the NFL’s opening weekend coming at us Dallas Cowboys Hats , it is time for predictions. Social media has opened this up to anyone with a Twitter or Facebook account, so we no longer are limited to just what we can find from major outlets. And a quick, entirely unscientific review reveals one thing: Very few out there have much faith at all in the Dallas Cowboys. Here is a typical prediction:No sign of the Cowboys. Trust me when I tell you that, in a look at dozens of similar tweets, I could not find one mention of the Cowboys, whether from writers or just fans. If you dig deeper, you’ll find many who don’t just predict Dallas missing the playoffs.(The prediction is actually from CBS Sports’ Will Brinson, so don’t jump on my buddy Patrick, who clearly disagrees.)And it wasn’t just individual opinions. Las Vegas feels the same, giving Dallas the 14th best odds to make the Super Bowl.So the world at large and the betting experts in Vegas all agree, the Cowboys are an underdog this season.Ain’t it great?Maybe it’s just me, but I much prefer it when the Cowboys are poorly regarded. It is a win-win situation. If things do not go so well, it is just things falling the way everyone thought. And if they succeed, they are a surprise. Remember 2016? With Tony Romo injured in preseason and an unheralded fourth-round draft pick filling in for him, nobody expected the Cowboys to contend for the playoffs. Most expected them to be in the cellar of the NFC East. Instead, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott set the league on fire with a 13-3 regular season record before falling in the playoffs to Dallas’postseason nemesis, the Green Bay Aaron Rodgers . . . er, Packers. Of course, last year, on the heels of that performance, the Cowboys were expected to be a Super Bowl contender, and we all know how that went.Preseason predictions are seldom correct, as they are tinged with recency bias and the true direction of teams is basically impossible to know before the real games are played. What is clear is that most have no faith in the plan for this Cowboys team (although there are a few who disagree). Count me among those who see it differently (duh). I think Dallas is going to surprise people.There is a lot of risk in that. The only returning receivers who have ever caught a regular season pass for the Cowboys are Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams, and Geoff Swaim. That leaves a bunch of untried players with as-yet-to-be-determined chemistry with Dak Prescott. Travis Frederick is out for an unknown amount of time as he recovers from Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Nothing of note was done to add depth to the secondary, which remains shallow with Xavier Woods, Kavon Frazier, and now Chidobe Awuzie all dealing with some level of injury. Prescott himself has raised some questions about his play with the way he faltered during and after the Burning in Atlanta. And the man who was responsible for the markedly predictable and unimaginable offense of last season Dallas Cowboys Hoodie , Scott Linehan, remains as the offensive coordinator.But there is a flip side to all that. Start with Linehan, who was also the coordinator that coaxed that Offensive Rookie of the Year performance out of Prescott in 2016. The team has committed to changing things up and becoming less predictable, and and if you dig into Linehan’s past, you can see that he has shown some creativity at times. Now he has to emphasize that.That massive reconfiguration of the receiver group not only encourages that, but in a way, helps accomplish it just by putting so many receivers out there that no one has seen perform in the Dallas offense. Three names in particular to watch to see how they are used are Tavon Austin, Deonte Thompson, and Rico Gathers, who has so many fans convinced he is the next red zone superweapon. Meanwhile, let’s focus on what the team still has. Two All-Pro linemen, Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, are healthy and ready to go. They are joined by La’el Collins, who is entering his second year at right tackle after switching from guard, and second-round pick Connor Williams, who is already clearly better than Chaz Greet at left tackle, and arguably at least as good as Jonathan Cooper was when he supplanted Green. The defensive ends look to be a hugely talented group, led by DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, while the interior of the defensive line looks to have a real find in Antwaun Woods, plus the experience of Tyrone Crawford and a mending Maliek Collins. The linebackers may be the strongest group on the team, led by Sean Lee and a resurgent Jaylon Smith, plus Damien Wilson, who was a bit overlooked in preseason but really handled the SAM position well. Add in Leighton Vander Esch, who got hidden a bit with his groin injury but is now healthy, and super-sub Joe Thomas, and this unit looks to be solid from top to bottom. The starting defensive backs, especially the corners, are mostly young and improving.And then there is Ezekiel Elliott. He was kept in bubble wrap all through preseason Youth Customized Dallas Cowboys Jerseys , but his teammates and coaches cannot stop talking about the shape he is in and the focus and effort he brought every day in practice. After the ordeal he went through in 2017, he is on a mission to reclaim the title of best running back in the league. It is also hoped that he is part of Linehan’s plan to shake things up in the passing game. The few times he has been thrown the ball, he has shown outstanding big-play ability. There is no doubt that he is always dangerous when you get the ball to him with some room to work, and if the team can do that, he may just be in line for a record-setting year.All of that is still to be proven on the field - which is where all NFL teams are at this stage of things. Yes, the Cowboys have questions, but so do all the other teams. One thing that has been apparent through the preseason is that offensive lines are generally a weak point for many, if not most, teams. Despite having