The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.
Oruwariye on blocked punt in Cowboys’ loss to Bengals: ‘It was reactionary’ – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
The fans, as well as the player involved, should all start to move on from Monday’s gaffe.
Speaking for the first time since the game, Oruwariye explained his thought process, the state of the locker and more, as he and Dallas attempts to turn the page to the Carolina Panthers.
What happened during that infamous play?
“It was just a normal punt return play and we were vicing up the guy. It was in the moment. I was taking my guy and I heard a thump. I didn’t know what it was — could’ve been a punt, could’ve been a block — all I know is I turned around to react as any athlete would. I saw the ball there and, in a split decision, I made the decision to go try and secure the ball. That’s just part of the game. It’s something that I felt, in that moment, was a reactionary thing to do, and so I’m standing by it.”
When did you realize you shouldn’t have touched it?
“I’d say after the play. Just seeing everybody’s emotions. I was like, ‘Dang. That was pretty big in the moment. But, like I said, it was reactionary. It was in the moment. The ball got up on my kinda quick. I wish I could’ve secured it. I wish I could’ve just not touched it. Either way, it unfolded how it did and that’s just part of the game. It’s a part of life. You have to take from it and move on.”
How have coaches and teammates responded to it this week?
“It’s a testimony to the kind of guys we have in this locker room — great guys and great teammates — that wanted to rally around me, console me and support me in the moment like that. It was a very emotional moment. I didn’t want to feel like I was letting anybody down. And they quickly assured me that’s not what I did. It was a good feeling to feel that from my guys.”
Time is coming for NFL to decide on flexing Week 16 Cowboys game on Sunday Night Football – RJ Ochoa, BloggingTheBoys.com
We’ve reached the point where even America’s Team may be moved out of primetime.
The subject of flexing is why we are here today as the Cowboys have another game set for primetime coming up and unlike this past week there are no animations made for Bart Simpson that would prohibit the game from being moved.
The NFL will have to decide soon on if they are going to flex out of the Cowboys game in Week 16
In case you are unaware, the Cowboys are currently set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16. What is notable about the game, relative to our discussion, is that it is set to occur on Sunday Night Football.
Following Week 14 the Cowboys are 5-8 and the Bucs are at least about .500 with a record of 7-6. Odds are not an exact science, but the Cowboys are underdogs in Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers and so are the Buccaneers on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers. If things go chalk then the matchup will be between a 5-9 team and a 7-7 one. I’d imagine that NBC, the home of SNF, would prefer something different, even if the Dallas Cowboys are ratings gold.
It is worth noting that NBC took over the SNF package in 2006 and in that time the Cowboys have been flexed out of one of their Sunday night games only once. The game in question was in 2020, another lost year for the Cowboys, where Dallas hosted the San Francisco 49ers. Dallas entered that game 4-9 where San Francisco was 5-8 for context.
It sure sounds like Jerry Jones is ready to fire a respected Cowboys coach – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
A highly-regarded coordinator may be on his way out in Dallas.
With the score tied 20-20, the Cowboys were about to take over inside Bengals territory after Nick Vigil blocked a punt. They were already in Brandon Aubrey’s range. One first down could have iced the game.
However, cornerback Amani Oruwariye touched the live ball, fumbled it and the Bengals recovered. It took just three plays for Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase to hook up for the game-winning score.
Jerry Jones was understandably frustrated after the loss and he made sure to note the Cowboys’ many special teams gaffes this season to the media. A new report from Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram hints Jones has lost patience with ST coach John “Bones” Fassel.
Jerry Jones could fire Cowboys special teams coach John “Bones” Fassel
According to Harris, Jones confronted Fassel in the locker room about Oruwariye’s gaffe. Jones asked whether Oruwariye was coached to avoid the live ball and why Dallas tried to block the punt when they were getting the ball back regardless with a chance to win the game.
It is worth noting that Jones backtracked on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday.
“Frankly, when I really reviewed it after the dust had settled, it was not a bad call and was executed on the front end of the punt block very, very effectively,” Jones said, per Harris. “I had revisited the look on the way the ball hit and it really kind of bounced up in a way that was almost unavoidable. The players are coached up, they talk it up.”
NFL insider says Cowboys ‘could lean’ specific direction at head coach if they decide to move on from Mike McCarthy at the end of 2024 season – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZSports.com
If Dallas does change their head coach, one coach in particular is a possible replacement.
Lately, it’s starting to sound like Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy is safer at his job than many would’ve assumed. Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, and other players have expressed their support for McCarthy, with the quarterback going as far as suggesting things weren’t done in his terms in 2024.
On Monday, Cowboys legend Troy Aikman predicted McCarthy would be back and added the last thing Jerry Jones wants is to make a coaching change.
Even still, McCarthy’s future remains a mystery and with a contract expiring at the end of this season, everything is in play for the Cowboys. One of the potential candidates that has been brought up by fans and media alike is former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
In a recent article from ESPN, league insider Jeremy Fowler discussed Vrabel’s chances at landing a head coaching gig in the NFL and revealed some around the league saw the Cowboys as a fit.
“Some around the league have noted the Cowboys as a natural fit,” Fowler wrote for ESPN. ”They valued experience and pedigree with their last hire in Mike McCarthy and could lean that way again, if they decide to make a change at all.”
It’s true the Cowboys have opted for experience over anything else when making their coaching hires. Not only was McCarthy the choice, as Fowler lays out above, but consider who was one of the other reported finalists: Marvin Lewis.
