Cowboys News: Prescott apologies, Quinn,Moore Rocky Top interviews

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Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was a second late in getting Sunday’s final snap, but he was 48 hours late in apologizing for the classless comments he made in that moment’s wake. Shortly after another sport’s officiating group publicly called for Prescott to be reprimanded for praising the actions of some Dallas fans, the passer took to social media to say he regretted his words from the podium.

Meanwhile, two Cowboys coordinators had meetings with Denver on Tuesday as the annual coaching carousel keeps turning and the ideas for fixing the Dallas staff keep coming. Interestingly, the Seahawks have fired their DC, a former Cowboys standout who later went on to coach in Seattle under Quinn. And one outlet is looking ahead at at how Moore can improve his performance with Prescott should he stay in Dallas. Prescott has equaled another Cowboys passer in a sad category, and one Cowboys icon is starting to lose faith in No. 4. With free agency coming to a slew of Cowboys, difficult decisions lie ahead for the front office; Amari Cooper’s name has even come up for the chunk of change he might save the team should they choose to part ways with the receiver.

All that, plus the thing about this offseason that works in the Cowboys’ favor, and a fascinating exploration of why home-field advantage just doesn’t mean what it used to in the NFL. Here’s the News and Notes.

Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott apologizes for comments about fans throwing objects at officials :: ESPN

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On Tuesday night, the Cowboys quarterback apologized for his comments from the podium Sunday in which he praised fans who were seen throwing bottles and debris at officials.

In a series of three tweets, Prescott wrote:

“I deeply regret the comments I made regarding the officials after the game on Sunday. I was caught up in the emotion of a disappointing loss and my words were uncalled for and unfair.

“I hold the NFL Officials in the highest regard and have always respected their professionalism and the difficulty of their jobs. The safety of everyone who attends a game or participates on the field of a sporting event is a very serious matter.

“That was a mistake on my behalf, and I am sorry.”

NBA refs want NFL to punish Dak Prescott for comments about fans behavior following wild-card playoff loss :: USA Today

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Just hours before his social media apology, Prescott was taken to task by the National Basketball Referees Association for his postgame remarks. Again on Twitter, the NBA refs condemned the quarterback’s controversial comments, adding that “he should know better.” The group also encouraged the NFL “to take action to discourage this deplorable behavior in the future.”

Cowboys EXCLUSIVE: Broncos Coach Interview Details with Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn :: SI.com

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The Broncos reportedly sat down with Moore midday Tuesday in a private dining room at a Dallas-area restaurant. Their meeting lasted three hours, with the 33-year-old OC “confident in his ability to explain his vision for becoming a first-time head coach.” Quinn was set to meet with the Denver front office later in the afternoon.

Broncos interview Dan Quinn for head coach job as part of busy week for Cowboys defensive coordinator :: The Denver Post

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Quinn was the fifth candidate to be interviewed by Broncos general manager George Paton and the only one of the 10 men on their list with previous head coaching experience. The meeting concluded shortly before 9 p.m. Quinn is still scheduled to talk with Minnesota, Miami, and Chicago before the week is over.

Is Amari Cooper a candidate to be cut this offseason? :: 105.3 The Fan

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Change is coming, with dollars and cents driving some hard decisions in the months to follow. 105.3 The Fan’s Cowboys insider Bobby Belt believes it’s even possible that the team moves on from wideout Amari Cooper. His production this season didn’t live up to his payday, and the club could save $16 million off the salary cap if he were traded or released before the fifth day of the new league year.

Galina: The shortcomings of the Kellen Moore-Dak Prescott connection for the Dallas Cowboys :: Pro Football Focus

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When Dak Prescott and Kellen Moore are in sync, they can be world-beaters. When they’re not, it looks like this past Sunday. Designing ways for Prescott to hit his first read on pass plays- instead of having to extend- would help. This puts the ball in the best playmakers’ hands and increases yards after catch. Moore relies too often on a “grab bag” approach with his play calls; there’s no overarching identity to the passing game. If Moore stays, he should take some of the work off Prescott’s plate and put it back on his own.

Next steps for six NFL playoff teams that lost in wild-card games: How the Patriots, Cowboys, Eagles, Steelers, Raiders and Cardinals could improve :: ESPN

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Cowboys fans are ready to burn Mike McCarthy in effigy, but Bill Barnwell urges a different perspective. It’s tempting to want to plug in Kellen Moore, but his offense has been inconsistent, to say the least. Dan Quinn? That Atlanta stint didn’t go great overall, and the defense would only suffer without him as DC. McCarthy has shown dramatic improvement from Year One to Two; he deserves a chance to keep building on it. Chucking the whole staff to bring in someone like Jim Harbaugh would just set the team backward.

Dak Prescott, Cowboys must improve, but there’s one silver lining for them this offseason :: Dallas Morning News

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The Cowboys have hit the offseason earlier than anticipated, but at least their quarterback is healthy for it. “There is no ankle injury to rehabilitate,” Michael Gehlken points out. “There is no wait before he can complete passes or conduct full-intensity mobility exercises. Prescott can have a normal offseason to make the sort of gains required to play his best football.” The passer says he plans to be “back at it pretty quick… becoming a better player.”

Dak Prescott matches Tony Romo in postseason struggles :: Fox Sports (Twitter)

Drew Pearson on Cowboys: My confidence in Dak Prescott is wavering :: 105.3 The Fan

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Even the franchise’s most fervent cheerleader is starting to have doubts about No. 4. In a Monday radio show, the Hall of Famer said plainly, “You’ve got to step up,” of Prescott. “I saw regression as the season went on,” Pearson added. “A lot of it was on the offensive side of the ball, and a lot of it was predicated by the play of the quarterback.”

Dividing 22 unrestricted free agents into 4 groups :: The Mothership

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Of the 22 players set to become unrestricted free agents, Randy Gregory, Dalton Schultz, Michael Gallup, Bryan Anger, and Jayron Kearse are clear difference-makers. But it will be tough to re-sign all of them. Several- like Dorance Armstong and Leighton Vander Esch- are starting-player material. Noah Brown and Brent Urban are included in the “solid contributors” group, while guys like Luke Gifford and Maurice Canady are probably backups.

Seahawks fire defensive coordinator Ken Norton after four seasons :: NFL.com

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Seattle fired the DC after a disappointing 7-10 season. Norton is a former second-round draft pick of the Cowboys; he played linebacker for Dallas for six seasons, helping them win Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII. After seven more seasons- and another title- as a 49er, Norton segued to coaching. He spent six years at USC, and has been with the Raiders and Seahawks (twice) since then, winning another Super Bowl as a linebackers coach and serving for a time under Dan Quinn when he was Seattle’s defensive coordinator.

NFL home-field advantage was endangered before the pandemic. Now it’s almost extinct. :: The Washington Post

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Home teams barely finished over .500 this season. The Cowboys were among the eight playoff teams who boasted better records on the road. Sports books favored home teams by an average of just 1.7 points in 2021. Mike McCarthy himself has said winning away games isn’t as difficult now as it was just a decade ago. Teams are using technology and analytics to better mitigate the challenges of travel, for one. But the rising cost of NFL tickets is also making it more enticing for hometown fans to resell their seats to out-of-town visitors, creating a more evenly-proportioned crowd on gameday.

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