The wait is over football fans, the 2013 preseason has officially started. Canton, Ohio; the home of the NFL's Hall of Fame, plays host to the annual kickoff game. This year featured the second-best teams from two different states as the Dallas Cowboys took on the Miami Dolphins.
One of the biggest storylines heading into the primordial event of the football season was the battle for second running back on both teams. Miami is focused on the competition between Mike Gillislee and Daniel Thomas. Yet, there could be a sleeper in Jonas Gray. Speedster Lamar Miller will handle the bulk of the work for Miami, but the team is still looking for a nice complement for the young back.
In Dallas, the competition is between Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle to see who will backup DeMarco Murray. Murray was much beleaguered with injuries over the past two years, but has been incredibly effective when he has been on the field. Randle was the projected number two heading into camp, but he has struggled with reads, and effective rushing techniques.
In the Hall of Fame game, the Dolphins rushers gained limited success against a tough defense. Jonas Gray led the way for Miami with seven carriers for 41 yards. Miller, the expected starter, carried two times for 21 yards. The Dolphins starters only played two series, and neither produced any points against a patch-quilt of a Dallas’ defense. While Thomas received the second string’s share of carries, he recorded only four rushes for a horrendous five yards. Thomas was by far the least used and least effective back for Miami, leaving his future in question. Gillislee appears to be the front runner for second string, but recorded just seven carries for 21 yards. Regardless, Miami has four additional preseason appearances to decide on a second work horse.
On the defensive side of the ball, Miami looks to give one of the best front sevens in football some experience against a good rushing offense. Second overall pick of the 2013 draft Dion Jordan shined in his early debut, recording a sack on his first defensive play. Jordan shined at the University of Oregon, earning all pac-10 honors consecutive years in his final seasons in the Pacific Northwest. The Dolphins starters played only a few series, but did hold Dallas to a mediocre two touchdowns and one field goal despite horrendous field position due to a poor performance by the offense. Miami should be optimistic about its defensive play, but not satisfied.
Dallas is in a transitional period, and is adapting to a new Tampa 2 defense run by defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Tonight, the Cowboys seem to have adjusted to a new system, and utterly overpowered the Dolphins winning 24-13. Dallas showed tremendous hustle, and adjusted to their new identity spectacularly. While this was only a game against a sub .500 opponent, a game in which both teams were using mostly third option players, the Cowboys showed poise, and tremendous hustle on defense. If this attitude carries over to the regular season, watch out for Dallas in the NFC East.
At last football has returned! Every Sunday for the next six months the NFL will hold the greatest contest on earth. While the first game of the year wasn’t impressive, it was an accurate preview of things to come, and gave two teams the beginning of their identities. Neither team really impressed in its’ first outing, but the contest did show a glimpse of the talent within both rosters. Travis Frederick shined for Dallas, while Jordan appears primed for a big year in Miami. At the end of the day, football is back, and that’s all that matters.