There is still one game to be played, but Cowboys season can be officially called over. And with season end the America’s Team should have a long conversation with their coaching staff. Cowboys currently stand at 8-7, which puts them out of playoff race. The reason for their exit out of postseason run lies in the fact that they have only won three games at home through this campaign. What’s even more worrisome is the fact that in their seven losses they have held the lead at halftime. This brings up the question of their coaching staff. Apparently, they have failed to make the right adjustment in the halftime which led to this defeats.
In last six matches they went 3-3 without their star RB Ezekiel Elliott, but when he finally came back, they have failed to take advantage of that. In the Seahawks vs. Cowboys duel Elliott has run for 51 yards on 11 carries in the first quarter, but not so much in the rest of the game. His total of 97 yards on the night suggest that he had a good outing, but after the first quarter, he only had 13 carries for 46 yards in the next three periods. The team went from dominant rush game to pass-only, and that caused them to lose the ball three times thanks to two Dak Prescott interceptions and a fumble by Dez Bryant. And, while Bryant and Prescott have a share in the responsibility for this painful loss the main burden of defeat lies on the back of offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan.
In the four quarters that every game has, the one that caused most troubles for Cowboys is the third. During the season Dallas team failed to play any real football in the third quarter and Sunday night vs. Seattle Seahawks was no different. America’s Team only managed to score a single field goal during the third period of the game. The Cowboys offense held the ball for a full six minutes thanks to Ezekiel Elliott and their defense, but Linehan did nothing to help them. Actually, he was the one sabotaging them, and he was good at it.
The return of Elliott from suspension was supposed to secure the win for Cowboys against Seahawks defense which couldn’t fight of any rushing attack in the league. The same defense, that was overrun by LA Rams just seven days ago. Elliott was stomping them, but only for opening fifteen minutes of the match. The burden of winning this game fell on Rod Marinelli and Cowboys defense and they gave their best. Just on the night when Scott Linehan was Seahawks insider nothing Marinelli did could help his squad.
After the clash Jones gave the following comment regarding Dallas Cowboys coaching staff: “Just so we’re clear about this, I do understand the frustration right after you lose a game that has a much meaningfulness as this ball game. But I get to look at a lot of different things and have been around a lot of good head coaches and coordinators, so I feel good about our head coach.”
So, while Jason Garrett’s job seems safe for now, the people beneath him might change. Who do you think Jones was talking about Linehan, Marinelli or both?
