FRISCO, Texas – After a week in which I wondered if reading comprehension is a lost art, considering what was written and said here about a possible quarterback move after two subpar performances, I’ve got some other wonders that do not relate directly to Dak Prescott and Tony Romo this week.
Away we go:
• I wonder if there are some inside The Star who believe it would be a good thing if the New York Giants win Thursday and keep the Cowboys in the win-now mode as they close the regular season. A loss by the Giants would give the Cowboys homefield advantage, but with this being such a young team with two rookies, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, playing major roles, that keeping the pedal pressed is the best way to enter the playoffs. In 2007, the Cowboys were a relatively young team. Remember, that was Romo's first full year as a starter. Wade Phillips let off the gas with his team, and they could never regain their momentum and lost to the Giants. I don’t see that happening with Jason Garrett. Even with a Giants’ loss, I don’t think Garrett shuts it down.
• I wonder why there was so much gnashing of teeth over the release of rookie running back Darius Jackson last week. Well, not really, but "the Cowboys will rue the day" kind of stuff was over the top. And for everybody believing the Cowboys made a mistake in not putting tackle Chaz Green on injured reserve a week ago, they believed Green was close to returning to playing. He practiced last Wednesday but suffered a setback that pushed up the back surgery. Plus, even if the Cowboys put Green on IR, they still would have needed a roster spot for Zach Moore because of the injuries to DeMarcus Lawrence and Cedric Thornton. Jackson, who was claimed by the Cleveland Browns, may develop into a top runner, but he was never going to be anything more than a backup’s backup with the Cowboys. Remember, they have Elliott dominating the carries. For all of the cringing every summer and during the season over players lost via waivers, how many have developed into top-flight backups or starters elsewhere. The Cowboys can draft another Darius Jackson this spring if they want.
• With the Detroit Lions visiting Monday it got me to wondering about Scott Linehan’s head coach candidacy potential. He helped develop Matthew Stafford before joining the Cowboys and now he has helped the Cowboys to a playoff berth with Prescott, a fourth-round pick, running the show. That has to look good on a resume considering how teams need to develop young quarterbacks. What works against Linehan is his run with the St. Louis Rams. He went 11-25 in two-plus seasons in St. Louis. You can say, "It’s the Rams, dude," but that record might have warranted Jeff Fisher an extension. Linehan is an adept coordinator and knows how to get the best out of what he has to work with. He will get some looks again as a head coach. For a mini-wonder, I wonder if the Cowboys would consider anybody in-house should Linehan depart. Quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson would deserve a look.
• If we’re going to temper expectations on what Jackson will do in Cleveland or elsewhere in the future, I wonder if expectations need to be tempered on the impending return of Randy Gregory, who missed the first 14 games due to suspension. The Cowboys can talk up his gain in weight and strength and how he has benefited from being in meetings all year, but he has not practiced in about a year. He did not go through training camp. He has not been in pads since the end of last season. And let’s remember he did not have a sack in his rookie season. DeMarcus Lawrence went through training camp and a preseason before his four-game suspension and has recorded one sack this season. Lawrence has some pretty serious back issues apparently, but he at least has had more football activity than Gregory. If the Cowboys can get 10 to 15 snaps and three or four good pass rushes a game then maybe that will be good enough.
• I wonder if the Cowboys would consider using a second-round pick on a tight end next spring. No, it’s not a joke. It did not work in 2006 with Anthony Fasano. It didn’t work with Martellus Bennett in 2008. It didn’t work with Gavin Escobar in 2013. But in those instances Jason Witten was not going to come off the field and the coaching staffs did a poor job of schematically working the second tight end into the mix. Witten is signed through 2017 and having an excellent season. He might be able to play forever, but the tight end position will need addressing not only because of his experience but the injuries suffered by James Hanna (knee) and Geoff Swaim (pectoral) and the likely departure of Escobar. Whoops, I can hear the Rico Gathers fans now. I’ll just end my take here.