The NFL season is fast approaching, with preseason games already underway. The Chicago Bears kicked things off with a win against the Houston Texans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game last Thursday. Starting today, we’ll have NFL games every Thursday, Sunday, and Monday for the next 18 weeks, culminating on January 5 when the regular season ends. Football is truly back.
Iron Sharpens Iron
As usual, teams will have joint practice sessions with other teams to gauge readiness and reacquaint players with the season’s intensity. However, these joint sessions often lead to fights, which the NFL fines. Ahead of the joint session between the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys, Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy issued a stern warning to his players about fighting during practice. “It’s a waste of time, I don’t want guys fighting. That’s not toughness, it’s a lack of discipline,” McCarthy said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining professionalism.
He added, “That’s all part of the emotional challenge in the game of football. I’m not looking for that. I know Sean’s not looking for it either. We want to have a hell of a practice; that’s why we’re working together.” Despite the warnings, it’s likely we’ll see a few out-of-place shoves.
Dak gettin’ buckets for @usabasketball’s quarterfinal 🏀@dak | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/ZoiGahXQhX
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 6, 2024
The Unpredictable Cowboys
The Cowboys have finished the past three seasons with a 12-5 record, a remarkable feat, yet they’ve only made it to the divisional round once in those three years. These successful seasons coincide with the arrival of Micah Parsons and the emergence of CeeDee Lamb, whose contract situation remains unresolved. Dak Prescott has had its best years, aside from his standout rookie season. Despite these strong regular seasons and the return of Zeke Elliott as running back, the Cowboys’ offense looks weaker compared to previous years, especially without CeeDee.
While the offense faces challenges, the defense remains the team’s strength, with Parsons, Bland, and the returning Diggs, alongside new defensive coordinator and former Vikings head coach, Mike Zimmer. The defence will be crucial to keep the team competitive in the upcoming season and to aspire to a higher playoff appearance, fans should demand that the team at least makes it to the conference finals, something they haven’t done in the past 29 years.