Our latest mailbag features plenty of questions about the Dallas Cowboys
Every week, we take questions on X (Twitter) and Facebook about Dallas Cowboys players and other issues surrounding the team. So let’s get right into it.
“Which Dallas players, coaches and front office personnel are worthy of receiving coal in his stocking for Christmas?”
(@MrEd315 on Twitter)
Mike: I’ll take the low hanging fruit on this one and say Jerry Jones. This has nothing to do with his rant on radio, nothing about his recent comments about the team, simply because of how Jerry handled the offseason. By not engaging in free agency and restocking the missing parts to the roster that left for other teams he set this team up for hardship. We all had to grin and bear what he did and endure the tough start to the season which was solely on his choice alone. Empty the coal room for that one.
Dana: The layup answer would be Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones for how they handled player acquisition this season after claiming that they would be “all-in”. That is definitely cause for landing on Santa’s naughty list. However, Santa should be delivering a massive stocking full of coal to whoever let the “running back by committee” experiment drag on for as long as it did. Whether that was a Mike McCarthy decision or it came from the guy at the top, Rico Dowdle should have been named the lead back much earlier in the season. As Tony Romo said in his retirement speech, “football is a meritocracy”, or at least it is supposed to be.
“Can the Cowboys still make the playoffs if they finish 9-8? If so, what needs to happen?”
(@CowboyMania93 on Twitter)
Dana: Where the Cowboys stand right now, they are not eliminated from the playoffs but there is a less than 1% chance that they make the seventh seed in the NFC. The Cowboys would need to win out to even have a chance. Three teams in the NFC North already have 10 or more wins so it is likely that two of the wildcard spots would be in the NFC North, leaving only one more in the conference. That would mean that the Commanders need to lose out, and the second place teams in the NFC West and NFC South to lose a few games to stay at nine wins or under. Obviously if that happens there would be tie breakers involved for the 9-8 teams but it is highly unlikely that it would even get to that point.
Start one, sit one, cut one- Rico Dowdle, Osa Odighizuwa and Micah Parsons.
(Dean Jones on Facebook)
Mike: Ouch! This is maybe the toughest question we’ve had on the mailbag. Rico Dowdle in the last three weeks has been the most productive running back in the league. For a team and an offense that has struggled to run the ball this year that makes this fact even more impressive. Let’s not let Dowdle go anywhere right now and keep him doing what he’s doing best. Start Dowdle.
Micah Parsons has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he is the straw that stirs the drink on defense. This Cowboys defense looks so different with him back on the field and he’s such a threat to contain it opens up the field for the rest of the defense. With so many starters on defense having Parsons missing would be another huge loss. But I’m cheating here and saying Parsons can sit, purely on the basis that news came out Friday he’s dealing with an illness. Let’s rest him up and have him fully fit for Week 17 and 18 which are division rivals.
Osa Odighizuwa has been one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL and last week he was the cornerstone of the defensive line that put Bryce Young under intolerable levels of pressure. He’s an outstanding talent but here is the problem. Talented defensive tackles are hard to come by which them expensive, seriously expensive. Cut Odighizuwa, use that money to give Parsons his extension and let’s draft the next big time three-tech in the draft. A sad end to this since Odighizuwa is a quality player.
Dana: This is a really tough question when all three players have been doing very well for the Cowboys this season, but here it goes.
Start: Micah Parsons – There is never really a scenario where I wouldn’t start Parsons. He makes life very difficult for opposing offenses and is a complete game wrecker that they have to account for. It is clear that he has evolved into a great leader for the defense as well.
Sit: Osa Odighizuwa – He is only sitting for a very short time to catch his breath. He has been stellar this year and had one of his best games last week against the Panthers.
Cut: Rico Dowdle – Dowdle no doubt earned the role of lead back for the Cowboys this year and has done a great job elevating the run game since taking on that role. However, RB is a position that is more easily replaceable as long as the offensive line is gelling. While that replacement may not be on this roster currently, one could be found through free agency or the draft.
