FRISCO — Every season has its ups and downs. Those swings are exaggerated when it happens to a team in September because the sample size is so small.
But how do you explain what the Cowboys put on tape in Week 1 followed by Week 2? How do you reconcile the vast difference, not just in the final result, but in execution and performance?
The public hasn’t been asked to accept a split this dramatic since the Barbenheimer phenomenon that swept the country last summer.
The explanation?
“We weren’t quick to the first punch,” head coach Mike McCarthy said of the team’s 44-19 loss to New Orleans. “That’s the confidence, being totally on top of details, each and every contest. I thought they finished better than we did.
“I wouldn’t say it’s an effort issue. It really came down to, I thought they were quicker to the first punch more often than we were. That leads back to your preparation.
“So that’s what we’re focused on moving forward.’’
McCarthy delivered that message to the players in the team meeting Monday afternoon at The Star. He was encouraged by the response he saw before that session with many of the players showing up to the facility earlier than usual to work in the weight room or report for their medical checks.
A Dallas defense that was dominant in the opening win over Cleveland was manhandled by the Saints. New Orleans scored touchdowns on its first six possessions on its way to 41 points before the third quarter was done.
Effort? Mike Zimmer didn’t question the effort. The defensive coordinator said the Saints were simply quicker off the snap and the Cowboys defenders were slow with their hands.
“That’s my fault,’’ Zimmer said. “I’ve got to get them ready to play better than that.
“We didn’t get moving quick enough. They quick-counted us a few times. I think we got lined up fine, but we moved the front some and they caught us when we were moving a guy.
“I’ve just got to do a better job.”
Zimmer is known for speaking truth to his players and being confrontational if that’s required to get the point across. But it takes time to form those relationships.
At this stage, it made more sense for him to fall on his sword, especially after Micah Parsons came out in the wake of the defeat and said Zimmer’s scheme and game plan wasn’t the problem.
Zimmer got the point across later in Monday’s press conference that the fault lies with him after he was asked if the struggles the defensive tackles had against New Orleans put the linebackers in a bind.
“I never said we had struggles up front,” Zimmer corrected. “I said we didn’t do a good enough job in preparing them to play the run.”
Zimmer watched film with his players on Monday and talked about what they did and didn’t do. His message:
“I’ve watched you guys for over three months now,” he told them. “I’ve never seen us have one practice like that, five plays in a practice like that.
“These guys, typically, are on point and do everything the right way. They play very, very hard. They like to compete.
“I didn’t allow them to use our stregnths, which is to get into some third down situations and passing situations. I’ve got to do a better job there.”
As long-suffering Cowboys fans grope to put what they’ve seen in some sort of context, it may be helpful to step back and view the first two weeks of the season with a wider lens.
San Francisco and Detroit met in the NFC Championship Game eight months ago. Both teams lost Sunday, just like Dallas.
Well, not just like Dallas. The Niners and Lions lost their games by a combined total of 10 points.
The Cowboys were 25 points behind New Orleans.
Still, you get the point. Minnesota currently leads the NFC North and Seattle leads the NFC West. Baltimore and Cincinnati haven’t won a game between them.
Conventional wisdom is often turned upside down early in a season. But again, there are degrees.
No one thinks the Ravens and Bengals are bad teams. After all, their four losses have been by a combined total of 17 points.
Contrast that with the Cowboys, a team that was down by 22 points at the half of Sunday’s loss.
It’s hard to know what to make of Dallas as it enters this weekend’s game against — wait for it — Baltimore.
“I think it falls more in the category of it’s never as good as you think and it’s never as bad as you think it is,” McCarthy said. “It was not good [Sunday]. I’m not saying that.
“We looked like a young, inexperienced football team. That was my first impression in watching all three phases. Our young guys made mistakes at unfortunate times that were costly, but that’s part of playing young players. With that, I’m calling on the veterans to help pull us through those moments.
“And that starts with preparation.”
Catch David Moore with The Musers every M-W-F at 9:35 a.m., on The Hardline every, Tues-Fri at 4:35 p.m. and on The Invasion every Wed at 11:10 on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) during the regular season.
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