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By Bob Sturm, Special contributor
OFFENSE -- A
You can only play the team that is on your schedule, so deducting a grade on the Cowboys offense because they were playing a defense that appeared rather clueless would be unfair. The Cowboys whipped the Browns with the ball repeatedly all day long. Dak Prescott followed up his least impressive start since the opener with what might have been his most impressive. He never looked puzzled where to go with the football and on a day where Dez Bryant looked off, Jason Witten turned back the clock for a game that saw him open all day. Good work getting Ezekiel Elliott off with the game in hand, protecting your most important asset.
DEFENSE -- A
It is nearly impossible to hold an offense under 225 yards in today's NFL (something a Dallas defense has done just two other times in the last five seasons), but Sunday was just 222 yards for the Browns and an absurd 1 of 9 on third downs. Just three times in the last 5 years have the Cowboys held their opponent to just one third down conversion and the pressure was solid all day as the team found four sacks which ties their season high (Bengals). The Browns were in the top 10 in big plays this season, but after a huge play on their second snap, had only one other 20-yard play all day.
COACHING -- A
Sometimes it is not always easy to see where your coaching performance is at, but then you see a team that is prepared to play both emotionally and tactically. When you see that many open receivers, that is not because the Browns cannot figure out where to line up (well, actually, they clearly did not know how to line up several times), but rather you are scheming them open with a great run/pass balance and putting the defensive players in conflicts where they can never guess right. They had a chance to come out flat and certainly did not.
OVERALL -- A+
It certainly helps to play the Bears, 49ers, and Browns in your first eight games, but they have also beaten some solid teams and somehow sit at 7-1 at the halfway mark. They are receiving amazing rookie performances from a quarterback and at running back that will likely be remembered for ages. The defense has still not given up 24 points in a game and they are pummeling teams that are not on their level. I wouldn't change a thing right now (and I trust everyone knows what that means).
