Do you think, like myself that this was a great team, a hungry team, one of the best accumulations of talent I can remember? So do you think we lost because we were so undisciplined or we just weren't as good as I thought? — JOHN HERR / NORFOLK, VA
David: It's a cop out to say this team was overrated, in my opinion. The Cowboys might not have a singular, generational talent like a Patrick Mahomes or an Aaron Donald, but their roster stacks up favorably to just about every team that made a deep postseason run this year. The lack of discipline definitely killed them, as did their lack of ability to generate any consistency or balance on offense. There are a lot of culprits, but I don't think it's fair to say this team wasn't talented enough. That's what makes this season so disappointing.
Nick: I think you could be right on both statements. Because the team was undisciplined in terms of penalties and costly mistakes, they weren't as good as we thought. I know I had higher expectations for them once the playoffs started. I kind of thought all along they would get it together. But they weren't able to, and against the good to great teams, they never could all season. I'm always uneasy about using the word "overrated" because my question is always, "what's their rating?" and "who's rating them?" But in this case, the Cowboys' rating was 12-5, division winner. And usually, that carries a little more weight but this year, it was simply a first-round exit. So yes, I think you're right about your assessment/
I understand and agree that we did not want to lose Dan Quinn, but what will he do about stopping the run? The run defense was still super sloppy. I've never been a Kellen Moore fan. How is a backup QB qualified for that position? Now that he's been passed over after his interviews shouldn't we pass as well? — TONY MANCUSO / SULPHUR, LA
David: It's completely fair to be disappointed with the job that Kellen and this entire offense did in the second half of the season. I think it's probably a step too far to try to move on from an offensive coordinator who is still just 33 years old and has overseen one of the most explosive offenses in the league the last few years. There's a lot for Kellen to work on. Situational play calling and red zone work come to mind. There are experienced coaches here, like Mike McCarthy, who can help him with that. I also think his relationship with Dak is incredibly valuable. So yes, it's ok to be disappointed. But I'm just fine keeping this continuity moving forward.
Nick: You're going to fire the assistant manager because he's not ready to be a manager? I know it's a little bit different than that, but basically you're saying because Kellen Moore got passed to be a head coach, that the Cowboys need to move on as the OC. And to answer your other question, a lot of backup QBs over the years have made head coaches. Jason Garrett, Doug Pederson, Sean Payton, Gary Kubiak come to mind. It's fine if you think the Cowboys need something different as the OC, but the reasons you listed don't make sense to me. As for Quinn, yes there are things he still needs to clean up. It wasn't an overnight transformation. The run defense ranked 16th in the NFL last year. It wasn't downright terrible but can get better. I think they need a little more size in the middle of the line and the linebackers have to be solidified. Not sure what's going to happen at that position.
