Cowboys news: Putting grades to the Cowboys new offensive coaching staff

Grading Mike McCarthy’s offensive staff: Why keeping Kellen Moore at OC is a win-win for the Cowboys - John Owning, DallasNews.com
Mike McCarthy is a wet coast offensive guru; Kellen Moore is not. Could the two combine to create a unique hybrid system?

While conspiracy theories abound about Jerry Jones forcing Mike McCarthy to retain Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator and allow him to call plays, the fact of the matter is that it was the best move for the team.

Moreover, McCarthy’s selfless move to keep the offensive language the same, putting the onus on himself to learn the terminology rather than forcing all the players to do so, shows humility and adaptability from a coach who was often viewed as stubborn.

Kellen Moore’s familiarity with Dak Prescott makes him the perfect offensive coordinator to foster his development during a crucial portion of the process. Moore had a great first year as a play-caller in 2019, as the Cowboys finished second in Offense DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) after limping to a 24th place finish the year prior. It will be interesting to see how Moore’s play-calling evolves under McCarthy compared with his time under Garrett.

A melding of Moore’s motion-heavy, aggressive passing offense and McCarthy’s West Coast short passing game attacks could be a major boon the offense’s effectiveness and productivity.

As Jason Garrett heads to the Giants, let's close out his Cowboys era - Todd Archer, ESPN
With Jason Garret now officially a Giant, Archer looks back at his legacy as a Cowboys.

In Garrett's nine full-time seasons, the Cowboys never got out of the divisional round of the playoffs. Three times, Dallas had chances to win the NFC East in head-to-head matchups in Week 17 and lost all three. Two other times, the Cowboys made it to Week 16 with a shot at the playoffs and missed out, including the 2019 season that effectively ended with a loss to the undermanned Philadelphia Eagles.

In the end, Garrett’s tenure was not good enough, and that's why Mike McCarthy is now the head coach.

That does not mean there was not some good from Garrett.

The Cowboys were a 1-7 mess when Garrett took over as the interim coach in 2010 with quarterback Tony Romo out because of a broken collarbone. Garrett earned the full-time job by directing the Cowboys to a 5-3 finish down the stretch with Jon Kitna at quarterback, bringing a level of discipline that fell off late in Wade Phillips' tenure.

Garrett, 53, helped set the Cowboys' agenda in his first NFL draft as coach when Tyron Smith was selected in the first round in 2011. Before taking Smith with the No. 9 overall pick, the Cowboys had not selected an offensive lineman in the first round since 1981. In 2013, the Cowboys took Travis Frederick in the first round. A year later, they drafted Zack Martin.

Rank’Em: 10 Cowboys With Legit HOF Arguments - Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
We were all happy to see Cliff Harris finally rightly honored with a Hall of Fame designation last week, but equally unhappy the Drew Pearson was yet again overlooked. Who are the ten Cowboys with the best hopes of entering the Hall?

It was a big week for the Dallas Cowboys in terms of adding members to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Safety Cliff Harris was long overdue to hear his name called as he waited over 40 years. Coach Jimmy Johnson had been close before but finally made it as well.

Both Johnson and Harris were beneficiaries of the NFL honoring its 100 years of football and adding a Centennial Class of 2020 that included 15 more inductions on top of the five modern-day players that will be announced in a couple of weeks.

But still, despite the well-deserved additions of Johnson and Harris, Cowboys fans were still upset by another snub that seemed to be a no-brainer.

The omission of Drew Pearson is still puzzling, considering the impact he had on the Cowboys in the 1970s, when they were establishing themselves as America's Team.

MMQB: 49ers and Chiefs win, setting up Super Bowl LIV matchup - Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated
The MMQB author gives us his take on the Cowboys’ approach to filling their head coaching position.

The low-risk hire of new Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was followed this week with the sensible assembly of a staff that works for now. Both DC Mike Nolan and special teams coordinator John Fassel are well-accustomed to the roles they’ll step into, and bringing back OC Kellen Moore and allowing him to keep calling plays eases the transition for quarterback Dak Prescott. This also all means that there won’t be much of a honeymoon period for the new coaches.

9 former Cowboys playing or coaching in 2020 Super Bowl -K.D. Drummond, CowboysWire.com
Our friend K.D. reminds us that while the Cowboys haven’t sniffed the Super Bowl in (gulp) nearly 25 years, ex-Cowboys players and coaches are there in bunches this year.

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t been to a Super Bowl in some time. It’s been so long, there’s been an entire generation of fans who have cheered for the squad without ever seeing them get past the divisional round.

As players come and go through the organization, sometimes they get opportunities never before afforded them. Such is the case for several former Cowboys players who have moved on to other franchises, some landing in San Francisco and Kansas City, earning their first trips to the Super Bowl in decades as well.

All in all, there are six former Cowboys players who will be participating in Super Bowl LIV in Miami in a few weeks; five players and one coach.

5 Youngsters the Dallas Cowboys Should Consider Trading for - Brian Martin, InsideTheStar
While many are looking forward to the upcoming draft it’s possible the Cowboys could fill some of their open roster spots by trading for players currently on other NFL rosters. Is tight end Duke Njoku one such target?

Age: 23, Height: 6’4″, Weight: 246

Duke Njoku looked like a young, promising tight end in 2018 when he caught 56 passes for 639 yards and four touchdowns with the Cleveland Browns, but 2019 was an entirely different story. He spent the majority of the season on injured reserve, but even after he returned from IR he was a healthy scratch. In four games he only had five receptions. With a new coaching regime coming in, Kevin Stefanski, Njoku could either see his playing time increase or find himself on the trade market. If the latter is true, the Dallas Cowboys should throw their hat in the ring.