Dallas Cowboys are turning into the 2013 Seattle Seahawks
The Dallas Cowboys are cementing philosophical changes to their team. Do they envision the 2013 Seattle Seahawks as a championship team to emulate?
The Dallas Cowboys are currently in the thick of a crowded NFC playoff race. With the competition getting stronger each year, it should relieve fans that the front office is in the midst of executing a solid and rational contention plan. Are the 2013 Seattle Seahawks the end vision for the front office’s plan?
In the 2013-2014 season, the Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos and captured the first and only Super Bowl trophy in franchise history. Though that was the teams’ sole victory, the blueprint for success was laid out in their 2012-2013 season.
With the drafting of quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks began a three-year super window of contention. The team philosophy was predicated around suffocating and turnover-causing defense, and a strong, clock-chewing run game.
Russell Wilson was asked to manage the game and make smart and accurate throws in the short and intermediate range. He was asked to use his athleticism as a dual-threat passer and used a play-action heavy scheme. This philosophy is what I believe the Cowboys are trying to mirror.
Defensively, the Cowboys have brought over one of the architects of the teams heralded secondary in defensive passing game coordinator Kris Richard. The team has placed long and physical corners around Richard to be molded into the image of the secondary he helped put together in Seattle. The Cowboys are also just a matter of time away from acquiring free safety Earl Thomas. His arrival would ensure a heavy dose of Seattle’s philosophy in the defensive secondary.
From 2012 to 2014 seasons, running back Marshawn Lynch ran for 1,590, 1,257, and 1,306 yards respectively. With 12, 14, and 17 total touchdowns in those seasons as well. He was the engine that pushed the offense and the game flowed through him.
His effect on the passing game and time of possession was much like running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s is to the Cowboys of today. With a full 16 games, there is no reason to believe Ezekiel Elliott can’t be as effective or better than Lynch was in those seasons.
In the front seven, the team has a deep stable of defensive lineman that at full strength can cause problems for the opposing quarterbacks all day. With linebackers in Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee, the team has guys with the range, instinct, and skills of Seattle linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. With Jaylon Smith manning a Bruce Irvin-like role as more of a pass rusher and downhill player, the team potentially has a linebacking corps that rivals that of the 2013 Seahawks.
If the defensive line can play to their potential as well, they will be able to cause the same issues the Seahawks line did in their time.
The Seahawks were never a prolific passing offense, but Russell Wilson used the support around him to its fullest potential. This is something I believe quarterback Dak Prescott does very well.
Wilson was also able to grow out of the ‘game-manager’ slights that hung on him from his selection in the third round and in his first few seasons. This is something I also believe Dak can do in due time. With the team built correctly, expect Prescott to flourish in his third full season as a pro.
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This Dallas Cowboys team has shades of that championship-winning Seattle Seahawks squad from 2013. If the Cowboys follow through on their plan, we should see a contender with philosophical similarities to that recently dominant Seattle team.