By Mark Halpern
The moment that all of us Football fans can’t wait for and the players as well is upon us in 3 short days. The Buffalo Bills will take on the Super Bowl Champs the Los Angeles Rams. This will open the Football season for a juggernaut matchup this Thursday. This game is a powerhouse matchup, and they could face each other in the Superbowl. I have sat down, looked hard at the schedule, and tried to figure out whom they can beat. I scrapped all that cause there were too many scenarios, so I will break down this Dallas team to show why The Cowboys will go as far as they are.
This Dallas team is as healthy as you can get. The most significant loss was Tyron Smith, who has been the offensive line’s focus for over a decade. Dallas is currently wooing Jason Peters (signed today 1 year deal today) from the Eagles, who has played that position forever. It would be a fantastic signing, and he would staff Smith’s position, which he has played his entire career.
The offense for Dallas is looking a little different this year. Amari Cooper was traded for a 5th and 6th pick from the Browns. Cooper wasn’t as bad as T.O. or Dez Bryant’s outburst, but after the 49er wild Card game Amari Cooper was criticizing everyone from Dak to the equipment manager, which prompted Jerry to move him. The Dallas Cowboys signed James Washington to fill the 3rd wide receiver spot, but he is on the IL after having surgery on his foot and will miss 4-8 weeks. Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard will be handling the backfield, and the two will cause headaches because they can take it for a score any time they have the ball. Until the season officially starts, we will see the breakdown of touches by the two-headed monster in the backfield. The wide receiver core is led by Cee Dee Lamb, who has been a stud in his first two seasons. He will be joined by Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert, Noah Brown, and Turpin (who is the KR/PR, but he can fly.) I expect Turpin will be used sporadically on the offense, and once his legs start going, the Flash might be the only one to catch him.
The Cowboys have their leader in Dak Prescott. Since 2016 he has been under center as the Field General and has gotten the team closer each year. For the last two years, Dak has been injured. In 2020 he snapped his ankle vs. the New York Giants, which cost him the whole season. Dak Came back in 2021. He was having trouble with his calf and just wasn’t 100%. This year Dak looks ready to take charge and run this team to greatness.
Now no offense can be great without a great defense behind them. Last year the Dallas secondary got the nickname (“The No-Fly Zone.) All-pro Treyvon Diggs led the Dallas secondary. Treyvon intercepted 11 passes, and two of them went for touchdowns. He has been coaching and mentoring, and sharing what Dan Quinn envisioned the Secondary to be. A supporting cast of Anthony Brown, Malik Hooker, Jordan Lewis, Jayron Kearse, and Israel Mukanu will create the same no-fly zone and guard the Secondary.
The Linebacking crew was specially put together to fit Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme. Micha Parsons, last year’s Defensive Rookie of the year, is the leader of the Linebackers. He is joined by Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Barr, and Jabril Cox. Over the last few years, Dallas has had some very successful seasons at this position, as the more they play, the better they get. The one burning question that is the focus of this Dallas Defensive Line. The Defensive line, however, this season, Demarcus Lawrence and Dorrance Armstrong are manning the edges with combinations of Neville Gallimore and Osa OdighIhizuwa. Over the last few years, the defensive line has looked like a sieve. With the new look defensive line, things should be different.
I am expecting greatness this season. I know we open against two powerhouse teams, and we can’t gloat we are the best until we have beaten the best, and That Is How The Old Man Sees It.
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