Sturm's Cowboys mailbag

There is no question that this Christmas weekend is a big one for the Cowboys. Win at home against Seattle, and you can remain in the race and assure yourself a winning season. Not the types of stakes we were thinking about in August - I am sure back then, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs seemed well within reach. But it is a long and winding road that put us in this spot at this point.

So with Zeke back in the mix and the Seahawks coming off their worst humiliation in a long, long time, let's dive into your email/tweeted concerns for a Friday mailbag:

Q: Who would you say is Dallas' second best d-lineman behind DLaw right now?

David Irving by a mile. But, given his disturbing concussion situation right now, I will give you my rankings of the rest: Tyrone Crawford is a real solid player who has a contract that calls for more than that. But, if we are simply discussing quality and not price, he is next. Benson Mayowa is very good and disruptive off the edge, even though he has little use on early downs against the run. Maliek Collins is very interesting and his highs are very good. But, his size looks like an issue and he can be put on rollerskates inside as well. Taco Charlton will be solid for years to come. I know I argued against his pick (still do), but there is no denying his skill set and attributes should be useful for years. The question is whether you can ever expect big splash-play production. The wildcard remains Randy Gregory. His range is from "never playing another down" to "12 sacks in a full season," so if you want the high-risk, high-reward play, there you go. Beyond that, there are some decent depth guys, but not much to write home about.

Q: If the Cowboys are eliminated from the playoffs what do you think this season will be remembered for?

Feeling like the Ezekiel Elliott case crashed the season. Now, you can blame the NFL for this, Jerry Jones for this, Ezekiel Elliott or just "this is what the Cowboys do." Everyone has an opinion on the Zeke situation and suspension, and I hope I have remained somewhat vague and neutral. But, at the end of the proverbial day, if you are an innocent man and are unfairly persecuted, then you simply cannot have the missteps of his St Patrick's Day incident and the nightclub kerfuffle (that mysteriously went away) right in the midst of his defense team trying to fix the previous situations. He was trying to defend his innocence, while acting like a guy who didn't seem to understand the seriousness of his situation - likely because his boss (Jerry) was assuring him that the NFL is out to get him. This made him appear tone deaf and reckless, and therefore I have a hard time removing him from any blame in torpedoing the entire Cowboys season. But, if you want to look for blame this year, the biggest culprit will always be the drama that his case brought, the distraction it brought, and ultimately, the effects on the team it brought to the Cowboys 2017 that I will forever link with the underachieving of it all.

Fair or unfair, that is where I am on trying to sort through what went wrong this year.

Q: What concerns you most about facing Seattle?

The pride of that bunch. They were beaten in Jacksonville and then humiliated by the Rams. They usually don't let those things go by without taking out their frustration on the next opponent. Otherwise, the Seahawks are not the Seahawks anymore. There are too many pieces that are gone, too many holes on the roster, and just not a contender anymore. Russell Wilson is asked to do everything on the offense, and the defense has aged out of its prime and spread itself too thin with the salary cap. Make no mistake, they should not beat the Cowboys this week. They just don't have the difference makers necessary. But, underestimate them at your own peril.

Q: What does Seattle do best and how is Dallas going to counter that?

That's the issue with Seattle. They do nothing terribly well right now. I guess their strength is to stop the run, but I think that is a great matchup with the Cowboys. Otherwise, their key attribute is Russ keeping plays alive and finding a free-running speed merchant downfield. You must cover those downfield threats longer than normal against Wilson. He plays so well off the improv.

Q: Does Dallas still need Orlando Scandrick?

I think so. He is a real tough player who will battle you all day. He has an attitude about him and never gives up. He is a veteran amongst a young group so I might like his ability to teach the group, too. And, his cap charge doesn't scare me - although he is always seeking an extension. Overall, I am keeping him for next season if his body is holding up.

Q: Which young DB do you think has the highest ceiling?

Chidobe Awuzie by quite a bit. I like the others, but he looks like a real gem. Very pleased with what I have seen so far from him. What a fine player.

Q: Bob, Let's just do a hypothetical for a moment. Say tomorrow Jerry and Garrett have a falling out and Garrett is no longer the coach of the Cowboys. How many teams do you think would make a strong run at him for their head coach? And if your answer is none or maybe one, is that not an issue? Why should the league's marquee franchise have a coach that no other team in the league would want?

Well, this is a widely debated question. I think Jason Garrett would very likely be a head coach again because A) His record here has been very good - especially since 2014 you won't find many coaches with a better run than him. B) He has plenty of experience as both a coordinator and a head coach. C) He is plenty young and D) He has demonstrated he can work well with an owner who is in his business at every turn.

So, I do think he would get another gig. That said, I get what you are saying. The Cowboys could literally have anyone in the sport coaching their franchise, and they ignore many candidates because they would not wish to work under the constructs of this organization (including personnel selection and bigger decisions that Garrett certainly does not make).

There is a salary cap, but there isn't one for the coaching staff or the front office. They could literally pay the most in every single position and find the way to have the most amazing collection of decision makers in league history based on their unmatched resources and annual revenues. Instead, they stay with what they like - which includes a head coach who is OK not making large organizational decisions. There is no changing that. It is what it is.

Enjoy your Christmas and let's talk when the Seattle game is over.