Cowboys predicted as potential landing spot for $25 million coaching hire in 2025 K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys have had an interesting coaching dynamic ever since Jerry Jones bought them from Bum Bright over three decades ago. Jones brought his University of Arkansas buddy, Miami Hurricanes head coach Jimmy Johnson with him in 1989 and together they laid the foundation for a dynasty. After the relationship declined, another Arkansas friend, Barry Switzer took over and won the third of four Lombardi’s in four seasons. Following that success, though, it’s been an interesting swing between inexperienced or well-regarded champions. For every Chan Gailey there’s been a Bill Parcells, for every Dave Campo there’s been a Mike McCarthy. None of them have been able to recapture the magic formula from the early 1990s. Of course the common denominator is that each coach has had to work with Jones as their GM, but seeing how that’s not going to change, what will he look for in his next coach after McCarthy’s tenure ends in January (or sooner)? That could be a head coach with more success than every one of the others combined. Bill Belichick is starting to refloat his interest in returning to the sidelines in 2025, and Dallas is predicted to be one of the spots where he could land. Belichick, 72, has spent this year working in the media, most notably for ESPN’s College Gameday and CW Network’s Inside the NFL. When last in the NFL with the New England Patriots, his salary was believed to be the highest among NFL head coaches, $25 million. He earned it, winning seven titles with the Patriots over a two-decade run. Comparatively, McCarthy is believed to be making around $5 million to coach the Cowboys.
NFL Week 11 (2024) late games live discussion
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images AFTERNOON GAMES LET’S GO. More NFL action in the late afternoon slot. This is an open thread for game chat.
NFL Week 11 (2024) early games live discussion
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images Let’s have a good Sunday. The Cowboys play tomorrow, so enjoy some other NFL games. This is an open thread for game chat.
Here’s why the Cowboys should actually love facing the Texans in Week 11
Bad C.J. Stroud Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, NRG Stadium in Houston There’s little doubt about Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud being one of the best young signal callers in the league, but he’s had an uneven second season. When he’s been ‘on’ he’s near the top of the league in passing yards and completion percentage per game. However, it has been a struggle for Stroud lately, which has coincided with losing two of his top wide receivers. In his last five games, all without WR Nico Collins and two without WR Stefon Diggs, Stroud has thrown for just five touchdowns, is averaging just over 197 yards passing per game and his completion percentage is under 55%. Take out the win over a bad New England Patriots team and Stroud has thrown for just two scores in his last five outings. That’s some bad football Stroud is playing, and he took responsibility for last week’s poor performance. The good news for the Texans is they are likely to get Collins back at WR. However, it will be his first game coming off a hamstring injury, so the Cowboys might not have to deal with Collins at 100%, or playing against him at his usual number of snaps. Even with Collins returning, Stroud’s weapons won’t be the same as they were when he was thriving. Diggs is out for the remainder of the season and the young QB is still trying to get comfortable with his new receiving options. Defending Stroud now feels much easier than it did when the schedule came out. Bad offensive line… Oct 20, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (78) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Both Texas teams seem to have something in common, poor offensive line play. While the Cowboys are the middle of the road in allowing sacks, the Texans are third worst at giving them up. Stroud has been sacked 34 times this season, after being taken down just 38 times his rookie year. It’s an offensive line that is giving up pressure and Stroud is trying to make plays instead of throwing the ball away. In the last four games, the Texans have allowed 18 sacks, and Stroud hasn’t been sacked less than two times in any of their matchups. The Cowboys are coming off their second-best pass rushing output against one of the better offensive lines in the league. Mike Zimmer’s unit came away with five sacks in Week 10, which was aided by the return of elite edge rusher Micah Parsons, who was responsible for two. … due to injuries Sep 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans guard Kenyon Green (76) during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Injuries aren’t