And even the coaching draws parallels, too. In addition, Dallas has Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard to lean on in the running game, similarly to how Dallas leaned on Murray during the 2014 season. We already know Dak Prescott is expected to make a full recovery from an ankle injury and return to Pro Bowl form, and Dak has the best trio of receivers in the league at his disposal with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb, followed by tight ends Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz. After an injury-plagued season, the offensive line returns All Pro left tackle Tyron Smith, All Pro guard Zack Martin, and the more than reliable Conner Williams and La’el Collins. The offense had a top-10 quarterback in Romo, All Pros in wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray, with the reliable Jason Witten picking up the slack.įurther, it boasted the best offensive line in the league, and that’s the same for the this current Dallas offense. That 2014 team ranked 5th in the league by scoring nearly 30 points a game. Secondly, Dallas’ offense is top-notch like the one from 2014. Just like that Dallas defense, this one can do the same thing because not only does it have more talent to do it, but it has a scheme to fit its defensive personnel, and there are a ton of sleepers that can rise up and make a difference. In other words, Dallas’ defense didn’t upgrade enough to be an asset to make them a favorite to win at least their division.ĭallas’ defense from 2014 ranked 15th in the league and upset then defending Super Bowl champions, Seattle Seahawks, during the regular season on the road to prove they were the real deal. The defense from 2014 was expected to be nonexistent with no play makers in sight, even though they drafted a rookie edge rusher named DeMarcus Lawrence in the second round.Īlthough this current defense has a few former Pro Bowlers and drafted some elite defensive rookies, the critics still view those former Pro Bowlers and draftees as average at best. Firstly, just like that team, this defense is viewed as the weakest link. I pose this question because the optics are the same. However, the Cowboys of 2014 shocked the entire league by going 12-4, winning the NFC East and winning their first playoff game in over two decades. Since the 2014 Cowboys are eerily similar to this team, can the Cowboys replicate the success of the 2014 team as underdogs? In the eyes of the critics then and now, the defensive woes far outweigh the eliteness of their powerful offenses. Dallas’ defense of 2013 ranked 26th and last year’s defense ranked 28th. What ties these two teams together more than anything is the low expectations of the defenses and how awful those defenses played the previous year. Critics expected that poor play to continue into 2014 – hence the low expectations. In 2013, the Cowboys defense gave up an NFL record 40 first downs to the Drew Brees led New Orleans Saints in a Monday Night football game. The Achilles Heel for the Cowboys then-and now-was their anemic defense. There’s a striking similarity between the ’21 Dallas Cowboys and that team from 2014 As fate would have it, the Cowboys lost all three games to their divisional rivals in dramatic fashion- New York Giants, Washington Football Team, and the Philadelphia Eagles. So basically, the 2014 campaign was expected to be much of the same.ĭuring those three consecutive 8-8 seasons, the Cowboys had the prime opportunity to make the playoffs in the season finale of the “win and get in” scenario. Before the start of the 2014 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys were predicted to finish last in the NFC East, and then head coach- Jason Garrett– was expected to be fired because the Cowboys were coming off three-consecutive 8-8 seasons.
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