Sherrington: Does Bill Belichick Want Anything to Do with This Dallas Cowboys Mess?

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott watches from the sidelines as the Detroit Lions recover a fumble by Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin during the second half of an NFL football game at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Arlington

“Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte” is a weekly newsletter curated by DMN sports columnist Kevin Sherrington where he hits all of the latest sports topics around North Texas and all major sports. Sign up for the Sports Roundup newsletter to receive exclusive content from Sherrington every week. Read an excerpt from this week’s newsletter below.

Kevin Sherrington’s A La Carte

— This is how bad the Cowboys’ 38-point loss to the Lions was: tied for the fifth-worst in team history and the worst home loss since Jerry Jones bought in. The last time they lost by 38, Jerry fired his head coach. But Wade Phillips was 1-7 at the time and his successor, Jason Garrett, was already on staff. These Cowboys are 3-3 in a still-winnable NFC East and Bill Belichick might not want to have anything to do with this mess, anyway.

— Hey, Jerry: If you can’t give fans a better product than this at JerryWorld, where the Cowboys have been historically bad this year, at least put up curtains. The sun-in-my-eyes complaint is tiresome. Might improve the view from the outside, too.

— Tell me which contract is worse: The $240 million for Dak Prescott, ranked 19th by Pro Football Focus, four spots behind Andy Dalton? The $136 million for CeeDee Lamb, ranked 56th among WRs by PFF? The $97 million for Trevon Diggs, 79th in CBs? No wonder Jerry was reluctant to pay these guys.

— We keep hearing that Dak and CeeDee aren’t on the same page yet. They’re not in the same library. Going into this season, they’d been playing pitch and catch for four years. Now it’s like they need to be introduced. Maybe they should consider a sleepover during the bye.

— Diggs got paid to create turnovers, not remind anyone of Ronnie Lott, but Sunday’s bullfighter technique represented a new low even for him. The man was a turnstile. Also has just one interception in six games, and it’s not like anyone’s trying to avoid him, either.

— The sight of Diggs waving at David Montgomery as he passed might have prompted this remark from Tom Brady, commenting on the Cowboys in general: “They’ve gotta play with more mental and physical toughness.” Now that’s an indictment, Jack Smith.

— KaVontae Turpin is a terrific returner, and there’s a time and place for him in the offense. But he’s also tiny. Which is why a Lions DB ran straight through him on one critical play and why Turpin couldn’t bail out Cooper Rush when the latter passed into a bus-stop crowd late in the game. Considering how Cowboys QBs throw, the bigger the Cowboys’ WRs, the better.

— Modern medicine is wonderful, but here’s the recovery process for a broken tibia, the weight-bearing bone in your lower leg, meant for yours truly in 1972: six weeks in a cast from hip to toe, followed by another six weeks in a walking cast, plus another month or so learning how to walk without a limp. Props to Aidan Hutchinson for not crying, but we’ll see you next year.

— After feasting on Oklahoma, Steve Sarkisian walked into Saturday’s post-game presser eating a Fletcher’s corny dog, which he finished at the podium. Bad enough that he didn’t bring enough for everyone; even worse, he put ketchup on it.

— Story time: One of the architects in charge of the Cotton Bowl’s renovations probably wasn’t trying to be ironic when he told our Brad Townsend that the new plans will get sportswriters “out of the press box, where they don’t need to be.” I mean, why else call it a press box if it’s not for the press? But this is the way of the world since it learned you can sell the view for big bucks.

The media has been booted from its courtside and 50-yard-line seats. If all goes according to plan, the media will cover Texas-OU next year from a perch over the south end zone. I’ll leave the old Cotton Bowl press box with mixed emotions after working games there over the last 40 years or so. Not what you would call plush digs. The seats bolted into place were problematic. The view from the second row was restricted.

Just Saturday, the faucets in the men’s room didn’t work. Neither did the heat after the ‘87 Cotton Bowl Classic between Texas A&M and Ohio State. Long after the last of Kevin Murray’s five interceptions, I sat shivering in the press box, desperately warding off frostbite and deadline.

There were fun memories, too.

The Cotton Bowl press box was where the ubiquitous Brad Bradley, a gentleman’s gentleman, smiled as he took your photo at your stationary seat. Back in the day, before the last expansion, you could still see the Midway from your press box seat. You can still get lost leaving it, too. Or at least I can. Tired of waiting on the elevator Saturday, I led a young, unsuspecting SportsDay crew down a half-dozen flights of stairs and into what appeared to be an ancient crypt. Wouldn’t have been surprised to find a mummified Hoss Brock.

Let’s hope that possibility is covered in the renovations.