{"id":246952,"date":"2025-09-22T18:43:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T18:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/246952\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T18:43:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T18:43:10","slug":"feed-the-cowboys-defense-your-tired-your-poor-your-washed-up-quarterbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/246952\/","title":{"rendered":"Feed the Cowboys\u2019 defense your tired, your poor, your washed-up quarterbacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cKevin Sherrington\u2019s A La Carte\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Sign up for the Sports Roundup newsletter<\/a> to receive exclusive content from Sherrington every week. Read an excerpt from this week\u2019s newsletter below.<\/p>\n

Kevin Sherrington\u2019s A La Carte<\/p>\n

\u2014 How\u2019s this motto for the Cowboys<\/a>\u2019 defense: \u201cGive me your tired, your poor, your washed-up quarterbacks yearning to break free.\u201d 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\u2019 win. J.J. McCarthy and Justin Fields must be counting the days until they can kick-start their careers against the Cowboys.<\/p>\n

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\u2014 The Cowboys\u2019 defense<\/a> 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\u2019 defense is tied for 27th in sacks with four. Hey, Jerry Jones: Miss Micah Parsons yet? <\/p>\n

\u2014 Think maybe Eberflus\u2019 zone defense is ill-suited for the Cowboys\u2019 secondary<\/a>, which once played mostly man? Bad enough all these years when they couldn\u2019t stop the run. But giving up five TD passes of 25 yards or more, tops in the NFL, feels worse. Like, five-alarm worse.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Pretty clear by now that Dak Prescott<\/a> is most effective when he\u2019s got a running game. But, when you\u2019re down 17 points late in the third quarter, there\u2019s no time to run. Brian Schottenheimer built his offense to pound the ball and take shots deep. But, if you can\u2019t 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?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Javonte Williams<\/a> set the tone for the day when he was pick-pocketed in the middle of a 26-yard run, but let\u2019s 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\u2019s hard to do when you\u2019re giving up 30 points a game.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Hey, Schotty, here\u2019s a thought on getting Williams more carries: Any time you\u2019re thinking about lining up a receiver at RB, like the play where CeeDee Lamb<\/a> got hurt, leave it to the professionals instead. Better to risk denting Williams or Miles Sanders in heavy traffic than your $34 million Porsche.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Following the Texas Rangers<\/a> this season was like driving behind someone riding their brakes. One minute everything\u2019s smooth and easy; the next, you\u2019re halfway into their rear seat. Give them this much, they made September fun. Most of it, anyway. But that\u2019s not how we\u2019ll remember a bipolar season.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Kudos to the SEC for preserving traditional rivalries in its new 9-game conference schedule, at least for Texas<\/a>, which gets Oklahoma<\/a>, Texas A&M<\/a> and Arkansas every year. The other two rivalry games for the Aggies and Razorbacks are LSU and Missouri. LSU, maybe. But who\u2019s got a beef with Missouri?<\/p>\n

\u2014 ESPN gives 4-0 North Texas<\/a> a 37.3% chance to finish 11-1 or better, second-best odds of any Group of Five school, behind only Memphis.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Story time:<\/b> Lee Roy Jordan\u2019s passing<\/a> reminded Randy Galloway of a conversation he had with Jerry Jones in a Valley Ranch hallway not long after Jerry moved in. <\/p>\n

Dallas\u2019 leading sports columnists \u2013 Galloway, The Dallas Morning News<\/a>\u2019 hammer, and the elegant Frank Luksa at the Dallas Times-Herald \u2013 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\u2019t have been nicer. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf I write one more bad thing about Jerry,\u201d Luksa once said, \u201cI think he\u2019ll adopt me.\u201d <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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 \u201cdisgraceful.\u201d Jerry rectified the error in short order by making the toughest Cowboy ever his first induction in 1989. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf Tex were still alive and in charge today, he\u2019d be over 100 and Lee Roy still wouldn\u2019t be in,\u201d Galloway said, laughing. \u201cYou can\u2019t say anything nice about Jerry and football, but at least you can say he did that.\u201d<\/p>\n

More from Sherrington<\/p>\n

\u2014 In final SMU-TCU matchup, Sonny Dykes shows why Iron Skillet will be missed<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Cowboys icons pay respects to Lee Roy Jordan, the \u2018leader and motivator\u2019 of fabled defense<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Clayton Kershaw\u2019s retirement with Dodgers is fitting after years of flirting with Rangers<\/a><\/p>\n