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2021-2022 Regular Season: Another Chance For A
Promising Beginning Even With Available Players Already Thinning
September 8,
2021 At 11:49 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
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“Cowboys Nation” – with NFL fans league wide settling in for another
wild ride – are back in the saddle again, sporting an ear-to-ear
grin. The 2021-2022 season is just HOURS from the starting gate
after another eventful offseason of historic celebrations and key
decisions (ideally) designed to improve each team’s performance
fate.
Mike Nolan got himself fired,
because
his pride and (well-worn or worn out?) process got tired,
allowing replacement
Dan Quinn (with an aggressive scheme and multiple Super
Bowls worth of experience) to get hired.
“America’s Team” – to the intoxicating delight of (most but not all
members of) Cowboys Nation –
spent eight of their eleven 2021 NFL
Draft selections on defenders. One of those remaining three choices
strategically-addressed depth at wide receiver (initially
unbelievable but not so inconceivable if, IF Michael “Contract Year”
Gallup – somehow, by the NFL trade deadline – becomes someone else’s
retriever). The remaining two picks were along the offensive line
(in the event one or more players – once again – succumb to injuries
serious enough to send fans on 2020-style benders).
Star quarterback Dak Prescott
deservedly and
mercifully got signed.-
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Former Cowboys players Cliff Harris, Drew Pearson,
and head coach Jimmy Johnson finally, FINALLY got enshrined.
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“And” Dak has fully recovered from his awful ankle injury from game
five of last year. “And, AND” after an over-eager, training camp
shoulder strain he would sustain, Prescott (“from all reports and
people in-the-know”) is prepared to go and ready to steer. YES, Yes,
yes, Dak was precautionarily prevented from preseason participation
and spent every single practice with the red shirt “no touch”
designation. The hoped-for-answer of “He’s sufficiently tough with
ALL the right stuff!” (to the lingering question of “Was THAT
enough?!”) will not be clarified until tonight, September 9th, 2021
at 7:20 PM, CST to officially begin another NFL season so rarified.
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HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series enjoyed the same admirable ratings (for
the third time since 2002 and 2008) as national television networks
regularly do with the Cowboys games they broadcast. Every other
reality show over the same period was simply outclassed.
There was the narration by none other than Liev Schreiber, AKA
Sabretooth, AKA Victor Creed (to “a certain someone’s” feature film
elation)!
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There was product placement (from a heavily-salted McGriddle to
“room temperature” Whataburger to sweet treats at Cow Tipping
Creamery) to keep fan appetites from becoming complacent.
There was a face-full of birthday cake (with a fan-favorite
international player desperate to claim his tasty piece, err,
stake).
There was bicycle mischief (and a fancy luggage birthday gift that
made all the diff).
There were highly-competitive chess matches (where Dallas’
first-round rookie aimed to leave his defeated opponents with more
than just mild scratches).
There were intense training camp end zone battles in both Oxnard and
at The Star which – as practice (ideally) makes perfect – may
eventually help the team go far to ever greater effect.
There were five (more) winless preseason games where a premium was
placed on learning and earning (in the absence of treating opponents
to some burning and churning) by an even younger team with
approximately 36 NEW PLAYERS and a different defensive
scheme.
There was the cockney accent of defensive line coach Aden Durde with
everyone from GM Jerry to players thinking it was the most
entertaining thing they ever heard (and yet he will be celebrated
for far more than the sound of his voice if his coaching can help
prevent the Cowboys’ “latest” promising-yet-imperfect defensive line
from delivering another performance turd).
There was surviving until the “Final 53” and 16 more on the practice
squad (with the remainder being pushed out the temporary-setback or
never-again door). Undersized defensive end Azur Karama showed
enough promise with his motor and speed to earn himself a roster
spot (albeit with an unpromised tomorra’).
What else could fans – from fair weather bandwagon to fire-breathing
dragon – possibly want?! Perhaps pro sports events which the
(perpetual?) pandemic can no longer haunt. Oh, yes. Like the “Clean
Slate” program from “The Dark Knight Rises,” that would be an
absolute fantasy, “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” (and any other logical,
reasonably-sane person) must confess.
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Keep To Yourself Or End Up On The Shelf
It is one thing to have lost (potentially) key players to (temporary
or year-ending) preseason injury (which the Cowboys have and which
should, SHOULD always trigger player awareness urgency). It
is another thing entirely to lose one or more of those players to
largely-avoidable irresponsibility (indirectly flaunted by
another thus-far untraced and / or unnamed brother whom fans might
like to violently smother). While people from every corner of the
planet seem (accidentally, ignorantly, politically, or stupidly)
determined to indulge “World War Z,” it simply cannot be just The
Tortured Cowboys Fan who is resistant to shouting “YIPPEE!”-
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Most (but not all members) of Cowboys Nation have largely been
vacillating between defiance and dread this past week over the
unexpected but now-accepted absence of offensive lineman Zack
Martin. The Cowboys’ all-world guard (the road grating muscle behind
which they prefer the running game to hustle) is currently in
COVID-19 protocol, leaving “The Great, Err, Good, Err, Unknown Wall
Of Dallas” looking potentially weak.
