Cowboys' Mike McCarthy gives bogus explanation for DeMarvion Overshown benching

A cavalcade of things went wrong for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. A maddening number of media members came down on Dak Prescott and the offense after the loss, but the fact of the matter is that Prescott led four-straight scoring drives to start the game and trailed by 19 points.

The Cowboys do not face a Shanahan offense this Sunday, but Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers and Derrick Henry present another stiff challenge for Mike Zimmer. It was evident in Week 2 that Zimmer might not have the horses at defensive tackle to accentuate his defense.

That's the price of waiting until August to bring in reinforcements, but Zimmer needs to do a better job of getting his best players on the field.

Cowboys fans are still puzzled by DeMarvion Overshown's lack of playing time against the Saints. After playing 44 snaps and shining in Week 1, Overshown played just 18 snaps this past Sunday - fourth-most among Dallas' linebackers.

Longtime Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill Jr. asked Mike McCarthy of Overshown's baffling usage and the head coach gave an answer that does not move the needle whatsoever.

Cowboys fans won't like Mike McCarthy's explanation of DeMarvion Overshown's benching

"Just like anything, you got a new scheme, young players," said McCarthy. "You make decisions based on training reps in base (package) and sub [package]. Last week he was obviously primarily part of the sub package. We weren't anticipating going into that much base during the game, but that's where the game went. So, you know, those things happen."

#Cowboys Mike McCarthy on why DeMarvion Overshown’s snap count went down from Week 1 to Week 2.

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— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) September 16, 2024

That is unfortuantely the answer that Cowboys fans expected. It was obvious as the game progressed that Overshown wasn't playing because Dallas played a lot of base.

Even Zimmer defended Overshown's lack of playing time, saying he didn't get many reps in the offseason coming off ACL surgery, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. Overshown was cleared in time for training camp so Zimmer's explanation doesn't hold much weight, either.

The Saints used a ton of pre-snap motion. Zimmer made the right call playing base (sub-packaged defenses are a nightmare matchup vs. pre-snap motion). Deciding whether to play Overshown shouldn't come down to scheme, though. He's one of the better defenders on the team. Get him on the field.

It's clear McCarthy and Zimmer prefer rookie Marist Liufau in base. Liufau actually didn't play poor against the Saints, but he and Damone Clark more than doubled Overshown's snap count (41 for Clark, 39 for Liufau). It should be the other way around. Whether that means fewer snaps for Liufau or Clark, Overshown needs to be with the first-team in base moving forward.

Deployed as a spy on Deshaun Watson in Week 1, Overshown could have the same role on Lamar Jackson this Sunday. Regardless, Zimmer better not make the same mistake the next time he's forced to play the base package.