Love them or loathe them, there seems to be no middle ground for NFL fans when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys…especially in Northwest Louisiana. And if the first two weeks of the NFL preseason are any indication, buckle up. It could prove to be as up and down as driving on I-20 East in Bossier. (If you know, you know…)
I know, it’s only pre-season, and like most football-starved fans, I’m living … and … dying on each glorified dress rehearsal, which is the NFL preseason.
This knee-jerk reaction problem is not a recent ailment. Thanks to Facebook memories, I am able to trace the preseason woes of Cowboy fandom.
In 2019, it was the underneath passing game on third and long. I just couldn’t – for the life of me – understand why the Cowboys’ coaching staff would call a pass play with a five-yard out route on third and 15. Made no sense.
The year before that, the target of my ire was offensive lineman Doug Free.
“When I die, please let Doug Free be a pallbearer so he can let me down one more time,” I posted on social media.
It’s funny now. Not so funny then when I could not afford therapy and used social media posts to vent.
At least I’m self-aware. And I’m not alone.
A little over a week ago, Cowboy fans took to social media to vent over Dallas’ 17 penalties in the preseason opener against Denver. That is the most penalties in an NFL preseason game since 2019.
And it’s not the look that Cowboy head coach Mike McCarthy, whose team led the league in penalties last season, wanted his fan base to see on the heels of a home season-ending playoff loss to San Francisco in which the Cowboys committed 14 penalties.
McCarthy didn’t help himself early in the third quarter of the Denver game when a camera caught his reaction after Dallas’ 11th penalty. Flippantly, he slapped at the air as he looked off in the distance and mumbled something under his breath.
One would think there would be more urgency in his demeanor about the penalty problem, which has spilled over into the 2022 preseason. Fans believed as much as McCarthy addressed the issue on numerous occasions during the offseason.
What a difference a week makes for McCarthy. He was all smiles late Saturday night, watching former Neville Tiger KaVontae Turpin run through Los Angeles Charger coverage units, not once, but twice for touchdown returns on both a punt return and kickoff return.
What a nice surprise from the USFL MVP who signed with the Cowboys on July 27.
While Turpin was the lightning for the Cowboys Saturday night, former Parkway Panther standout Israel Mukuamu, who did not register a tackle during his rookie 2021 season, brought the thunder early in the game with some big hits and an interception of Chargers’ quarterback Easton Stick on a second-and-nine pass with a little over 13 minutes left in the first quarter.
Of course, the point man in the Cowboys’ offense, Haughton product Dak Prescott, has yet to take a snap.
When he does, all eyes will be on the former Buc to see if he is able to take another step after being held back in 2021 due to a compound ankle fracture and dislocation during the 2020 season. Despite the health setbacks, Prescott still threw for a franchise-record 37 touchdown passes and a career high 68.8 completion percentage.
With the injury behind him, Prescott comes into the season leaner, healthier, and brimming with confidence. Cowboy fans are hoping that year No. 7 is lucky for the former Mississippi State standout.
There is one more North Louisiana Cowboy to keep an eye on – former Woodlawn Knight Donovan Wilson. Wilson started three games during his last year and recorded 29 tackles. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and local Cowboy fans are hoping Wilson can return to his sophomore-season form in Dallas.
In 2020 Wilson started 10 games, recorded 79 tackles, including 3.5 sacks. Wilson also intercepted two passes and forced three fumbles.
If the Cowboys can stay healthy … but, what about the absence of Amari Cooper?
Like former Dallas quarterback “Dandy” Don Meredith said, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas
The Boys have one more preseason game – this Friday against Seattle — before the games start to mean something. Dallas will host Tampa Bay on Sunday night, September 11.
Get your blood pressure meds right, Cowboys fans. And – if you’re like me – some ointment for those knee-jerk reactions.
Contact Jerry at sbjjerrybyrd@gmail.com