Cowboys News: More OBJ intrigue, legacy of Dez Bryant’s no-catch ahead of Packers fight
The long-awaited Cowboys-Packers clash at Lambeau is finally here. We’ve got the final tally on who may play and who’s riding the pine, we’ll tell you which Cowboy compared Aaron Rodgers and Co. to “roaches,” and we’ll give you keys to the game as well as predictions for the final score. And how did Dez Bryant’s controversial “no-catch” against Green Bay literally change the way we watch every football game since? This fascinating deep dive is well worth the read.
Meanwhile, the Odell Beckham saga takes a few twists. Jerry Jones compares the situation to the courtship of Deion Sanders back in the day, Stephen Jones says the front office is ready to “roll up their sleeves,” and why hasn’t anyone heard from Beckham about who he wants to play for? We’re talking Elliott and Pollard, Michael Gallup making a comeback as a slot machine, and we’re looking at who the numbers say is the unluckiest team in the NFC East. All that and more in News and Notes.
'It's not one against the other': McCarthy confident in both Pollard, mending Elliott :: Cowboys Wire
McCarthy said Saturday’s practice would be the determining factor in Elliott’s status for Sunday. But even if he sits for another game, the coach has complete faith in Pollard to tote a full load. “We’re so blessed to have two outstanding running backs,” McCarthy said. “It gives us a chance to go attack a defense and not really worry about who’s in the game.”
Cowboys' Tony Pollard disagrees with RB coach on maximum snap load: 'Whatever they need me to do, I got it' :: CBS Sports
Pollard says he didn’t really mean he had nothing left when he told his running backs coach he was done for the day after scoring his third touchdown versus Chicago. “Not really, ‘I don’t got anything left,'” he said. “More, ‘Pretty much ready to let the young guys go in there and get some work.'” The stats show Pollard has actually been more electric when he hits 30-plus offensive snaps.
Stephen Jones: Cowboys to make 'compelling case', wooing Odell Beckham Jr. :: Cowboys Wire
The team’s executive vice president and chief dealmaker gave the best indication yet that the Cowboys are ready to talk turkey in order to get Odell Beckham in the blue and silver. “It’s about business as well, so we’ll just roll up our sleeves and see if there’s an opportunity for us to put a star on Odell’s helmet,” Jones told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday.
Jerry Jones: Odell Beckham pursuit akin to Dallas Cowboys’ 1995 wooing of Deion Sanders :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Cowboys owner says the locker room’s public courtship of Odell Beckham Jr. reminds him of 1995, when Deion became available and Jones sought counsel from Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin. “They said, ‘Jerry, get him!'” Jones recalled. “I love it, that the [current players] have that kind of perspective. At the end of the day, winning the game, winning the next one, and winning when you get to the playoffs: that’s the overriding thing that’s going on here with our team.”
Beckham may be waiting to see who's primed for a playoff run :: Jane Slater (Twitter)
For those wondering about why there is so much talk and no action on the OBJ front, a source w knowledge of the situation told me Dallas is absolutely a possibility but OBJ waiting for a clearer playoff picture before making any moves. Cowboys also need to check out knee etc
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) November 11, 2022
Respect the 'roach': Why Cowboys are on alert as Mike McCarthy returns to face Aaron Rodgers, Packers :: Yahoo Sports
“My grandma told me: If you see a roach and it’s fooling around, do you step on it and bury it, or do you let it rebuild and get back to life?” Micah Parsons shared this week. In case it’s not obvious, the roach in this analogy is the Green Bay Packers, the perennial powerhouse on an uncharacteristic five-game losing streak. So Parsons will look to snuff the Packers out before they can re-gather their strength and treat them the way his grandmother taught him to deal with a pesky bug. “You step on it.”
Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup may be ready for a slot comeback :: Acme Packing Company
During 2018 and 2019, his best statistical years, Gallup played 11.9 and 13.5 percent of his snaps in the slot, respectively. The next two seasons: 6.3 and 8 percent. Since returning from his ACL tear, Gallup has been back in the slot 11.9 percent of the time… and been fairly effective. Green Bay’s injuries on the back end, though, could translate to a breakout game from Gallup.
These 3 areas will be key to winning in Cowboys-Packers' Week 10 tilt :: Cowboys Wire
The Cowboys are getting healthier; the Packers are dealing with major injuries up and down the roster. That will be a factor on Sunday, but the game could come down to a battle of the two teams’ secondaries and whether Dak Prescott is able to use his mobility to extend Dallas drives.
Gut Feeling: Staff predictions for Cowboys-Packers :: The Mothership
No one would have guessed such a thing when the schedules were released, but the Cowboys are a unanimous pick from the in-house scribes to take down the Packers at Lambeau. Nick Eatman predicts a two-point squeaker, while Hailey Sutton takes Dallas big, 35-13. Patrik Walker, Mickey Spagnola, and Kyle Youmans also give their takes on what to expect.
Here's why Cowboys working out QB, WR ahead of Packers game is significant :: Cowboys Wire
Dallas worked out two former fourth-rounders: passer Jacob Eason and receiver Antonio Calloway on Friday. Read why the former could be a key contingency plan and how the latter has been on Dallas’ radar for a while.
How the Dez Bryant no-catch call changed the NFL forever :: ESPN
The play itself took about seven seconds. The ensuing deliberation took another four minutes, and the controversy the play generated has lasted for nearly eight years and counting. #DezCaughtIt brought football into its modern era, when we can scarcely believe what we have just seen… and then can expect to be told we have not seen it. Jason Garrett, Dean Blandino, and Gene Steratore all weigh in on the greatest throw of Tony Romo’s career, Dez Bryant’s superhuman catch that was determined to have not survived the ground, and the legacy that moment created that touches every NFL game played to this day.
NFL execs make their midseason award picks :: SI.com
Thirty-eight league executives- including 20 GMs- gave their thoughts on 2022’s standout players so far. With 27.5 votes, Micah Parsons is their runaway favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. “The most explosive and versatile defensive player in the league” is how one veteran AFC executive described the second-year linebacker-slash-defensive end.
Study shows Dallas Cowboys are one of least lucky teams in NFL while Philadelphia Eagles near top :: Blogging the Boys
If it feels like the Cowboys don’t catch as many lucky breaks as their division rivals, one study agrees. By tallying opponents’ dropped interceptions, opponents’ dropped passes, opponents’ missed PATs and field goals, and fumble recoveries by either team as a way to quantify good in-game fortune, only five clubs in the league have benefited less from luck this year than Dallas.
