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Don’t Panic, but Panic About the Dallas Cowboys

By Daniel Ruppert

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After two preseason games, many fans are starting to panic about the Dallas Cowboys. While there indeed have been some really bad preseason games, it isn’t really time to panic just yet…But there are some things to panic about.

It is hard to get a read in the NFL preseason. There are things you can look at, as how a team will kind of look like, but since it’s preseason, many of the players in the games won’t even be on the roster by the time the actual season starts.

Last season the Dallas Cowboys made the playoffs and almost made the NFC championship game after going 0-4 in the preseason. The Detroit Lions famously went 4-0 in preseason the year they went 0-16. So preseason scores don’t really mean a lot. But, there are somethings that if the Dallas Cowboys don’t fix could be an issue.

First, as many of you know, I am a huge fan of special teams. The Dallas Cowboys have been terrible so far on special teams. While Lucky Whitehead has shown he should be capable of being “the guy” in the return game, the rest of the special teams as been pretty poor.

I do like Jameil Showers and the effort he has put in both as a QB and on special teams. But, as a whole, they have been poor at tackling, don’t stay in their gaps, and even miss easy field goals. Yes, it is preseason, but the one thing about preseason is while the offensive and defensive play-calling is vanilla, special teams is pretty cut and dry. This is the first area the Dallas Cowboys need to correct, or it could be time to panic about it.

The offense has been stagnant with only a few highlights as a whole. Granted Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, and a few linemen haven’t really played, it shows there is a huge gap in depth on the offensive side of the ball.

As long as everyone stays fairly healthy, the offense will be fine. The run game has been just, well, meh. But, without a full offensive line and the threat of Tony Romo and company throwing the ball all over the field, it isn’t expected to be amazing, or at least it shouldn’t be.

The next preseason game might help shed some light on the running game, and let us know if it needs a new ball-carrier. So again, it isn’t time to panic, yet. If the starters fail, or if major injuries strike, that’s a different story, of course.

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The defense has had its moments. Again, players like Sean Lee, Rolando McClain, and Anthony Hitchens haven’t played. There have been some really good things from the defensive line and Randy Gregory, Davon Coleman, and Ben Gardner have all led, what looks to be an improved line.

The secondary looks improved as well. Where the concern comes is the over-pursuit of the defense in the run game. They have been gashed on runs and it could lead to problems if they don’t gain more discipline. Until we see the starters, and there is actual play-calling and scheming, it isn’t time to panic.

The major issue so far has been the lack of depth. Behind Tony Romo there hasn’t been someone to standout. Brandon Weeden has been terrible, Dustin Vaughan shows flashes, but makes some really bad decisions, and Jameill Showers is inexperienced and needs a lot of polishing.

The lack of depth on the offensive line is scary. We all need to hope multiple people do not go down with an injury. So while there are some things to fix, it is not time to panic about the upcoming season. Unless….

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