The ground and pound of the Kyle Shanahan attack wins the day and likely ends the Cowboys’ Dan Quinn era

 As I stated Tueday, I would absolutely assign the “loss” for this gutting playoff defeat with San Francisco on the offense. The lion’s share of blame must go to that side of the football and it rightfully will in this space. There is no question where the Cowboys have prioritized their budget and expectation level. The offense was given plenty and on Sunday delivered little.

https://theathletic.com/3079694/2022/01/19/the-ground-and-pound-of-the-kyle-shanahan-attack-wins-the-day-and-likely-ends-the-cowboys-dan-quinn-era/

Very few challenges are like the Kyler Murray challenge: Dan Quinn’s Cowboys defense needs work

There are many ways to evaluate Sunday and most of the pointed questions were asked of the failed offensive performance Tuesday. Unlike their mates who handle business across the line of scrimmage, the Cowboys defense put up a fight that we can probably point toward as “potentially capable of beating Arizona in a rematch.” The bar is not the highest ever, but it should be meaningful. 

https://theathletic.com/3051999/2022/01/05/very-few-challenges-are-like-the-kyler-murray-challenge-dan-quinns-cowboys-defense-needs-work/

The Cowboys dial up more pressure as the sacks and turnovers continue to stack up: Dan Quinn report

 The Cowboys defense is currently in uncharted waters. We don’t know how to process this.

As we head into Week 17 with a mighty challenge lurking — and obviously many bigger ones on the horizon — Dallas welcomes the new year with the unthinkable No. 1 ranking in the NFL in takeaways.

https://theathletic.com/3040577/2021/12/30/the-cowboys-dial-up-more-pressure-as-the-sacks-and-turnovers-continue-to-stack-up-dan-quinn-report/

DeMarcus Lawrence is back and as dangerous as ever. Dan Quinn’s defense has leveled up

 “Y’all know me, still the same O.G. but I been low-key” — Dr. Dre

To steal a lyric that plays in my head just about every time I see DeMarcus Lawrence doing what he does since his return, I suspect some of you have forgotten about Tank.

Lawrence is back and he is wrecking things. There was a play early in this game in New Jersey on Sunday that demonstrates what this all means. You see, Lawrence is one of the most productive defensive edges in the NFL in the past five years even though his own fan base often questions his quality. This, of course, is all the more remarkable when you consider that he has never really had much help with him.

https://theathletic.com/3030601/2021/12/22/demarcus-lawrence-is-back-and-as-dangerous-as-ever-dan-quinns-defense-has-leveled-up/

Sometimes, you have special players making plays that defy X’s and O’s. The Cowboys did: Dan Quinn Report

 We love revisionist history when it means good things have happened. When the pregame chatter of what Washington’s offense can do to you turns out to be a false alarm and by halftime you are wondering how the WFT ever strung together four straight wins — including a win over the Super Bowl champions — you will take it every time.

https://theathletic.com/3017774/2021/12/16/sometimes-you-have-special-players-making-plays-that-defy-xs-and-os-the-cowboys-did-dan-quinn-report/

Defense sparked by the return of Tank and another great Micah Parsons moment: Dan Quinn Report

 Make no mistake, last Thursday will not win awards for the finest defensive performance of 2021. You can’t give up 400-plus yards to a team of understudies and feel too good about yourself. Not when you give up nine yards a carry to a QB who is having a hard time completing a pass. Not when you cannot really find a running back or wide receiver who should stress your defense at all. At some point, you needed someone to step up and make a play.

https://theathletic.com/3002896/2021/12/08/defense-sparked-by-the-return-of-tank-and-another-great-micah-parsons-moment-dan-quinn-report/

Dan Quinn was stubborn with his coverage calls for the Cowboys and that made the Raiders thankful

 This week, the NFL will surpass 17,000 games in the history of the most popular league in our society. The league seems to have popularity that knows no bounds and where the outcomes are always full of drama.

But on Thanksgiving, we nearly saw something that had never been seen in any of those 17,000 previous games played.

https://theathletic.com/2987442/2021/12/01/dan-quinn-was-stubborn-with-his-coverage-calls-for-the-cowboys-and-that-made-the-raiders-thankful/

Tyreek Hill and Kansas City get enough done, but the Cowboys defense stands tall: Dan Quinn Report

 I realize that this is a short week and I am probably violating my sacred vow to have you ready for the Raiders game, but let’s give this Chiefs performance a little love for this last piece before Friday’s Morning After the Thanksgiving game.

