👋 Good morning! Football really is back. It’s only preseason, but still. Just think about it. We’re merely a few weeks away from spending all afternoon with Scott Hanson, from spending Monday morning either reveling in glory or complaining about Jerry just one more time, from picking the winning PrizePicks play, from it starting to get cold outside. It isn’t here yet, no. But stay focused. We’ve almost got this. — Bobby Karalla

An Inauspicious Debut

The Dallas Cowboys’ preseason got off to a bit of a rocky start, granted barely any key players even dressed for the game. (More on that later.) Joe Milton got the start and played most of the game, recording 143 passing yards and 22 more on the ground. He threw 17 of 29, but that almost feels deceiving; the team’s first few series were for lack of a better word GROSS, with Milton firing wayward darts and missing open players all over the place. But he certainly settled down as the game went on and, all things considered, put together a respectable stat line.

Let’s start with the bad and end with the good:

  • Penalties abound. “You can’t give away penalties in this league,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said, according to our Clarence Hill. The Cowboys committed 11 of them, including one when CeeDee Lamb got absolutely trucked by a side judge in possibly the most violent collision of the evening. During one drive, lineman Asim Richards didn’t get set on the line of scrimmage on two consecutive plays. You do expect a little sloppy slop out there, but at times it was a little out of hand.

  • The run defense looked familiar. It’s only preseason, and plenty of defensive starters didn’t play, but it was a sobering reminder that the biggest weakness of last year’s squad simply wasn’t addressed in earnest this offseason. The Rams compiled 181 rushing yards on 38 attempts, and for the most part they came on a steady drip, not really on chunk plays. Marist Liufau played a great game, and ultimately it will be up to the linebackers to make most of the plays in this system, but there just wasn’t much resistance on the interior. The Cowboys have to clean that up, because in a few weeks it won’t be Blake Corum or Jarquez Hunter they’re trying to stop. It’ll be Saquon Barkley.

  • Why didn’t more guys play? I understand Dak, CeeDee, and obviously Micah not playing. But where was Jaydon Blue? How about Tyler Booker? On our postgame show, Jesse Holley was particularly frustrated with the decision not to play the Cowboys’ first-round pick. The No. 1 priority during every preseason is to make it to opening night in one piece, and the Cowboys have faced their fair share of injuries to linemen already, but reps are important. Would a couple of series have hurt? (If nothing else, we have content to make, Schotty! Throw us a bone!)

Now for a couple things to feel good about…

  • Phil Mafah is a guy. It took about three carries to convince Jesse and Jeff Cavanaugh that Mafah should get touches as soon as possible. He’s physical, he’s got good size and vision, and he even picked up a couple key blocks as well. He’d complement Blue’s blazing speed perfectly if the Cowboys ultimately do choose to go that direction, as Javonte Williams hasn’t really made an impression and Miles Sanders continues missing time.

  • Traeshon Holden stood out. It took him a while to get him on the field, but Holden led the team in receiving and looked pretty good out there. I expect to see him a lot more in their next game.

  • Brandon Aubrey is still very good. Let him kick a 71-yarder, Schotty!

Become a Diehard!

Become a DLLS Diehard today for our lowest price ever to get more of Clarence Hill’s reporting from Oxnard! Not to mention you’ll get in-depth reporting about the Rangers from Jeff Wilson, the Stars from Sam Nestler and Sean Shapiro, and the Mavs from Tim Cato. Sign up now!

Around this time last week, we were thinking the Rangers would sleepwalk their way into the playoffs. Four straight losses and a sweep by the Phillies later, things are looking a little uncomfortable... but is it over yet? Heck no! Check out our DLLS Rangers postgame for more.

Miro Heiskanen says he feels good as new after that gruesome knee injury he suffered last season. That would be excellent news for the Stars. Check out our mini pod for high hopes and good vibes!

The Dallas Wings never really got going this season, outside of a few bright spots in the schedule. But after trading DiJonai Carrington and dropping 13 of their last 15, it’s safe to say this thing is over and it’s time to think about how the future can be better than the present. We dove into that and much more on the DLLS Wings Podcast.

Pop Pop sleeping on the couch, huh?

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Bobby Karalla
DLLS Sports Head of Content​
[email protected]

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