Refs rob the Eagles but Cowboys win because of Amari Cooper trade

Before commencing with the Amari love fest: Shout out to the NFL officials who stole money to call the Cowboys’ 29-23 OT win over the Eagles on Sunday for setting a league-record for blown calls in an overtime game.

From the first play of the game to negating a long touchdown catch and run late in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were robbed by the refs, and yet they deserved to lose.

While no one can define what a penalty is any more, horrendous calls are an essential part of the fabric of sports, so ... deal with it.

Equally an essential part of the fabric sports, horrendous calls by Jerry Jones in his attempt to find his next Michael Irvin. But JJ’s approval to deal a first round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft to the Oakland Raiders for Amari Cooper is an unquestioned success.

Because Amari Cooper, you are worth a first round pick. Maybe the first pick. Because Amari Cooper is what Joey Galloway, Terrell Owens and Roy Williams were supposed to be for Jerry: A Playmaker.

Cooper has made this quarterback a better passer, and the Cowboys a real team that can do something in the playoffs.

Cooper made a difficult game-winning touchdown catch in overtime look dull and routine to sweep the defending Super Bowl champions and essentially win the NFC East.

Not even Jason Garrett could blow this. Well ... don’t hold me to that.

Cooper caught 10 passes for 217 yards against the Eagles, including the game-winner on a juggling 15-yard catch to win the game in the rare walkoff manner. “Juggling” ... that’s unfair to Cooper. The defender tipped it but Cooper easily caught it and ran in untouched to send the Cowboys to an 8-5 record.

“This is really a dream come true,” Cooper said after the game. “When I thought of playing in the NFL as a youth, this is the perfect example of that. For everything from the city, the facilities, winning, watching that defense out there, watching that offfense out there, it’s a dream come true.”

A Cowboys team that was 3-5 has flipped, and are a playoff team. Because we all saw this coming.

The Cooper effect

The statistical difference Cooper has made in his time with the Cowboys is overwhelming, but his value goes beyond just his catches and touchdowns.

A Cowboys receiver told me after the win Cooper has impacted how offensive coordinator Scott Linehan calls a game, specifically the pace on passing plays on first and second down. The receiver was quick to mention the difference at left guard since rookie Connor Williams was replaced by veteran Xavier Su’a-Filo.

Williams had to re-enter the game on Sunday because All-Pro guard Zack Martin had to leave in the second half with an apparent knee injury. Jerry said after the game Martin’s injury is similar to the one he experienced earlier this season; that did not keep Martin out.

The Cowboys player was adamant that the team never lost faith in Linehan, whose job security was a point of deserved speculation in the first two months of the season. The Cowboys may have been confident the offense would eventually come around, but no one else was.

It has, once Cooper arrived. In Cooper’s six games with the Cowboys, he has 40 receptions for 642 yards and six touchdowns.

Now, why quarterback Dak Prescott threw the ball a career-high 54 times on Sunday merits a long look, especially considering the fact that running back Ezekiel Elliott ran for 113 yards.

Dak had a terrible first three and a half quarters, accounting for three turnovers, including an interception in the end zone.

While Dak was a dud, the defense dominated. The only reason the Eagles were in the game was because of Dak’s two interceptions and one lost fumble.

In the fourth quarter, Dak started throwing at Cooper and the Eagles could not cover him.

Midway through the fourth quarter in a tie game, Dak hit Cooper on a 28-yard touchdown pass that looked similar to those pretty spirals Troy Aikman tossed to Michael Irvin decades ago.

After the Eagles tied it at 16, and on the Cowboys’ first offensive play, Dak slung it deep for Cooper again. Mr. Cooper made the play, and scooted 75 yards into the endzone.

“He was making plays all day,” said Eagles defensive back Rasul Douglas, whom Cooper burned many times on Sunday, including the game winner.

Of course, after struggling to score six points through three quarters, the Eagles scored 17 in the fourth to force an overtime where their offense never touched the ball.

The rare Jerry win

If the Cowboys reach the playoffs, they will send the Oakland Raiders a first round draft selection that will be somewhere in the 20s. That’s what the Cowboys projected when they made the deal.

Typically, only about 20 players receive a first round grade. They will send the Raiders, likely, a player with a second round grade in exchange for Amari Cooper.

Unbelievably, the Cowboys look like they are going to hit on this the way they planned. Do you realize how often this happens with Jerry?

No amount of alcohol or recreational drugs could make any person confuse the Cowboys with the L.A. Rams or Kansas City Chiefs, but with Cooper running routes they have an NFL offense.

With Cooper, the Cowboys are what they envisioned.

Take a bow, Jerry, you got this one right.

This story was originally published December 9, 2018 at 9:16 PM.