Cowboys news: Dak Prescott is firmly in control of this offense

Is Dak Playing The Best Football Of His Career? - David Helman, Dallascowboys.com

The Cowboys’ signal-caller has been lights out to start this season.

Again, it’s wild to think that the score could have been even more lopsided than it was. Prescott was obviously referring to Fletcher Cox’s end zone recovery of his sack-fumble in the first quarter, briefly tying the game at 7-7. There was also the matter of Prescott’s goal line quarterback sneak on fourth down, which he – not surprisingly – thought he converted, despite replay officials disagreeing.

“I did think I scored,” he said. “I mean obviously initially and then I even put the ball over the plane. But it is what it is. I guess you can’t review and know when the whistle was blown.”

Credit to Prescott and his offense: the setback seemed to bother them for about 20 seconds. Four minutes of gameplay after the turnover on downs, the Dallas defense had forced a punt and Prescott had found Dalton Schultz for a 19-yard score. “It’s tough when we have as much depth as we have,” Schultz said. “Guys sit back and try to play shell, which opens up a lot of opportunities for tight ends in the middle.”

10 truths from Cowboys’ win over Eagles: Dan Quinn has become Dallas’ best offseason addition - Jean-Jacques Taylor, Dallas Morning News

Taking a look back at the Cowboys’ dominant performance last night.

1. The best offseason move the Cowboys made was hiring defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. He’s reshaped one of the NFL’s worst defenses — one that allowed a franchise-record 472 points last season — by giving it structure and direction. The result is a unit playing to its potential, creating turnovers and playing with maximum effort. Dallas intercepted two passes, sacked Jalen Hurts twice and allowed just one touchdown when it mattered. They also drew five holding penalties.

Quinn is game-planning to take advantage of rookie Micah Parsons’ strengths while letting Trevon Diggs cover the opponents’ best receiver. Quinn has been a difference-maker, and if it continues all season he’ll have a chance to be a head coach again.

2. Ezekiel Elliott played bully ball against Philadelphia.

Clearly, he wanted to prove a point this week after hearing all over social media how Tony Pollard was the Cowboys’ best option at running back and he wasn’t worth his $90 million contract. Elliott ran through tackles and played with such force that he inspired his teammates. He finished with a season-high 95 yards with only one fourth-quarter carry.

Ten things we learned from Dallas Cowboys’ domination of the Eagles - Tom Ryle, Blogging The Boys

What were you’re biggest takeaways from Monday night’s game?

The Cowboys are the best team in the NFC East. That was a full on butt-kicking, and it would have been much more dominant if not for a true garbage time touchdown late by the losers. The Cowboys went in with a badly depleted defense and a couple of starters on offense out, and still took early control of the game and never relinquished it. The clearly were the better team on the field, and both the New York Giants and Washington Football Team look incapable of challenging them. Those two only have one win between them - the fighting Team’s win over the Giants. Plus, Dak Prescott is the best quarterback in the division by a wide margin. It is indeed early. It is also hard to argue with the conclusion.

Trevon Diggs is the real star on defense This is not a knock at all on Micah Parsons, who had a half sack and a tipped pass. But Diggs is tied for the league lead in interceptions, with one in each of the first three games. He had the pick six that really killed any chance of the Eagles rallying. He broke up two other passes. He did get beaten a time or two, but he looks to be the best cornerback this team has had in a long time.

Jerry Jones ‘not concerned’ about Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy’s time management decisions - Staff, Dallas Morning News

Seems like Jerry Jones isn’t worried about his head coach’s clock management skills.

With a running clock just after the two-minute warning, the Eagles were faced with a third-and-24 when quarterback Jalen Hurts connected with running back Miles Sanders for a 19-yard reception before being tackled near midfield.

The play started with less than a minute to go and the Cowboys, with two timeouts remaining, didn’t stop the clock before or after the third-down call. The Eagles would then accept a delay of game penalty with 20 seconds left and punt on fourth down. After the Eagles punted, the Cowboys took a knee to end the half rather than using their timeouts for another potential chance to score again on offense.

