Blogging The Boys
Believe it or not, Cowboys fans, but football season is here. For many, the Micah Parsons trade killed any shred of excitement or hope that may have existed, but just like Thanos, the start of the regular season is inevitable.
Most teams answer questions this time of year, settling position battles with their final roster cuts, but the Cowboys will travel to Philadelphia with even more questions than they initially had. Who will lead the team in carries? Who can even attempt to replace Parsons? And does Brian Schottenheimer even stand a chance anymore?
Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman tackle all these questions and overall thoughts on this team as we race towards kickoff.
Tom: I’m not exactly brimming with optimism. After the gut punch of the Micah Parsons trade, there are obviously questions about how you replace one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL. I know you are not happy, David. But if you remember, I saw that this was more possible than most wanted to say. Personally, I chalk this up to how Jerry Jones is probably the most inept GM in the league. It certainly appears that he poisoned things with his one-on-one “negotiation” with Parsons, which never should have happened.
Coming up with a pass rush without Parsons is a monster threat for this season, but the team has some big question marks beyond that, with the interior of the defensive line and the strength of the running back room among the biggest in my mind. No disrespect to Kenny Clark, but it is doubtful he is going to turn the run defense around. The offensive line also has to come together quickly to open some holes for the backs and to provide protection for Dak Prescott.
With the weapons at Prescott’s disposal, especially the addition of George Pickens, the passing game should be potent. That gives them a puncher’s chance in a lot of games if the defense doesn’t turn into wet toilet paper. But if he doesn’t get protection, or gets hurt, this season could get ugly fast. It already doesn’t look too great.
David: As you said, I’m livid about the Micah Parsons ordeal, simply because this outcome was so easily avoidable.
Having said that, I’m not sure this is a complete and total loss from a football perspective. Obviously Parsons is an elite talent, and losing someone like that is never a positive, but I had previously voiced concerns about Matt Eberflus being able to maximize his unique talents in the way that Dan Quinn and even Mike Zimmer did.
Besides, this defensive scheme is built around the defensive tackles anyway. It requires one freaky athletic 3-technique (Osa Odighizuwa) and one bona fide run stuffer, which they sorely lacked until Kenny Clark got here. Eberflus has a track record of producing pass rush off the edge, regardless of talent, as a byproduct of the interior success.
I’m not saying the defense will be better without Parsons, but I’m...
