(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
I think what we saw in Las Vegas is what we all envisioned the Cowboys to be. But when does the defense become legitimate? Is it already, or will they have to handle business against Philadelphia, Kansas City and Detroit before can we believe them to be legit? – Bryan Scott/Glen Rock, PA
Tommy: Ask me in a couple weeks, because I'm certainly not ready to go there just yet. Yes, the Cowboys looked fantastic against the Raiders. A big reason for that was Quinnen Williams, who shined in his debut with Dallas. That helped things at all three levels of the defense, with guys getting more 1 on 1 opportunities, linebackers having easier gaps to fill and giving corners time to come back to the football and break up passes. To a degree though, you have to ask if that same effectiveness against a team like the Raiders will be evident against the Eagles, Chiefs and Lions, all three of which the Cowboys will play in a 12 day span. If they play like they did Monday night against those teams, you've got a strong argument, but I still think they're one or two pieces away.
Patrik: Is it great on paper? Absolutely. Is it off to a fantastic start? Oh indeed it is. Has it been truly been tested yet? No, but it's about to be. Take nothing away what the Cowboys' defense was able to do at all three levels of their unit against the Raiders, and especially since they've recently been bad against bad teams — so seeing them dominate a bad team means they've made significant progress already. Now comes a sequence of midterm and final exams, starting with the defending champs, and then Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, and on a very short week, not to mention the Lions, in Detroit, only seven days after the Chiefs. With the addition of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, and the return of DeMarvion Overshown (and Malik Hooker), the debut of Shavon Revel and the groove being found by Caelen Carson, yes, this Cowboys' defense looks brand new and ready to start passing out smoke ... but let's see if they keep that energy and consistently do it in the face of contenders.
Mailbag
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