hit the free agent market in the near future, yet all three remain unsigned.

This strategy extended beyond just the roster and even encompassed the coaching staff.  Despite the coaching staff operating on their last year under contract, Dallas decided to neither re-sign nor replace them.

The situation in 2024, defined by the front office as “all-in,” promises nothing beyond the current season.

Next year could offer wholesale changes across the roster and in the coaching ranks, or it could be a return for the group that brought Dallas three consecutive 12-win seasons. It’s an uncomfortable situation for fans and players to be in, but for the Cowboys front office it’s a situation that brings significant flexibility.

The uncertain future could also be a motivating force for all of those unsigned. It’s not just the Cowboys they must perform for, but the entire NFL. All unsigned parties stand to make significant money if things go well this season and that may or may not be with Dallas.

While the Cowboys have gained flexibility by handling things so noncommittally, this holding pattern of theirs could prove extremely costly and even result in a long-term rebuild. It’s truly a double-edged sword for Dallas.

What if players and/or coaches don’t want to come back to Dallas after the season? What if everyone’s market value rockets after this season, adding extra costs to the already strained budget? What if the Cowboys are forced to start over at a key position or two and are then forced into a multiyear rebuild because of it?

It’s hard to believe the Cowboys are still undecided with Prescott, Lamb and McCarthy, in particular. All three have been together long enough to give Dallas a pretty good indication as to what they offer.

If the Cowboys don’t think McCarthy has what it takes to be a Super Bowl contender anymore why didn’t they cut bait in January and replace the coaching staff with someone they thought could? Plenty of good options were available.

If the Cowboys didn’t think Prescott had what it takes to lead a team through the postseason they could have shopped him earlier in the offseason. He has a no trade clause in his contract but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t approve a trade to someone willing to meet his new contract demands.

The Cowboys true intentions may be a mystery to fans and media, but chances are the front office knows exactly what they’re striving for and, for better or for worse, is executing that plan.

If this is purely a motivation tactic and they just plan to bring everyone back to the table at a later date, it’s going to prove costly. Contract values have a way of going up every year, so things are almost guaranteed to get worse from a financial perspective.

The Cowboys may not be able to re-sign everyone they want to at the end of all of this and the one’s that can be re-signed will likely be more costly since the team waited. There are some benefits but the strategy cuts both ways, just like a double-edged sword.

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Familiarity with Kellen Moore gives Cowboys advantage against Eagles

The Cowboys familiarity of Kellen Moore gives their defense an advantage over the Eagles in 2024, says @ReidDHanson.

Kellen Moore led the Cowboys’ offense for four highly successful seasons. From 2019 through 2022, the Cowboys finished in the top-six for total offense three times under Moore. Despite constant roster churn and multiple coaching changes above and below him, Moore kept the Cowboys offense humming at league-high levels.

It’s believed predictability and postseason failures ultimately led to Moore’s departure. Mike McCarthy was feeling the pressure and the two sides saw a separation could be mutually beneficial.

After a quick stop with the Chargers in 2023, Moore made his way back to the NFC East, latching on with Philadelphia to lead the Eagles offense in 2024. Moore brings a track record of success and his intimidate knowledge of the Cowboys with him to Philadelphia. He knows the Cowboys offense unlike any other.

Dallas didn’t completely change their makeup under McCarthy so Moore could provide a certain degree of inside information to the Eagles. Then again, there’s two sides to every coin and by bringing his offense to Philadelphia, he also offers familiarity back to the Cowboys.

No one understands the strengths and weaknesses of Moore’s offense better than the Cowboys and the advantage gained by Dallas could be far greater than the advantage gained by Philadelphia.

When McCarthy took the helm on offense in 2023, he brought with him change. Nothing wholesale but he did noticeably impact the identity of the offense. With the Cowboys moves this offseason that change will likely continue to develop. Dallas has been downplaying the running game and installing more West Coast principles in the offense. It’s safe to say Moore’s knowledge of the Cowboys’ offense has been dwindling since he’s left.

The Cowboys’ knowledge of Moore’s offense, on the other hand, will come down to how much influence he has on Nick Sirianni. Based on recent statements from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, it seems a rather significant amount.

