Dallas Cowboys Officially Have a Special Teams Problem
When discussing Mike McCarthy's staff taking over the Dallas Cowboys, one of the names that stood out the most was Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel. The Cowboys haven't had a solid special teams unit in a long, long time and Fassel was supposed to be the answer. Fassel had a good run coaching for the […]
When discussing Mike McCarthy's staff taking over the Dallas Cowboys, one of the names that stood out the most was Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel. The Cowboys haven't had a solid special teams unit in a long, long time and Fassel was supposed to be the answer.
Fassel had a good run coaching for the Los Angeles Rams and his hiring was promising for plenty of Cowboys fans. So far, he hasn't delivered.
Sure, the only win of the season through three weeks is in big part thanks to a creative onside kick that gave Greg Zuerlein a chance to kick a game-winning 46-yard field goal, but let's talk about that for a second.
The Atlanta Falcons looked terrible on that onside kick. Truth be told, it's more of their mistake than it is a good play by the Cowboys. Credit where credit is due, Zuerlein did a good job with a creative kick that confused the Falcons special teams, but it looked like Dan Quinn's players didn't know the rules. They could've recovered it so easily if they hadn't frozen as they did.
Other than those two particular plays, the Cowboys have done little to impress on special teams. On the other hand, they've done a lot to make fans cringe.
On Sunday, Greg Zuerlein missed two extra points against the Seahawks. Those two points cost the Cowboys the chance to be tied at 30 later in the game while instead, they trailed 28-30. Zuerlein also missed a field goal attempt in the season opener that they lost by three against the Rams.
But Zuerlein is far from the only problem on special teams. Kickoff returns have been a disaster for the Cowboys' special teams. Tony Pollard, who was a special teams standout at Memphis with 7 career touchdowns on kickoff returns, has looked clueless for the Cowboys this season.
Against the Seahawks, his fumble caused the Cowboys to start a drive from the 1-yard line that would be followed by a safety for the Seahawks. We saw more of the same in the first two weeks of the season, giving the Cowboys offense terrible starting field position.
Good head coaches care about special teams. In many close matchups, they can determine the outcome of the game. It'll be interesting to see how the Dallas Cowboys try to improve as they get ready for a relatively "easy" stretch over the upcoming three weeks.
Featured image via Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
