Dallas Cowboys Come Up Short Against Buffalo Bills
By Mike Fisher | @fishsports
BUFFALO, NY (105.3 THE FAN) - Much of the excitement leading up to Cowboys at Bills on Sunday was sucked away thanks in part to both teams' non-contention and the sidelining of two of the NFL's most explosive stars. For Buffalo, that meant no Shady McCoy. For Dallas, that meant no Dez Bryant.
And for the Cowboys approach to the NFL Draft, it meant … Organic Tanking!
There is no grander FishTip than FishTip 1: Dallas arrived here stripped of its talent and stripped of a shot at the playoffs and therefore could better the overall state of the franchise not by " losing on purpose'' but rather by " losing with honor'' … Organic Tanking.
Buffalo 16, Dallas 6. Mission - reluctantly due a bunch that is high in effort but also highly inept - Accomplished.
FishTip 2: The Bills offense came in first in the league with 4.9 yards per carry. But that was largely due to McCoy.
Four of his 26 lifetime 100-yard games have come against the Cowboys and his a lifetime number of 5.2 yards per carry against the Cowboys is a bloated and scary one.
So, no Shady, no Bills explosiveness?
Wrong. Buffalo Receiver Sammy Watkins came in averaging 18.8 yards per reception, good for second-best in the NFL. … and he'd had three catches of 50-plus, while Dallas has given up nothing that big all year.
The Cowboys didn't allow those sort of monster gains in the air, but Watkins did ... And Karlos Williams and Gillipse.
FishTip 3: Darren McFadden and Dallas' O-line combine to offer up good overall work. Really.
Oh, we've been hard on this group because 3rd-and-1 conversions aren't easy, but … while McCoy entered ninth in the league with 895 rushing yards, the spot above him with just three more was held by Cowboys running back Darren McFadden.
This line does feature three Pro Bowlers, came in allowing the fewest QB pressures in the NFL and ranked seventh in yards per carry despite seemingly switching to more zone-blocking stuff .. and despite a lack of competent QBing for most of the year.
Result? Nah.
They did keep QB Kellen Moore from getting crushed and McFadden did get 99 yards (leaving him three short of 1,000 entering next week's finale against the Redskins). But it's all so empty when all an offense can manage is six piddling points.
FishTip 4: Don't be a "Kellen Moore-on.''
No offense intended here. But the Cowboys were starting their fourth QB of the season and the last time this occurred was in 2001, the last time Dallas was also 4-10.
In other words, this is not a formula for success.
It was the right thing to do, however. But not because the paper-boyish Boise State hero is a savior; rather, it's because this franchise is right to search under every rock not only for an eventual heir to Tony Romo but also because it needs a No. 2 QB and a No. 3 QB and any prospect it can get its hands on.
Result? Moore was passable, I thought, despite ugly numbers. (Even at he was far more commanding, cool and accurate than predecessor Matt Cassell). But Moore wasn't near the same level of another unknown kid QB, Tyrod Taylor, who came from nowhere this year to start the day with a 101.8 passer rating that was the highest for a Bills quarterback through 14 games since Jim Kelly's 101.2 in 1990. … and who came out with an elusive gave fits to a Dallas defense that, as always, fell one big stop shy.
FishTip 5: The real purpose here: Measure the will of the vets and the skill of the kids.
They did that. Really they did. It seems like nothing for a battered club on its way to 4-12. But if a team cannot find a way to win? This - Organic Tanking, where it just happens in ways that cause temporary pain but fortifies a franchise's favorable draft position and softened schedule - is the way to lose.
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