Cowboys 1st & 10: Schedule Round-Up & Top 10 Stories of The Week
In this edition of First and 10 we wrap up all the analysis of the Dallass Cowboys’ 2020 NFL schedule and the news of the week
1) SCHEDULING YOUR LIFE
The NFL finally released the schedule for 2020 this week, which meant that Cowboys fans were glued to their TV and the internet to see when exactly the Cowboys would play each team on their schedule (assuming there is a full schedule).
Our ’75-Member Staff’ was all over it.
Mike Fisher analyzed the schedule right after its release and, as usual, there is a time of the year that will be of critical importance to the Cowboys.
Week 15 - home San Francisco, Dec. 20, 7:20p - The defending NFC champs, and see below ...
Week 16 - home Philadelphia, Dec. 27, 3:25p - If you have to play tough teams like the Niners and the Eagles (and you do), and if you have to play them back-to-back (and in 2020, you do), you might as well play them at home, as occurs at the end of December.
We all know that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is one of the most powerful owners in the game. As Fish broke down the aftermath of the schedule, he examined how Jones both won and lost when it came to the schedule.
The good is that Jones wanted to help the Los Angeles Rams open their new stadium in September, and the Cowboys will do just that.
The bad? Fish has that, too.
The Cowboys also got their Thanksgiving Game, of course - league opponents are going to have to pry that one out of the Jones family's dead, cold hands - but seven days later comes another game, and it's at Baltimore. And the four-days-earlier game is at Minnesota.
That wasn't very nice of the NFL.
9.13 Cowboys 30, at Rams 27 – Former L.A. kicker Greg Zuerlein administers another chink in Sean McVay’s armor with a game-winning, 59-yard field goal at the gun.
Our Bri Amaranthus also compiled all the ‘trendy’ media predictions about the 2020 Cowboys schedule. The range? Ten to eleven wins, and that would be good enough to get the Cowboys to the postseason once again.
As for me, I see 11 wins on that schedule. I’m bullish on this team after this offseason. But we’ll see.
2) DAK ADVICE FROM FORMER REDSKINS? UM, OK
As the Cowboys try to convince quarterback Dak Prescott to sign the long-term deal that is on the table, two former Washington Redskins quarterbacks weighed in on the situation. Because, you know, we all wanted to know what they thought, right?
The perspective were interesting, though.
In one corner was Kirk Cousins, who is now in Minnesota and told ESPN.com the following on Thursday:
“I believe the franchise tag can be your friend,” Cousins said. “I don’t think it’s something to be disappointed with. I think it enables you to be well-compensated, and deservedly so, for the upcoming season. Then, I always say the cream will rise to the top. If you’re good enough, the cream’s going to rise to the top, and you’re going to get compensated the way you want to.”
In the other corner was Joe Theismann, who played quarterback for the Redskins in the 1970s and 1980s before, you know, that Monday Night Football game against the Giants? Go find the video. I’m not embedding that here.
Theismann told CBS Sports Radio the following:
“You’re not a top-five quarterback in the National Football League,” he said. “You’re a good football player. You have the potential to be better, but what have you done? If I was advising Dak Prescott, I would say, ‘Take the money.”
It’s worth pointing out that neither Cousins nor Theismann would have been considered Top 5 quarterbacks in their day. But I wonder if the pair are speaking from different financial perspectives and experiences, too?
Cousins, of course, played two straight years in Washington on the franchise tag, ended up making $44 million guaranteed out of those two seasons and parlayed that into a huge deal with Minnesota. As our Mike Fisher points out, Cousins has already made $100 million in his NFL career.
As for Theismann, he played in an era when salaries were, well, modest. He also wasn’t able to take advantage of free agency or a franchise tag, as neither were in existence at that point. The players’ union was still fighting for some fundamental workers’ rights at the time. Theismann’s career-ending injury occurred in 1985. Had he been able to play in 1986, his salary with the Redskins would have been an NFL-high $1.2 million. That’s about what Cowboys long snapper L.P. Ladouceur is going to make THIS SEASON to be a long snapper.
Times have changed, to be sure, and while Theismann is certainly entitled to his ‘Top 5’ opinion, I wonder if the changing financial metrics of the past 35 years color his opinion, too.
It should be noted that back in 1982, when Theismann was negotiating his new deal with the Redskins, he fought tooth-and-nail for everything he could get. He was still playing on a back-up deal that paid him $225,000 per year and had been the starter for several seasons. At one point Theismann and the team were $400,000 apart and things were getting testy. They finally got the deal done, and after the 1982 season the Redskins won the Super Bowl.