to rely on Joe Looney as long as Frederick is deemed unready to go, Dallas still has a very good line, one that is eager to re-establish the dominance they showed prior to 2017.In the interest of full disclosure, I am predisposed to optimism. I have been covering this team for eight seasons now, and I like the direction it has taken, even when things have not turned out so well on the field. The long-standing reliance on drafting talent rather than going after it (and usually overpaying) in free agency has led to a group of real or emerging stars for Dallas, which has just reinforced the trend of paying their own rather than spending on big free agent contracts, as the money is increasingly tied up in those home-grown players. That is a long-range approach, and this may be the year that it really starts to pay off, especially as the second-round picks, as a group, look to be hitting their collective stride.And then there is just the mental aspect of things. Sometimes, being the underdog can spur players and coaches to do better. To do more just to prove the doubters wrong. The team is well aware of how unpopular a pick they are for the playoffs. That should put just a little more fire in the belly - if not a lot.So you can disagree or buy in. This could be another year when the Cowboys turn out to be a big surprise for most. Of course, we won’t know for a bit yet. But we get the first real indications on Sunday.It’s football season, and that is a very good thing.Jason Garrett: No dramatic personnel changes to shake up the offense After the loss to the Seahawks, the NFL schedule rolls on. The Cowboys have a Sunday date with the Lions, and since it’s Wednesday, Jason Garrett met with the media before the first practice of the week. (All answers from Garrett are paraphrased and not actual quotes).With the struggling offense, will there be any personnel changes?No dramatic changes. We just got to get back and get locked in, we need to move the ball www.cowboysauthorizedshops.com , be efficient and productive. There were some good things in that game to build on, but we have to be more productive. We’ll look at the coaching staff, the execution of the players, what we’re asking them to do.When does it become the point you look at personnel changes?We are always evaluating that. Evaluating how we’re using the personnel, are we maximizing their strengths, minimize the weaknesses, it’s an on-going process.How do you get more downfield throws to get more explosive plays?You just do it. So much is predicated on what you want to do and what the defense gives you. We present opportunities vertically, we need to take advantage of them when they are available, if not then you take the intermediate or underneath option to move chains. Trust is critical for all parts of team, all 11 men must do the job. Hopefully over time you build that trust, demonstrate accountability, all over the football team.Have you seen many plays where Dak has a clean pocket and and open guy but just missed it?Sure, there have been examples where he didn’t see a guy, or something happens in protection. You evaluate it play by play, I haven’t seen an overarching problem, it’s something goes wrong here on this play, something else on that play. Hopefully we canexecute better.With Sean Lee out for a bit, talk about Jaylon Smith.He’s done a nice job, he’s improved dramatically. First hurdle was getting healthy, he played last year but wasn’t 100%. He’s gotten better physically, he learns from experience, he goes about it right way. He was healthy and had a good offseason. He’s played a lot of snaps and is certainly more capable now. Smart guy that goes about it the right way.Some teams throw 40-50 times a game. Is it possible to run the ball that much in a game?Balance is a goal, but running the ball helps linemen, QB’s get more favorable looks, and it helps the defense. Running the ball is a big part of what we do, but you have to balance other way, too. We have to make plays in the passing game.What’s the latest update on Travis Frederick?I think he is doing better, but the best person to ask would be him. He is around the team every day Dallas Cowboys Womens T-Shirt , he hasn’t practiced or done a walk-through. He looks better. He would need to pass some strength threshold in the weight room first (before coming back), best to ask him. He is moving around better, he’s contributing.Will Maliek Collins practice today?If he does it would be limited, I would expect him to work on the side.Deonte Thompson has added spark on kick returns.He’s done a nice job on kick returns. He’s a vet guy, he has a good feel for it, has speed and vision. Isn’t afraid to run it up in there.Would you like to get Tavon Austin more involved offensively?Sure, he’s been a big part of what we’ve done. We anticipated being able to move him around and put in different spots,Will Jeff Heath practice today?Yes.Can you feel confident with Sean Lee missing, given the previous stats about the defense when he is out?Jaylon is much further along in his experience. We feel good about Vander Esch’s development. We like the LB corps. Damien Wilson is a better player than before, and Joe Thomas. But mainly we feel good about Jaylon and Leighton. Sean is a big-time player, he’ll be engaged. He’s a great football player good physically, instincts are rare, and he is a great leader, emotional leader. He make calls and communicates. He’s a vet, and is great about teaching Jaylon and Leighton, he helps themWill Brice Butler play this week?Haven’t made any determination, he had a good week, hopefully he has another this week.Surgery for Datone Jones’ hamstring?I understand he will need surgery but that’s not for sure, whatever the case he won’t be back anytime soon that’s why we put him on IR.With LVE missing time in camp, are you surprised at his play this early?A big part of his eval was his smarts, instincts, we saw that at the outset, even before he missed time. He remained engaged when he was out, he’s wants to know the calls, run the plays mentally, when out he stayed engaged.