Haven't even snapped a ball in camp yet, but this promises, or perhaps portends, to be one of the most interesting seasons in Cowboys history.
The league is in a state of flux, and the NFC is in shambles. The best quarterbacks in the NFC are Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott because the only elite 4 or 5 in the NFL all reside in the other conference. The only NFC teams worth discussion are Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, and maybe Detroit or Seattle. Ain't buying the Minnesota thing anymore. The rest are rebuilding their rebuilds, and flailing away on how they're possibly going to throw the ball with any meaningful consistency.
Then there's us.
Dan Quinn has new toys, which is the thing I'm most excited about. Mazi and Gilmore should make a nice difference, and I'm hopeful Damone Clark and Sam Williams are going to make huge strides this year. I absolutely love how Dallas has FINALLY built an excellent secondary group across the board, and then FINALLY drafted a strong inside tackle to stop the run. The retread thing for years in those two areas proved to be a disaster.
And now, Mike McCarthy is coaching for his job while calling the plays. His hiring made no sense with Kellen Moore still here because McCarthy is a playcaller and always has been. Now we'll get to see that every week, and that will be interesting. He's only called plays for Brett Farve and Aaron Rodgers, and while he's certainly had a say in playcalls, he's never been hiding behind that playsheet on the sideline here like he did in Green Bay. And for the record, I think Moore will shine in San Diego with Herbert; this was just an awkward structure here, which Jerry excels at creating.
I'm one who isn't worried about the RB situation at all because I like Malik Davis a lot, and Duece Vaughn will be immediately a factor in his specialized role. That kid is a player. I wouldn't even mind Zeke back on a reasonable contract because he's not as useless as some say. He does important things far better than anyone else in the group.
The offensive line will be good, especially as Tyson Smith becomes truly dominant. Supposedly he's vastly stronger and quicker than before after an intense offseason. I know, injuries are going to happen, but that's true for 32 teams. Dallas fans act like we're in an unlucky bubble that way, and we're just like all the others, and another Tyron injury shouldn't derail this thing altogether. They should be fine.
The receivers and tight ends are plenty solid, and I'm glad Schultz is gone, Cooks is here, and Gallup is another year removed from that injury. Pollard and Vaughn will be big players in the passing game, too.
You all know how I feel about Dak, but know this, too. This team CAN get to a Super Bowl with him at quarterback, especially this year. Will they? I don't think so because I'm still waiting to see him perform against a legitimate playoff team in January. But that doesn't mean he won't this time, and he's got the roster to do it. He doesn't have to be special, just solid. Drive the bus, and don't miss the key throws late. Do that, trust Quinn, and be effective enough in the playoffs to help the running game go and the defense stay fresh. It's been done with non-elite quarterbacks many times before.
I'd damn sure rather have Dak than about 20 of these other gawd awful quarterbacks in this league. (I think every quarterback drafted this year will be a bust.) The Cowboys don't have to go through Mahomes, Burrow, Allen, Herbert, or Rodgers to get there. There's a very real path to a Super Bowl here.
We're going to win 10+ games because it just isn't that hard to do with a decent roster against this craptastic league. Dallas has a good team. Injuries aside of course, it should waltz to 10-7 and more likely finish a game or two better than that. A midseason trade for Aaron Donald once the Rams go kaput would help matters greatly in the playoffs, so I hope Jerry is listening. And get a good kicker in here, please?
This is a put-up or shut-up season, no doubt, even though Jerry and Stephen I'm sure won't talk about it that way on the yacht during camp. It is. This thing will fray if they don't live up to their pedigree, and guys will start to look for ways out. It needn't come to that, but they'd better get to a conference championship at the very least.
From our coaches, enough has been added and changed to make things intriguing this year differently than the long run of re-runs we've been watching for seasons on end. Here's hoping for success against Philly in the regular season when both teams are full strength to toughen them up for the playoff speed and spotlight that awaits.
Let 'er rip.
