'Our Secret Sauce!' Cowboys Coaches on How to Fix 'Unacceptable' Road Record
The Dallas Cowboys' road form this season is an ugly wart that got exposed in the worst way possible as the Buffalo Bills pushed around "America's Team'' on Sunday in a 31-10 demolition at Highmark Stadium.
And yes, the coaching staff and the locker room leaders are conceding to concern when it comes to how to fix what is broken in at least two areas.
Head coach Mike McCarthy is acknowledging the home-vs.-road performance "gap.'' QB Dak Prescott is talking about needing "problem-solvers''? And defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the engineer of a unit that got bullied on the ground?
Quinn on Monday at The Star said he is disappointed with “our tackling and our ball-hawking” in Sunday’s loss to Bills.
He called success in those two categories “our secret sauce,” and noted accurately that in this game, his defense lacked both.
But he added two other debatable points. ...
One, he said the issue here has nothing to do with "home vs. away'' or "turf vs. grass.''
Two, he took time to specifically praise rookie first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith, just-signed vet defensive tackle Carl Smith and vet defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.
Mazi, Quinn insisted, “played strong and square inside.”
And we will stop there. He did? They did? "Strong and square''? As the first wall of a group that allowed Buffalo's James Cook to look like Walter Payton as he rushed for 179 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries while also catching two passes for 42 yards and a touchdown?
"Strong and square''?
Dallas had been flying of late, while the Bills had found some form after a bumpy stretch earlier in the season. The game was set to test the Cowboys' credentials and they had the chance to vanquish a top AFC team, on the road and further establish their Super Bowl credentials.
Well, none of the above eventuated as Dallas didn't fire a single shot. The offense was clunky and couldn't find any rhythm. And as for the defense ... we want to defer to DQ. But we wonder if he's offering a pat on the butt instead of a firm kick as a way of managing personalities.
We mean ... "strong and square''?!
So ... assuming that privately, the Cowboys coaches acknowledge that this defense was anything but "strong and square'' - "weak and round,'' maybe? - what's the fix?
"I don't know what happened, to be honest," Dallas' Micah Parsons said. "Honestly, it's just unacceptable at this point. I don't understand why we're not playing well, we're not coming together on the road. It's something that we need to look at and get better because we're back on the road next week."
The differences between how Dallas plays at home compared to on the road are eye-opening. The Cowboys at AT&T Stadium average 39.9 points, but on the road, that number drops down to 18.2 points per game.
So, the Cowboys are a completely different team on the road and what perhaps will give fans sleepless nights is the way the season is shaping up, Dallas will be on the road in the playoffs - that's unacceptable, and coach Mike McCarthy knows it.
“We play so well at home, and there’s just too big of a gap in our road games,” McCarthy said “We’ve got to be better.”
The loss exposed a couple of issues for this Cowboys team with the run defense, which has long been a problem, and the team's inability to play consistent football on the road against a quality opponent. ... All of which add up to a mind-boggling beatdown that brings into question the Cowboys' playoff-time ability to get things fixed.
And we're going to go with McCarthy's frank review of those guys upfront that to our eyes got shoved around. Big Mike, your thoughts on the D-line?
"We're not passing out any gameballs,'' McCarthy said flatly.
