With the New York Giants traveling to Arlington, Texas this weekend for an NFC East matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, we check in with David Halprin of SB Nation’s Blogging The Boys for this week’s ‘5 questions’ segment.
Ed: How much has the trade of Micah Parsons changed or impacted expectations from the fan base for this year’s Cowboys team?
David: I can’t speak for the entire fanbase, especially since there was a sizable contingent that wasn’t opposed to the trade of Micah Parsons. So I’ll only give you my view. The Cowboys are a lesser football team today than they were before the trade, and at a crucial position. It’s true the Cowboys are relatively deep at the EDGE position, but there is no one like Parsons in terms of disrupting an offense through sacks, pressure, and forcing double-teams to open things up for teammates. Here’s the thing though, I think many Cowboys fans had somewhat low expectations this year based on the disaster of 2024 coupled with having a new coaching staff, including a first-time head coach in Brian Schottenheimer. Before the Eagles game, expectations were pretty low and the Parsons trade added to that, but didn’t change the math that much. But after the Eagles game, there is some hope that this roster can contend for the playoffs without Parsons.
Ed: Which do you think Jerry Jones cares about more: Winning a Super Bowl, or making sure that the Cowboys are always in the headlines and a constant subject of conversation on TV and radio?
David: This is an easy question, although the answer may not be what you expect. Jerry Jones cares about winning a Super Bowl more for a couple of reasons. One, when you win a Super Bowl you are elevated in the headlines and you are the subject of conversation because you are the champs. Nothing elevates a team in the public’s consciousness like winning the Super Bowl. The other reason is Jerry’s ego needs to be proven right. He wants more than anything to be able to say as the GM he put together another Super Bowl team besides what he accomplished in the 90s. He wants to be able to put that in front of the haters and doubters. Along the way, he loses sight of that at times, like the personal nature of the Micah Parsons negotiations and how he put his feelings ahead of the good of the team. But overall, there is nothing he wants more than to win the Super Bowl and rub it in everyone else’s face. He needs that affirmation for his ego.
Ed: Who are a couple of under the radar Dallas players we should watch for on Sunday?
David: One player the Cowboys keep saying they are going to get more involved in the offense is special teams ace KaVontae Turpin. He has the speed and quickness to do some real damage if they can get him out in space on offense. They’ve talked about it for a while, but it really hasn’t happened yet. I could see them trying to force the issue a little bit more going forward so he may have an impact on offense this week. On defense, rookie EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku is someone who looked very good over training camp and in preseason. He didn’t have much luck in Week 1, but he is someone the Cowboys are very high on.
Ed: If you could choose one, which Giants player would you most like to put in Dallas’s lineup? Why?
David: Easy, Abdul Carter. Why not replace one Penn State phenom on the edge with another one. The Cowboys have lots of talent at the position currently, but I’m thinking long-term too. There is nothing like having an elite pass rusher.
Ed: If you were game-planning against Dallas, how would you attack the offense? The defense?
David: In attacking the Cowboys offense, I would have two main points. One, try to disrupt Dak Prescott in the pocket without blitzing. Prescott is deadly against blitzes, and he is also surgeon-like if he has time. So you need to scheme your pass rush into good situations without sacrificing defenders to the blitz. Also, stay deep with your secondary and don’t let the Cowboys get chunk plays. Force them to work for every yard because they are a team that will self-destruct at times with penalties, turnovers or stupid decisions. Make them run enough plays to do something bad.
Attacking the defense is usually an easy answer which is to run the ball all over them. But the addition of Kenny Clark in the Parsons’ trade has added a tougher element to the middle of the defensive line. They looked better in containing the run in Week 1. This week, though, they will probably be without corner DaRon Bland. Trevon Diggs is still ramping up after a season-ending knee injury from last year, so they are vulnerable in pass coverage. If I could get Malik Nabers on corner Kaiir Elam, I would do it all day and try to punish the Cowboys injured secondary.
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