A Cowboys, Giants Throwdown On The Horizon: Are You Ready?
The NFL Preseason is done and the Dallas Cowboys now have one thing to focus on. There is only one team on the horizon and that my friends is the dreaded New York Giants. I don’t want to rub it in, but they are the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Ouch right? This is one match-up that is going to test the ‘Boys right out of the gate. Some go as far as to say the Cowboys’ season hinges on this one game. I wouldn’t go that far, but I would go as far as to say that if they do not have a good showing Wednesday night, the next six weeks or so may be a rocky stretch.
Following a week one meeting with the Giants, the Cowboys head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks, then they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears before their bye week. Let’s say the Cowboys have a bad showing week one. Who’s to say that doesn’t carry over to week two and three? After some rough outings against the Giants in the past the Cowboys have not played well. Need I remind you all of the late season nose dive that took place last year? I would hope not.
I’m not particularly concerned about the team. I think even if they have a rough start they will be able to turn it around. I’m more concerned about the fan base. I’m concerned that some Cowboys fans will give up on this year’s team if rough patches come early on. Here’s why:
- Some big names have been added in the offseason that should produce big time on the field this season. Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne are the two biggest ones people connect with most. Each costed a pretty penny to get and in turn much is expected of them.
- The Cowboys have had a team that should go deep into they playoffs year-in and year-out and yet they’ve failed to connect the dots as of yet.
- Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is suppose to be a defensive genius by himself. With the personnel he has in Dallas he should be a super genius that cannot fail. When there is so much hope surrounding one guy, and that guy has a rough stretch, it has the tendency to rub people the wrong way.
I’m here to tell you the storms are coming. There is no way around it. Each team has its ups and downs each year… some more than others. Just as the Cowboys are prepared to weather the storms, so should we. The goal is to have every person that claims to be a Dallas Cowboys fan bleed blue and silver so when the storms come we’ll be ready to be the twelfth man we need to be.
In an effort to paint an optimistic picture, here is a list of things that went right this offseason, as well as things we have to look forward to. Fell free to add your own thoughts to the comment boards and we can kick this idea around.
- The offensive line has been in flux all offseason and Tony Romo made it out healthy and ready for the regular season. It’s a good thing he did too, because he’ll need to be on his toes Wednesday night. Everyone knows the D-line in New York will be gunning for him. And don’t kid yourself people. Kyle Orton is not leading this team to a Super Bowl. No matter what anyone says, Tony Romo is the only logical answer for the Dallas Cowboys to be successful this year.
- If the o-line can get in a groove DeMarco Murray is ready to take Dallas’ running game to the next level. He’s not quite an Emmitt Smith, but he’s pretty good. He even showed more explosion and speed this preseason than what I remember. That’s good news for a team that has multiple question marks in the with the receivers on the roster.
- Last but not least, the defense has looked much improved over last season. The defensive personnel has had a full offseason to learn Rob Ryan’s complex scheme and they’ve looked a lot more comfortable this preseason. We’ll see what happens week one when they have to match up with some real fire power, but I see this unit as being confident and ready to rectify their short comings from last season.
Are you ready for the NFL regular season to start? I for one and ready to go! Let’s get our heads right and be ready to ride this roller coaster that is being a Dallas Cowboys fan.
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