The Dallas Cowboys’ defensive problems go well beyond one bad game, one bad matchup or one bad week. Former Cowboys pass rusher DeMarcus Ware sees something deeper in the way this group is playing, and he’s pointing straight at mentality.
Ware said the trouble in Dallas starts up front, where he believes the fight has to begin when a defense is trying to fix itself.
"“When I played and there were problems, the first thing we did was how do we control the trenches?" Ware said on 96.7 The Ticket.
"That comes down to mentality. That’s something that’s free.
It’s the effort and attitude of the team. That’s something that can be changed, that’s not a quantitative thing.
It’s a heart thing, a pride thing, an ego thing these guys have to sort of turn up. Yes, a lot of people are saying their season is over, but in the locker room there has to be a mentality shift to say we still got it.”"
Ware didn’t stop there. He also said Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles could determine whether Dallas’ season is basically done.
“If the Dallas Cowboys can win this game, it’s going to be that momentum builder. If they lose this game, and you go to 2-5, to be honest with you, the season is probably over … the season can be over if you lose this football game.
Because you’re going to lose your morale and your confidence is gone," Ware said. “It’s a must-win football game.”
That lines up with the broader picture around the Cowboys right now. The defense has a long list of problems, and it’s hard to pin the struggle on just one thing. Players haven’t played well enough, and defensive coordinator Christian Parker has not found answers for what’s hurting the unit.
Ware is now the second former Cowboys player to publicly question the team’s effort. Former quarterback Ben DiNucci said the same thing about the offense, arguing the tape showed a group that wasn’t playing hard enough.
"You can’t turn on the Cowboys tape from last night and tell me guys on that offense are giving 100%," DiNucci said. "Lazy, no attention to details, no creativity with play calls."
At this point, effort isn’t being treated as a simple player issue. It’s being tied to the culture around the team, and that puts the spotlight on head coach Brian Schottenheimer first, with Parker also in the frame for not getting enough out of his defense.
The larger concern is whether the players trust what they’re being asked to do. If they don’t, it would help explain why the product on the field looks so flat. Schottenheimer and Parker have been poor in play-calling, and there’s no sign that has changed.
Until that changes, the Cowboys are running out of runway fast.
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