helping the Texans on the offensive line; they don’t have the horses up front. Starting left guard Kenyon Green is on IR with a shoulder injury and left tackle Laremy Tunsil has been battling a knee injury, leaving him questionable for the Week 11 matchup. If Tunsil can’t go, backup Blake Fisher, who has been limited in practice this week with a concussion, might get the nod. If neither play, the Cowboys’ defense gets a third-string tackle. That’s a thin group at OL, and even with Tunsil likely to play, the Cowboys will have opportunities to get to the QB. Dallas’ defense has to love the matchup as they’re getting healthier at pass rusher. Second half woes Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Here’s another place where the two teams mirror each other, second half play. It’s well documented how poorly the Cowboys have played in the third quarter, but the Texans aren’t much better. Houston’s offense averages just 9.1 points a game after halftime, but they’ve been even worse in the third quarter where they average a paltry 3.2 points. Take away the 13-point third quarter explosion against the Patriots, and that number drops to an anemic 1.9 ppg in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Recently it’s been an even bigger struggle to score at all in the final 30 minutes of a game. In their last four outings, the Texans haven’t scored a second-half touchdown, and they were shut out in last week’s loss. In total, the Texans have just six second-half touchdowns on the year, with five coming in two games. In their other eight games, they’ve managed to score one measly touchdown in the last two quarters. This game might be won by whoever can come out and play their best after halftime. It hasn’t been the strong suit for the Cowboys this year, but the Texans have been equally bad. In a rare instance, the Cowboys must love their chances to win the second half. Do that, and they may upset the Texans in Week 11. Related Links
Dallas Cowboys scouting report: Breaking down the Texans offensive scheme
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images An ascendant quarterback in an unbeatable scheme When the Texans plucked DeMeco Ryans away from his post as the 49ers defensive coordinator to be their fourth head coach in as many years, there was more intentionality behind the decision than had been in previous years. While Houston’s decisions to hire David Culley and, one year later, Lovie Smith were shocks and head scratchers, Ryans was a hot coaching name that made sense. Not only had he had nothing but success in San Francisco, but he intended to recreate that model in Houston. That was behind his decision to tap Bobby Slowik to be his offensive coordinator. Slowik, just 36 years old at the time, was one of the youngest coordinators in the NFL but also came incredibly experienced. His father is Bob Slowik, who currently coaches in the Canadian Football League but has been a coach in either college or the NFL since 1984. The longtime defensive coach is very well traveled, with much of his experience coming on Mike Shanahan’s Broncos teams in the early 2000’s. When Shanahan came out of retirement to coach the Commanders, he brought Slowik in to coach defensive backs. That’s when the younger Slowik, who had recently wrapped up a college career as a receiver for Michigan Tech, joined the team as a defensive assistant. In Slowik’s first season as a coach, he was part of a staff that included Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, Mike McDaniel, and Raheem Morris. When Mike Shanahan was fired in Washington, the younger Slowik landed a job at Pro Football Focus as a senior analyst. But when Kyle Shanahan was hired as the head coach of the 49ers, he lured Slowik back to the coaching ranks as a defensive quality control coach. Two years later, Slowik moved to the offensive side of the ball as an offensive assistant. Two years after that, Slowik was named the pass game specialist and, a year later, pass game coordinator. The rapid ascension reflected the growing trust Shanahan had in Slowik to put everything together on that side of the ball, and it’s why Ryans was so quick in naming him offensive coordinator in Houston. The objective was simple: implement the offensive scheme that’s been so successful in San Francisco and, by extension, been copied by nearly the rest of the league. On a fundamental level, this offense is built off the outside zone run. When the ball is snapped, all five offensive linemen begin running to one side and the running back goes behind them, looking for a crease to open. Then, the play-action game is built off of that, perfectly marrying the pass and run games. Once that is put together, the offense allows for a wide variety of customizations to keep defenses on their toes. Many of those customizations were put into place in San Francisco when Slowik took a larger role in the offense, and it’s not a surprise to see that many of those followed him to Houston. On paper, the Texans offense functions very differently from the typical Shanahan scheme, even though it is easily identifiable as part of the tree. In Slowik’s first year in Houston, his offense was middle of the pack in both outside zone runs and play-action. They were also just below the league average in motion, a usual staple of the Shanahan offense. So far this year, things have come back into focus: Houston is 11th in outside runs, 13th in play-action, and eighth in motion. Part of the reason for the slower timetable in implementing these characteristics of the offense could be that last season also saw a rookie quarterback running the show. C.J. Stroud was taken second overall in the draft and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup. Things started out rocky for Stroud: over the first eight weeks, Stroud completed just 60.3% of his passes and ranked 17th in success rate. Then things started to click, and Stroud had a red hot finish. Over the final 10 weeks (in which he missed two games with an injury), Stroud completed 67.2% of his passes and ranked eighth in success rate. The Texans also caught fire, going 6-2 over that stretch with Stroud and winning their division. Stroud was named Offensive Rookie of the Year for his performance too. That led to sky high expectations for this season, which were further heightened when Houston traded for Stefon Diggs in the offseason. But the Texans have struggled to live up to the hype thus far. They’re currently 20th in EPA/play and 23rd in offensive DVOA. Stroud has taken a step back too; he’s 26th in success rate and has already thrown more interceptions than he did all of last year. Of course, it’s not all on Stroud. Nico Collins, who blossomed into the Texans’ top receiver last year, has missed the last five games with an injury, though he’s expected to return against the Cowboys this week. Then, two weeks ago, Diggs suffered a season-ending injury that further decimated this offense. Now they face the Cowboys on Monday night. The Dallas defense hasn’t had a great season thus far, and they’ve been especially susceptible against Shanahan style offenses all year. That said, they also just got Micah Parsons back, and the Cowboys are fifth in the league in pressure rate. Meanwhile, only two offenses are giving up a higher pressure rate than Houston. Stroud has been one of the best quarterbacks under pressure, but it’s fair to wonder how long he can keep that up, especially against a player like Parsons. All of this to say that the Cowboys might present a legitimate challenge defensively on Monday night. The Texans have been in a slump offensively and the injuries aren’t helping matters much, while the Cowboys just got their best player back. Will it be enough to pull off an upset, though? Only time will tell.
Cowboys news: CeeDee Lamb listed as questionable vs. Texans
Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Your Sunday morning Cowboys news. Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb late addition to injury list; Mike McCarthy optimistic WR will play Monday vs. Texans – Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports As a surprise addition late in the week, CeeDee Lamb has been added to the injury report and is questionable to play versus Houston. The Dallas Cowboys already had a lengthy injury report without CeeDee Lamb on it. That injury report just got longer. Lamb was a surprise additional on the final injury report for the Cowboys this week, as the three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was officially listed as questionable for Monday night’s game against the Houston Texans. Lamb landed on the injury report with a back injury, as he did not appear on the injury report at any point throughout the week. The injury occurred during Saturday’s final practice during 7-on-7 drills, as Lamb was listed as a limited participant. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, per ESPN, seemed to think Lamb would be good to go Monday night saying, “I’m not of high concern.” Lamb was on the injury report earlier this year with a shoulder injury, but he hasn’t missed any games. This injury designation will likely last until the Cowboys release their inactive report on Monday night. Lamb has 59 catches for 681 yards and four touchdowns this season, leading Dallas in all three categories. If Lamb is out, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin would be the top wideouts with Brandin Cooks still on injured reserve. Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs: ‘I Knew for a Fact’ Cowboys Wanted to Take Me in 2023 NFL Draft – Zach Bachar, Bleacher Report The Cowboys running back position has been a talking point all season. In a sit-down with Richard Sherman, Detroit speedster reveals that Cowboys were raring to race to the podium to draft him. Detroit Lions star running back Jahmyr Gibbs revealed that the Dallas Cowboys were among the teams interested in selecting him during the 2023 NFL draft. “It was crazy I knew for a fact Dallas was going to get me at 26 if I was still there, and a couple other places like Cincinnati was going to get me,” Gibbs said during a Thursday appearance on The Richard Sherman Podcast (h/t CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell). The 22-year-old ultimately wasn’t available when the Cowboys were on the clock, as the Lions used the No. 12 overall pick to draft the Alabama standout. Dallas ended up selecting former Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith with the No. 26 choice. Smith hasn’t exceeded expectations to begin his career, especially compared to Gibbs. The 23-year-old has registered 21 tackles and two tackles for loss in nine appearances this season but he hasn’t been able to record a pressure in 285 snaps (via Pro Football Reference). The Cowboys eventually addressed the running back position in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, adding Deuce Vaughn. He’s served as a depth option to begin his career, picking up 20 yards on seven total carries in 2024. After losing Tony Pollard in free agency, Dallas has attempted to replace him by opting for a committee approach built around Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott. It hasn’t worked, as the Cowboys own the NFL’s second-worst rushing attack in addition to their 3-6 record. With 2024 a lost season, what lies ahead? – Richard Paolinelli, Inside the Star With the Cowboys season going up in flames, where do they go from here? Jerry Jones is not going to sell this team. There’s no point trying to hammer that point. We all know the only way that ownership is changing hands in Dallas. But, until that day arrives, Stephen Jones needs to hold an intervention on his father. The Cowboys clearly need a competent General Manager who knows football – modern-day, 21stCentury football. A GM that knows how to navigate the cap and build a roster capable of showing up deep into the playoffs. Someone who knows when to trade draft picks away and when to hold on to them for dear life. Said person would also know when it’s time to make the big swing in free agency and in trades, and when it’s time to cut the dead-weight loose. As we’ve witnessed for over a quarter of a century, the Jones family cannot get the job done. Dallas needs to hire a GM with full authority, free of any meddling by the Jones clan before this year’s NFC Conference title game. Who would I get? How about Troy Aikman? The Coaching Staff We’ve heard Bill Belichick’s name bandied about. Some want Mike McCarthy tossed out the building today with Belichick brought in before the year ends. How about… no. Same for Deion Sanders. The Cowboys do not need another aging coach stuck in the past. Nor do they need a coach from the college ranks whose shtick won’t work on professional football players. There are no scholarships to revoke in the NFL. There are also no Arizona Wildcats, Utah Utes, or Oklahoma State’s in the NFL to feast on either. Who would I pursue to replace Mike McCarthy? There are two leading candidates. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson should be the first call, after the new GM is installed. If he says no, return the favor and poach from the Washington Commanders’ staff like they did to Dallas this past offseason. Have you noticed what Commanders’ Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has done this year? And with a rookie quarterback at that? Either Johnson or Klingsbury just might be able to turn Dak Prescott into a reliable postseason quarterback. Mike Zimmer’s second run as the defensive coordinator is a bust. Maybe it’s time to give Mike Vrabel a call to see if he’d like to get back to being a defensive coordinator? I’d mention Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn. But he’d be a fool to leave Detroit for anything less than a head coaching gig. Position battleground (rookies): Cowboys vs. Texans breakdown for draft picks/UDFAs-Mike Poland,
Cowboys vs Texans Final Injury Report: CeeDee Lamb in doubt, 2 fringe starters out Week 11
