Dallas City News

5) What is Mike McCarthy’s biggest challenge? – Staff, DallasCowboys.com

Mike McCarthy faces many challenges in 2024, but which is the biggest?

Mickey Spagnola: Making sure he doesn’t allow this team to become complacent, meaning just assuming after three consecutive 12 wins seasons, in two of those winning the NFC East titles, the 2024 Cowboys don’t take for granted they will automatically win another 12 regular season games. There must be a motivational carrot to dangle. Then there is this since this is McCarthy’s second year as the offensive coordinator. Figure out how to score points in the playoffs. The Cowboys have gone 1-3 under McCarthy in the playoffs, but in those three losses they scored no more than 17 points in 2¾ games, the outlier the 31 scored in the 2022 first round 31-14 beat down of a way inferior 8-9 Tampa Bay team. And don’t let the 32 scored in the playoff loss to Green Bay this past season seem meaningful, since 16 of those were scored in the final quarter, having trailed 48-16 with 10:23 to play in the 48-32 beating.

Patrik Walker: Coming off of a season that saw his offensive ranked No. 1 in the entire NFL — leading to Dak Prescott earning an All-Pro nod and being the runner-up for league MVP while CeeDee Lamb burst into the record books and Jake Ferguson broke out — there’s one glaring opportunity for improvement in an otherwise stellar scheme that dominated in its infancy. The ground attack needs to be more potent and, to McCarthy’s admission, it was below par in 2023. That was for a few reasons, including the carousel of injury on the offensive line, but also the absence of a definitive sledgehammer amongst an armory full of swords. Ezekiel Elliott is back to hopefully reinsert that weapon back into the war chest and a first- and third-round pick used on Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe, respectively, will be looked upon to help upgrade the offensive line after the loss of Tyron Smith. If McCarthy’s offense can improve in this area without taking a step back in the aerial attack, the league’s best offense would be that much more formidable — though eliminating some slow starts will also be a key to success, especially in the playoffs.

See where NFL execs, coaches and players rank Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb among top WRs – Staff, DMN

Where does CeeDee Lamb rank among the NFL’s best wide receivers?

According to an ESPN survey of league executives, coaches and players, Lamb sits among the top 5. The survey listed him at No. 4, sitting just behind Vikings star Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins and Bengals playmaker Ja’Marr Chase.

The highest ranking Lamb received was at No. 3, while the lowest came in at No. 10. This year’s placement is an improvement from the 10th-place spot Lamb secured in last year’s survey.

“He was able to move around the formation more this year, specifically outside, and he consistently won in critical situations over the course of the year,” an NFL scouting director told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He proved to be a do-it-all receiver. Has great hands and outstanding pace to his routes and setup that gives defensive backs problems.”

Lamb stood out in multiple ways for the Cowboys in 2023, breaking single-season franchise records for catches and receiving yards. The Oklahoma product ended the year with 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Game changers Cowboys must contain on a week-to-week basis in 2024 – Brian Martin, BloggingTheBoys.com

The first quarter of the season Dallas faces a gauntlet of playmakers.

Week 1: DE Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns

With his combination of strength, power, and speed Myles Garrett is difficult to contain by even the best offensive tackles in the league. The Cowboys will try to accomplish that with RT Terence Steele and rookie Tyler Guyton if he earns a starting job at LT. That seems like a daunting task to accomplish, which is why we will likely see Garrett receive extra attention with chip blocks from the Cowboys to hopefully slow him down.

Week 2: WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

Chris Olave has already turned himself into one of the better wide receivers in the entire league in the short amount of time he’s been in the NFL. It’s unlikely Mike Zimmer will have someone shadow him throughout the game, so Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis will all likely have an opportunity to limit his production. All three should be up to the task, but will still need to remain vigilant to keep from getting embarrassed.

Week 3: QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson edged out Dak Prescott for the league’s MVP last season and for good reason. He’s the most dangerous dual-threat QB in the entire league and has the ability to alter the course of the game all by himself. And, the offseason addition of RB Derek Henry makes him even more of a game-changing type of threat. Zimmer is going to have to stress the importance of gap integrity, otherwise the Ravens QB will pick them apart.

