In a press conference earlier this week, Cowboy’s star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was very frank about his showing on Sunday in the teams 28-25 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Lamb was visibly agitated on the sideline throughout the game getting involved with what some are calling a ‘spat’ with QB Dak Prescott, had a bad drop and a fumble that he admitted played “a big part” in the team’s loss. He also admitted that his body language and attitude didn’t “help the situation or the outcome of the game.”
“Just being a professional about this whole situation. Understanding it’s a long game,” said Lamb, who had four catches for 67 yards against the Ravens. “But as for me and my performance, I expect a lot out of myself, more than anyone could put on me. And, quite honestly, I failed myself. And obviously, I failed the team just as far as producing and being that game-breaker player for the team and, obviously, the guy that they can lean on.
“And, yeah, I kind of let the game get to my head a little bit. But in the same sense, I know what I can do. I know what I bring to the table, and I know what I can do on that field. So, with that being said, going forward, there shall be a difference.”
“Ain’t no excuse for that,” he said. “I played football my whole life. I know better.” said Lamb, but there seems to be a pretty glaring aspect that could be a contributing factor to all of this. Lamb voluntarily sat out of training camp while he fought for a contract extension with the team. Yes, these are world class athletes who, even off the couch, are in the elite tier of human. But there is a huge setback in terms of getting adjusted to ‘game speed’ when you don’t participate in any form of team practice leading up to the season and all of these other world class athletes have. We are seeing it unfold in Cincinatti with Ja’marr Chase who had yet to make a serious impact until their Week 3 loss to the Commanders at home. Another example is the lack of presence from Brandon Aiyuk who also held out for a contract extension, and was the main proprietor of trade rumors involving himself and the 49ers. Aiyuk has caught 11 passes on 20 targets with zero touchdowns thus far.
You have to respect CeeDee Lamb for stepping up and taking the blame, it is very easy to point fingers when you know you are the best player on the field most of the time. But as the old saying goes, don’t pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining. It is clear the chemistry between Prescott and Lamb is rusty. There is a certain groove receivers get into with their QB that is almost an unspoken bond that Lamb and Prescott just haven’t recovered yet. Route running in the NFL is much more complicated than a simple play call coming in telling a guy he is going to run a post route. Receivers run routes based on the way a defense lines up, how a defense reacts to motions, and how they float after the ball is snapped. Trusty receivers are often expected to break out of a route and find open space in the secondary based on where safeties and linebackers move to mid-play. The only way a quarterback and receiver can get on the same page with that is through active reps and practice, something Prescott and Lamb didn’t have any of in the 2024 preseason.
The connection between Prescott and Lamb will come this season with time, but for the Cowboys, they need it to come sooner rather than later after two embarrassing NFC losses at home. The Cowboys have little time between games as they are scheduled to play on Thursday night, but theoretically should get things back on track since they play a bad Giants team. But I fully expect Lamb to see a lot of targets and have a successful night as that is often how it goes after a guy bares the blame for a team’s bad play. Lamb is currently projected for 79.5 yards on TNF, I wouldn’t be surprised if he finished in the triple-digits.
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