The Dallas Cowboys have had a time of it when it comes to trying to stay healthy for 2024. The entire year has been one injury to a key player after another. So it should be no surprise that on the final day of full practice ahead of Monday night’s battle with the Houston Texans, another key member of the club appears on the injury report. Saturday saw wideout CeeDee Lamb appear for the first time this week. A back injury is the cause, though head coach Mike McCarthy attempted to downplay its significance. Dallas listed 19 players on the injury report this week, over 35% of their 53-man roster. Meanwhile the Houston Texans are giddy that WR Nico Johnson isn’t listed on their report as it looks like he will play for the first time in five weeks. Lamb is one of four players Dallas listed as questionable, while the club has ruled out three others and designated one as doubtful with just a 25% chance of seeing the field. That would be FB Hunter Luepke, dealing with a calf injury. Slot corner Jourdan Lewis doesn’t even have a slim chance of playing with his troubled neck; he’s been ruled out. Here’s a look at the full, final, injury report for both clubs for Week 11. Cowboys CB DaRon Bland, Foot | OUT Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Did Not Participate CB Caelen Carson, Shoulder | NO DESIGNATION Thursday: DNP | Friday, Saturday Full Participant CB Trevon Diggs, Calf | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Limited OT Chuma Edoga, Toe | QUESTIONABLE Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Limited TE Jake Ferguson, Illness | NO DESIGNATION Thursday: DNP | Friday, Saturday: Full OT Tyler Guyton, Neck/Shoulder | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Limited LB Eric Kendricks, Shoulder | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday, Saturday: DNP WR CeeDee Lamb, Back | QUESTIONABLE Saturday: Limited CB Jourdan Lewis, Neck | OUT Thursday, Friday, Saturday: DNP FB Hunter Luepke, Calf | | DOUBTFUL Thursday, Friday, Saturday: DNP OG Zack Martin, Shoulder | QUESTIONABLE Thursday: DNP | Friday, Saturday: Limited LB DeMarvion Overshown, Knee | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Full LB Micah Parsons, Ankle | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Full QB Dak Prescott, Hamstring | OUT Thursday, Friday, Saturday: DNP QB Cooper Rush, Neck | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Full OG Tyler Smith, Knee | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday: Limited | Saturday: Full Safey Juanyeh Thomas, Concussion | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday, Saturday: DNP LB Nick Vigil, Foot | QUESTIONABLE Thursday, Friday, Saturday: DNP Safety Donovan Wilson, Hip | NO DESIGNATION Thursday, Friday, Saturday: Full Houston Texans OUT DE Will Anderson, Ankle DT Folorunsio Fatukasi, Foot OT Blake Fisher, Concussion QUESTIONABLE CB Kamari Lassiter, Concussion CB Jeff Okudah, Quad NO DESIGNATION LB Azeeze Al-Shaair, Knee WR Nico Collins, Hamstring LB Jake Hansen, Ankle QB CJ Stroud, Right Hard LT Laremy Tunsil, Knee RB Dameon Pierce, Groin CB Derek Stingley, Jr, Hip DE Dylan Horton, Shoulder
Cowboys injuries: Jourdan Lewis, DaRon Bland ruled out; CeeDee Lamb questionable
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images The Cowboys injury report for Saturday After an eventful night at AT&T Stadium that hosted an exhibition bout between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, the Dallas Cowboys were back at work for their final practice before their clash against the Houston Texans. Much like last night’s combatants, the Cowboys are going to have to push through the adversity and see if they can go the distance to outlast their cross-state rivals. Here’s what we know about Dallas’ injury status before Monday night’s game. Final injury report for the Dallas Cowboys for their Monday night game against the Texans. pic.twitter.com/hzDGWIShIZ — Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) November 16, 2024 In a surprise, CeeDee Lamb is listed as questionable after being listed as limited today. Hunter Luepke is doubtful. Micah Parsons, who attended last night’s festivities, was a full participant today and will play against Houston. DaRon Bland (foot) and Jourdan Lewis (neck) didn’t practice Saturday and were ruled out. Guard Zack Martin (shoulder) was limited today and is listed as questionable. Calen Carson (shoulder/illness) was fully involved today and is on track to play. DeMarvion Overshown (knee) has been removed from the injury report and carries no injury designation for Monday. Eric Kendricks and Tyler Guyton were both full participants on Saturday with respective shoulder injuries and good to go. For the Texans: The #Texans are listing Kamari Lassiter as questionable. He has a chance to play if he clears protocol. Nico Collins no designation. He’s back. Blake Fisher is down meaning Nick Broeker and Zach Thomas are active backup tackle options. Cam Erving is a practice squad option. pic.twitter.com/Eunr4iYUwz — Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) November 16, 2024 Cornerback Kamari Lassiter was listed as questionable, as was Jeff Okudah. Folorunso Fatukasi did not practice this week, and was ruled out with a foot injury. Will Anderson Jr. (ankle) has not practiced this week and has been ruled out. Tackle Blake Fisher has also been ruled out. Nico Collins (hamstring) practiced fully on Saturday and will play.
