Dallas Cowboys: Will a two coordinator exit spark a coaching change?

The Dallas Cowboys are facing the reality that they will need to shuffle their coaching staff with the possible loss of both coordinators.

The Dallas Cowboys will find out Sunday night if they can punch their playoff tickets. Sounds very odd to say that after what this season has given us. Up until three weeks ago, there were loud calls for the Dallas Cowboys to make a change at their head coaching position.

Owner Jerry Jones and Vice President of player personnel Stephen Jones were both even asked this question on a local Dallas radio show. Both men emphatically denied that they were going to make a change when the season concluded.

Head coach Mike McCarthy, in turn, rallied his troops to begin a three-game winning streak quieting those talks. When the same duo was asked about defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, the answer was a bit more conservative and the decision would be addressed at the end of the year.

Mike Nolan has done a good job of playing to his players’ strength and has his squad even creating turnovers at the rate we all expected at the beginning of the year. I still do not think what he has done lately is enough to save his job.

The defense still allowed Philadelphia to rack up almost 500 yards of offense this past Sunday. For comparison, the Los Angeles Rams lead the league by only giving up 286.5 yards a game this season. Turnovers have allowed the audience to turn a blind eye to how bad this defense still is although there has been progress made as of late.

This Cowboys defense has also given up the third-most points in the league so far this season. The Miami Dolphins have the stingiest defense in terms of scoring have only given up 282 points but the Cowboys have already given up 450 points this season. That is a massive difference.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. If the Dallas Cowboys had average play on defense, a healthy Dak Prescott on offense would allow this team to ease into the playoffs. If your not convinced look at what’s happened these past three weeks. Improved defensive play has this team on the cusp of stealing the Division.

Speaking of offense, what is the status of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore?

When the news broke that Boise State University had a coaching vacancy, my attention immediately turned to Kellen Moore. Possessing the ability to coach for your alma mater is always tempting and we cannot discount the pressure Moore is currently going through.

Most professional athletes that starred at a University often call their college playing days the best time of their lives. I would not fault Moore for leaving and trying to recreate his happy days. Listening to head coach Mike McCarthy’s media session after their victory over the Eagles had me thinking that Moore has already made his decision.

Moore led the Cowboys, in his first season as offensive coordinator, to the number one offense in the entire NFL. He now has the Cowboys as the 12th best offense in the league and the team has somehow managed to average 25.1 points per game.

For those asking for Moore to be gone, I advise you to be careful what you wish for. I know what I have with Moore and I’m not sure just anyone can come in here and replicate what he has done. The funny thing is the front office was asked if they thought he could be a head coach and the answer was a definite yes.

So would the Dallas Cowboys be desperate enough to keep Moore that he is either anointed as the next head coach or fire McCarthy at the end of the season in order to keep him? I think this is a very plausible scenario.

The offense doesn’t have many holes other than injuries. Moore has shown he can win with someone other than Dak at the helm. The Cowboys are more than likely going to fire Nolan so why not hire Moore as your Head coach and pair him up with a defensive coordinator of his choice.

Mike McCarthy lied during his interview with the Cowboys so why can’t this front office have a change of heart to keep what is an up-and-coming coach in Moore.

Hiring the same people that travel the league has not worked for the Dallas Cowboys in the past 25 years. The last time Jerry Jones hired an unproven head coach with question marks resulted in them winning three Super Bowls. Why not take a chance on Moore?

Mike McCarthy is a good coach but just like the defense, I want innovative as opposed to safe. McCarthy deserves to stay in Dallas but so does Kellen Moore. I guess time will tell in what direction these Dallas Cowboys will go.