Cowboys News: The Patrick Surtain vs Micah Parsons game

Revisiting 2021 NFL Draft With Surtain & Parsons - Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com

Patrick Surtain visits Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys.

In the hours leading up to the first round of the NFL Draft back in April, it seemed as if the Cowboys were going to land one of two players with their 10th overall pick.

But we all know that neither Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain fell to them, getting picked in consecutive picks at No. 8 and No. 9, leading to the Cowboys eventually trading back and getting Micah Parsons.

So here we are, nearing the halfway point of the regular season and Parsons and Surtain will be on the field Sunday at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys missed the chance to face Horn, who was injured before the Panthers and Cowboys played back in early October.

But Surtain will be there, playing well for the Broncos defense that has struggled to have a consistent pass-rush this year and just now traded away Von Miller this week.

In his press conference on Friday, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was asked what he liked about Surtain in the evaluation process last spring.

“What wasn’t there to like?” McCarthy asked back. “He’s very mature. He had the length, the twitch, ball skills. He came from a really good program. You look at the makeup and I think he’s off to a great start.”

Surtain has started all but one game this year and has one interception for the Broncos.

Is AT&T Stadium becoming the home Jerry Jones envisioned? Cowboys’ play suggests as much - David Moore, Dallas Morning News

Home. Field. Advantage.

The Cowboys weren’t a good home team last season. They weren’t a good team, period. But one of the building blocks to improvement is to defend your home field.

One of the points the coaching emphasized in training camp was that this team would have to improve dramatically at AT&T this season to reach its goals. They have responded so far by beating Philadelphia, Carolina and the New York Giants by a total of 52 points.

The three road victories the Cowboys have collected this season have been by a total of 13 points.

“I think at home, maybe the communication is a little bit more sound,’’ quarterback Dak Prescott said. “We’re able to get on the ball. We’re able to do some things that being on the road, and the noise, might make difficult.

“But also there’s nothing like playing at AT&T Stadium. Being a guy that likes to play in a dome, likes to play indoors, I think that’s a big part of it.’’

Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for 348 yards and scored five touchdowns in his three games at home this season. He’s averaging 6 yards a carry in those games.

“I think home gives us a little bit of an advantage just because you don’t have to worry about crowd noise,’’ Elliott said. “We can play with our tempo. We can get on the ball real fast. We can slow it down.

“It’s definitely great to play at home, get in front of our home crowd who’ve been so great this year.’’

AT&T hasn’t been the boon to the team’s record that owner Jerry Jones envisioned when he built the stadium. The Cowboys were 56-43 there going into this season and had won six or more games in a season only three times.

Dallas was 4-4 at home in McCarthy’s first season as head coach. But the Cowboys did win their final two games to get a jump on this season, giving them a five-game home winning streak heading into Sunday’s game against Denver.

The Dallas Cowboys are on pace to be one of the most-penalized playoff teams in NFL history - RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys

Stop the penalties. Win even more games.

From a 30,000-foot perspective there is very little wrong with the Dallas Cowboys. It is difficult to poke holes in a team that has won six games in a row, is likely going to win their division with ease, and who’s latest victory came in a contest where they started an undrafted free agent at quarterback in the signal-caller’s first ever actual start.

Life in the NFL can be treacherous, though, and things can turn from rosy to grey rather quickly. This bumpy ride can even play itself out during a single game as fortunes can change over a half, quarter, or single drive.

We discussed the number of penalties that the Cowboys are taking on in the latest episode of The Ocho on the Blogging The Boys podcast network. Make sure to subscribe to our podcast network so you don’t miss any of our shows! Apple devices can subscribe here and Spotify users can subscribe here.

We all want to see the Cowboys succeed. That means that we want to see them crack down on the number of penalties that are being called against them.

Dallas Cowboys are wise to encourage Trevon Diggs to play loose - Reid Hanson, Fansided

A loose Diggs, is the best Diggs.

It’s hard to describe Trevon Diggs to outsiders. Unless you’ve watched the All-22 tape, it’s difficult for a lot of people to wrap their minds around the Dallas Cowboys top ball-hawking weapon.

Most will agree, Diggs, a 2020 second round pick, has been a tough evaluation this season. Some people are highly critical, pointing out all the yards he’s given up through his gambling ways. While others are focused on his value-added, and focused on how his big plays make up for his handful of receptions allowed (which, by the numbers, they most certainly do).

Dallas has been encouraging him every step of the way.

It would be understandable if the Dallas Cowboys coaches wanted to narrow the delta between Trevon Diggs’ good plays and bad plays each week. By adding a touch more conservatism, Diggs could be a more consistent presence and traditional CB1 for this Cowboys defense.

TREVON DIGGS HAS BROKEN THE MOLD AT CB SO WE NEED TO STOP TRYING TO CRAM HIM IN IT.

Yet, we keep seeing coaches and teammates encourage Diggs to continue to play his loose style of coverage. Even after giving up a big play, we see support and encouragement. Not correction. What gives?

Dallas Cowboys: 3 Amari Cooper Stats that Show He is Still Underrated - Adam Holt, A to Z Dallas

Amari Cooper forever.

Death. Taxes. Amari Cooper in clutch situations. You can count on them all. The Cowboys did on their final drive to beat the Vikings in Week 8. Cooper remains one of the most overlooked wide receivers in the NFL, and his improvement throughout the years is undeniable.

Clutch Gene

Cooper continues to come up in the biggest moments. Even through an injury, he caught the game-winning TD against Minnesota. He continuously makes big plays, and Cowboys fans know that better than anyone.

Yearly Consistency

The Cowboys receiver produces every single season, too. He had 92 catches for 1,114 yards last season and 79 catches for 1,189 yards in 2019. If he can accomplish that again in 2021, that’ll be three seasons in a row with 1,000 receiving yards – an impressive feat.

Sure Hands

This may be the biggest aspect on a game-to-game basis. The “drop issues” that plagued Cooper earlier in his career have mostly dissipated. He has some of the best hands in the league at his position now.

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