Cowboys 'New Problem' Identified: Lack of 'Talent!' - ESPN's Louis Riddick

Dallas Cowboys 'New Problem' Identified: 'Not Culture - Lack of 'Talent!' - ESPN's Louis Riddick

FRISCO - The pomp and circumstance and hyperbole that usually surrounds the Dallas Cowboys in virtually each and every season surely does accelerate expectations for "America's Team,'' and maybe even wrongly colors the roster's true ability to compete at a Super Bowl level.

But maybe never before has a qualified critic pinpointed the "real'' problem around here as ... a lack of "talent''?

ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, appearing on First Take, made the argument that a lack of talent is what's really to blame for the team's playoff failures. The subject of the team's "culture'' was a driving force for the conversation ...

And away Riddick went, punctuating his analysis by saying, "I think the shortfalls have caused the culture issues.''

In other words, Riddick - who worked as a personnel guy in the NFL, giving him more gravitas here than the usual TV blow-dried talking head - insisted it is the team's roster flaws that are creating a culture not conducive to winning playoff games.

It's all a theory, of course; Riddick has no first-hand knowledge of what goes on in the Dallas huddle, the locker room or here at The Star. And when he elaborated about "finger-pointing afterwards by everyone from the players to their families'' ... he stretched things way outside of his lane - because while there has been "Bro Bro Mama Drama,'' there has been no player-to-player finger-pointing.

Riddick also doesn't quite explain how it is a team that "lacks talent'' has enjoyed three straight 12-5 seasons; does the talent "fade'' or "shy away'' or "shrink'' come playoff time?

To ESPN's credit, at least they are given a person with some knowhow the elbow room to theorize ... even though we already know from this week's media sessions with COO Stephen Jones that the front office is buying none of it.

.@LRiddickESPN believes talent is a bigger issue for the Cowboys than the culture 😧

"I think the shortfalls have caused the culture issues." pic.twitter.com/Um9YvZ1oqn

— First Take (@FirstTake) February 28, 2024

What did Stephen say about the roster?

"We've got a great team put together. The last three years we won a lot of football games ...''

What did Stephen say when faced with question about whether the Cowboys have a "culture'' problem?

"No.''