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This year’s Dallas Cowboys outfit boasts the strongest divisional odds since 2008 and, by association, are among the leading contenders to capture the Lombardi Trophy.
According to Oddschecker.com, the 2020 Cowboys (-110) are favored to take the NFC East crown with an over/under season win total of 9.5, led by quarterback Dak Prescott, projected to top the NFL in passing, and running back Ezekiel Elliott, projected to finish second in rushing.
Dallas currently has the fourth-best NFC odds (+850) and sixth-best Super Bowl LV odds (+1800).
“Oddsmakers believe this could be one special year for Dallas; their divisional odds are the shortest they’ve been in over a decade, they’re among the favorites for the NFC title and the Super Bowl itself, and there are half a dozen Cowboys in with a great chance of landing individual awards,” Oddschecker spokesperson Pete Watt said.
“If Dak Prescott can find another gear in his game and inspire what is a highly talented rookie class, there’s every chance that Dallas land their first Vince Lombardi trophy since ’96 – long overdue.”
This is the second outlet which predicted that Prescott will pace the league in air yards following a career season in 2019. When he’s not throwing to wideouts Amari Cooper (11th-best odds for most receiving yards) and CeeDee Lamb (sixth-best to win Offensive Rookie of the Year), he’ll be handing the rock to Elliott, whose “best ball is yet to come.”
Speaking of the Cowboys’ acclaimed draft class, fifth-round pass-rusher Bradlee Anae — not second-round cornerback Trevon Diggs or third-round lineman Neville Gallimore — is a contender (+6500, 32nd overall) for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
All in all, the brain trust did an excellent job putting new head coach Mike McCarthy in a prime position to succeed. Unprecedentedly; as in, right away. And McCarthy, who owns a ring from his Green Bay Packers days, is hellbent on ending the franchise’s 25-year championship drought.
“If you’re not trying to win a Super Bowl, I don’t know what you’re even doing in this business,” McCarthy said last week. “I think that’s what every team starts their offseason with. The ones that don’t talk about it are probably trying to under-promise, overachieve. But I’ve always been very upfront about it with every team I’ve ever coached. We’re in this to win a championship, make no bones about it.”
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Cowboys CB Relieved to Go From Garrett to McCarthy
In complimenting McCarthy, Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown fired an (indirect) barb at his predecessor, the ringleader of the previous (failed) regime.
“So far … it’s just, it’s a totally different environment walking in the building now,” Brown told reporters following Friday’s training camp practice, via RJ Ochoa of Blogging The Boys. “It’s kind of like a breath of fresh air when you walk in right now with Coach McCarthy coming in. The players have a lot more leeway to say what we want to do and like, he gives us more opportunities to express ourselves, I would say.”
Brown, of course, is striking a sharp contrast involving McCarthy, the Cowboys’ new head coach who this offseason replaced Jason Garrett, ending a decade-long reign. One of the knocks on Garrett was the inflexibility he and his staff imposed on the players, particularly defensive players.
Tellingly, Brown isn’t the first Cowboys defensive back to criticize the old guard, nor the first bellowing a tangible sigh of relief to be done with it. Stepping from Garrett and ex-defensive/secondary boss Kris Richard to McCarthy and new DC Mike Nolan are wholesale upgrades that should fix elementary errors — historically the club’s Achilles’ heel.
“It’s about the pre-(snap) disguised looks,” CB Chidobe Awuzie said earlier this month, via SI.com. “Last year, everybody knew what we were running – not that that was bad; we had great players … Now, we’re trying to be a little more multiple.”
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Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL