March 10th, 2015. That day means a lot to me.
I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan. Duh. Welcome to Inside The Star, where we write/talk/jibber-jabber about America’s Team.
Every day of my life before March 10th, 2015 that fandom was something that I kept to myself, and then that day happened.
On March 10th, 2015 I got an email from Bryson Treece – Owner, Founder, and Managing Editor of Inside The Star. He was responding to an inquiry that I’d made about writing for his site. 522 days, 400 articles, 31 episodes of the RJOShow, and countless streams on OchoLive… here we are.
It’s been one incredible ride, but it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gotten a little bold. That first email I sent Bryson? I remember sitting in my apartment, my Mom in town for the weekend playing on her iPad, and I realized that I was ready to finally do something about this passion of mine.
In the last 522 days I’ve made more bold decisions. I’ve chosen topics that people hated, I’ve tried to make jokes that didn’t land, and I actually tried to sell the idea that Matt Cassel could lead the Cowboys to the Playoffs in 2015. As I’ve grown and gained more experience, that boldness has become quite the thrill.
If you’re a loyal Inside The Star reader (Hey! Love you!) then you remember me authoring our weekly Bold Predictions here. With the Cowboys back for 2016… so am I.
Every week, every single one, I’ll be dropping my Bold Predictions for Cowboys/Whoever on the weekday before that game. I can promise you they will be bold, fun, and one incredible ride.
Tomorrow we watch the Dallas Cowboys play a football game.
Today we get bold.
Welcome to this week’s Bold Predictions. Vamonos.
The Rams Are Referred To As “St. Louis” Three Times
Alright, I know what you’re thinking. This is a Dallas Cowboys site so this doesn’t make sense. JUST HANG ON I’M GETTING THERE.
This is the first Nationally Televised game of the 2016 NFL season. It’s the Cowboys. With the NFL back in Los Angeles. ESPN’s Monday Night Football is on the call. That means, thanks to a HOF-can’t-paint-the-field fiasco, it’s new MNF play-by-play man Sean McDonough’s first swim in the big kids pool.
The pressure is going to be massive to make this game epic given the HOF Game’s inability to paint (seriously guys, even the little kids pool swimmers know how to paint). McDonough is going to be:
- Trying to handle Jon Gruden.
- Mesmerized by the Dallas Cowboys.
- Nervous.
At some point when Dak Prescott crosses the 700-yard mark (A Bold Prediction within a Bold Prediction! I’m already in midseason form!), McDonough is going to have a “doh!” moment and accidentally say Saint Lewis (More fun to type than St. Louis… even though I just did. I hate myself.) when he means Los Angeles. As for the other two? Jon Gruden is on the call. You can bank on this.
Darius Jackson Will Have Over 150 Total Yards
There’s a rookie running back who’s impressing folks out at Dallas Cowboys Training Camp and his name is not Ezekiel Elliott.
“Wut” –you probably.
When Darius Jackson was selected in the 6th Round my brain immediately thought of him as the Tashard Choice to Zeke’s Felix Jones. I’m not at all contending that Zeke is destined for the same path as Felix because that would be literally the worst thing in the world unfortunate.
What I’m saying is that Darius Jackson is impressing folks, and the Cowboys are taking things easy with Zeke. Given the variety of factors in the probability machine, me thinks that Darius is going to have an opportunity to feast like on the Rams like I do on Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. I LIKE IT OK.
Between straight up rushes, passes out of the backfield, and some use in the return game… Darius is about to do work.
A Referee Will Accidentally Place A Touchback At The 20-Yard Line
This offseason the NFL made some changes that we all need to remember:
- We all agreed to never speak of the 2015 Cowboys ever again.
- Dez still caught it.
- Touchbacks (from kickoffs, not punts) are now marked at the 25-yard line, not the 20 like they have been. Why? Cause.
I talked a lot on this week’s episode of the RJOShow with Inside The Pylon’s Chuck Zodda, a former collegiate kicker, about the ramifications that this could have on the 2016 NFL season. Now to be crystal clear we discussed the repercussions in terms of coaching strategies, we didn’t account for mental lapses from referees.
That’s what we’re doing today – assuming a referee is going to have a whoopsie moment. Think about muscle memory for a second. My fingers are permanently fixated to hold my iPhone, you’re telling me it’s impossible that referees won’t just walk out to the 20-yard mark out of habit? Get outta town!
Pay attention on Saturday. We’re gonna see a referee come up five yards short and then we’re going to laugh. Man, it’s going to be awesome.
There Will Be A “New Triplets” Reference
Hey did you know that the Cowboys have an amazing quarterback, running back, and wide receiver? And did you know that they had this same tripod in the 1990s? AND did you know that people called that trio “The Triplets”?! I bet you didn’t.
Tony Romo, Ezekiel Elliott, and Dez Bryant have some lofty expectations and big-time legacies to live up to as a threesome. My fellow Staff Writer, cycling aficionado extraordinaire, Sean Martin recently took a stab at projecting their 2016 stats if you’re into that sort of thing (you should be because there’s some high-quality math in there).
People think this is the second coming of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin. Honestly it’s pretty difficult not to get all hot and bothered over that though, whoa I need to cool off.
8 (Troy) + 22 (Emmitt) + 88 (Mike) = 118.
9 (Romo) + 21 (Zeke) + 88 (Dez) = 118.
The math checks out.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) April 29, 2016
It’s easy to make this connection. Considering that Romo, Zeke, and Dez won’t play if at all on Saturday, when they’re shown by cameras it’ll be on the sideline in sweats.
Imagine the trio, the three best friends that anyone could have, chomping on flower seeds. Pondering life. Envisioning glory. Wondering why the NFL lets the Eagles be a real team.
Now cue the broadcast panning in on them saying, “There’s the ‘new’ Triplets!”. Bam.
Dak Prescott Will Throw A Left-Handed Pass
I TOLD YOU WE WERE GETTING BOLD THIS SEASON.
Tony Romo has had to do a lot of things as the quarterback for America’s Team. Last year, in a contest against the Miami Dolphins, he added a new trick to his repertoire when he went full-out southpaw against the ‘Fins. (By the way, if there is not a group of Miami fans known as Dol-fans then they have really failed as a fandom).
Thanks to an injury to an actual southpaw, Kellen Moore, the Cowboys are now relying on 4th Round Draft Pick Dak Prescott to earn the role of backup QB/clipboard holder/Romo heir/job that disappointed us game after game last season. Dak, hailing from the SEC’s Mississippi State, is of pretty high pedigree and a lot of people think he can make some moves at the NFL level.
Well I think he’s making some moves… left-handed. Yea. That’s right. Calling my shot. LET’S DO THIS THING.
Dak’s going to be in the game. The Rams are going to rush. He’s going to scramble. He’s going to throw it left-handed. It’s going to be completed. We’re going to reference Romo doing it. It’s going to be beautiful.
Huzzah.
What are your Bold Predictions for Saturday’s Preseason Game in Los Angeles? Let us know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @rjochoa!
