LA Rams must prick the Cowboys hot air hype balloon in opener

TNF really promoting the Cowboys in the opener

But perhaps the ultimate insult occurred during the Thursday Night Football broadcast, where NBC opted to talk to Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott and introduced him as the “Cowboys open SoFi Stadium”

I understand the value and virtue of promoting the game. But the most effective strategy would be to promote both teams with parity and let the drama play itself out in the “which team wins?” forums. It’s the same old – same old to whichever team must face the Cowboys in the season opener each year. The mirage of the Cowboys is often far greater than the team that shows up for the season.

Prick that hot-air hype balloon

The Cowboys are facing a lot of uncertainty this year. The team has a new coaching staff, which means a brand new way of doing things. In any given year, that translates into more time for OTAs and coach-player time. But in 2020, that never occurred. That means that while the team is set through training camp, the fast pace of NFL games will encounter some hiccups along the way.

And therein lies part of the other challenges.  The Cowboys are not the “lock” for success that so many portray them so often. A good team? Yes. But how can they be considered improved after losing center Travis Frederick to retirement, Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Jones, wide receiver Randall Cobb and Tavon Austin, tight end Jason Witten, and defensive end Robert Quinn to free agency? That’s a combined 1500 yards and eight touchdowns lost from their passing game. It’s also 11.5 sacks, 79 tackles, and a defensive back who only allowed a 53 percent completion rate gone from that defense. Poof!