NFL
By: Greg Rector
The NFL Draft is over and the rookies have held their first mini-camp. Organized Team Activities are up next and at least for the Cowboys, it appears there will be almost 100% participation. After the OTA’s end, the next step will hopefully be returning to Oxnard, CA for training camp to get ready for the Hall of Fame Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 5th. Now that we have an idea of what the 2021 season could be I am going to dissect what has to happen in order for the Dallas Cowboys to have a successful 2021 season.
Staying Healthy:
We can wish for never having so many key players miss games as was the case in the 2020 season. It’s also the biggest of the “IF’s,” for every team. However, in Dallas, it also explains many of the draft choices, especially the Micah Parson and Jabril Cox picks. As I wrote about in my draft article. It’s on the other side of the ball however that staying as healthy as possible is vital for the Cowboys. Keeping number 4 healthy is of course of paramount importance in order to compete. Plain and simple a healthy Dak Prescott for 17 games gives the Cowboys the best opportunity to win the NFC East. The guys upfront on the offensive line especially Tyron Smith and La’el Collins must return to form and play the vast majority of games. Collins loss last season was a huge factor in the decline of the running game and therefore Ezekiel Elliott, who was nowhere near as effective as he’s been in earlier seasons. A return to health for those mentioned here means “Feed Zeke,” returns that will make opponents play differently.
The Dan Quinn Defense:
As much as the health of the offensive side of football matters, this is truly the biggest of the “IF’s” going into the 2021 season. IF Dan Quinn can get this group to be improved the Dallas Cowboys should be the team to beat in the NFC East. This group looked and played as if they were devoid of any structure last year. Quinn has thus far been the total opposite of the now-fired Mike Nolan. He knows what he wants to do in terms of scheme (A 3-4 hybrid base D about 30% of snaps) the rest of the time it will be nickel packages that will use Cover 3 most of the time, with press coverage used as well in certain situations. Quinn was very hands-on at the rookie mini-camp especially with his new linemen, and that along with a true off-season should help a great deal. One of the biggest gripes from the players last year as they weren’t being “Coached up,” enough. Granted the Covid-19 restrictions made it hard last year but plenty of team defenses still managed to be pretty good. Unlike last season with so many new players between free agents and the draft, the Cowboys need to figure out quickly who will do what and when for the defense.
The New Cowboys :
The pressure to contribute is certainly not just on 12th overall pick Micah Parsons. With as many as seven or 8 of the eleven draft picks expected to make this team the learning curve will be steep for this rookie class. It’s also true for the likes of Brent Urban, Tarell Basham, and Keanu Neal, and the other free agent signings. Not only must they learn new playbooks and terminology, they all will also need to learn how to navigate the hornet’s nest that is being a Dallas Cowboys player. Like it or not the expectations are always going to be over the top when you have “The Star,” on your helmet. Then of course you have all the extra media attention and the hopes and dreams of #CowboysNation to deal with on social media. With that said the IF’s for these guys are going to be plenty. My biggest IF for those on the defensive of the ball is IF they can make the overall group better or not? What I really hope for is them bringing a different mentality to the Cowboys. You all know how much it bothers me to see the Cowboys not ready from the opening kick-off, especially at AT&T Stadium. IF these guys can bring about that type of change I don’t need them to be perfect on every play as so many fans seem to be hell-bent on. Bring the compete level up, bring passion, and play hard.
My Outlook:
IF this Cowboys roster stays healthy, IF they do indeed improve on the defensive side of the football, IF Ezekiel Elliott, returns to form, then the Cowboys can legitimately look at winning the NFC East. It won’t be easy as both the Giants and the WFT (Get a name will ya’s) are going to be better than last year as well. Both division foes have their own IF’s at the quarterback position that won’t be an issue for Dallas, IF Prescott is healthy. Hopefully, 2021 will be unlike 2020 where all Cowboys fans had to say more than once “WHAT IF DAK DIDN’T GET HURT.” Finally, IF the Cowboys doesn’t give up an average of 158 rushing yards a game, and indeed give the offense more possessions by creating turnovers, the Cowboys should win the NFC East. The IF’s will be addressed soon enough Cowboys fans. For now though enjoy Memorial Day, kid’s graduations, and now even time with friends and family without masks, as long as y’all are vaccinated. Besides the rest of the spring has the Stanley Cup and the NBA playoffs to get worked up over.
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
DC4L
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