The Dallas Cowboys have reached their Week 7 bye with a 5-1 mark, that puts them now three and a half games clear of their NFC East rivals and square in the race for the NFC top seed and the only bye week come playoff time. Time to heal the bruises and celebrate, no?
Not really. Bye weeks are for the fans to gloat. Smart coaching staffs — and the Cowboys have one — look at the glass half empty, using the time to smooth away rough edges in their team’s play.
One such area of consistent concern for Dan Quinn’s defense has been spotty linebacker play. It was fashionable in the early weeks to hang this malady on Jaylon Smith’s shoulders, but the lightning rod linebacker plays for the Packers now, and the issues persist.
Today, I’m going to look at three explosive plays opposing offenses have notched against Dallas’ front and how there are multiple reasons for these breakdowns. One has to do with the scheme Quinn plays, one shows the need for better fundamental play and the third shows expected growing pains from prize rookie Micah Parsons, who, for his outstanding start is still a rookie.