Jerry Jones cut McCarthy some slack on Tuesday during his weekly interview with “Shan & RJ” on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM] and the Cowboys owner stood behind his head coach’s end-of-half decision-making.

“I know firsthand Mike’s capabilities and have known how he approaches it, the logic that he uses, and I’m not a bit concerned about his ability to manage a tight situation,” Jones said, mentioning these types of situations happen around the league weekly.

Dallas Cowboys: Week 3 NFC roundup that affects America's Team - Angel Torres, FanSided's The Landry Hat

Taking a look at how Week 3 impacted the rest of the NFC.

Washington was blown out by the Buffalo Bills and it wasn’t particularly close. Washington defensive end Chase Young is a really nice player but a team without a quarterback is like owning a boat without knowing how to operate it. Looks nice while it’s docked but you really can’t go anywhere. As long as Washington neglects the quarterback position, they will continue spinning their wheels without gaining any traction.

The Giants lost to a Falcons team that got crushed by Philadelphia in Week 1. The Giants have a roster filled with good players yet its coaching staff and front office seem to be their primary issue. Giants owner John Mara is the person to blame for the recent influx of taunting penalties. He led the offseason charge for referees to strictly enforce this rule. Do as I say and not what I do should be his mantra. Apparently, keeping your emotions in check only applies to the players on the field.

Mara should have probably spent this offseason evaluating his own general manager David Gettleman. The Giants GM is a dinosaur in an ever-evolving sport. I am not complaining as their ineptitude only helps the Cowboys but I do feel sorry for the players who are wasting their careers on this archaic-thinking franchise. I applaud Dallas fans for enduring the Jason Garrett era for so long.

3 & Out: 3 Role Players Fueling Cowboys’ 2-1 Start - Rob Phillips, Dallascowboys.com

Taking a look at three role players that have been crucial to the 2-1 start.

I Know…. Dalton Schultz has been a vital part of the Cowboys' versatility on offense. OK, maybe he's not so under-the-radar after posting the first multi-touchdown game of his career in Monday's blowout win over the Eagles. But the 2018 fourth-round draft pick is quietly becoming a complete tight end, and he's showing that his career-high 63 catches last season were no fluke.

Lot of offseason debate on how the offense would divide the tight end snaps with Blake Jarwin back healthy. So far, it's been a fairly even split: Schultz with 155 snaps to Jarwin's 120. Through three games, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is actually using more two-tight-end looks than last season: 30% of the offensive snaps, according to Sharp Football Stats, up from 21% in 2020. Some of that might be connected to wide receiver Michael Gallup's stint on Reserve/Injured, but it also shows the offense's adaptability – and the difficulty keeping Schultz off the field.

The fourth-year veteran is helping in all areas. His growth as a blocker is showing up in the run game, where the Cowboys are averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and in pass protection, helping second-year right tackle Terence Steele in some spots. He's also been a nice underneath option for quarterback Dak Prescott. Through the games, Schultz is tied for the most first-down catches on third down (5).

Blogging The Boys Podcast Network and YouTube Channel

We offer a different show every single day on the Blogging The Boys podcast network.

• Monday: CowboysCast with Bobby Belt
• Tuesday: The 75O with Tony Casillas and RJ Ochoa
• Wednesday: Talkin’ The Draft with Connor Livesay, Cole Patterson, and Dalton Miller
• Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
• Friday: Girls Talkin ‘Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
• Saturday: Cowboys Hoy with Mauricio Rodriguez
• Sunday: Jersey Boyz with Dave Sturchio, Bret Ernst, and Keith Ernst

We also offer daily episodes of The Ocho where we give you that day’s latest headlines so that you always stay caught up. Consider it an audio version of the links, and every episode is eight minutes or less so you can catch up in a hurry.

The Blogging The Boys podcast network is available on all major podcast platforms.

Subscribe here on Apple devices.

Subscribe here if you are a Spotify user.

Make sure to subscribe, rate the feed, and leave a review! Our latest episode is available in the feed down below.