The 2026 NFL (and Cowboys) Reset

[ShiningStar]

Each summer, during training camp and pre-season game time, fans and sports pundits look at the draft, FA signings, previous season performance, and upcoming season schedules then confidently predict how the NFL season will play out. It’s a tradition we all usually participate in.

Then the season starts and reality sets in.

After nearly 25% of the season - surprise!! - we have some surprises. Who had the giants leading the NFCE at 3-1? Who had the raiders at 3-1 after 4 games? Who had Cle at 3-1 and leading the AFC North? Who had the Texans and that (supposed) “great” defense starting 0-4? Who had the “mighty” rams fighting to be 2-2? The e-girls looking bad at 2-2? The list goes on….

I know - It’s way too early to say these surprise teams or trends are a lock. Things will change. But it’s not too early to recognize the NFL is always in a state of flux.

Truth is the NFL resets itself every year. And the Cowboys are also certainly also in a reset. Especially on defense.

The Cowboys defense is full of young players who will take some time to develop and learn the scheme that their 34 year old rookie DC is trying to implement. After 4 games it’s obvious this defense is still (to put it kindly) a long way from being good. But it can get better because the talent level is better than last year. But it may take weeks.

Here are the simple truths about what the Cowboys are so far:

• This is a team with a very good offense that needs to score 30 every week to win.
• This is team with a very young defense trying to find itself.
• Right now, this team is exactly what its record says it is - mediocre.

The NFL is in a reset like it does every year. And the Cowboys are certainly in one too. Our 2-2 record says exactly who we are so far. Good on offense, bad on defense. If the defense can improve as we go, we might be a playoff team. If not, the reset continues into 2027.

This is a horrible, horrible horrible take, but it does prove 1 thing, People that pay attention and people who dont.

lets start wtih the obvious, Never take strength of schedule serious, thats just a talking point. it means nothing. In football, beause the season is short, you play whos in front of you, thats it. you play their attrition vs your attrition, than it goes into the steps. Good luck.

next and this one is important. No one, no one with brain cell 1 is shocked by the Giants, you are you, you re going to be shocked the sun will be there tomorrow. just prepare yourself now. Harbaugh said to your face, like Jerry Jones has said his message for 30 years, and some fans are still shocked, Jim Harbaugh told every camera, "im going to pick my matches, im going to win what i can and lose what will be" but the odds are in his favor to win and win better than we do. he has an established staff that doesnt do what the Cowboys do. They are on board with his message and what he wants, "Dart to Scatterbo, if they cant stop it, we ll keep doing it" "Dart to an open reciever, if they cant stop it, we ll keep doing it"

Its SIMPLE but effective and that works in the NFL.

Anyone shocked by this, checkers is your game. Head on over.

Raiders, Cleveland, they have their up and down years, no one pays attention to them they do their thing. Have been doing it for a long time.

Coming right back to the Cowboys to keep this post simple. Jerry Jones told everyone, "I am taking the inexepericenced guy" he KNOWS WHAT THE other teams are about, but for 30 years, the man has told you the game plan and you still try to be confused about it. at this point, nothing is helping you.

Harbaugh came in, put his staff together, told them what he wants to do, their job is to make it happen. Plain and simple, wrapped up nice and tight.

Jerry Jones: im sticking to my decades long plan, everything else is sell, sell sell, you keep buying, i keep selling, THe Cowboys are NOT a football team, they are a marketing team. I do the PR, the people sell the merch. I do NOT care if you understand that or not. That is my plan.

Commanders, they know what they have in Dan Quinn, Dan Quinn is who DQ is, only his team can make the up and down, nothing else he can do.

Eagles, very simple, they are riding thier high and win or lose on that and go and do it again next year.


There, nothing hard about this. Very simple, crayons are over, find a book, keep it ON THE PAPER.

 

[LouBrown]

See, this is why you don't rely on the internet to teach you what the rules are. Our friend Skywalker left out some words from the rule that's pertinent to what happened here.

