Dallas Cowboys at San Diego Chargers: Five Things to Follow
By Reid Hanson
Aug 1, 2015; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders perform at training camp at River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Cowboys first preseason game is only hours away. Here are five things to follow as the Cowboys take on the San Diego Chargers
The Dallas Cowboys will take on the San Diego Chargers tonight, giving Cowboys fans their first taste of Cowboys football since that cold day in Green Bay when Dez Bryant clearly caught the ball. But I digress…
The Cowboys have been through two weeks of training camp, meaning majority of the schemes and playbook have been installed. The pack is starting to separate as some players are stepping up, while others are stepping out.
Injuries have impacted the Cowboys and the results will be seen tonight as multiple key players will be withheld.
Final score doesn’t matter
There is an art to watching preseason football games and it doesn’t involve the final score. Sure winning a preseason game 49-3 paints a much prettier picture than losing 49-3, but winning doesn’t always mean good things and losing doesn’t always mean bad things.
The object of preseason football is to evaluate players on an individual level. Coaches aren’t scouting and scheming to beat their preseason opponents. For instance, Rod Marinelli may be interested in practicing his base 4-3 while the Chargers want to play a 3 receiver set all game.
If that happened in the regular season, a 3-receiver set would push the Cowboys into their nickel defense. But in preseason, Marinelli may want to see how a non-traditional defense with different personnel handle it.
Speaking of the defense, the first of five things to look for is all about the defense…
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