Cowboys Mailbag:Mick's Mail: 07/27

I keep hearing the teams who made the playoffs are more physical and more disciplined than the Cowboys. And stats like ranking among the worst in the league in penalties and missed tackles seem to support that. But can physicality and discipline be coached? Seems to me you either have that mindset, or you don't. Which means, do the Cowboys need to take a hard look at the players they have on their roster?

Is the new defensive coordinator going to have a new defensive line coach and other coaches on that side of the ball? Or is it just going to be all the same coaches who were here? Do you think it's best to keep the assistants in order to maintain some consistency, or start fresh with new voices after such a tough season? 

How do you keep communication, availability and knowledge a constant? I realize the value of rotating for freshness or subbing for injury, but how does consistency happen when players only play 20-25% of the snaps?

While there has been a lot of discussion regarding the defense, the Cowboys special teams also struggled to play good complementary football. The kickoff returns and coverage were not up to par. As a result, opponents frequently had a short field, while it seemed like the Cowboys always had to go the length of the field to score. Do you foresee any changes there?

I know those wins don't look as good in hindsight, but defeating the past two Super Bowl representatives in a span of four days was a really fun time to be a fan. What will be your favorite memories from this season?

I am hoping you could shed some light on why certain coaches are able to coach to their existing personnel while others seem to only coach their system, regardless of their personnel? And what kind of system would match the personnel the Cowboys have presently?

What do you think about having a defensive coordinator with head coaching experience vs. having a young up-and-coming defensive coach? I think part of the problem is that a former head coach, though experienced, may be less focused on cutting edge defensive trends. 

Dak Prescott is going to be 33 years old before next season. What does his window look like now? How much time in his prime does he have left?

Did Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah show you enough in that final game to make you think they could be the two main running backs on next season's roster? I know having Javonte Williams might be ideal, but not investing big at that position would free up money to address more pressing needs.

Has changing defensive coordinators and schemes over the past three seasons been a major reason for the Cowboys' struggles on defense? And now there could potentially be a fourth defensive coordinator in the last four years. How can the players deal with so much change?

I was disappointed that, despite only being down by six points, the Cowboys basically waved the white flag at halftime of the Giants game by taking out players like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Doesn't that seem contrary to the "compete every day" culture change head coach Brian Schottenheimer has been promoting?