NFL Tales of the Week – 2022 NFL Week 1 Edition
By: Tyrone Montgomery Jr.
Headline Photo Credit: Surge The Shooter of SportsJourney.com
A New Commander in Chief
When people are young, they enter into the dating game. They may not even be looking for marriage or love. They may date just to have fun or simply just to pass time. These dates may last from just a day or night shall I say to weeks, to months, or maybe even years. Washington has been dating since they were the Redskins. They have been dating since the Jason Campbell days. I’m talking about the days when Campbell was a solid QB for them, then they ended up moving on to dating 2 QBs at one time, both RG3 who we all thought was going to be “The One” and Kirk Cousins who is still playing football at a high level. Then, along came Colt McCoy and Alex Smith who both were a franchise favorites for their commitment both on and off the field to the organization in how they conducted themselves. This story goes to even the late Dwayne Haskins who was drafted early. The list goes on to Ryan Fitzmagic who has been known to make magic happen on the field at times to Taylor Heinicke.
And now, not only is Heinicke still around, The Commanders drafted QB Sam Howell who lit it up in college over at UNC to a QB who was on the verge of winning MVP before getting injured and winning the Super Bowl, Carson Wentz.
Despite the injuries the Commanders have on the defensive end, their defense is still pretty solid. Their issues have always come from the offensive side of things. Despite the revolving door at QB, WR Terry McLaurin has always had over 1,000 receiving yards every season. And now, they have a possible breakout star whom they just drafted in Jahan Dotson who grabbed 2 TDs in his debut game vs. Jacksonville. If Carson Wentz can remind us why he was talked about in winning the 2018 MVP Award this season, the Commanders can be a sneaky team in the NFC as they have quietly racked up quite an arsenal of weapons. Keep an eye on this team in the weeks to come.
Trouble in Big D
Well, the Cowboys have started their season 0-1 after losing to Tom Brady and company. What’s crazy is that wasn’t even their first loss of the season. They are already without WR Michael Gallup as he is recovering from an ACL injury from last season. They ended up losing WR Amari Cooper as he is now in Cleveland. And that now leaves WR CeeDee Lamb as the only WR with experience on this team. He struggled in this loss vs. the Bucs as he only managed to grab 2 catches on 11 targets for just 29 yards. To make matters worst, the Cowboys also lost QB Dak Prescott as he left the game after injuring his hand. The diagnosis is in and Dak will be sidelined 6-8 weeks from what is being called a fractured right thumb. He is set to have surgery and this injury in particular looks like it will turn this Cowboy season into a crumble. Here’s a theory that I have developed. The Cowboys NEVER wanted to pay Dak Prescott. He got his money. But he is always injured as you can see. The Cowboys also would love to move on from Head Coach Mike McCarthy.
Under his coaching, this team leads the league with penalties and they’re simply making too many mistakes. The Cowboys are looking like a top team to select in next year’s NFL Draft. Here’s what I’m thinking. The Cowboys may tank. This season may be a wash for them anyway. Here is their chance to get rid of both Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott. Mike McCarthy will probably be fired if the Cowboys look terrible. But here is where things get interesting. There is always a team that is desperate out there or simply just looking to stay afloat. Expect the Cowboys to quietly shop Dak Prescott. If they end up with a top pick, they could EASILY get their hands on CJ Stroud or Bryce Young. If they do, they could move on from Dak to a team like Tampa who will probably have to fill the void of Brady. Perhaps a team like Detroit may want to accelerate their rebuild. Things could get very interesting for the Dallas Cowboys next off-season.
