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As they enter the second (and tougher) half of the schedule, the Cowboys face long odds to make the playoffs. So with that in mind, what would you like to see over these last eight games? What could make Brian Schottenheimer's first season as head coach a success? – Bill Connor/Grand Prairie, TX
Nick: Just beat the Raiders. That's the goal (right now). Seriously, not to be funny or cute. I totally understand the question but no one has even started a winning streak by losing the first game. When you look at the Raiders, they're one of the worst teams in the league but sadly enough, the Cowboys aren't that far ahead of them. So the first order of business for the second half of the season, is to get off to a good start.
By doing that, they must beat the Raiders. Think about this - they went the other way at the trade deadline, sending away their best receiver for picks. The Cowboys made not one, but two trades to bolster the defense. So it looks like two teams at least trying to go in different directions for this year. But I think the Cowboys can put together some wins here, especially if the defense gets that much-needed improvement. But it all starts Monday night in Vegas. After that, I bet you can guess what the next goal is going to be!
Patrik: The easy answer is for them to make the playoffs in his first season, and to do so after experiencing so much adversity on the field and a devastating loss by way of the tragic passing of Marshawn Kneeland, would be nothing short of impressive. Granted, as you noted, the gauntlet awaits the Cowboys coming out of their bye week and, sitting at 3-5-1, the odds of them making the playoffs sit at below 10 percent. That said, the blockbuster addition of Quinnen Williams ties to the additional trade acquisition of Logan Wilson to play him in tandem with a returning DeMarvion Overshown and, well, it's clear the defense will look wildly different over the second half of the season. If that side of the ball can get anywhere close to the middle of the pack with production, and the offense can wake back up and cut out the penalties, the Cowboys could potentially go on a run between now and late December that could stun NFL fans; and if they were to do that, even if they narrowly miss the playoffs, I'd be willing to argue that while Year 1 under Schottenheimer may not have been a success, it certainly couldn't be viewed as an outright failure, either.
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