3 predicciones para el juego de los Dallas Cowboys contra los Houston Texans
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Los Dallas Cowboys juegan contra los Philadelphia Eagles el Lunes. Los Dallas Cowboys regresen otra vez para un juego y ahora en el medio de Noveiembre están buscando su primera victoria en su casa de AT&T Stadium. El lunes traen otra oportunidad con los Houston Texans. Los Texans están favoritos en la contesta pero en la NFL todo es posible. Si van a ganar los Cowboys van a necesitar trae ese energía porque en el momento no están jugando muy bien. Con todas cosas dijiendo que Dallas van a falta otra ves… que vamos a ver especifica? Aquí están mis 3 predicciones para el juego. Los Cowboys tiene mas puntos en el segundo medio Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Entrando este juego los Texans no tiene un touchdown en el segundo medio de los cuatro juegos pasado. Los Cowboys no tiene mucho puntos en la primera o segundo medios de juegos, pero el punto largo es que Houston están dejando la puerta abierto para otro equipos a ganar. Creo que estas cosas igual van a pasar y mi prediccion es que Dallas van a tener mas puntos de Houston en el segundo medio. Es posible que Houston tiene muchas puntos en la primera parte y algo que pasar en el segundo medio no es importante, pero Dallas van a ganar el segundo medio como los otros equipos hico a los Texans. Rico Dowdle corre para mas de 100 yardas Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images La semana pasada estaba importante a la posicion de running back por que Mike McCathy hablo y dijo que Rico Dowdle es el running back numero uno. Esta realidad estaba obviamente a alguien que viste los Cowboys esta temporada, pero es significan que McCarthy dijo como que dijo. Creo que Dallas van a dar Dowdle la mas numero oportunidades que tiene esta temporada y que Dowdle van a tener mas de 100 yardas corriendo resultado. Hable de este tema en el más reciente video en la canal de YouTube de Blogging The Boys. ¡Subscribir (puede aqui) al canal para ver mas videos de los Dallas Cowboys en Ingles y Español! Jonathan Mingo tiene su primera touchdown con Dallas Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images En 2018 los Cowboys intercambiado por un wide receiver en Amari Cooper y su primera juego con el equipo estaba en Monday Night Football contra un equipo de el AFC South. Esa noche estaba los Tennessee Titans. Jonathan Mingo no esta Amari Cooper y los Houston Texans no están los Tennessee Titans, pero es interesante como la coincidad se paso. Los Cowboys quieren que alguien se diga que el intercambiado para Mingo estaba muy bien y entonces van a hacer todo que se puede para Mingo a tener un touchdown. Vamos a ver uno.
Cowboys QB fined for defensive effort vs Eagles; LB-on-LB foul also flagged
Cowboys QB fined for defensive effort vs Eagles; LB-on-LB foul also flagged Todd Brock The Cowboys got blown out by the Eagles in Week 10, but two Dallas players are losing a second time, six days after the fact. Backup quarterback Trey Lance and rookie linebacker Marist Liufau were fined by the league for plays made during the team’s 34-6 defeat, it was announced Saturday. Lance’s fine came, oddly, from a defensive play the passer made after a possession change. As Philadelphia safety Reed Blankenship returned Jake Ferguson’s fumble early in the fourth quarter, Lance met him near the Cowboys sideline and forced him out of bounds. The NFL has determined that Lance improperly used his helmet to initiate the contact and fined him $22,511 for unnecessary roughness. https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1857893864490639754/ The play did not draw a flag from officials at the time but was notable to many for nearly taking out an already-injured Dak Prescott as he stood on the sideline, perhaps a little too close for the comfort of most observers. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Liufau drew a $5,749 fine, also for unnecessary roughness, on a play that was unusual in its own right. The rookie was spotted grabbing the facemask of a fellow linebacker, Philadelphia’s Ben Van Sumeren, who was on the field with the Eagles offense as a backfield blocker. That altercation took place away from the late second-down play and resulted in a penalty flag from officials, the Cowboys’ fifth of Sunday’s contest. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
