Dallas City News

What I’m seeing from the Dallas Cowboys: Rico Dowdle to get bigger load – Jon Machota, The Athletic

Rico Dowdle has a great shot to show he’s the new lead dog in the running back room, if he can stay healthy.

As the Cowboys open the season, Ezekiel Elliott is listed as running back No. 1 on the depth chart. Elliott will likely take the field with the first-team offense Sunday on the road against the Cleveland Browns. But Rico Dowdle, who is No. 2 on the depth chart, is my pick to lead the team in rushing. He showed noticeable juice and looked like an improved pass catcher. Dowdle is three years younger than Elliott and has had 1,969 fewer NFL rushing attempts and 339 fewer receptions. The plan is for Elliott to be as fresh as possible entering December. To do that, Dowdle will need to handle the larger load. This isn’t to say he will have a significant advantage in touches and yards, but look for him to have more. My projection is something like Dowdle getting 13 to 15 rushing attempts per game and Elliott getting closer to 10 to 12. Elliott averaged a career-low 10.8 carries per game last season with the New England Patriots. He averaged 15 per game during his 2022 season in Dallas.

Even Troy Aikman doesn’t know how to fix one of the Cowboys’ biggest problems – Staff, DMN

Frustration about the Cowboys’ postseason performance is growing, but despite what you keep reading and hearing on social media, there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix.

Aikman: “I think it’s fair to say that the owner [Jerry Jones] is probably frustrated, as well. You know? Obviously, everyone has an opinion on on him, not only as the owner, but more specifically as a general manager. When you win 12 games in a regular season, it’s hard to do. And when you do that, can you then say that the team’s being mismanaged, or they’re not talented enough, or whatever the criticisms are?

“But it’s hard to look at the Cowboys and see … they’ve won a lot of games, they’ve gotten into the postseason, and yet it hasn’t translated even when they’ve been the No. 1 seed. It hasn’t mattered who the head coach has been, it hasn’t mattered who the quarterback has been, for that matter. Yet, they’ve won a lot of regular season games. So I don’t know exactly how you fix that, and I just know that you have to play your best football in the biggest games, and that’s the key to every team.

“When you look at the Chiefs and what they’ve accomplished, you know, they struggled a good early part of the season last year, and a lot of people thought, ‘Wow, this team’s just not as good. You know, it’s kind of unwinding on them a little bit.’ And again, the postseason they play their best football, and they win another Super Bowl, and it’s been kind of the opposite for Dallas. They just have not played their best football when the games have mattered most. And trying to solve that riddle is certainly the challenge, but it’s not just over the last few years. This has been going on for quite some time.”

Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer and Micah Parsons are ‘evolving’ together – Brandon Loree, Blogging The Boys

The new defensive general in Dallas and his best player are connecting nicely.

When the Dallas Cowboys hired Mike Zimmer as their new defensive coordinator this offseason, the immediate reaction was to question whether his rough, prehistoric approach with players is extinct in today’s NFL.

Fortunately for the Cowboys, Zimmer hasn’t fossilized just yet. Since he arrived in Dallas, Zimmer has seemingly evolved since his time as head coach with the Minnesota Vikings. He spoke about his personality and was accountable for the fact that, during his coaching career, he was “grouchy” at times. That fiery personality made Zimmer a respected defensive coordinator and eventual head coach.

However, if he was looking to make a comeback after being away from football for a few seasons, Zimmer needed to find his softer side. After all, he’s filling the void left by former coordinator Dan Quinn, which contrasts with how Quinn used to be with his players.

The now-head coach of the Washington Commanders was always the fun uncle in Dallas who got his defense to play relaxed and for each other. During his three-year stint in Dallas, Quinn’s persona helped shape a defense that ranked in the top ten in most categories.

With Zimmer entering the picture, fans wondered if the coordinator had changed and how he would connect with someone like All-Pro Micah Parsons, who became highly fond of Quinn and their relationship.

That merging of personalities never seemed to be an issue because Parsons and Zimmer have spent a lot of time together this offseason, sometimes over breakfast, discussing and evolving their approach for the upcoming season.

“It’s going to be exciting, I’m gonna say that. … It’s really not about the number (of sacks), it’s really about letting the world know, ‘This dude is really the best.’”

On his relationship with Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer: “I think we align. I think I just had to show Mike what I’m capable of and what I can do. Everything that he thought I would be I probably have achieved that and more. He came up to me and said, ‘You say you want to do this and you want to do that, if you just do this detailed stuff you can be the best ever.’ … I think we have evolved in a good way.”

Mike McCarthy praises Linval Joseph ahead of Cowboys vs. Browns – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

After coaching against him, Mike McCarthy has a great appreciation for nose tackle Linval Joseph now that he’s with the Cowboys.

When the Dallas Cowboys reunited with Mike Zimmer as their defensive coordinator for the 2024 season, one of the top expectations was that he’d not only revamp the linebackers’ corp, but also look to add a monster or two in the middle of the defensive line to aid Mazi Smith and Osa Odighizuwa to upgrade the run defense.

Both of those things eventually proved true, and the latter included a trade for Jordan Phillips and the free agency signing of Linval Joseph in late August — Joseph having earned two Pro Bowl nods under Zimmer in their time together with the Minnesota Vikings.

That means McCarthy, former head coach of the rival Green Bay Packers, knows him quite well.

“In coaching, you just really, really appreciate a guy like Linval Joseph, who’s played 15 years in the league,” said head coach Mike McCarthy of Joseph ahead of the veteran defensive tackle’s debut for the Cowboys against the Cleveland Browns. “That’s incredible. But what he brings to your football team and to the locker room, I’ve always had a great respect for him — going against him — but he’s a great addition, among a lot of others, too.

“He’s a product of how our offseason has gone.”

Dak Prescott Faces More Criticism Than His Peers Despite Similiar Challenges – Jacob Bain, Sports Illustrated

Dak Prescott seems to be held to a different standard than his contemporaries.

The criticism surrounding Dak Prescott throughout his entire career has been enormous. The former Mississippi State standout quarterback is entering his ninth season with the Dallas Cowboys, and now more than ever, the microscope is on him.

The Haughton, LA native is entering into a contract year, and speculation is high as many wonder if this is his final season in Dallas. The biggest knock on the 31-year-old quarterback is his inability to win playoff games, as he holds a 2-5 record.

However, the criticism is not distributed evenly; two-time MVP Lamar Jackson has a 2-4 record in the playoffs, and the media beloved Matthew Stafford as a Detroit Lion with no playoff success.

Stafford and Jackson are held accountable for their shortcomings in the postseason, but nobody questions their ability or whether they are worth the money; Prescott faces that.

Many pundits believe Prescott is not worth the money because he holds his team back in the postseason. Sure, the Dallas Cowboys have a talented roster, but the organization has not made the NFC championship since 1995.

This is a results-oriented business, and it is brutal.

Is Prescott at fault? Sort of, but Dak Prescott doesn’t play defense.

The question is, why is Jackson a media darling while Prescott is routinely bashed? Prescott has no controversy surrounding himself, but he plays for the king of controversy, Jerry Jones.