Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For some, the Hard Knocks look into the world of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2021 training camp experience has been insightful. For others, there is a glaring missing ingredient: entertainment.
Episode 4 followed the tradition of the previous two episodes, being a stark contrast from the intriguing storylines that were mapped out in the first episode when the team first arrived in Oxnard, CA. Whether or not this has been the case throughout the last several years of the program is a verdict best left to others to decide. But objectively speaking, it feels like there are several storylines which wouldn’t jeopardize the privacy the team seeks in their game planning, that are being ignored.
This episode started with the defensive line being implored to be better self-motivators by new line coach Aden Durde. It was followed by special teams coach John Fassel having to host a virtual meeting due to a Covid outbreak that started with the team’s third preseason game when defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was removed along with DT Carlos Watkins before the action took place. Four more players would test positive and in total seven players would miss action.
Fortunately the team was able to resume in-person work a few days later, as the front office and coaching staff was faced with what would become the central failure of this year’s show; roster cuts.
It used to be that roster cuts were announced on a Saturday, but because of the new CBA and the addition of the 17th game, roster cuts happened on Tuesday, six hours before the episode premiered. The rest of the episode was spent highlighting the four underdog candidates’ the show has been profiling; OG Isaac Alarcon, DE Azur Kamara, RB JaQuan Hardy and QB Ben DiNucci.
Three of them had already been released by the time the show aired, however the show obviously didn’t have the time to include those cuts. The “Turk conversation” is one of the staples of the Hard Knocks series, but through no fault of their own, that was robbed from this season that was already missing storylines about the best players on the roster.
Watching Hardy being told by Skip Peete about the merits of grasping the opportunity afforded by RB3 Rico Dowdle’s season-ending injury afforded the foundation for the Turk moment, but that will not be aired until a week later, two days before the season kickoff and will not resonate in a meaningful way at that point.
The show then moved to Micah Parson’s cookout, where fans were treated to an absolutely abysmal Connect Four performance by linebacker Leighton Vander Esch.
One has to wonder about a player that gets dog walked to such a degree. One game he lost in three moves.
This is a good time to point out another episode went by without Jaylon Smith getting a sniff of airtime.
The action soon returned to the practice field where second-year corner Trevon Diggs had the audacity to claim that route technician Amari Cooper was going to go catchless in the team session. Big mistake. With Dak Prescott hyping the situation and securing a bet, Cooper went into blender mode, making a series of outstanding catches fans are accustomed to seeing that turned the corner every which way but up.
Prescott later, in team meetings, pitched the Prescott Pylon game with plans of making big money. This segued into Prescott’s return to full practice after being sidelined for weeks with his throwing shoulder strain. It was a great but brief update into the most important storyline of camp. One may have wanted to get even more Prescott action in this series, or any of the other “return” storylines this team has a gluttony of, but oh well.
Here’s where things kind of went off the rail as Tarrell Basham, who had everyone laughing during Episode 1, got on stage to do standup comedy act at a private event. And then they showed his stand up redo in the meeting room where the subject of his impression, DeMarcus Lawrence, walked in during his performance, throwing him off his game.
A trip to the Cowboys store for Azur Kamara and his family was next.
Mike McCarthy’s shirt and dance moves took center stage next in the final team meeting before the preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He reminded players that several of them were not going to suit up for a football game again after that Sunday. Production then went straight to McCarthy naming Alarcon a captain for the game.
The game action was what it was, as Jacksonville played their starters against the Cowboys reserves and even the worst team in 2020 should dominate those matchups, which the Jaguars did. Fans were saddled with having to hear an Eye of the Tiger cover overlay.
Ezekiel Elliott once again starred from the sideline as he doesn’t play in preseason action, along with Hardy who has ditched his “EDs” or “rec specs” in favor of contact lenses again. Elliott’s support of his backfield mate, along with Prescott’s swagger are glimpses into the personalities of the club’s biggest personalities.
The series would’ve been better served with, not necessarily more shots of them, but more similar content from other players.
Perhaps the Cowboys are just a more boring organization compared to year’s past, but that’s hard to believe. Lawrence is hardly showcased and big personalities like Jourdan Lewis are rarely shown at all.
The wonderful moms of the underdog guys took over the show from the stands. Alarcon’s mom was fierce in her cheering while Kamara’s mom’s elegance with her high-pitched “Azuuuuuur” calls had to make everyone watching smile at her pride in her son.
Lawrence delivered a great line talking to his teammates who may not be with the Cowboys much longer, stating, “It’s time like this, days like this you have to risk it all. Hey, one team don’t want you don’t mean 31 other teams don’t want you. Go make them plays, baby!”
In the too little, too late department, DiNucci led a late touchdown drive that culminated in a scoring pass to Johnnie Dixon, who also was released earlier on Tuesday. “Too [expletive] late, I got to play better” DiNucci mused, knowing his fate was already sealed based on his prior performances.
That was the end of the show, but in the closing credits Jerry Jones had to get his requisite commercial in, flipping the coin in the inaugural Jerry Jones Classic high school game and a testimonial to the Whataburger that came straight from the pitchman’s handbook.
Someone should check how much stock he has there.
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