The Atlanta Falcons ripped the bandage off in 2024, firing their head coach and bringing in a new regime. It’s still too early to say they made a home run hire in Raheem Morris, but the Falcons are 5-3, atop the NFC South, and looking compelling even if they have enduring and frustrating weaknesses that we’re watching warily.
The Dallas Cowboys let the wound fester. It’s not just that Mike McCarthy wasn’t fired despite doing some high-level McCarthy bumbling last year; it’s that Dallas mysteriously decided not to attack their weaknesses through free agency and trade despite Jerry Jones making noise about the team being all-in.