jday
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A few weeks ago, I offered up a collection of potential pitfalls for this Dallas Cowboys team in 2015. Switching gears, in the wake of the beginning of training camp, I thought I would review all the potential positives that could have an impact on the upcoming season.
Maturation. There is a plethora of 2nd and 3rd year players that could take their play to the next level. I think most agree that Tyrone Crawford and Demarcus Lawrence are the favorites, but none will get more of a chance to claim Superstarhood then Joe Randle.
Truth be told, I have never been a fan of him and had him predicted to be cut by the final 53 in the past two preseasons only to see him somehow stick around...still not sure why. But negative-outlook aside, there is no excuse at this point for him to disappoint. When the Cowboys did not draft a running back and only brought in McFadden from Free Agency, they sent Mr. Randle a message. If he didn’t get that message, then he is much dumber than his off-the-field antics suggest.
How about the offensive line? Cohesion is quite possibly one of the most important ingredients to a successful offensive line and the Cowboys were able to bring the whole gang back, with the added benefit of a 1st round talent the Cowboys were able to steal off the street in La’el Collins.
If that Ol collective happened to fall in love with their press-clipping during the offseason and didn’t work like they worked to get to their now prestigious status, know this: La’el Collins is waiting in the wing to take a starting role. So, all of the Ol love from last year aside, they also have no excuse for showing up to camp unprepared…and you had better believe they know it!
The receiving core behind Dez should also see progression. While these Cowboys may not be picked to have the most dangerous receiving unit in football, they should not be ignored or overlooked. What they lack in explosion and take it to the house ability, they more than make up for in consistency, particularly from the likes of Dez, Witten, and Beasley. And keep in mind - while seeing the offense exit the field early due to an epic run after the catch and touchdown is always nice to watch, it is not always the best thing for the team overall. The ideal scenario for any Head Coach is to see his offense methodically and efficiently move down the field soaking up clock and gassing the opposition to ultimately score. If the Cowboys can in fact find their running game, this offense will be top 10 without question.
The defense overall has been a weak spot for the Cowboys in the last several years. Given the addition of Gregory, Jones, Hardy, and the return of Sean Lee, that could very well change in 2015. In fact, this team could jump from mediocre to dominant, particularly when Ro McClain and Greg Hardy return in week 5. The primary questions to be answered by this defense are in the secondary…and there are several:
Will Wilcox take the next step? Can Claiborne shrug off the bust label? Can Church return to his 2013 form? Is Scandrick worth the restructure? What in the hell position will Byron Jones play and will he prove his 1st round value in that capacity? To a certain degree, the same question of Byron applies to Corey White; the predominant difference being that should he answer in a positive manner, I have several friends who are Saints fans that are going to start hating me as the season progresses.
But if an improved pass rush, which the Cowboys absolutely should have, makes everyone in the secondary better and the majority of the above questions are answered favorably, this defense could quite possibly join their offense in that top 10 consideration….and if that happens, this team will be damn-near unstoppable; to an extent that not even Blandino will have much say in reversing the Cowboys fortunes.
You ever find twenty or even a hundred dollars that you forgot you stashed in an old coat pocket? The Cowboys have something like this happen every year with players whom the media/fans/analyst peg as journeyman only to see them emerge as great players. Romo, Austin, Murray, Brooking, Sensabaugh, Ratliff, Bailey, Lee, etc; all are players that exceeded expectations, despite their detractors, their age and/or where they were drafted…if they were drafted at all. Who will be that player this year?
I am not going to answer the question, because for me it is always a surprise; which is another way of saying in previous years I have typically been wrong about that guy. But know this: the Cowboys have several players who could emerge to be significant contributors, despite their lack of name recognition and/or high expectations. I don’t know who will it be; I just have every confidence that there will be a guy whose name you haven’t given much thought to this point, that you will find his likeness on the front page of the Monday morning paper following his emergence as a player to be reckoned with and game-planned against…of that I am certain.
If the Cowboys are to contend in 2015, much of the above teamed with luck, particularly on the injury front, will absolutely have to happen; there are very few other ways for the Cowboys to skin that cat. Given the difficulty of the Cowboys schedule, there is not much wiggle room for the Cowboys to struggle in any phase of the game, regardless if the running game returns to its 2014 form or not. That being said, as always, I am cautiously optimistic.