Theismann knows as well as ANY NFL player just how finite an NFL career can be. Why shouldn’t Prescott fight for every last dollar he can get from an organization that has the resources to do it?
There, there was this quote from Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, who started using analytics to make the argument that no NFL teams should not commit “too much cap” to a quarterback if it wants to win.
In other words, buckle up, kids. This probably isn’t ending anytime soon.
3) IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES … THE COWBOYS’ LAST DANCE
In this sports-starved landscape we’re grasping for whatever sports we can get our hands on. And ESPN did the smart thing by pushing up the release of ‘The Last Dance’ the 10-part docuseries on the last Chicago Bulls’ title team.
And that led to a natural question. What if the 1990s Dallas Cowboys got a similar treatment?
Our Bri Amaranthus examined that earlier this week.
And our Mike Fisher did a poll and it went about the way you might have expected.
4) A NEW COWBOYS ALL-TIME TOP 10 LIST
When the Dallas Cowboys signed Andy Dalton to a one-year contract last week, the Cowboys were looking to create a back-up plan in case Dak Prescott gets hurt. They didn’t anticipate that our Richie Whitt would put together a list of the 10 best back-up quarterbacks in Cowboys history. Or, did they?
Either way, Whitt went ahead and did it. Here, we present, Whitt’s list of the 10 best back-up quarterbacks in Dallas Cowboys history.
5) BEST COAST BOYS ON THE ‘NEW’ COWBOYS ROSTER
The Best Coast Boys Podcast discusses: Just how strong Is this changed — and still changing and changeable — roster now?
In the latest episode of the “Best Coast Boys” podcast, hosts Landon McCool and the Dallas Morning News’ John Owning dive into latest news and notes surrounding the Dallas Cowboys along with a position by position look at the roster.
6) AN ELI ‘SEAL OF APPROVAL’ FOR ‘REDBALL’
As you know, Jason Garrett is now the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants. And you know who’s happy about it?
Former Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
“I have competed against coach Garrett and his teams most of my career and have a great respect for him and as an offensive mind and a Jersey guy,” Manning said during a SiriusXM Radio interview on Monday. “I think he’ll do a wonderful job.”
That’s great, Eli. We’re looking forward to unimaginative offense, too.
I kid, I kid. Well, maybe not completely.
7) TRADING IN A CAM FOR A CAM?
Offensive line was one of the most turned-over positions for the Cowboys this offseason. That wasn’t necessarily the starting lineup, but more the depth of the position group. A signing earlier this week allowed the Cowboys to significantly bolster the position group, as they welcomed former Chiefs tackle Cam Erving to Dallas.
Erving now has a Super Bowl ring, courtesy of playing with the Kansas City Chiefs last season. But he adds value to a position group where it’s unclear who the swing tackle might be in 2020. The Cowboys lost their best swing tackle in free agency, Cameron Fleming, who signed with the New York Giants. The Cowboys will need one going into 2020, as you can bet that Tyron Smith, the perennial Pro Bowler, will probably miss a game or two due to injury. He hasn’t played a full 16-game slate since 2015. Having an experienced player like Erving means they don’t have to slide Connor Williams out of the guard position in case Smith gets hurt (because Williams can play tackle, too).
Bet on Erving making the roster as he’ll give the Cowboys the gameday depth they’ll need at tackle.
8) ROSTER PROJECTIONS ALREADY?
Yep, now that we have a free-agent class (basically), a draft class and an undrafted free agent class, our Mike Fisher took a look at the entire roster and put together a ‘way too early’ 55-man roster projection.
When I look at the lists Fish put together, I generally agree. It’s also a rather conservative list at this point. Why? Well, we don’t know which players will get hurt, we don’t know how the offseason will go and we don’t know which 3-5 players we don’t ‘think’ will make the roster come August might push for a spot. That’s part of why training camp and the preseason can be fun. We know, generally, the top 45 players that will make the team. The chase is for those final 10 spots, and how hard a player works and what opportunities open up via injury makes all the difference.
9) CELEBRATING THE COWBOYS’ 60TH
The Dallas Cowboys are celebrating their 60th season in the NFL in 2020 and Richie Whitt is counting down the 60 biggest moments in franchise history. Here’s the link to the full list.
10) TWEET OF THE WEEK
Schedule shade, people. Schedule shade.
Wanna talk Cowboys? Hit up Postins on Twitter at @PostinsPostcard or Mike Fisher on Twitter @FishSports
