The long-awaited Game 1 of the Dallas Cowboys is here.
Fans have been waiting to see the offseason’s changes put into action since the firing of Jason Garrett and hiring of Mike McCarthy.
The main change, although thought to be the offensive weapons, is up in the air. The offense or defense? Coaching-wise or player-wise? Why not both?
There have been multiple pieces added and subtracted to this Dallas Cowboys team that could be the icing on top of a playoff season.
This starts out with the coach. Mike Nolan was added to the coaching staff during the 2020 playoff season, replacing Rob Marinelli after a lukewarm defensive 2019 season. Nolan started his NFL coaching career with the Denver Broncos as a special teams coach but made true footsteps as 49ers head coach in 2005. Nolan brings a relentless, almost overwhelming, mentality to his defense. It is a big change that will have a huge effect on the new additions upon the actual player roster.
It’s almost redundant talking about the signing of CeeDee Lamb and how that adds tremendous potential to the playoff hopes for the Dallas Cowboys, but the ability to have three possible 1,000-yard receivers on one team can stop any defense in their tracks.
If Amari Cooper is being guarded, that leaves Michael Gallup or Ceedee Lamb technically “wide open”. This is an imitation of what could happen, but there aren’t three top defending corners all on one team. This was an addition that made the Dallas offense much harder to cover. More points equal more wins.
Previously speaking of the defense, the improving pieces added were a huge boost from last season’s 8-8 season to a far run in the 2021 playoffs. Although the main stage pickup Gerald McCoy turned out to be a flop, The Dallas Cowboys using pushes towards adjusting their defense to make an impacting season made up for the loss.
Everson Griffen, having great seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, improved their defense last season by having 26 solo tackles, 8 sacks, and 1 interception. Dontari Poe, coming in from Carolina, has both defensive and offensive impact. An Aldon Smith, Dallas’ comeback story, did well with the Raider, although not having played since 2015.
Add that with the current amazing defensive talent, and the Cowboys’ defense could be looking at elite status.
“If you’re not trying to win a Super Bowl, I don’t know what you’re even doing in this business,” Mike McCarthy said perfectly.
In years of skating by with a small amount of postseason success, it is great to now have an air of winning. That’s the focus for this rebuilt Dallas team. There are high expectations for the Dallas Cowboys and a new culture of anticipated success for this team.
The Cowboys are going to kick off the 2020 NFL coming to game against the Los Angeles Rams at the SoFi Stadium and with the intention of putting it all on the line for the championship.
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