bbgun
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What is your evaluation of the defensive secondary, especially after the Cowboys lost two players during the game?
It was obviously quite poor and disjointed today to say the least. They are trying to work in the new youngsters who all had very limited training camp work and now are playing against really good teams who know their ways to attack you. They seemed to try a lot more man-to-man so if the opposition can pick the matchup they like, then your tackling better be right on point. As we all could see, there was nothing sure about the tackling and they paid dearly for it. Also, I am not a big fan of what appears to be the plan of playing Jeff Heath up with Sean Lee in the nickel and dime defenses and having Byron Jones and Kavon Frazier over the top. I would put Jones closer to the line and Heath deep. I think that fits their strengths better, but that obviously is not their choice. It sure seems that Sean Lee and Anthony Hitchens were the only LBs they trusted in man coverage and without Hitchens, they are scrambling. The Giants had no RBs of note, so that helped last week.
How much trouble are the Cowboys in for the rest of the season?
Not much. I have seen Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers brought to their knees in (Denver's) stadium. This is a very tough place to play and the Cowboys fell behind early and did not get to play the game they prefer. They avoided being behind all last season, but we see that is not a good spot. They are an offense where circumstances matter. They let this one get away, but it won't have much bearing on other games. Denver is a very tough place to play.
Is it time to recognize DeMarcus Lawrence? What did you think of him?
I think he is a fantastic talent who has really developed nicely. It looks like 10 sacks is a possibility this year, which should be huge. The issue is whether he can keep doing this and what that does to his pending free agency. I cannot imagine the price tag for a 25 year old coming off 10 sacks. Might see the franchise tag to be honest.
What did you make of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott's struggles?
Elliott had four carries in the first half. They just never got in rhythm and then the game was over quick. It was an early knockout that was really over after the opening drive of the third quarter. As for Prescott, he faced the best pass defense in the NFL over the last few years at altitude and in situations where they know you are passing. It is a really tough spot to be in. He was not close to good and was dealing with plenty of press coverage and his accuracy was all over the place most of the day. I am not sure what to expect in Arizona based on his first two games.
Did you see anything positive today?
Not really. This was a tremendously poor effort that was rather all encompassing. I would be very hard pressed to find a big performance from any Cowboy. Lawrence did the most, but also that penalty -- however puzzling the ruling was -- was very costly.
Any other overall thoughts?
They had something happen to them that they really didn't deal with in 2016. They were humbled. They felt they might be the best team in the NFL and while they can still contend all year, this one will knock them off their high horse and that might actually be a good thing. Keep hungry and respond to this and you can be fine. But, now the Dak and Zeke Cowboys know that they can be pounded like anyone else after this performance.
. This just a few days after Sturm was celebrating this team big time. He was saying how great Garrett's record was when he has a franchise QB (why do other coaches not get to exclude years with average QBs?) and asking if Garrett hadn't stealthily "built" (
