Football Talk

[Autumn Wind]

The Raiders signed Kirk Cousins.  He could be a great mentor for Fernando Mendoza...

[Browne]

Two of the NFL's biggest stars both tore ACLs this past Sunday.

[homercocktail]

[Ram Guy]

Myles Garrett is going to the Rams for Jared Verse and picks...

[Mr Cowboy]

FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!!!!!!  Feels great!  Cowboys beat the Seahawks, but in the preseason, it's not about winning and losing as much as it is about seeing where players stand.  Who's going to make the team?  Who's going to start?  Who's rusty?  Who looks sharp already?  The Cowboys are running a 3 - 4 defense this year.  It looked weird to see 'em in that scheme on the first play.  The Seahawks marched down and got a touchdown on their first drive, but there's no reason to panic.  The Cowboys ranba 4 - 3 for most of their team history.  It was the right thing to do!  Now?  The league has changed and there's a lot of pass-happy teams.  It's not as much about having large linemen up front to stuff the run.  Ya' need those speedy linebackers running sideline to sideline.  From 1983 until 1997, the NFC won 14 straight Super Bowls.  During this period, the AFC had great passers including Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Dan Fouts, Jim Kelly and John Elway.  They say offense sells tickets but defense wins championships.  The NFC was winning with quarterbacks like Jim McMahon, Mark Rypien and Jeff Hostetler.  They were gritty, but there numbers never matched the guys in the AFC.  Why?  They had solid running games and great defenses.  Most of them ran the 4 - 3, just like the Cowboys during their 3 Super Bowl victories.  Because of the pass-happy nature of the AFC during this era, if ya' saw a 3 - 4, it was likely in that conference?  Now?  The game has changed.  Even though Gibbs (Lions) and Taylor (Colts) reset the running back market this past off season, the NFL has become a passing league.  Things go in cycles, and ya' never know if the 4 - 3 will make a comeback, but the entire league has been trending toward more linebackers and secondary players on the field.  I hope the 3 - 4 works out for Dallas.  Joe Milton looked good as a backup QB, and Jaydon Blue had burst in his legs as a backup RB.  There's reason to be optimistic as a Cowboys fan.  It's not about winning this game as much as it is believing we've found the right scheme for today's football.  The backups played a solid game as well...