The actual rule:
RULE 12 PLAYER CONDUCT
SECTION 1 BLOCKING, USE OF HANDS AND ARMS
ARTICLE 3 ILLEGAL BLOCK BY AN OFFENSIVE PLAYER
(c)

Blocking Notes:​

(1) When a defensive player is held by an offensive player during the following situations, Offensive holding will not be called:​

(a) if the runner is being tackled simultaneously by any defensive player;​

(b) if the runner simultaneously goes out of bounds;​

(c) if a fair catch is made simultaneously;​

(d) if the action clearly occurs after a forward pass has been thrown to a receiver beyond the line of scrimmage;​

(e) if the action occurs away from the point of attack and not within close-line play;​

(f) if a free kick results in a touchback;​

(g) if a scrimmage kick simultaneously becomes a touchback;​

(h) if the action is part of a double team block, unless the defender splits the double team, gets to the outside of either​

blocker, or is taken to the ground; or​

(i) if, during a defensive charge, a defensive player uses a “rip” technique that puts an offensive player in a position​

that would normally be holding, unless and until the defender’s feet are taken away from him by the blocker’s action.​

If you see the red above and watch the video, after the rip, Steele blocks the defender until his knee hits the turf. The ref is watching all this the entire way and it's only when the defender's knee goes down that he reaches for his flag (twice because he missed at first). What he's calling is the defender's feet being taken away from him by the blocker's action. By definition (the complete definition), a hold.

Any questions?

Nah

 

[TheMightyVanHalen]

While true, Dak hit Pickens at the end of the Baltimore game and we are 3-2. Really changes your perspective.

Realistically we could be 4-0, and my 17-0 prediction would be looking really good.

I don't normally like to do the would've/could've/should've thing, because that thinking can go both ways, but there's an argument for 4-0.

 

[rambo2]

Each summer, during training camp and pre-season game time, fans and sports pundits look at the draft, FA signings, previous season performance, and upcoming season schedules then confidently predict how the NFL season will play out. It’s a tradition we all usually participate in.

Then the season starts and reality sets in.

After nearly 25% of the season - surprise!! - we have some surprises. Who had the giants leading the NFCE at 3-1? Who had the raiders at 3-1 after 4 games? Who had Cle at 3-1 and leading the AFC North? Who had the Texans and that (supposed) “great” defense starting 0-4? Who had the “mighty” rams fighting to be 2-2? The e-girls looking bad at 2-2? The list goes on….

I know - It’s way too early to say these surprise teams or trends are a lock. Things will change. But it’s not too early to recognize the NFL is always in a state of flux.

Truth is the NFL resets itself every year. And the Cowboys are also certainly also in a reset. Especially on defense.

The Cowboys defense is full of young players who will take some time to develop and learn the scheme that their 34 year old rookie DC is trying to implement. After 4 games it’s obvious this defense is still (to put it kindly) a long way from being good. But it can get better because the talent level is better than last year. But it may take weeks.

Here are the simple truths about what the Cowboys are so far:

• This is a team with a very good offense that needs to score 30 every week to win.
• This is team with a very young defense trying to find itself.
• Right now, this team is exactly what its record says it is - mediocre.

The NFL is in a reset like it does every year. And the Cowboys are certainly in one too. Our 2-2 record says exactly who we are so far. Good on offense, bad on defense. If the defense can improve as we go, we might be a playoff team. If not, the reset continues into 2027.

It's looking more and more like the Cowboys will win the division.

 

[MarcusRock]

Nah

Come on now, Lou. You fell for the rage bait, dint'cha? Lol.

 

[LouBrown]

Come on now, Lou. You fell for the rage bait, dint'cha? Lol.

I don't know what this means

 

[CT Dal Fan]

Realistically we could be 4-0, and my 17-0 prediction would be looking really good.

I don't normally like to do the would've/could've/should've thing, because that thinking can go both ways, but there's an argument for 4-0.

There are legit arguments for 4-0 and 0-4. So at 2-2 the Cowboys are probably exactly what they should be right now.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

It's looking more and more like the Cowboys will win the division.

Well since two of the teams don't have starting qbs and the Eagles are imploding then yes. Go Cowboys.

 

[MarcusRock]

I don't know what this means

It means Cowboys fans who wanted to believe we were "wronged" in some way were fed something by an online personality to engage their rage knowing they wouldn't vet what was presented so long as it "sounded good" because rage overrules investigation. Basically, clickbait for those who are ready to kneejerk react.

 

[cald0d30s0]

Right on point with the word “reset”. Fantastic.

You actually have your reset to try again from the start, most of the times that doesn’t work in any team sport.

A team may not reset if they do have a philosophy and a plan, which can fail, but you have a different starting point.

Cowboys are a annual reset of just try and error.