Things I Think I Know - The Dallas Cowboys edition

Dez Bryant is ready for a breakout season in 2011.

With the lockout well in the past, and another boring preseason in the books, it's finally time to focus on what actually counts as the 2011 NFL season officially begins tonight. But as interesting as tonight's Green Bay-New Orleans matchup may be, my focus is once again on the Silver & Blue.

I'm always a little hesitant to speak too highly of the Dallas Cowboys, and for good reason. They usually fail to meet the expectations that the media puts on them. So, in order to avoid the emotional turmoil that comes with missing the mark year in and year out, I've learned to drop my standards a little bit, or as I prefer to call it, thinking like a realist instead of a fan.

Here are a few things I think I know about the 2011 Dallas Cowboys:

1. Dallas will open the season with a loss . . .
The scheduling committee wasn't too kind to the Cowboys when it put them up against the New York Jets to open the season – on September 11th. Not only will Dallas have to deal with a Jets squad built for a Super Bowl run, but the Cowboys will have to deal with the emotion attached to this game, on the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Empire State Building.

It's nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen as the hearts of the nation will be beating in unison for anything New York, the Cowboys will essentially be playing the role of villain as they try to steal a win in New York. As much as I'd like to see them do it, they won't.

2. Rob Ryan's defense will struggle early . . .
One thing we found out in the preseason was that the Cowboys defense still needs lots of work. With the training camp schedule cut short due to the lockout, Ryan didn't have the kind of time one would normally have to install a brand new scheme.

That means, the Cowboys will have to learn on the fly, and that'll take some extra time. It will take a few weeks to get all the kinks worked out, but when they do, this defense will be fun to watch.

3. Dez Bryant will have a breakout season in 2011 . . .
I'm making this prediction for two reasons, but the most important reason is that we all saw flashes of brilliance a year ago before he missed the end of the year with an injury. If he can stay healthy, he will dominate, like a 1,400-yard, 12-touchdown kind of dominate.

I also not only drafted him first for my fantasy team, but named the squad after him (Dezzie Does Dallas), so I actually have a lot riding on this prediction. I feel good about this one.

4. The Dallas Cowboys' record in 2011 will be . . .
9-7, good enough for a wild card spot.

Basically, just looking at the schedule, I have wins against San Francisco, Washington, Detroit, St. Louis, Seattle, Buffalo, Miami, and NY Giants, and Philadelphia. I also have Dallas losses to NY Jets, New England, Phladelphia, Washington, Arizona, NY Giants, and Tampa Bay.

Interesting enough, I have the Cowboys at 7-4, then losing three straight to the Cardinals, Giants, and Buccaneers, then regrouping to win the last two, including a New Year's Day road game against the Giants.

Humbled But Happy

Going from being the boss to the low man on the totem pole is a bit strange, and definitely not something I've ever experienced before. Until THIS WEEK.

With the new fall semester came the first wave of my journalism classes, something I've been looking forward to and dreading at the same time. Excited at the chance to write on a daily basis, but a little withdrawn about going from being my own boss when it came to writing as a sports editor, to a lowly worker bee in my reporting class, scouring the campus for any story that is deemed worthy.

I've been trying to keep my experience a secret from the rest of my classmates, many who seem to have none whatsoever, but it was something I made sure to point out to the staff of the campus newspaper, The East Texan. Not to boast, but to make sure they were aware that some extra help was available, because I want to get involved with that as early and as often as possible.

It's been humbling to have to take direction from college students, most of whom are about 10 years younger than me and just a few years out of high school. But it really doesn't matter. I'm back to writing regularly, I still have my Friday night job covering football games, and I'm happier than I've been in quite some time.

I'm a journalist. This is what I do, this is who I am. Besides, there's no time to feel sorry for myself or get upset, because there's a deadline coming. :)