The Dallas Cowboys are hoping that Sunday becomes the Darren McFadden show for the team. Preparing to face the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys are struggling with Matt Cassel under center and need to find ways to move down the field. With Dez Bryant's presence doing very little for the offense, McFadden will need to be the three-down back and get the job done.
The Cowboys released Joseph Randle earlier in the week and basically handed McFadden the keys to the offense. With Lance Dunbar lost for the season, McFadden is the lead back and is now expected to play every down despite the presence of Christine Michael. Head coach Jason Garrett told the media that while Michael and third-stringer Rod Smith will get chances to run early, it is McFadden that will be the game changer on the ground.
"We want each of those guys to be ready to do that," Garrett said, via ESPN.com. "We don't see either of those guys as you're a first- or second-down back and you're a third-down back. They're both working in each of those situations and we have to get them ready. Each of those guys is new to our team so they have to spend extra time getting themselves ready to go because the third-down stuff is more complicated."
The Cowboys would love to get Bryant going especially against the Eagles, but the team has also held Cassel back from making the big throws down field. That was an issue with Brandon Weeden as well. Both quarterbacks failed to really let the ball fly which hurt the value of players like Terrance Williams and now Bryant. Cassel noted that he and Bryant have not had that much time to practice together which hurt them against the Seattle Seahawks. Another week of throwing could change that against Philadelphia.
"The types of routes he runs and his body language and just familiarize myself with the player as much as I can," Cassel said, via ESPN.com. "It's very important to learn as much about him as I can."
The Cowboys are entering a must-win game. The Eagles control the NFC East at the moment, but the Cowboys are still alive. If they do not win this matchup, things could be looking bad considering Tony Romo is not available until the end of the month. If the defense can step up and get the stops against Philadelphia, the offense will have a chance to find some kind of rhythm moving forward.
