The Cowboys’ failure to beat the Ravens in Rio came from all three phases of the team. The offense failed to turn first and goal from the two with 20 seconds left into a game-winning touchdown, the special teams served up favorable field position on the kickoff after the game-tying field goal, and the defense allowed the Ravens to gain enough yards to set up the game-winning field goal.
The ultimate blame resides with coach Brian Schottenheimer, who shouldn’t be learning the job of being an effective head coach while on the job.
Still, the defense continues to be a problem. Long-time NFL and college defensive coach Wink Martindale spoke bluntly about the situation during his latest appearance on Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard.
“I don’t want to be an asshole but he’s being outclassed right now,” Martindale said regarding Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker. “So Jerry [Jones] can call me and I’ll go help him. But, you know, I’m talking about helping the coordinator.”
Matching a head coach who is learning the job on the fly with a defensive coordinator who is learning the job on the fly isn’t ideal. It would have been useful for Schottenheimer, who has no former NFL head coaches on his staff, to have access to a key lieutenant who has done the job of head coach before — and whose experiences can help Schottenheimer realize the right answers to the test before he turns the paperwork in.
That’s really the problem with the Cowboys. They lack the ability to prepare for the unique situations that experienced coaches know how to address. It played out on Sunday, giving the Cowboys a loss that could echo into January
And that could be the difference between making it to the playoffs or going home after Week 18, for the third straight season.