Bobhaze
Staff member
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The word assumption is defined as “something that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof.”
We all make assumptions. We often assume when someone says something, they mean something that they may actually not mean. (Like my wife for example, LOL!) We may assume that if a work colleague brings his lunch every day, and it’s a ham sandwich, he must love ham. Etc, etc.
In sports, we fans are always making assumptions- some accurate, some not. For example, if a young Cowboys CB has 5 interceptions his rookie season, we immediately assume he will have the same number of INTs or more the next year and many years ahead. Or in a broader sense, if our favorite team goes 13-3 one season, we can assume they will be close to that the next season.
But it’s pretty clear that the NFL is a year to year thing, and many of our football assumptions are inaccurate- positive and negative assumptions. Let’s look at some common assumptions going into this season:
We all make assumptions. We often assume when someone says something, they mean something that they may actually not mean. (Like my wife for example, LOL!) We may assume that if a work colleague brings his lunch every day, and it’s a ham sandwich, he must love ham. Etc, etc.
In sports, we fans are always making assumptions- some accurate, some not. For example, if a young Cowboys CB has 5 interceptions his rookie season, we immediately assume he will have the same number of INTs or more the next year and many years ahead. Or in a broader sense, if our favorite team goes 13-3 one season, we can assume they will be close to that the next season.
But it’s pretty clear that the NFL is a year to year thing, and many of our football assumptions are inaccurate- positive and negative assumptions. Let’s look at some common assumptions going into this season:
- Our OL will return to form- Tyron Smith- after neck surgery this last season (when he missed 14 games) many of us fans are assuming he’s going to be back to his normal form. We all assume La’el Collins and Zack Martin will also return to dominant form. Those are hopeful assumptions. If accurate- great! But what if 1 or 2 of those guys aren’t what they once were?
- Mike McCarthy is not a good HC- he did not have a great start as Cowboys HC, making several strategic blunders in key moments last year. The assumption of many is he’s not a good HC. Time will tell of course. But can we assume we know enough about Big Mac at this point? Maybe he’s better than we assume.
- Ezekiel Elliott is in decline- last year was a sub-par year for Zeke. The fumbles, the lack of burst and big plays. The assumption is he was not good last year primarily because of the injuries to our OL. Is that an accurate assumption or just fan hopes?
- Our LBs are terrible- Last year was a bad year for The whole D and LB play was atrocious. The assumption is Jaylon Smith is terrible and un-fixable and LVE is a China doll about to be injured again. Are those accurate assumptions? Maybe. But it’s also possible both can be greatly improved through some better coaching.
- Our defense will take years to fix- this is a common assumption that is understandable. Our D has been talent starved for far too long. Will it take 2-3 years, or will a great draft and some key FA make this year’s defense at least decent?
