Cowboys Mailbag:Mick's Mail: 07/27

We saw such passion from fans during the recent World Cup with constant singing, chanting and general cheering throughout every game. It looked like everyone was having such fun. Do you think the NFL, and in particular Cowboys fans, can ever reach that level of enthusiasm on game days?

Do you see anyone challenging KaVontae Turpin as a returner? Will he also have to stand out as a receiver to keep the job?

I feel better about this team than I have in a while, as do most fans. With that said, cornerback seems a major area of concern swimming in the pool of optimism. Tell me who you are comfortable with right now playing on the outside.

With defenses undoubtedly trying to find a way to slow down George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb this season, do you see a real possibility for Ryan Flournoy to get more opportunities and each of these three guys reaching 1,000 yards receiving this year?

Am I wrong in thinking that Jaishawn Barham might be the surprise steal of the Cowboys' draft?

With the retirement of C. J. Goodwin, who do you believe will be become the Cowboys' special teams captain or leader?

We know that defensive coordinator Christian Parker is a great teacher and communicator, but does that bring attitude and tenacity? Will he bring a "disciplined nastiness" to the team? What have you seen so far?

The Cowboys were 22 for 35 on fourth down in 2025, the third-most conversions in the NFL. Do you think this many attempts were largely due to head coach Brian Schottenhiemer not trusting the defense last season? Or do you think he is aggressive by nature, and we should expect as many or more fourth-down tries coming this year?

I think we all think this defense is way better than last year's, but I'm getting concerned that there's too much hype going on. Isn't defensive coordinator Christian Parker going to have issues like all new coaches do?

It looks to me like the Cowboys are adding some "long" bodies who can run (Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Anthony Smith). With Dak Prescott's success on the deep ball, is this a sign Brian Schottenheimer is planning to stretch the field, or am I just getting too excited for football?

If the Cowboys have significantly improved their defense, do you think we will see the offense take more red-zone chances due to increased optimism in the defense's capabilities to stop the opponent and even get the ball back for the offense?