What the Eagles game reveals/reinforces about the Cowboys

After an incredibly disappointing loss, and after the emotions of frustration and disappointment subside, there are plenty of opportunities to assess what this game and this point of the season reveals about the Cowboys.

The Cowboys are what their record shows it to be. At 5-3 they are a good but not great team with some obvious strengths and weaknesses. Here are some of my assessments about this team – good and bad:

• Yeah our fans are frustrated with the refs BUT – this team has an obvious problem with penalties. It is undisciplined. Lining up offsides, false starts, delays of game, and a tackle failing to report as an eligible receiver are not “bad calls” by the refs. They are signs that this team lacks attention to detail.
• We have a good enough QB to win with. I don’t want to spend any time on the most tired topic on this forum but QB is not THE problem here.
• We have found an outstanding K in Brandon Aubrey. He’s the most reliable player on the team currently.
• Cedee Lamb is the best offensive weapon we have.
• Our defense is good but it is not great. Parsons is obviously a beast but he has not been consistent. I actually wonder if he’s being used properly. Quinn has built a good defense but it still lacks the ability to impose its will without a big lead.
• The OL is inconsistent. Tyron Smith is a shell of what he was and completely unreliable, Terance Steele is either not fully healed or has digressed, Zack Martin is still very good but no longer great.
• The running game is sub par. Is it the OL problems? Is Pollard not suited for the role he’s playing? (That’s what I think) It’s obvious they don’t have enough depth and punch in the running game. Not addressing this in the draft or at the trade deadline was mistake.
• Mike McCarthy is an upgrade from Garrett. Thats obvious. But his teams lack discipline and attention to detail. This is the third year in a row we have seen the same problems with sloppy play, penalties and problems executing early in games.
• Our front office is way too comfortable not taking chances. This is a good roster. But if any of us are honest, we aren’t in the same league as eagles and niners with roster depth.

There are certainly lots more to this team. And we’re just about halfway through the season. But this team seems strikingly similar to so many of the other Cowboys teams we’ve seen the last 15 years; there’s talent, but not enough. The coaching is good at times but not consistent. The only consistency in this organization if the old face dominating this franchise.