The NFL Is Back, But Not Better

So, the NFL is finally back. No more bickering between players and owners, no more wondering if there will be a season, no more drama. We now know that the NFL is indeed back in action, at least for the next decade anyway.

What we don't know, and won't know for a while, is how the lockout will affect the teams, and ultimately, how it will affect the leave this season.

There were no rookie OTA's, no minicamps and no communication between coaches and players, which pretty much means: (1) Rookies are even more behind the curve than before, (2) Team chemistry has taken a serious hit because of the lack of team functions, and (3) Coaches will have a short window of time to evaluate new players, and/or establish relationships with others.

Football may be back, but it has these BIG issues and more to deal with. So, while NFL fans everywhere celebrated the lifting of the lockout, those of us who look deeper into the spectrum are left wondering about the side effects.

Mark my words: The NFL will look different this year.

• How does all this affect the Cowboys? Well, for starters, Dallas has quite a bit of fat to trim to get under the new salary cap, which means somebody that is needed will likely be released. Dallas will have to make the most adjustments to the new cap, but fortunately, the team has a load of talent to help get past it all. Dallas will be solid, I believe they're a playoff team. That's my WAY early prediction.

• As impressive as the Rangers' 20-6 win might have been last night, I was stuck on a couple of stats that stood out like a sore thumb. One was the number of combined errors by the two teams - 7. Wow. The other was 0-for-6. That was the plate performance of Longview native Chris Davis, who was lighting up the Triple-A circuit down in Round Rock, but couldn't ride the teams' momentum last night to get one measly hit. Sad.

• On to something a little more mind-boggling. David Beckham publicly defended the recent backheel shot attempt by Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, a play that was widely criticized worldwide and led to the Italian being benched. Defending a guy who tried to show up a vastly overmatched squad is not something that should be supported. But then again, neither is Beckham.

• Speaking of soccer, I got together with my buddy Adam last night for some FIFA. We always have great, competitive matches, usually grueling defensive struggles. Last night was no different as we split two matches with a total aggregate score of 2-2. Looking forward to the next time.

Have a great day, and enjoy the NFL frenzy!!