USA TODAY International Edition
Cowboys’ defense ‘( expletive) soft’
ARLINGTON, Texas – Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has a word to describe the Cowboys’ defensive performance in a 49- 38 loss to Cleveland on Sunday.
“I’ll call this ( expletive) soft,” Lawrence said. “I don’t feel like we’re holding ourselves accountable, including myself.”
The Cowboys entered Sunday allowing a franchise history- worst 97 points in three games, or 32.3 a contest. They left AT& T Stadium with a performance substantially worst. Consider the 307 yards rushing they allowed, including the 164 yards in the first half. Cleveland averaged 9.1 yards a carry through two quarters — even after losing lead back Nick Chubb to a first- quarter knee injury.
“We came out the gate soft,” Lawrence said. “In different words, I can call it something else. But it’s just all about having some grit, playing balls to the wall, and going out there and giving it everything you’ve got.”
Dallas’ offense, quarterback Dak Prescott admits, didn’t help. Prescott was strip- sacked by Browns defensive end Myles Garrett in the second quarter, as Dallas led 14- 7. Cleveland scored promptly on a short field to tie the score. The Cowboys’ next drive began with a 26- yard carry from running back Ezekiel Elliott. But the ball came loose before Elliott was down. The Browns scored again.
A seven- point lead became a 24point deficit before the fourth quarter. Dallas didn’t score for more than 36 minutes as Cleveland found the end zone by air and ground repeatedly.
“You give up 300 rushing yards, that’s just poor,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s poor run defense. There’s no way around it.”
The Cowboys knew their pass defense was a liability through three weeks. Their explanations have varied, coaches and players chalking up poor performances to missed assignments, poor eye discipline and a slow grasp of defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s scheme. But missed tackles and reads on Sunday exposed the level of struggle in its run defense. Missing talent and football IQ is rampant after injuries to defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee and cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Anthony Brown. Coaches insist players merely haven’t had enough time to grasp a scheme change after COVID- 19 disrupted offseason and preseason activities.
The Browns had no more time under coach Kevin Stefanski and his first yearstaff but are now 3- 1. McCarthy, shouldering the Cowboys’ first 1- 3 start in a decade, declined one proposal for change.
“The worst thing we can do is narrow everything down and be a one- call defense,” McCarthy said. “I refuse to do that. That’s not the path. We have a defense that fits our players, and we have to make sure we are getting those guys in position.”
Players have indicated they prefer otherwise, linebacker Jaylon Smith even saying recently he “absolutely” believes the scheme needs to be simplified. Lawrence has struggled to reach the level of productivity he has enjoyed in the past, including a 25- sack run across the 2017- 18 and 2018- 19 seasons. His production goes beyond his stat line. But a total 11 tackles and no sacks through four games is indicative of his struggle to adjust.
“It’s not my job to worry about scheming or worry about what the next man doing,” Lawrence said when asked about potential fixes. “I already got a hard enough job myself. It’s all about just attacking, and I don’t feel like we’re doing that at all as a unit.”
Dallas’ last defensive stand was as concerning to players as it was indicative of the miscues over four games. The Cowboys’ offense had finally regained its groove in the fourth quarter, narrowing a 24- point Browns lead to 3.
With 3: 37 to play at the 50- yard line, Baker Mayfield faked a handoff left to Browns running back Kareem Hunt. Then Mayfield pitched the ball to receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who swept around right end and ran for a touchdown.
What was a mere field- lead had ballooned to nine points in one play. The following snap, Dallas’ special teams unit blocked a kick only to lose it and allow the Browns a 2- point conversion and lead of 11. Dallas didn’t recover.
“If think you’re going to sit here and get a whole new coaching staff and win every game and shoot for the stars, you got a big surprise coming,” Lawrence said.
Scheme and personnel decisions, Lawrence reiterated, are outside of his control. But the defender in Year 2 of a lucrative five- year, $ 105 million extension knows his team needs more leadership from him.
“We got so much talent,” Lawrence said. “But without that grit, without that toughness, talent don’t mean anything in the NFL.
“We’ve got to hold ourselves to a higher standard, we’ve got to play together as one and I don’t feel like we’re holding ourselves accountable including myself.
“Just growing up and playing like real men out there. And not like kids.”