After losing to the Seahawks last week, the Dallas Cowboys are out of the playoffs and have nothing to play for in week 17 against the Eagles. Tyron Smith and Orlando Scandrick have been placed on season ending IR and are therefore ruled out but Jason Garrett has gone on record saying that all players who are healthy will play this week. Is this the right decision?
There is certainly a strong case to be made for resting your star players. Dak Prescott has taken a lot of punishment this year, especially when Tryon Smith has been out of the lineup. Ezekiel Elliott has only just returned from an extended absence and it may be wise to save him for next year. Those are your two “healthy” star players, but what constitutes healthy really depends on your interpretation of the term. Dez Bryant has not been on the injury reports but he is claiming that he has been battling injuries all season. On the defensive side of the ball DeMarcus Lawrence’s back has flared up, Maliek Collins has been dealing with a foot injury and Sean Lee has missed a lot of time this season. The Cowboys could also secure a slightly better draft pick if they end up losing the game. It would certainly be a wise business decision to protect your assets in an essentially meaningless game.
There is also a strong case to put the best team out there against the Eagles. First of all, is drafting 3 spots higher in the first round really going to make or break your roster? What about injuries? Players of this era of football are already limited in the amount of training and physical contact they can endure during offseason and practices. There are those that believe that the lack of exposure to physical contact does not aptly prepare these athletes for the violent game of football and thus leads to more injuries. For those that do not buy into the aforementioned injury theory, there is also the psychological aspect. Ezekiel Elliott has an opportunity to reach the 1000 yard milestone, think about how displeased he would be if denied the chance to achieve that goal. To that end DeMarcus Lawrence is only a ½ sack away from reaching 15 for the season, a mark that I recall he told me he would reach when I met him at an offseason event. I am sure that with a potential offseason contract at stake he would like to continue to solidify his status as an elite pass rusher. Sitting players may appear to be the best business decision but that does not sit well with a group of competitive athletes who have a job to do and have a desire to play the sport that they love. Think about how the Buffalo Bills players will feel if they miss the playoffs having thrown away a game during the failed Nathan Peterman experiment. Maybe the best business decision has more to do with than just numbers, statistics and dollars.
Football is a business, but football players are people. They are highly motivated, competitive people. A coach or general manager cannot ignore the psychological aspect of player management. Let them go out there and play if they can and are willing. Maybe the Cowboys could go out and take it to the Eagles, who may be resting players, just like they did to us last season in the same scenario. Wins like that do not get the media very excited but it can build the confidence in the locker room. Who knows? Maybe a victory over the Eagles will propel the Cowboys to even greater heights next season. Did I mention that we are talking about the Eagles? I hate the Eagles! I am sure I am not the only Cowboy fan who feels that way. I say “Let the starters play!”
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode