What's Cowboys 'Identity'? 'The Culture Of Coddling,' Claims Insider

The fallout from Thursday's Dallas Cowboys' 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium has been exactly as you would expect -- brutal.

And one team insider thinks the problem is "the culture.'' Or, more pointedly ...

"The Culture of Coddling.''

In a game where the Cowboys were shown a clean set of heels by a winless Buccaneers team with a rookie undrafted free agent quarterback in his first road start, the aftermath of Dallas being curb-stomped has seen people come for just about everyone in the organization.

The 24-16 scoreline flatters Dallas, as the Buccaneers were one yard away from a 31-10 lead and the game ending midway through the fourth quarter.

The defense gave up big chunk plays yet again and allowed 241 yards on the ground as Christian Parker's unit was dismantled by a rookie quarterback in his first start on the road.

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This thing is going south in a hurry, and for Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, who was on 105.3 The Fan, the team has to find answers during this mini bye week.

"You got to go back to the drawing board and chop wood," Jones said. "Obviously so disappointing, to have it set up to be back for a home game, and be playing a game that most people expect you to win, and then we don’t get the job done.

"So, until we get that identity, until we get that confidence that we can go out and get the job done, we’ve got a lot of work to do around here.”

"Identity''? 

This is a word football teams throw around all of the time. But what does it mean?

Same with the word "culture'' - a favorite of coach Brian Schottenheimer. 

It's meaningless ... or better said, it's meaningless if it doesn't help a team win.

And right now? Our Mike Fisher, with 37 years on the Cowboys beat, is offering another angle.

"The Cowboys' 'culture' is 'The Culture of Coddling,'' he writes, citing in particular Dak Prescott's exchange with some random voice in the tunnel who had the audacity to yelp, "Embarrassing'' within earshot of the QB. "Criticism is part of the bargain for making millions of dollars and for being in the public eye and for then falling short - for 30 years - of the Super Bowl they all talk so boldly about winning.

"Cowboys players really have no idea what it's like to feel the heat; Jerry is their fun grandpa and the coach is such a pal they call him 'Schotty' and the facilities are incredible and they're beloved by fans. Worshipped. Coddled.''

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The offense had been good to great for most of the first four games, and against the Buccaneers, we got a front-row seat to see exactly what this team looks like when the offense doesn't save the day.

Having to be nearly perfect for the Cowboys to win, the offense, which it is allowed to have, had an off day, but the defense couldn't shoulder the load and help out when the offense needed it.

Exactly what changes will be made over the next 10 days will be fascinating to see, as you can't roll out the same thing against the Green Bay Packers. Because if an undrafted rookie on the road can do that to you, what will Jordan Love do?

So yeah, a lot of work needs to be done in the coming days. ... and not just on the "culture.'' ... but rather on, you know, the stuff that matters.

Like football.