FRISCO, Texas – Great the Cowboys won the season opener.
Great the defense finished with six sacks and two takeaways.
Great they finished with 33 points, like three points more than last year's 29.9-point average.
Great Dak Prescott's contract is behind them.
But that is so yesterday. On to the New Orleans Saints in the home opener, noon Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
And as head coach Mike McCarthy was quick to point out before Wednesday's first full practice preparing for the Saints, "We got a lot of work to do," mindful of the second-half offense finishing with just two field goals, 49 total yards and going oh-for-five on third downs.
"We definitely want to improve from last week. The most important thing, we won the game. … Self-improvement is the most important part of the next week."
No doubt, and the Cowboys might be 1-0, and even though their 33 points rank fifth in the first week of the season, they are but 24th in overall offense, 20th rushing and 18th passing, so yep, improvement needed.
Not accomplished a thing … yet.
- Raw Numbers: Here are a couple of numbers to consider on Dak's contract, a four-year extension worth up to $240 million, an average of $60 million a year. But here's why these things take time. First, since the deal was not inked until Monday, Dak played the first game on the fourth year of his previous contract, so 1/18th of the near $30 million base salary before being reduced this week to $1.2 million since they paid him that $80 million signing bonus. The $40 million still remaining from his restructure bonuses must be prorated over the life of his contract too. So Dak's cap hit for 2024 comes to $43.3 million, down like $12 million from where it was. But get this, his cap hit for 2025 is $89.88 million, another reason why the Cowboys were trying to squeeze out every million during negotiations. That will require another restructure, and why there are four voidable years at the end of the deal.
- Wonder Why: And why this happens with the Cowboys quarterback, I'll never know. As soon as Dak totaled the highest average at $60 million a year, the reaction became, well he's got to win a Super Bowl to qualify all that. Well, check this out. Dak's "practical" guarantees of $231 million is tops in the NFL. The next nine quarterbacks include Deshaun Watson, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Trevor Lawrence, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa and Jordon Love. Now, how many Super Bowls have those guys won? That's what I thought. In fact, of the 32 opening week starting quarterbacks, only three have won a Super Bowl: Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford.
- Watch This: Remember all the rhetoric during training camp on how frustrated Cowboys fans were losing interest in the team because of the lack of playoff success, judging most of that by the low attendance during training camp? Well, didn't see anyone factor in that at the second camp practice at Ford Center out here, when there was an estimated 8,000 people on hand. And as for Week 1 of the NFL season, guess whose game was the most watched? Cowboys-Browns, at a 29.3 million viewership on Fox. Second, and this number includes TV and digital, was the Thursday night NFL season opener between the Chiefs-Ravens, coming in at 29.2 million. Return of Sunday Night Football, Rams-Lions, 22.7 million. The Friday night game from Brazil between Packers-Eagles, 14 million. And Monday Night Football, just 20.5 million, though that number affected by the Direct TV blackout of ABC and ESPN.
- Not So Fast: Immediately after the Cowboys restructured offensive tackle Terence Steele's contract, paying a restructure bonus of $5.625 million to lower his base salary to $1.625 million, thus lowering his salary cap hit to a more manageable $6.5 million, antennas went up, as if the Cowboys were creating cap money for this year. Well, with the cap savings on Dak's new contract coming in around $12 million and CeeDee Lamb's extension saving roughly $9 million this year, the Cowboys now have right at $26 million of space available for this season. That's certainly enough to continue calling up veterans off the practice squad, possibly even making an addition or two to the 53-man roster. But some of this space likely will be carried over to next year when cap charges for Dak, CeeDee, Micah Parsons, Zack Martin (if he decides to retire), DeMarcus Lawrence (if he decides to retire) and Trevon Diggs will total $186 million. Meaning, for sure Dak's 2025 base salary of $47.7 million almost certainly will be restructured and Lamb's $26.8 million base too.
- Hall Seniors: The Pro Football Hall of Fame special seniors committee submitted 183 players who have been out of the NFL for at least 25 years for Hall consideration. That number will be reduced by the regular senior's committee to 50 in a few weeks. Former Cowboys players on the list number 14. For me, the top two are cornerback Everson Walls and guard Nate Newton. Walls, a four-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and having led the NFL in interceptions three times (1981, 1982, 1985), still owns the NFL rookie record with 11 interceptions, and his, along with current Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs' 11 in 2021, still are the most picks in the NFL since Lester Hays' 13 in 1980. Can't believe Walls missed modern era Hall induction when making the finals in 2018. As for Nate, people forget the gregarious Newton is a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl winner. Only three Cowboys offensive linemen number more Pro Bowls, Larry Allen (10), Zack Martin (9) and Tyron Smith (8), with Allen already in the Hall of Fame and Martin and Smith in a matter of time.
- Week 2 Sides: Other than Ferguson on the DNP list after Wednesday's practice, didn't like seeing rookie Marshawn Kneeland there, too, with a calf injury, rehabbing on the side with trainer Britt Brown after a fine 44-snap NFL debut on Sunday … Don't forget McCarthy served as the Saints' offensive coordinator for five seasons (2000-04), and in his first season, when the Saints won their first playoff game in franchise history along with the NFC South title, McCarthy was named the NFC Assistant Coach of the Year by USA Today … And this sure is right when McCarthy was asked what stands out most to him during his time in New Orleans, saying, "Personally, great city, loved the people, think the culture there is so unique, the food unbelievable – you could eat somewhere different 365 days in a row and never have a bad meal" … McCarthy was high on what he's seen so far from veteran running back Dalvin Cook after being signed to the practice squad, though says needs to get in another good week or two of hard work. Cooks is making $21,000 a week on the practice squad, but if elevated to the 53-man roster and having been signed to just the veteran minimum, his cost would increase to $66,600 a week.
How do we resist using Micah Parsons every week for our last word, and this week is no different when asked about rookie DeMarvion Overshown, who had an amazing NFL debut after tearing his ACL last summer and missing the entire season. Parsons thought he was about to register his second sack of the game when Overshown came flying out of nowhere, sacking Watson to beat him to the punch.
"I don't even know what happened," Micah begins. "I'm telling him, 'Bro you got people thinking you faster than me now.' I was like, I can't take no more breaks. I said those fresh legs are getting me.
"But nah, he's so fast. He's explosive, bro. I told him after the game how proud I was of him because, you know, we talk. Overshown, we grew a relationship last year over the time he was recovering. Just kept checking on him, and throughout camp was checking on him. 'Man, how you feeling, how's your knee?' To see all those talents. We saw it in camp, just happened that injury. We saw him come out like that in the first game, his confidence going through the roof. Man, it just got me super excited.
"I don't think people know how explosive he is. He's coming downhill with intent. He's one of the most exciting players I've ever seen. I think he's going to be an All-Pro player."
Me thinks so, too.