“You get to the point where you feel, I’m going to be comfortable with this, I like this, that time comes when you can rep it, rep it, rep it later on, but right now it’s been a lot of new inventory in – the majority of it, probably 95% of it being new – and so it’s just been that process, and it’s been a fun process because you get to see what works for other people,” Hurts said Thursday according to ESPN (via NFL.com). “I think the goal coming in was to learn Kellen’s offense and to master it, and I think that’s been a process, and by the end of it, I want it to be mine and have it in my own way,”

If the offense is anything close to 95 percent Moore’s, the Cowboys will know exactly what to expect when the two teams face off this season. Even in a 50-50 situation Dallas would be well equipped to face off against a Moore offense. Knowing route combinations and play-calling tendencies would give the Cowboys defensive backs an enormous advantage.

Knowing Moore’s offense is especially impactful given the ball-hawking nature of Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. Both cornerbacks have been at the top of the NFL in interceptions since joining the league. They’re both proficient in jumping routes and making big plays happen when they get their hands on the ball.

The change at defensive coordinator also helps Dallas win this battle of familiarity. The Cowboys new DC, Mike Zimmer, is more prone to 2-high coverage looks than Dan Quinn was in Dallas. 2-high coverage and other various shell/umbrella looks often gave the Moore offense fits. Being able to mix in these coverages will free the two Dallas ballhawks to play more instinctually and aggressively. Moore will likely try to bait them in their aggressiveness but overall, the familiarity looks like a net gain for the Cowboys.

Moore is a good coordinator, but he’s also proven to be somewhat predictable. If the Eagles offense takes its shape in Moore’s image, the Cowboys defense should gain a big advantage over their NFC East rivals.

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New Orleans Saints game previews: Week 2 at Dallas Cowboys

Our New Orleans Saints game previews continue with Week 2, which brings a huge test against the Dallas Cowboys. Can the Saints upset a Super Bowl contender?

Our New Orleans Saints game previews continue with Week 2 of the 2024 regular season, which brings a huge test against the Dallas Cowboys. Can the Saints upset a Super Bowl contender? Or are the Cowboys really just pretenders? Mike McCarthy’s team has yet to get over the hump in January, but Dennis Allen’s squad hasn’t even gotten that far.

Either way, they’re a challenging opponent. Dallas has a better record at home (.778) than anyone else in the NFL since 2021, including the playoffs. They’ve made the playoffs in each of the last three years. It would mean a lot for the Saints to stroll into Jerry Jones’ palace and leave with a win.

And it’s been a while since the Saints won in Dallas. The Cowboys haven’t lost to the black and gold in front of their home crowd since 2012, when the Saints won by a field goal in overtime. They’ve traded wins and losses since then but Dallas still leads the all-time series by a margin of 18-13. The Cowboys were also victorious in their last meeting; they beat the Saints 27-17 in New Orleans back in 2021. Taysom Hill started that game at quarterback but completed just 19 of his 41 pass attempts while being intercepted four times. It was a rough watch.

Since then the Cowboys have been quiet in free agency, though they have added playmakers like wide receiver Brandin Cooks (the former Saints wideout) in trades. They lost a lot on the open market this spring including left tackle Tyron Smith, center Tyler Biadasz, and running back Tony Pollard plus defensive ends Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Dante Fowler Jr. Their biggest addition might be a reunion with running back Ezekiel Elliott after his awkward year with the New England Patriots.

In the draft, Dallas started out by trading down with the Detroit Lions to draft Oklahoma right tackle Tyler Guyton, who is converting to the left side (just like his Saints counterpart Taliese Fuaga). The Cowboys also drafted Western  Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and used a pick they got back from the Lions on Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe, who is competing to start at center. So it’ll be a young Cowboys offensive line working to protect Dak Prescott.

Is that a matchup the Saints defensive line can take advantage of? Maybe. This could be a real statement win if New Orleans is up to the task. Be sure to circle the date on your calendar:

  • Game information: New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys
  • Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
  • Date: Sept. 15
  • Time: Noon CT / 1p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX

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