"We dem boys!" is starting to sound like "who are these guys?"
The Cowboys: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Oct 17, 2019, 11:05 am
Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
Jason Garrett coaching on the sidelines.
The Week Six game between the Cowboys and the Jets was like most football games; there was the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. The end result left a bad taste in the mouth of every Cowboys' fan, but there were other takeaways from this sad loss in East Rutherford.
The Good
The defensive front seven is playing very well. Guys like Demarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn were able to get some pressure on Sam Darnold. Quinn added two sacks Sunday, bringing his season total to five.
Kicker Brett Maher made two key field goals from 50 and 62-yards in the first half. The 62-yarder as time expired in the first half tied a Cowboys record that Maher had set himself last season. However, he did miss a 40-yard field goal in the third quarter. Those three points could have propelled the Cowboys to a victory, but Maher still performed admirably this game. Ezekiel Elliot added another 100 yards to his season total, but took a pounding every time he touched the ball. This has to be a wake-up call for the Cowboys. For a team supposed to be contending for a Super Bowl, the Cowboys could find themselves sitting at home come playoff time.
The bad
The Cowboys defensive secondary has been bend don't break for too long, and on Sunday they finally broke in half. Sam Darnold and the Jet's offense were able to figure them out early, and took full advantage of their soft coverage. Jets receiver Robby Anderson had the play of the game when he torched the Cowboys backfield for a 92-yard touchdown reception. Both defensive backs Jeff Heath and Chidobe Awuzie could not keep Anderson and the Jets receivers in front of them all game.
The ugly
With tackles Tyrone Smith and La'El Collins inactive for the game, the Jet's defensive coordinator was able to come up with multiple rush packages to disrupt the Cowboys' depleted offensive line. Under constant duress, Prescott struggled through poor throws, short throws, and a barrage of body blows. He did find some rhythm in the second half, but it felt more like a Blake Bortles garbage time performance than Dak and the Cowboys electric offense that was on full display weeks1-3. What also didn't help was the horrendous play-calling. On 4th and 2 on the seven-yard line, Garrett called for a QB run option instead of handing the ball off to Elliot, or settling for an easy field goal. Of course, it failed and on the very next play, Darnold threw his 92-yard bomb to Anderson putting the Jets up 14-6. One more time, the Cowboys and Garrett heavily underestimated his opponent.
While the season is not doomed with the loss to the Jets, the Cowboys certainly missed a golden opportunity. Next up, the Cowboys run face first into division rival Philadelphia Eagles, who are also 3-3 and coming off a tough loss.
The season may not be over for the Cowboys, but unless he starts learning from his mistakes, Jason Garrett won't be allowed to waste all this talent for much longer.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.