The Dallas Cowboys are on a fast and clear course to winning the NFC East and taking the No. 2 seed in the conference - all they must do is roll into Washington in Week 18 and close the regular season with a win overt the 13-point underdog Commanders.
So why is Richard Sherman, the former NFL and Super Bowl cornerback now working in media on FS1, suggesting "America's Team'' creates an additional obstacle for itself?
"I don't think it's necessary," Sherman said of the Cowboys playing starters dealing with injuries. "If you don't think you can beat the Washington Commanders with some of your backups playing, then I don't think you're prepared for the playoffs anyway."
Sherman has an incredible resume - and he attended Stanford! ... making this position notably inane.
The idea that the 11-5 Cowboys are good enough to beat the 4-12 Commanders no matter what, even by using backups, is simply not how football works. (For those with short memories, ask the Philadelphia Eagles and the Arizona Cardinals about "easy wins''; if it worked that way, Philly would've won last week and Dallas wouldn't have jumped into this "fast and clear course.'')
Also on the list of "not how this works'': The concept of "saving players'' for the next game, or the next. How does Sherm not understand that if you "save a player next week,'' and lose ... "next week'' might never come?
How does Sherm not grasp the concept of "must-win''?
"You don't get a second chance," Sherman said. "You don't get another go at it. You don't get another bite at the apple. I think it's in your team's best interest to rest your left tackle for the potential four-game stretch to push you to the Super Bowl and give you the best chance rather than have him play a semi-meaningless game against the Commanders that you should and could win without him playing in the game.''
Sherman is talking specifically about Tyron Smith, who as it happens isn't even injured at this point. But he might as well also be talking about fellow starters Tyler Smith, Johnathan Hankins and Malik Hooker, all of whom are dealing with injuries that limited their practice work so far this week.
And if the Cowboys are so good that they can "win without''? Why risk playing the irreplaceables like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland and Micah Parsons?
Among the people who believe that is former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman, and he said on Fox's show "Undisputed" that the Cowboys should consider resting some of their starters against Washington despite the stakes at hand, given some of the injuries they've dealt with this season.
In an ideal world, the Cowboys seal up a win in Washington early enough in the game to cause coach Mike McCarthy to consider pulling starters. But you don't do such a thing before the win is secured; you do so only after the win is secured.
We are left wondering if Sherman is "doing the TV thing,'' doing a "bit,'' uttering contrarian nonsense because a TV segment needed filling.
So when he said, "These are the things you have to think about''? We'll counter that the only thing the Cowboys must "think about'' is beating Washington, thus securing home field for the first two playoff games - a gigantic advantage lost if Dallas foolishly and voluntarily risks "forfeiting'' at FedEx Field.
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