Weeks 4 & 13: WR Malik Nabers, New York Giants

Malik Nabers is about to experience what RB Saquon Barkley went through during his time with the Giants. There is little doubt the sixth overall pick will be the focal point of the entire offense, but much like Barkley, the talent surrounding him leaves much to be desired. All of the trash talk that took place not long ago between Nabers and Diggs will come to naught. With QB Daniel Jones still under center, the rookie WR might struggle.

Week 5: DE T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

First Myles Garrett in Week 1 and then T.J. Watt a few weeks later in Week 5. If Guyton wins the starting job at LT he’s going to see two of the best pass rushing defensive ends in the entire league probably before he gets the chance to settle in. Both he and Steele will have to be at their best, otherwise the Cowboys entire offensive game plan could be thrown off and Prescott could be at risk of taking big blows.

Cowboys legend explains ‘70s Steelers’ biggest advantage in Super Bowl wins vs. Dallas – Bryan DeArdo, CBS Sports

An interesting note about the Cowboys-Steelers Super Bowls of the 1970s.

In 1979, the Dallas Cowboys were given the title of “America’s Team” by NFL Films. But if a few more things went their way in two Super Bowls against the Steelers, Dallas would have also earned the title of “Team of the Decade,” a label that was instead given to Pittsburgh.

The ‘70s Cowboys won two Super Bowls, but lost three others by a combined 11 points. Two of those losses came against the Steelers, including a 35-31 thriller in Super Bowl XIII that gave Pittsburgh its dynasty. That game followed Pittsburgh’s 21-17 victory over Dallas in Super Bowl X.

Ed “Too Too” Jones, the Cowboys’ standout defensive end back then, recently shared what he feels was the biggest difference between the two super powers of that era.

“That Pittsburgh team had nothing but veterans on both sides of the ball,” Jones told CBS Sports. “Nothing but veterans. We were a very young team both times, when they beat us in ‘75 and when they beat us in ‘78, even though we only lost by four points both games and [Roger] Staubach had the ball driving [late] in those games.”

Jones is right, and his theory has often been overlooked by many (me included) who figured that the Cowboys were just as experienced as those Steelers teams. But that wasn’t the case.

NFL season is 50 days away: 50 under-the-radar players who could shape the 2024 season – Zachary Pereles, CBSSports

Two Cowboys get the nod here, both as potential run-stoppers.

Mazi Smith (DT), Cowboys: Smith had a minimal impact as a rookie last year, but the Cowboys’ 2023 first-rounder will have an elevated role this year. Smith was touted as a stout run defender, but Dallas was much better against the run without him on the field last year.

Eric Kendricks, Cowboys: Much like the Cowboys’ first name on this list, Kendricks hopes to be a salve to Dallas’ rush defense woes. Since 2020, Kendricks’ 286 run tackles are sixth in the NFL, and while he may not be the All-Pro he once was, Kendricks should help a unit that ranked dead last in success rate against the run in 2023.

Top 30 NFL players over 30 entering 2024 season – Staff, NFL.com

Top quarterback on this 30+ list: your favorite unextended QB.

Rank: 4, Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys · QB · Age 31

Because of the disastrous way Dallas’ season ended (which was hardly on Dak’s shoulders alone), it’s easy to forget that the Cowboys’ QB1 finished the year ranked among the league’s best in most traditional and advanced passing metrics. In fact, Dak was an MVP candidate — even front-runner — late into the campaign, comfortably securing his fourth season with 10-plus wins and moving into third place in total wins (73) since entering the league in 2016, behind only Tom Brady (79) and Patrick Mahomes (74). And yet, the three-time Pro Bowler somehow finds himself in the final year of his contract, with free agency seemingly a real possibility. I feel very comfortable saying at least half the league, including a handful of teams that just procured shiny new options under center, wouldn’t think twice about paying Prescott $50 million-plus per year should Dallas not come through with the big bucks before March 12, 2025.