Cowboys StoryLine: Pump the Brakes

While there is excitement stemming from the Rams joint practice, especially from the defense, we still need to remind everyone that it was a practice and there is still plenty of work to do and progress to be made.

With preseason football finally under way, the excitement seems higher than ever for the Cowboys, who are getting the hype from the national media. But the callers wanna know … is that a good thing?

One position that continues to be addressed is cornerback and how these guys are covering the receivers in practice. While it does look like it improved group, it still has the most question marks.

Many of the regular callers from StoryLine made their annual trip to Oxnard with plenty of questions about the first padded practice.

A lot of the questions we've had should get answered with the pads coming on Monday. Is Barham for real? Which RB will rise to the occasion?

Our first show of camp has a new look to match the new vibes of camp but some of the veteran callers want to know which players we should be watching from the jump!

Even before his first StoryLine podcast of camp, Nick Eatman introduced a new series at camp, chatting it up with fans on the "FenceLine."

Even in the middle of the summer, there was a little math being mentioned on the show. Crunching numbers on things such as Pickens' contract, stats to evaluate and days to training camp were all mentioned on the final show before the break.

The offseason is winding down, and on the second to last show, the callers are trying to see if the Cowboys still need more help from the outside or if the players within can get the job done.

The trade the Cowboys didn't make had the fans buzzing on the lines. Could they have done what the Rams did and if so, how? Could there be another trade in the works?

The show had a healthy mix of first-time callers and some of the regulars - all creating a wide range of topics from the positions that still need to be addressed to the one game you'd love to win over the rest!

While the NFL Schedule has the Cowboys flying all over the world, the opinions of the schedule itself were all over the place, too. Some see it as daunting while others see advantages for the Cowboys.

On the eve of the NFL's Schedule Release, we tried to make our best guesses to how things will line up for the Cowboys, especially for the first month of the season.

The excitement is real regarding Cowboys offseason - so much so that expectations are sky high for Christian Parker, Caleb Downs and others before they've ever had a real practice.

Every call had a similar vibe when it comes to getting Caleb Downs. Cowboys Nation is loving the pick and was also rather excited about the other picks, coming to the conclusion that this could be one of the best drafts in recent years.

Who better to talk to about drafting "the next Darren Woodson " than Mr. Woodson himself? The former Cowboys great called in to discuss the recent drafting of safety Caleb Downs and reacted to the instant comparisons between the two.

On the final pre-draft show, we go through a list of scenarios that might make sense for the Cowboys, which includes trading up and down and staying put and even getting on the phone for a possible trade!

As we get nearly a week from the NFL Draft, three viable options seem clear and everyone has an opinion on if the Cowboys should move up from 12, trade back and add draft capital or stand there and make the pick.

We announced this year's All-StoryLine Squad with a new captain in the mix as shout out the callers who truly keep the show going.

After having one of the worst defenses statistically in team history, should the Cowboys change their overall draft mindset to Best 'Defensive' Player Available instead of the regular BPA?

As lucrative as the 12th overall pick seems to be, the Cowboys could miss out on some of the elite defensive players. So what happens then? Trade back, take BPA and would you consider offense at that point?

While March is know for other things in sports right now, free agency hasn't ended just yet although draft talk is starting to dominate the discussion! Would they think about offense at 12?

The first week of free agency was unusually busy for the Cowboys but will it stay quiet here in Week 2?

With the shocking news out of Vegas and Baltimore, should the Cowboys pick up the phone again and try to get back in the game for an edge rusher? And whats the plan at linebacker?

On the final show before the start of free agency, the fans have their fingers crossed that the Cowboys will indeed be more aggressive this year, getting much needed help on all three levels of the defense.