Maturation. There is a plethora of 2nd and 3rd year players that could take their play to the next level. I think most agree that Tyrone Crawford and Demarcus Lawrence are the favorites, but none will get more of a chance to claim Superstarhood then Joe Randle.
Truth be told, I have never been a fan of him and had him predicted to be cut by the final 53 in the past two preseasons only to see him somehow stick around...still not sure why. But negative-outlook aside, there is no excuse at this point for him to disappoint. When the Cowboys did not draft a running back and only brought in McFadden from Free Agency, they sent Mr. Randle a message. If he didn’t get that message, then he is much dumber than his off-the-field antics suggest.
How about the offensive line? Cohesion is quite possibly one of the most important ingredients to a successful offensive line and the Cowboys were able to bring the whole gang back, with the added benefit of a 1st round talent the Cowboys were able to steal off the street in La’el Collins.
If that Ol collective happened to fall in love with their press-clipping during the offseason and didn’t work like they worked to get to their now prestigious status, know this: La’el Collins is waiting in the wing to take a starting role. So, all of the Ol love from last year aside, they also have no excuse for showing up to camp unprepared…and you had better believe they know it!
The receiving core behind Dez should also see progression. While these Cowboys may not be picked to have the most dangerous receiving unit in football, they should not be ignored or overlooked. What they lack in explosion and take it to the house ability, they more than make up for in consistency, particularly from the likes of Dez, Witten, and Beasley. And keep in mind - while seeing the offense exit the field early due to an epic run after the catch and touchdown is always nice to watch, it is not always the best thing for the team overall. The ideal scenario for any Head Coach is to see his offense methodically and efficiently move down the field soaking up clock and gassing the opposition to ultimately score. If the Cowboys can in fact find their running game, this offense will be top 10 without question.
The defense overall has been a weak spot for the Cowboys in the last several years. Given the addition of Gregory, Jones, Hardy, and the return of Sean Lee, that could very well change in 2015. In fact, this team could jump from mediocre to dominant, particularly when Ro McClain and Greg Hardy return in week 5. The primary questions to be answered by this defense are in the secondary…and there are several:
Will Wilcox take the next step? Can Claiborne shrug off the bust label? Can Church return to his 2013 form? Is Scandrick worth the restructure? What in the hell position will Byron Jones play and will he prove his 1st round value in that capacity? To a certain degree, the same question of Byron applies to Corey White; the predominant difference being that should he answer in a positive manner, I have several friends who are Saints fans that are going to start hating me as the season progresses.
But if an improved pass rush, which the Cowboys absolutely should have, makes everyone in the secondary better and the majority of the above questions are answered favorably, this defense could quite possibly join their offense in that top 10 consideration….and if that happens, this team will be damn-near unstoppable; to an extent that not even Blandino will have much say in reversing the Cowboys fortunes.
You ever find twenty or even a hundred dollars that you forgot you stashed in an old coat pocket? The Cowboys have something like this happen every year with players whom the media/fans/analyst peg as journeyman only to see them emerge as great players. Romo, Austin, Murray, Brooking, Sensabaugh, Ratliff, Bailey, Lee, etc; all are players that exceeded expectations, despite their detractors, their age and/or where they were drafted…if they were drafted at all. Who will be that player this year?
I am not going to answer the question, because for me it is always a surprise; which is another way of saying in previous years I have typically been wrong about that guy. But know this: the Cowboys have several players who could emerge to be significant contributors, despite their lack of name recognition and/or high expectations. I don’t know who will it be; I just have every confidence that there will be a guy whose name you haven’t given much thought to this point, that you will find his likeness on the front page of the Monday morning paper following his emergence as a player to be reckoned with and game-planned against…of that I am certain.
If the Cowboys are to contend in 2015, much of the above teamed with luck, particularly on the injury front, will absolutely have to happen; there are very few other ways for the Cowboys to skin that cat. Given the difficulty of the Cowboys schedule, there is not much wiggle room for the Cowboys to struggle in any phase of the game, regardless if the running game returns to its 2014 form or not. That being said, as always, I am cautiously optimistic.
Steven Jackson