“Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte” is a weekly newsletter curated by The Dallas Morning News sports columnist Kevin Sherrington. Below is an excerpt from his latest newsletter examining the aftermath of the Cowboys’ 19-12 loss to the 49ers in the divisional round.
— Jerry Jones wasted no time saying Mike McCarthy will be back after another exit at the hands of the 49ers, and, frankly, he didn’t need to be so forthcoming on our account. Last year, Jerry let McCarthy twist in the wind because the Cowboys looked so unprepared for the 49ers. He deserves another waiting period after proving just as culpable in this year’s exit. Punting twice in the last six minutes defied analytics in both situations. And letting Kellen Moore line up that last play was flat embarrassing. If that really was Ezekiel Elliott’s last game as a Cowboy, it was no way to send him off. He deserved better. Come to think of it, so did most of North Texas.
— Back-to-back 12-win regular seasons is commendable, especially when you go five games without your starting quarterback. Or at least we used to think so, anyway. Not so much lately. For that matter, how many coaches with winning records leave you shaking your head so often? Should McCarthy really get credit for all these wins? Or should we applaud Will McClay, the de facto GM?
— Turns out the Saints may want more than just a first-round pick for the rights to Sean Payton, despite what the Fox analyst said. Jerry ought to at least find out what it would take. Couldn’t hurt to ask, right?
— First thing Jerry needs to do — right after calling the Saints, that is — is get to the bottom of what’s wrong with Dak Prescott. Because he’s not going anywhere. The $89 million dead cap hit on his contract guarantees as much. Kellen Moore appears to have no answers and may have run his course here anyway. Now that Kliff Kingsbury’s unattached, see what the quarterback whisperer thinks once he gets back from his holiday in Thailand. Coach Cool has pretty much proven he’s not a head coach in the NFL or college, either, but the man knows quarterbacks.
— Dak’s two interceptions were on him, no question, but, my gosh, Michael Gallup didn’t do anything to help his quarterback on the first. He let a defensive back outplay him for the ball, and not for the first time, either. The Cowboys won’t be able to help themselves much in free agency because of a tight salary cap, so they may have to use their first-round pick on a wide receiver. If, you know, they still own a first-round pick at that point.
— Can’t imagine that Dan Quinn stays as defensive coordinator after turning down one or more offers last offseason. He ought to leave if for no other reason than to avoid guilt by association. Joe Whitt Jr., the Cowboys’ secondary coach, is a logical replacement. Long history with McCarthy, and he was Quinn’s right-hand man.
— Quinn’s defense in his last game as DC might have been his best. Held the 49ers’ formidable run game to just 113 yards on 32 carries and made the rookie, Brock Purdy, look something less than immortal. If you’d told me last week that the 49ers would have only scored 19 points Sunday, I’d have already wasted time booking a flight to Philly.
Prediction: The Eagles not only will beat the 49ers in the NFC title game, they’ll win the Super Bowl, meaning Philly can claim two championships with two different head coaches and three different quarterbacks since the Cowboys’ last Lombardi.
Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Should Cowboys, Jerry Jones reconsider Mike McCarthy’s job security?
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