“B-But fellow offensive linemen Tyron Smith and La’el Collins –
following their offseason repairs – have been given a clean bill of
health!” you insist (without acknowledging the significant, cohesive
playing time of which there has been on wealth).
While Zack Martin was fully-vaccinated, that alone – again and again
– does not mean COVID-19 has been annihilated. There should be,
SHOULD BE nothing scarier to NFL teams if even the youngest,
healthiest, vaccinated players are no match for a pandemic protocol
that will sideline them (and ANY contact-traced teammates) over even
the
hint, THE HINT of being an asymptomatic carrier.
You may have received first, second, and even third vaccination
shots, but roaming the land without a mask on your face and
distancing planned means that – ALL YEAR LONG – teams will be on
pins and needles, saying their prayers and wondering if their next
game (for lack of key available players) will be lost or canned.
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While – by all reports – Martin did everything he could and should
to stay out of the delta variant’s way, his teammates, coaches, and
other members of the Cowboys’ organization (as well as
unnecessarily-present associates who only add to the trepidation)
should NOT have to be reminded that their best chance of success
involves ensuring their very best talent remain healthy and
available to play.
Good Quote Or Garbage Bloat?
"Tex Schramm, who started that Ring of Honor, said, 'Jerry, keep it
kinda' limited with people, but make sure it wasn't just about the
plays they made. Make sure they contributed to the story of the
franchise’. That's kinda' hard to not recognize THIS contribution to
the story of the franchise. [Jimmy] WILL be in the ring of honor." -
GM Jerry (acquiescing to Terry Bradshaw's well-timed nudging).
"While I'm ALIVE?!" - Jimmy Johnson (somewhat-jokingly,
knowing his addition to the Cowboys' Ring of Honor may, MAY be
forced to wait until after the Cowboys' next, Jerry-did-it-HIS-way
Super Bowl trophy arrives).-
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"Running is never going to be a punishment. Running is a reward (and
proof of game day participation which players should be desperately
running toward)." – Special Teams coach John “Bones” Fassel
(reminding players that achieving their collective, ultimate goal
requires but repetitive rehearsal).
"The number one thing on Thursday night is we make 12 feel
uncomfortable every f-ckin' snap." – Defensive Line coach Aden Durde
(who hopes the performance of his group will only encourage positive
use of Hard Knocks' participants' "favorite" word).
"To me, this is a philosophical issue. I just don't believe on givin'
up on the guy in his second year.
Ben DiNucci has things that we're
not gonna' find in free agency. If Ben DiNucci's gonna' make it,
he's gotta' get it going between his ears. But the physical tools
are there. I'm disappointed he didn't show us more in the games.
He's not showing the swagger. Ya' know. He's tentative. He plays
slow. He pronates the ball when he looks at things. But he's a young
guy, and we may have something there." – Head coach Mike McCarthy
(nervously during deliberations over final cut down configurations).
"It's all about holdin' ourselves accountable, right? Don't cheat
the man next to you. Damn sure don't cheat this team. Let's put in
the work." – Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (aiming – as usual –
to deliver all he’s got).
Will They Or Won’t They?
What a way to start the very latest of NFL years. Take a business
trip down to Tampa Bay to face the current NFL Champion Buccaneers!
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Will Dan Quinn and a largely-new set of defenders – with but one
offseason in his system – find a way to put Tom Brady in a blender
and inconceivably turn him into a victim? Will Durde’s defensive
line make Tom Terrific “uncomfortable,” or will they, too, become
the most-recent target of his game winning ritual?
Will Scott McCurley’s linebackers be able to read and react so that
– from sideline to sideline – the Bucs can never quite get
untracked? Will Joe Whitt, Jr.’s secondary be able to benefit from
that grunt front pressure and that linebacking chase in order to
prevent successful passes all over the place?
Will Tampa defensive coordinator Todd Bowles be able to take
advantage of a protocol-imprisoned Martin, poke holes in his
replacement Connor McGovern, and leave Dak Prescott significantly
smartin’?
Will Prescott overcome some expected rust, roll away from McGovern
(and even La’el) when he absolutely must, and help the Cowboys’
offense positively combust? Will Ezekiel Elliott (be encouraged to)
join Tony Pollard in making his presence felt in the passing game if
the offensive line interior comes up initially lame with rushing
output so inferior?
Will America’s Team dampen all the usual, unfulfilled hype and game
day buzz (by delivering – as the Talking Heads once said: “Same as
it ever was, same as it ever was")?
We shall see. We always do.
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