Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Quinnen Williams is putting the team’s defensive struggles on himself, saying, “I take full accountability and full responsibility for the way this defense is going at the moment.”
After the Week 5 loss to Tampa Bay dropped Dallas to 2-3, Williams called a players-only defensive meeting, as first reported by ClutchPoints. Asked what was said, he kept it in-house: “I’m going to keep that to myself.”
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer backed the move. “I love it,” he said. “I’ve said from the very beginning, the best teams I’ve ever been around are led by the locker room.”
The IAHHM Take
The numbers explain why the meeting had to happen. Dallas is giving up 395.4 total yards per game, the second-most in the NFL, and 27.2 points per game. Williams, 28, has 15 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble through five games. Solid, but not the wrecking-ball production you’d expect from the guy who’s taking the heat.
That’s what makes this matter. Players-only meetings are a dime a dozen in the NFL. The difference is a vet standing in front of the cameras and saying the problem starts with him. That’s leadership, but it only counts if Sunday looks different.
And Sunday is a real test. The Cowboys face Green Bay on Sunday Night Football, and the Packers just got cornerback Keisean Nixon back at practice, per ClutchPoints. Prime time, America’s Team at 2-3 and a defense with something to prove. That’s a big stage.
Does a players-only meeting actually change anything, or is it all talk until the tape says otherwise? Sound off.
More from Week 6: Jalen Coker is back at practice, and the Panthers could use him against the Eagles.
Source: ClutchPoints
