FanPost

The Cowboys CAN save the season, but they'll have to go ALL IN

After today's offensive debacle against the Patriots, it's hard to see a silver lining. But I think there is one. It's this: by really stinking up the game on offense, it's going to force Jason Garrett to make some significant changes before the Cowboys take the field again in two weeks against the Giants.

Jason Garrett has always been too conservative as a head coach. He doesn't make changes quickly enough. UNLESS he realizes he doesn't have a lot to lose.

When he first took over as head coach, Dallas was in a tailspin. Tony Romo was out at QB, leaving Garrett with only Jon Kitna at QB. Well you know what? That was the year Garrett realized he had a porous defense, so he had to go for it on the offensive side. And it worked. Dallas ranked 7th in points that year, and 7th in yards. That was the BEST year out of 5 (better than the 2 before or 2 after), and all the other years had Tony Romo at QB.

We are basically back in that same situation that we were in 2010. Romo out with a broken collarbone, the team reeling, and not much to lose. Can't be conservative and hope for the best. The time is now to really try to go for it.

As I've been saying for some time, that means:

1. Matt Cassell must start at QB against the Giants.

Now Cassell isn't likely to be a world beater. But he should resemble a competent QB. And he knows how to win an NFL game, which is something that has totally escaped Brandon Weeden. I would think with Cassell, the Cowboys offense can look a lot more like a full NFL offense, rather than the dumbed down version we've been trotting out the last three weeks.

But Cassell isn't going to be able to turn around the offense on its own. That means we need to:

2. Try Christian Michael as lead back.

It's not that Randle is incompetent. He didn't do badly today. But he doesn't inspire the offensive line to get the push they got last year. We need a power back. And one that is hungry to establish himself. Did you see Michael today after his one run. It was a converted third and short play for 6 yards. He jumped up and was ready to go again. But he never got the chance. In garbage time, we turned to McFadden, proving again that HE's NOT the answer.

Lead with Michael. Use Randle in the Dunbar role. Spell Michael with McFadden if he get's tired. That's the grouping that gives us a chance. Then, on the defensive side, we need to:

3. Kill the other team's QB.

The pass rush today was the BEST thing to come out of the game. Greg Hardy was a beast, and made everyone else around him better. When Gregory returns, we'll have a super speedy guy to add to the mix. The Cowboys absolutely have to dial up the pressure during this period. But they need the offense to do it's part. Too many 3 and outs will just wear out our D.

And lastly, and perhaps MOST IMPORTANTLY, we need to:

4. Find the turnover magic we've had since Marinelli came on board.

Dallas has only 3 takeaways on the season after 5 games. Only 2 teams in the NFL are worse. In 2014, we were 2nd in the NFL with 31 takeaways. In 2013, we had 28. We have 11 games left. We need to be averaging about 2 takeaways per game from here on out. That won't be super easy, but we do play some teams that have been turning the ball over a bunch this year: Tampa (10), Philly (8), Jets (7), Washington twice (7). But we also play teams that haven't turned it over. Green Bay (1), Giants (2), Carolina (3). The others are Buffalo (5) Miami (6) and Seattle (6).

It's not that complicated. Overall, the team needs to play with more intensity and urgency. On Defense, that means unleashing the pass rush and forcing turnovers. On Offense, it means finding the power running game that will open up our passing attack behind a competent NFL QB, and will keep our D fresh. That's actually the same formula that will succeed whether it's Cassell or Romo at QB.

GO COWBOYS!!

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