The Dallas Cowboys 2022 season is officially underway. With the opening press conference in Oxnard, CA, training camp has officially begun. Owner Jerry Jones, CEO Stephen Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy took the stage to make their opening salvos and take questions from the gaggle of media in attendance and it feels like football again.
There were a myriad of topics of conversation broached on Tuesday afternoon, but the fundamental discussion is whether or not the Cowboys are in a better position than they were in 2021. After finishing 12-5 in the regular season, Dallas bowed out rather meekly in the playoffs, losing the wild-card contest to San Francisco. The elder Jones, who is ever the optimist gave an extensive answer in regards to where the team stands after several high-visibility departures during the offseason.
Jones stated emphatically, ‘I think we’re in better shape’ than at this point last year, when he feels he situated the team well for a run to the Super Bowl.
“I thought we had a team put together last year that was healthy enough when we got to the playoffs, which was always my fear, how healthy are we going to be in the playoffs. I thought we had a team put together . . .
. . . We had it teed up pretty good, and in my mind, we made a Hell of a run at it. We got disappointed, but we made a run at it. I think we’re in better shape today to make a run at it than when we were sitting here this time last year. And I say that following what I said right before that. I thought last year we had a chance to make a run at it and have people in place that if we were healthy enough we might get them. And I think we’re in better shape.”
Earlier in the press conference Jones referenced the old adage of availability being the best ability and how the lack thereof was the reason they jettisoned some of their top salaries in wideout Amari Cooper, right tackle La’el Collins and defensive end Randy Gregory.
“We lost three really high profile players. Those players were in the top-10 of our players that make the most money. When you get into that spot, I can tell you, your standards go up. Your bar is higher. Your conduct is higher. Your attention to the team is higher, not just your own performance, but everything. When you have that kind of responsibility, which you do when you have that much of the financial pie. So, what I’m trying to say is those decisions were made more about availability than ability, and they were made as to…
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