I always believe it takes at least 4-6 games to have a good idea what an NFL team’s identity is. So after two weeks and two wild games for this team, I still believe it’s trying to find itself.
Here are a few things I believe we do know about this team, although it could still change:
- The defense is a mess. We knew going into this season it was our weak link, and so far that has clearly proven out. It must improve for us to have any shot to do anything this year. Injuries to several starters don’t help.
- The OL is no longer a top position unit in this league. Injuries along with the Travis Frederick retirement have made this unit less than stellar. Rookie Terrance Steele and and second year retread Brandon Knight have shown some promise, but it’s way too early to know if those guys can be consistent.
- Dak Prescott is an outstanding QB in this league. The anti-Dak Cowboys fans cannot say Dak sucks and be able to call themselves objective. He has become one of the top young QBs in this league and he’s still only 27. He’s not Mahomes (no one else is) but he’s really good.
- Zeke has continued to play at a high level. Most RBs by their 5th year begin to show some wear on the tire tread. Zeke has played very well to start the season, even with a makeshift OL.
- Mike McCarthy seems to be trying too hard to make a statement- I like a HC who takes risks, but there’s a difference between risk and stupid. The decision to go for two with 4 min left and down 9 yesterday was incredibly foolish. He got rescued by Dak’s playmaking and poise late along with the mindlessly stupid falcon special team players who apparently didn’t understand you have to recover an onside kick, lol. Relax Coach Mac. Don’t try too hard.
What we don’t know yet:
- Will this rash of injuries to start the season continue, and if so can we overcome them?Overcoming injuries are part of the game too many fans don’t seem to realize. The ability of the coaching staff to coach up backup players is huge. If the backups can perform well enough to keep the team afloat, we will still have a chance.
- The identity of this team is still in doubt- is this team mentally tough enough to overcome its problems? Mental toughness is huge when injuries have ravaged your team. Will be interesting to see if this team can develop a swagger despite being banged up.
- Will this defense be able to improve? If not, this is clearly not a playoff team. If it is to improve, it will need to come from some unproven players like Diggs and several other young and unproven players. Can Mike Nolan cobble together a defense that can improve to a level of at least average?
It’s still way too early to start looking at the schedule and declaring where the wins will come from. Many fans will of course, but this team after two games is damn lucky to be 1-1. If this team is to become something better than mediocre, there is a lot of work to be done.