Feed the Cowboys’ defense your tired, your poor, your washed-up quarterbacks

“Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte” is a weekly newsletter curated by DMN sports columnist Kevin Sherrington where he hits all of the latest sports topics around North Texas and all major sports.

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Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte

— How’s this motto for the Cowboys’ defense: “Give me your tired, your poor, your washed-up quarterbacks yearning to break free.” Last week, Russell Wilson threw for more yards against the Cowboys than he did against the Commanders and Chiefs combined. First QB in NFL history to throw for fewer than 200 yards in one start, more than 450 in the next, then go sub-200 again. Caleb Williams, whose Heisman-fueled career has yet to catch fire, threw for 298 and four touchdowns in the Bears’ win. J.J. McCarthy and Justin Fields must be counting the days until they can kick-start their careers against the Cowboys.

Cowboys

— The Cowboys’ defense proves the theory that, given enough time, any quarterback can pick you apart. On most of his dropbacks, Williams could have had a quick snack. Matt Eberflus’ defense is tied for 27th in sacks with four. Hey, Jerry Jones: Miss Micah Parsons yet?

— Think maybe Eberflus’ zone defense is ill-suited for the Cowboys’ secondary, which once played mostly man? Bad enough all these years when they couldn’t stop the run. But giving up five TD passes of 25 yards or more, tops in the NFL, feels worse. Like, five-alarm worse.

— Pretty clear by now that Dak Prescott is most effective when he’s got a running game. But, when you’re down 17 points late in the third quarter, there’s no time to run. Brian Schottenheimer built his offense to pound the ball and take shots deep. But, if you can’t run and the safeties are playing deep, what do you do? Especially if your best receiver is out and your pass-blocking is average, at best?

— Javonte Williams set the tone for the day when he was pick-pocketed in the middle of a 26-yard run, but let’s not hold it against him. Best Cowboys running back since Zeke Elliott in his prime. Needs more than 10 carries a game to wear out a defense, but, then again, that’s hard to do when you’re giving up 30 points a game.

— Hey, Schotty, here’s a thought on getting Williams more carries: Any time you’re thinking about lining up a receiver at RB, like the play where CeeDee Lamb got hurt, leave it to the professionals instead. Better to risk denting Williams or Miles Sanders in heavy traffic than your $34 million Porsche.

— Following the Texas Rangers this season was like driving behind someone riding their brakes. One minute everything’s smooth and easy; the next, you’re halfway into their rear seat. Give them this much, they made September fun. Most of it, anyway. But that’s not how we’ll remember a bipolar season.

— Kudos to the SEC for preserving traditional rivalries in its new 9-game conference schedule, at least for Texas, which gets Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Arkansas every year. The other two rivalry games for the Aggies and Razorbacks are LSU and Missouri. LSU, maybe. But who’s got a beef with Missouri?

— ESPN gives 4-0 North Texas a 37.3% chance to finish 11-1 or better, second-best odds of any Group of Five school, behind only Memphis.

— Story time: Lee Roy Jordan’s passing reminded Randy Galloway of a conversation he had with Jerry Jones in a Valley Ranch hallway not long after Jerry moved in.

Dallas’ leading sports columnists – Galloway, The Dallas Morning News’ hammer, and the elegant Frank Luksa at the Dallas Times-Herald – were peppering the new administration with insults on a daily basis. Displaying the thick skin that would serve him well over the next four decades, Jerry refused to be offended. In fact, he couldn’t have been nicer.

“If I write one more bad thing about Jerry,” Luksa once said, “I think he’ll adopt me.”

Jerry seemed to realize he needed to do something nice to smooth things over with the locals, so he polled both columnists on their recommendations for the Ring of Honor now that he was in charge. A no-brainer. Both told Jerry that Lee Roy had long been denied by Tex Schramm because of a grudge over an old contract dispute. Tex was, in a word, cheap.

When I covered his memorial service in 2003, every player I talked to afterward brought it up. As much as he loved Tex, Galloway said, denying Lee Roy out of spite was “disgraceful.” Jerry rectified the error in short order by making the toughest Cowboy ever his first induction in 1989.

“If Tex were still alive and in charge today, he’d be over 100 and Lee Roy still wouldn’t be in,” Galloway said, laughing. “You can’t say anything nice about Jerry and football, but at least you can say he did that.”

Feed the Cowboys’ defense your tired, your poor, your washed-up quarterbacks

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