4 Cowboys coaching candidates who'd be better hires than Bill Belichick
By Jerry Trotta
1. Ben Johnson, Lions HC
Was it a bad weekend for top defenses or what? The Cowboys and Browns units got exposed by Green Bay and Houston, respectively, and neither adjusted. Meanwhile, young offensive minded coaches had great days at the office. That includes Ben Johnson, Matt LaFleur, Bobby Slowik (Texans OC), and Sean McVay, albeit in a losing effort to Johnson's Lions.
The Cowboys would be smart to hire an innovative offensive mind and Johnson might be the cream of the crop in that regard.
Johnson was in his bag Sunday night against the Rams. He used heavy personnel, pre-snap motion to create mismatches and the weak side run game cooked. The Lions were a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone and averaged 6.1 yards per play. Every time Los Angeles countered with a score, Johnson had an answer.
McCarthy didn't have any answers after the Cowboys fell behind on Sunday. The Fox broadcast captured McCarthy shaking his head as the team trailed 7-0 in the first quarter! At that moment, Dallas was screwed as McCarthy coiled up as a play-caller and forced Dak Prescott to play hero ball on third down.
The Cowboys need a rising star like Johnson to take over the franchise; not an older defensive-oriented guy like Belichick who's lost his fastball.