Blogging The Boys
Monday marked a big day in the NFL. There are 14 teams preparing for the playoffs while 18 others are looking in the mirror, probably not exactly the case for some, in an attempt to be a part of that former group in a year’s time.
The Dallas Cowboys have missed out on the proverbial tournament for two years in a row now (first time since 2019-2020) and posted losing records in them as well (first time since 2000-2002). To say that they have a lot of work ahead of them this offseason is stating the obvious.
It is unfortunate that some of the “work” involves the dismissal of people from their posts. I say this on a human level to be clear. We all know that people are fired all of the time in the NFL and that this is a business, but it is just never a comfortable thing to call for someone else to lose their job.
The last few weeks have made Matt Eberflus’ departure from the Cowboys feel inevitable. He has served as the defensive coordinator for one of (literally speaking) the worst defenses in both franchise and NFL history. Beyond that Jerry Jones has dropped many a bread crumb in his appearances as of late that have suggested change is coming. Reports on Sunday morning were that coaching changes were expected with the focus to be on the defensive side of the ball. This isn’t coming out of nowhere.
Understanding all of this, waiting on and dragging this thing out will only serve to hurt the Cowboys. Unfortunately, it seems like they might be doing that. It was reported after Sunday’s season finale that they could even take “10-to-12 days” to work through this whole thing.
Again, with all due respect, this is a horrible idea. Waiting on Eberflus will only serve to hinder the team. Why is this, you ask? This is a busy time of year for the 18 teams who are not headed to the postseason. They are all looking to improve in their own ways, and some are obviously doing it in larger ways if they fired someone notable. The point is that there is heavy competition going on right now.
The longer the Cowboys wait to move on from Eberflus, assuming it is their eventual plan, the longer they are providing time for potential replacement candidates to find homes elsewhere. This is common sense.
There is another detail to consider beyond competition as well. The NFL has a rule for this specific week where coaches from playoff teams are not allowed to be a part of the interview process. This is obviously in place so that coaches are not distracted in the pursuit of other jobs while trying to win a playoff game.
In case you forgot (more on this in a moment) there is an exception. The playoff teams who hold the first-round byes (so...
