FanPost

Turkey Day Footnotes From A Very Full Fan

It's almost midnight and everyone else is bunked down here at grandma's place; we're a football family, so the Cowboys' solid win over the Redskins was almost as filling as the turkey, dressing, and other Thanksgiving delights. But after reading every word I could find on the interwebs about the game, I'm still pretty wired and decided to share some of my own thoughts about that tasty W.

Thought #1: I don't think folks appreciated how depleted our defense got toward the end. I mean, we're basically playing the 2016 rookie class out there in the secondary. JJ Wilcox is a good strong safety and a liability in coverage; we know this. But he is still better than a UDFA or a rookie, for Pete's sake. And Anthony Brown has been outstanding as a rookie starting at cornerback this season; however, I'm not sure I agree with trusting him to cover Desean Jackson 1 on 1. Props to Byron Jones for gutting it out through an obvious ankle or knee sprain or whatever was slowing him down, and I think this was Carr's worst game this year, which is good because he had a decent game. Scandy is still not 100%; he's still a little slow out there but doing what he can. This secondary is a gutsy group, and when they all get healthy, I fully expect them to start playing outstanding coverage football like they were in the first few weeks.

Thought #2: How real is Dak? Very real. Real like smoked turkey, as opposed to baked turkey. Real like whipped cream on pecan pie. So real he chooses to get his touchdowns the hard way instead of just throwing over the top to wide open dudes. That's just not the Dak way. Dak is gonna use every down possible. Dak is gonna make you chase him. Dak is gonna wear you out, wear you down, matriculate down the field, and throw toe-tappers just to feel the extra thrill of challenge. The Dak way is real. Embrace it.

Thought #3: I hate Randy Gregory so much. How much does this team need him right now? How great would it be to plug him right back in at RDE, move D Law back to LDE where he was getting *really* good, and just watch the relentless merry-go-round of Collins, McClain, Thornton, Irving, and Crawfords on the interior? Randy Gregory is a superlative talent. Randy Gregory would bring instant pass rush. But no. Randy Gregory decided he would rather chill at home than play football for this team in this magical season where he could have filled a crucial role for the postseason run. He decided to forfeit all that extra money. He decided to waste the team's second round pick. But most of all, he decided to let down his teammates in a time of need, and for that, he shall never be forgiven. Randy Gregory, you are dead to me. That Gregory 94 tshirt I bought on Ebay the week they drafted you? Garbage. You, sir, are a huge disappointment.

Thought #4: I also hate Desean Jackson and Josh Norman for their general douchery. The rest of the Redskins? Respect. That Cousins goofball? Much respect. That guy played his butt off out there today. He got beat up pretty good in the first half, but his throws were still dead on, and he just kept coming. Our front seven did a fantastic job shutting down their run game, so it was all on his shoulders. Cousins & Company: Good. Jackson & Norman: Garbage.

Thought #5: Zeke showed his game face in the fourth quarter today. That guy has a whole other gear that should strike fear into opposing hearts. They did a great job stopping him for most of the game. But when it's clutch time, he just seems to hit the nitrous boosters and run into the endzone. Haymaker straight to the jaw for the KO. That's the Zeke way. And I found myself thinking an astonishing, almost taboo thought---Zeke is like AP. I decided long ago that handing the ball to Adrian Peterson was basically like taking a chance throwing to the endzone. I've only thought that about a very, very few running backs. Jamaal Charles. Chris Johnson in his prime. Barry Sanders. Emmitt in his prime. Maybe a few others. And now Zeke. I would say we're lucky to have him, but it was not luck at all. Our front office made an excellent decision, and now he's ours.

Thought #6: I'll close with a thought that isn't actually mine. A football fan friend from Chicago texted me about midway through the third quarter, to whit: "Dallas is going to win the Super Bowl this year." No jokes. No emojis. Just that statement. It gave me goosebumps. I know as well as anyone that there is a long road ahead and many challenges that this team would have to overcome, but do I now think that is a real, actual possibility? Yes. I think these guys can finish the fight.

Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.