Every week, we gather to discuss the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Jorge Guajardo, Dyllan Rivers, Tom Ryle and Sean Martin.
Should the coaching staff think about benching DaRon Bland at this point?
Mike – I think so, and it’s down to Bland playing on reputation rather than production right now. Dallas can’t afford to keep giving him a free pass because of what he accomplished in 2023. His coverage has been bad, his confidence looks shaky, and the dropped interception
against Tampa Bay was another example of a player struggling to make the plays that once defined him.
With Joey Porter Jr. in the building and available Christian Parker has alternatives worth exploring. I’m not saying Bland should be permanently benched, but reducing his snaps and moving him into the slot-only role could benefit him. That’s where he’s been most productive in the past.
Tom – If he continues to fail at his assignments, of course. Not only is it logical to try and find a better solution, maybe it would light a fire under some other underperforming players. And if you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of them on the roster right now. I would consider adding Jake Ferguson for consideration. These don’t have to be permanent, but it is hard to see how going back to the well with players who keep making mistakes helps.
Dyllan – Dallas should consider more of a rotation at this point. There is a place for Bland out there. But if money weren’t a factor, I’m not sure he would be considered one of the top two guys when the DB room is healthy.
Jorge – Yes, plain and simple, falling down on routes, blowing coverages, and not even being able to secure a gimme pick-six. Pretty clear Bland is a shell of his former self; he’s playing with zero confidence on the field. They almost have to do him the favor and rotate him until he can at least get some confidence back; until then, we’ll just be counting the days until his contract is off the books. It’s a shame; he’s an NFL all-time record holder. Tough way to go.
Sean – At this point my overall thought on the Christian Parker defense is that I want to see the team fully commit to “his guys” at as many spots as possible, so that we can get the best possible evaluation and know for sure if fans calling for his job already are overreacting or not. It’s been my opinion and hasn’t wavered that they are, but here comes another tough test against a Packers team that threw the ball at will in their win on Sunday. Bland showed he wasn’t a scheme fit in week one against the Giants, and it hasn’t gotten any better. It’s hard to imagine the Packers not taking advantage of him at least a few times if he is out there getting the same starter snaps.
What was the biggest issue the Cowboys faced against the Buccaneers?
Mike – The biggest issue was Dallas got bullied on both sides of the ball, and the coaching staff had absolutely no answers. Tampa Bay arrived winless, with a rookie quarterback, yet somehow dictated the entire game. The Cowboys surrendered 241 rushing yards, including 165 to Bucky Irving, allowing Tampa Bay to control possession for nearly 40 minutes. Offensively, Brian Schottenheimer failed to adjust leaving Dak Prescott under pressure and the offense completely out of rhythm. Christian Parker deserves just as much criticism for a defense that couldn’t stop the run. This wasn’t simply poor execution, it was a failure to prepare.
Tom – Wow, it’s hard to pick one to single out. I’ll go with a broad one, and say it was the defense allowing so many explosive plays. The Dallas defense makes third and 15 look more like third and five for their opponents. There is no doubt the huge run they surrendered at the start of the second half was a big part in the loss.
Dyllan – Missed tackles were a huge issue. The defense accounted for 12 missed tackles on the night, including several on the big Bucky Irving run after half time. Maybe it’s tied to the exhaustion from the schedule, maybe not. But missing that many is certainly not a recipe for success, as we saw with the Buccaneers rushing total.
Jorge – Not playing hard. A very real culture is festering in Dallas where they are simply jogging plays out, if you will. I’m not seeing fight; I’m not seeing energy; I’m seeing a team that folds when the going gets tough. The missed tackles and explosive plays are just a symptom of that. Where is the Cowboys’ dog?
Sean – “Most concerning” is one way, for me at least, to frame what the “biggest” issue is. For that I’m going to go with yet again overcomplicating things on offense. The run game worked like a charm on the first drive, then it was forgotten about. The slant route to George Pickens sparked a 99-yard drive, but the Cowboys were down two scores by that point. This is coming directly from the head coach, and the margin of error to get it corrected now is much smaller than we ever hoped of with so many hard games ahead. It’s the most concerning thing that came with dropping to 2-3.
What does Christian Parker need to change to make sure the defense holds its side of the bargain to accomplish victory?
Mike – Parker needs to fix the basics before worrying about being clever with his defensive schemes. Tampa Bay exposed some really poor tackling and gap discipline, so the priority has to be stopping the run and making teams earn their yards. Getting a pass rush that finally makes quarterbacks uncomfortable would be nice. Moving Parker into the coaching booth and bringing in Mike Pettine might help with adjustments, but neither will magically fix poor execution. But most importantly, Parker needs to adapt when things start going wrong rather than watching another offense dictate the game.
Tom – Almost everything? I can’t think of one part of the defense that is even passable right now. It seems very possible that Parker is just out of his depth. Maybe Mike Pettine will be a big help, but he is unlikely to make much of an impact for this game.
Dyllan – Parker needs to be more aggressive – especially after bringing in Pettine. Playing Joey Porter Jr. on the outside in press man coverage allows you to be more active around the line of scrimmage. More disguises, more blitzes.
Jorge – Welp, I thought a move to the booth would come sooner or later; that should help them get lined up properly to start, but really they just have to start doing the little things right. Tackling properly, maintaining rush lanes, securing gaps, etc. If they do that, this defense will lift immensely, getting us closer to the only thing fans have asked for from this defense. Which is to be average.
Sean – Even on some of the explosive plays allowed from the Bucs, Schottenheimer and Parker both said the calls were correct, so I guess amazingly part of the answer here is… more of the same? Any sarcasm aside though, there does need to be real changes too. Hiring Pettine and moving Parker to the box are some real changes to hopefully get it going the right direction. Parker should be able to see the coverage aspects while Pettine can focus on the front seven, the areas each coach knows the best. This makes the biggest thing I’ll be looking for from the defense, and answer to the question about Parker, not blowing coverages to allow guys wide open. Give yourself a chance in coverage.
RAPID FIRE
Who scores first for Dallas?
Tom – Javonte Williams seems the safest bet
Dyllan – CeeDee Lamb
Jorge – George Pickens
Sean – George Pickens
Total defensive sacks, over/under- 1.5
Tom – I won’t believe the over until I see it happen
Dyllan – Under. Too inconsistent. I’d love to see Ezeiruaku drive through the QB after winning a rep against the OT instead of slowing down/missing the tackle.
Jorge – Under
Sean – I’ll actually go over, I think Love holds the ball in a few spots.
Dak Prescott passing touchdowns, over/under- 2.5
Tom – Under
Dyllan – Over. Dak typically bounces back strong after a poor performance. He’s thrown one touchdown in three games straight. He’s going to break out against GB.
Jorge – Under
Sean – Under
Green Bay team offensive rushing yards, over/under- 98.5
Tom – Over
Dyllan – Over
Jorge – Over
Sean – Over
George Pickens reaching yards, over/under- 88.5
Tom – Over. He’s due a monster game and this one seems like it is set up for him to have one
Dyllan – Under, but he’s going to get you a couple of pass interference calls that won’t show up on the stats sheet as well.
Jorge – Over, he continues to heat up.
Sean – Over
Cowboys defensive passing yards allowed, over/under- 255.5
Tom – Over. Sorry about so much pessimism
Dyllan – Over. GB has weapons on the outside. Dallas only has one CB I feel good about, and not much of a pass rush to boot.
Jorge – Over. Green Bay is going to have a field day.
Sean – Over