The Cowboys defense did very well in this game. Not perfect and not really close to perfect, but when you play an offense that good and grow into the game where you are winning more battles than losing once you make your adjustments and catch your breath, we probably have very little bad to say about the defense.

https://theathletic.com/2976332/2021/11/24/tyreek-hill-and-kansas-city-get-enough-done-but-the-cowboys-defense-stands-tall-dan-quinn-report/

The Cowboys’ performance against the Falcons might be best one yet: Dan Quinn Report

 The Cowboys defense needed a response from what was a poor performance versus Denver. In that game, the Cowboys missed tackles, must have forgotten the fundamentals of run defense and were unable to make any plays on the ball.

In a full-team failure in Week 9, it was going to be interesting to see how they responded in Week 10. It also helped that it was an opportunity for Dan Quinn, Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee to look across the field at their previous employer that bid each of them farewell in 2020.

https://theathletic.com/2961602/2021/11/17/the-cowboys-performance-against-the-falcons-might-be-best-one-yet-dan-quinn-report/

The Cowboys run defense was bad vs. the Broncos — not quite 2020 bad — but still not good: Quinn Report

 It had been a while since this sort of defensive performance has been seen around here. The transformation of the 2021 Cowboys defense from what 2020 produced has been massive and impressive. That defense was poor in all of the important fundamentals and disorganized.

This defense has lined up well, battled hard and started by stopping the run.

Until Sunday.

https://theathletic.com/2946349/2021/11/10/the-cowboys-run-defense-was-bad-vs-the-broncos-not-quite-2020-bad-but-still-not-good-quinn-report/

The Cowboys needed to stop an offense that can move — and they did just that: Quinn Report

 The Minnesota Vikings have proven to be a very difficult team to figure out. They have played every game in a manner that indicates they probably could win every game and probably could have lost every game.

https://theathletic.com/2931986/2021/11/03/the-cowboys-needed-to-stop-an-offense-that-can-move-and-they-did-just-that-quinn-report/

Dan Quinn turns the proper dials and then his Cowboys’ playmakers make the plays against the Patriots

 Defensively, you would like to think you could manage a trip to New England without giving up four touchdown drives to an offense that has very little that can hurt you behind a rookie quarterback and is as conservative as the NFL gets these days.

You would like to think that you can go up there and show the world that your defense is new and improved.

But, things aren’t always neat and clean in the road in the NFL.

https://theathletic.com/2901099/2021/10/20/dan-quinn-turns-the-proper-dials-and-then-his-cowboys-playmakers-make-the-plays-against-the-patriots/

The glorious Cowboys’ defensive turnover train continues at full-steam ahead: Quinn Report

 The Cowboys defense is rolling and takeaways are the fuel.

There is no football deodorant quite like getting the ball. It can make a bad defense look good and a good defense look great.

https://theathletic.com/2886271/2021/10/13/the-glorious-cowboys-defensive-turnover-train-continues-at-full-steam-ahead-quinn-report/

The end of Jaylon Smith with the Cowboys and the current star status of Trevon Diggs: Quinn Report

 We had our plans for this defensive review piece until the news broke Tuesday night that the Cowboys finally decided that the Jaylon Smith era has come to a close.

In the interest of touching both ideas properly, allow me to give you initial thoughts on the release of Smith and then try to review the Carolina game as best we can in our allotted space.

https://theathletic.com/2871353/2021/10/06/the-end-of-jaylon-smith-with-the-cowboys-and-the-current-star-status-of-trevon-diggs-quinn-report/

Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs has outperformed his draft class with huge splash plays: Quinn Report

 Most players look for a reason to feel doubted. It stokes the fire and probably gives them a fire in their belly when they need a reason to train for hours in the middle of the offseason.

“Nobody believed in me,” is a phrase we hear in many championship interviews where someone tells us that even though they were selected pretty high in the NFL draft, because they were not picked even higher — they didn’t have enough “believers.”

https://theathletic.com/2859091/2021/09/30/cowboys-cb-trevon-diggs-has-outperformed-his-draft-class-with-huge-splash-plays-quinn-report/