Ahh, the regular season. It begins on Sunday for the New York Giants when they face an NFC East nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys. With that in mind, we turn to SB Nation's Blogging the Boys for insight into the 2015 Cowboys. Dave Halprin of BTB and I are old-timers on this network -- we've been trading these questions a couple times a year now since 2007. Let's see what Dave has to say about his team this time around.
Ed: The Cowboys are obviously going with the old Denver Broncos "It doesn't matter who runs the rock as long as you can block" philosophy. Will Dallas miss DeMarco Murray, or will they hardly notice he's gone?
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Dave: That's the same question everybody has been asking about the Cowboys since Murray left for Philadelphia. It's impossible to answer, but I think that the Cowboys rushing attack will be fine mainly because the offensive line is so good. In limited action last year Joseph Randle was very good, but we've never seen him with a bunch of carries in a season. Darren McFadden has never lived up to his hype and has often been injured in his career. The Cowboys recent trade for Christine Michael is interesting, we'll have to see where he fits int he mix. I think they'll miss some of the things Murray brought to the table, but I still think they'll be fine in the running game.
Ed: Dez or Odell? Why?
Dave: For one game this year, or for a championship run over the next season or two, then it's Dez -- mainly because he's proven he can do it year after year. There is a comfort factor there knowing he's done it season after season. Beckham has the same talent and will be spoken of as one of the top receivers as long as he follows up last year with a couple more outstanding seasons. Based on last year's performance from Beckham, there is not a lot separating the two, Odell just has to prove it over a few seasons.
Ed: Eli Manning or Tony Romo in the DirecTV commercials? Why?
Dave: Tony Romo's DirecTV commercial creeps me out. If that guy lived on my block I'd never go over to his house, I might end up as the main ingredient in one of his crownies. Eli's characters would be more fun to hang out with, but after a short period of time I'd get tired of it and would then send him over to creepy Tony Romo's house.
Ed: The old standby. If you could take one player off the Giants' roster and put him in the Dallas lineup, who would it be? Why?
Dave: Give me Beckham Jr. If I could line him and Dez up together on the outside, with Jason Witten roaming the middle, wow, that would be a high-powered offense.
Ed: Dwayne Harris is a Giant now. How much does that hurt the Cowboys and help the Giants?
Dave: I was sorry to see Harris go, he did a lot of great work on special teams, not just returning kicks but also covering them. So I think the Cowboys will miss him and that he will help the Giants. He's one of those guys who can make a roster on special teams alone. The Cowboys special teams have not looked good in preseason, although it's hard to judge off of that. Still, without Harris I'm wondering who will be our ace on ST.
As always, thanks to Dave for the time. And, please, play nice when you visit BTB. You are in their house, so represent Big Blue View -- and the Giants -- with class.