Dallas Cowboys: 3 takeaways from the second episode of Hard Knocks

Last week, the first episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks featuring the Dallas Cowboys finally arrived. The season premiere was well worth the wait, providing an up-close and personal look at this year’s Cowboys team along with its fair share of viral moments.

One of my favorite things about Hard Knocks, regardless of which team they feature in a given year, is the commitment to show viewers all sides of life in an NFL training camp. Instead of just focusing on the Xs and Os, Hard Knocks loves to show you the people under the pads. Sure some moments can feel a bit more genuine (in some cases a lot more) than others, but they’re all still a blast to see unfold.

Last week, I broke down a few moments from the show’s first episode that I thought were particularly entertaining. This week, I am excited to come back with three more fun takeaways from the seasons’ second episode.

1.Ben DiNucci’s style needs some work…along with everything else

In 2020 the Dallas Cowboys selected Ben DiNucci from James Madison with their seventh-round pick. Following a rash of injuries and with few available options, the Cowboys started him against the Philadelphia Eagles last November. The results?

Well, DiNucci looked every bit like the seventh-round pick he was. The then-rookie signal-caller struggled, going 21-40 for 180 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and two fumbles lost in a 23-9 Cowboys loss.

DiNucci didn’t see another snap for the rest of the year. It was definitely a rough start and he is now hoping to turn the page and make a better impression during this preseason.

This week’s episode had a pretty fun moment early on when offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and quarterback Dak Prescott began imploring DiNucci to pick up his style game. The second-year quarterback replied by telling them that: “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”

DiNucci has a lot more to pick up than just his style. So far this camp “The Nooch” hasn’t quite improved on last season’s poor showing in Philadelphia. Maybe he’s not broke, but he certainly could use some fixing.

To date, he’s a combined 13-31 for 135 yards, one touchdown, and one interception through the first two preseason games. To his credit though, he did throw the Cowboys’ lone preseason touchdown so far.

2. Dallas Cowboys? More like the Dallas Chessmasters

Wide receiver Amari Cooper‘s love of chess is something that has been pretty well documented over the years. He even went so far as to compare himself to the knight, a key chess piece, a couple of years ago:

However, Cooper is far from the only Dallas Cowboy who enjoys a good game of chess. Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons also loves to square off with teammates in a quick match.

Cooper and Parsons even made it a point to play each other over the offseason a couple of times. At one point the Cowboys’ 2021 first-round pick took to social media to share his victory over the veteran receiver.

This week’s Hard Knocks brought the team’s love of chess to viewers front and center, showcasing a battle between Ben DiNucci and Parsons early on in the episode. So who won?

This time, it was DiNucci who bested the Cowboys’ rookie linebacker. He even capped his victory off by telling Parsons, a native of Harrisburg, PA: “I guess the western part of PA is better than the eastern part of PA, huh?”

Hopefully, we can see some more chess action later on in the series, maybe even another Cooper and Parsons showdown. For what it’s worth, Micah Parsons is already lobbying for a rematch against DiNucci.

3. Azur Kamara is a name to keep an eye on

This episode didn’t have anything nearly as bizarre as the team’s mojo moments from last week, or as funny as Ezekiel Elliott’s attempts at wrapping a gift for Dak Prescott. What it did have though was Azur Kamara.

Hard Knocks has always loved to spotlight players who are longshots to make the team’s final roster but are easy to root for. They definitely found one this season with the undersized second-year defensive end and former Kansas Jayhawk.

Kamara’s family fled the Ivory Coast when he was still just a child before eventually coming to Arizona. After spending last season on the practice squad, he’s now fighting for a spot on the Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster.

During the Cowboys’ second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, Kamara made an impact, notching three solo tackles and nearly sealing a victory for Dallas. Unfortunately, his highlight strip-sack was called back, and the Cardinals would go on to win 19-16.

This game was still special for Kamara though, if for no other reason than it marked the first time his family saw him play at the NFL level, and you could tell they were rightfully overjoyed to see him suit up. The Hard Knocks crew made it a point to grab some reaction shots of Kamara’s family, and they were easily some of the episode’s best moments.

Azur Kamara is definitely a name to keep your eyes on as the preseason progresses, and someone I am pulling for on and off the field. Hopefully, we see a lot more of him in future episodes.