Cowboys News: Jerry weighs in on Zuerlein, Kellen Moore interview list grows
The Dallas coordinators remain front and center this week as the team preps to head into the postseason. Dan Quinn will be matching wits with the OC who was under him when he was a head coach in Atlanta, all while a third and fourth team have now come forward with requests to talk to Quinn about being a head coach once again. Kellen Moore, meanwhile, has another interview to line up as well… as Cowboys fans are wondering out loud if the boy genius may have been purposely keeping the offense in first gear for the past several months, saving the fireworks for the tournament.
Elsewhere, we’re reviewing TV ratings from Week 18 and looking ahead at broadcast duties for Wild Card Weekend. Everson Walls is talking about what “The Catch” did to his legacy, Jerry Jones has something to say about the Cowboys’ struggling kicker, and big-hitting safety Roy Williams receives a big-time honor. All that, plus handing out season-finale grades, scouting a top edge rushing prospect, and making plans to turn AT&T Stadium white to drown out 49ers fans. That’s all up in News and Notes.
Dan Quinn, Kyle Shanahan reunite as adversaries :: The Mothership
Dallas’s defensive coordinator and San Francisco’s head coach know each other well from their days together in Atlanta. But that doesn’t mean they know what to expect from each other come this Sunday. “If you pulled out our tape from ’15 and ’16, from practice, both his offense and the defense that I’m using here would be quite a bit different,” Quinn said Monday. “It is one of the coolest parts about coaching, because the changes that keep happening. And so the learning never stops.”
Cowboys DC Dan Quinn with more HC interview requests as Bears, Dolphins get in line :: Cowboys Wire
The defensive coordinator remains a hot commodity as the league’s coaching carousel heats up. Already having received invites to interview with Jacksonville and Denver, Quinn added Chicago and Miami to his list of would-be suitors on Tuesday. For his part, though, Quinn maintains he is focused on the job he already has.
Kellen Moore added to Miami's HC wish list :: Ian Rapoport (Twitter)
The #Dolphins have put in requests to interview #Cowboys OC Kellen Moore and #AZCardinals DC Vance Joseph for their vacant HC job, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 11, 2022
‘Everything’s at stake.’ Jerry Jones admits Dallas Cowboys’ kicking game is precarious :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The team owner admits that Greg Zuerlein’s rash of missed field goals alters the offensive play-calling. “It really does, but Zuerlein brings a lot to the table,” Jones said on Dallas radio, referring to his kicker’s long-distance strength. But right now, Jones said, there are no better options. “You can rest assured the first thing that you look at [is] if a better alternative would be out there, we would be using it. Everything’s at stake.”
Has Kellen Moore been holding the Cowboys offense back for the playoffs? :: Sport DFW
Most conspiracy theories are nonsense, but this one is at least a ton of fun for Cowboys fans to ponder. As the article notes, this theory was originally floated by Cowboys Wire managing editor several months ago, and has been gaining traction in some circles ever since.
The idea is that the team’s young genius offensive coordinator has been playing 12-dimensional chess all this time by purposely saving his best plays to debut in the playoffs. It would help explain the slump the team hit in Week 9 if Moore really was dumbing down the playcalling just to lull the rest of the NFL into a false sense of security, waiting for the postseason to truly flip the switch. The craziest part? It’s not so crazy at all.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football: Doubleheader Saturday Debut Registers Viewership of 20.3 Million for Cowboys-Eagles and 19.1 Million for Chiefs-Broncos, ESPN’s Most-Watched NFL Regular Season Games in More than a Decade :: ESPN Press Room
Week 18’s Cowboys-Eagles matchup didn’t hold much weight as far as playoff ramifications, but don’t tell that to the 20-plus million viewers who made it ESPN’s most-watched Monday Night Football broadcast (even though it was on a Saturday) since 2009. It was the third-most watched MNF game ever for ESPN. (Dallas played in four of the top eight.)
'AT&T's been rocking': Cowboys look to keep visiting 49ers fans muted on Sunday :: Cowboys Wire
The Cowboys lead the league in attendance, but there is concern that the well-traveling 49ers fanbase could turn AT&T Stadium into a sea of red on Sunday. Jerry Jones hopes to push standing-room-only tickets to inch closer to 100,000 on gameday, while Stephen Jones implored ticketholders to come enjoy the postseason atmosphere rather than sell their seats to a visitor for a profit. The team is asking the Cowboys faithful to wear white for the game.
49ers feel the same way as Dallas about first-round draw :: Bobby Belt (Twitter)
49ers LB Fred Warner with Rich Eisen today responding to the claim that the 49ers were the worst possible Wild Card match-up for the Cowboys: pic.twitter.com/PMq257YiOv
— Bobby Belt (@BobbyBeltTX) January 12, 2022
2021 NFL Wild Card Weekend announcer assignments :: 105.3 The Fan
When the Cowboys host the 49ers on Sunday, it will be Jim Nantz and Tony Romo in the booth for CBS. Noah Eagle and Nate Burleson will anchor another kids’ edition of the game for Nickelodeon.
Everson Walls says ‘The Catch’ is keeping him out of Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
That one play in 1982 changed the trajectory of two franchises, but it also did permanent and lasting damage to the reputation of Everson Walls. So says Walls, at least. He was the Cowboys defender looking on helplessly in the iconic photo of Dwight Clark making “The Catch.” Walls retorts, “We did all we could to shut down Joe Montana with six turnovers. It was a great defensive performance by both teams.”
Report card and snap counts: Cowboys' Week 18 performance showed depth in key areas :: Cowboys Wire
All As and Bs for the Cowboys’ positional units in their season finale, with the linebackers pulling the lowest grade on the night. (Yes, Micah Parsons makes that much of a difference.) Snaps were widely distributed throughout the roster, giving some lesser-known players some valuable live-fire action heading into the postseason. Rookies Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright, for example, played every defensive snap of the contest.
Past/Present: Roy Williams named to College HOF :: The Mothership
The hard-hitting safety who went to five Pro Bowls as a Cowboy was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as part of its 2022 class on Monday night. A standout at Oklahoma, Williams was 2001’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, as well as a key contributor to the school’s 2000 national championship team.
2022 Draft: Michigan's David Ojabo should be at top of list if Cowboys go shopping for edge-rush help :: Cowboys WIre
If Randy Gregory or Dorance Armstrong are no longer wearing the star next season, edge rusher will once again be a position of need for the Cowboys. If that is the case, this Michigan man could fit the bill. The “bendy” rusher has a high motor and a large toolbox, but could stand to build up his strength. Ojabo should be long gone by the time the Cowboys are on the clock, but as the past few drafts have shown, stranger things have happened.
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