The Cowboys are beat up entering Week 18, so why risk the team's starters?
We have heard for the past three weeks about Brian Schottenheimer's desire to win the Dallas Cowboys' last three games.
With playoffs out the window, pride and "culture" are the only things left to play for in Schotty's first year as head coach.
But a battle has raged on over the past two weeks.
And that is a battle between resting starters to avoid unnecessary injury and playing everyone in the name of winning, for Brian's culture.
On Tuesday at The Star, Schotty might have just told on himself when it comes to whether or not Dallas should rest starters.
"I think if they're healthy, we plan on playing them,” Schottenheimer said. “If you're going to play Dak Prescott if the guys are healthy, they can go, we want to play them. But again, I know we're a little bit beat up right now. The couple days off definitely helped. Playing on Sunday definitely helps. Gives us the extra day, but the training room's pretty full right now.
"I think that speaks to how physical we played in the game against Washington, and that's something that we take a lot of pride in.”
If the Cowboys are "pretty beat up right now," then why is there such a push to get these players ready for a "meaningless'' game?
To some degree, I get it. Players want to play, and no one wants to sit out as a healthy scratch - or even as a semi-healthy scratch. This is their job. Their livelihood. It's how they define themselves.
But sometimes, the risk just isn't worth it.
Dak Prescott has repeatedly stated his desire to play, and I'm sure others have inside The Star this week as well.
But at the same time, our Mike Fisher now quotes a source as suggesting there might be a new plan with Dak ... to start him and then pull him. (See below.)
And then there is the injury issue as it relates to the running backs. The Thursday injury list includes Javonte Williams and Malik Davis; they got DNPs.
Maybe that's a sign from the football gods to rest players and to let guys like rookie Jaydon Blue play?
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But if the treatment room is as full as Schottenheimer says, then, to me, that tells me all I need to know regarding who should play and who doesn't really need to be put in harm's way.
Yes, I know it isn't as easy as that. But beat-up players racing against the clock in a "meaningless'' Week 18 game while Dallas pursues a theoretically face-saving record of 8-8-1?
Those are the ones who need to sit.