‘Hard Knocks: The Dallas Cowboys’ Episode 1 Superlatives

Best moment: Micah Parsons gets first NFL action

Anyone who follows college football and/or draft prospects knows that Parsons is a very physical player. Even if you want him to tone down the aggressiveness at times (like when he was beat on a double move by fullback Sewo Olonilua in practice), Dallas should be thrilled by the rookie’s love for the game—as displayed by basically sulking around when Dan Quinn said his night was over following the fumble recovery versus Pittsburgh.

 

Worst moment: Reliving Dak Prescott’s ankle injury

Last season’s gruesome ankle injury for Prescott was shown multiple times to open up this season of Hard Knocks, and the objective was to show how far the star quarterback has come to get fully healthy for camp. The calmness shown by Dak when he tried to snap his ankle back into place was remarkable, and it was the pain of not being able to play—which he realized when on the cart—that hurt more than the injury itself.

 

Funniest moment: CeeDee Lamb makes fun of Micah Parsons

The entire sequence following Parsons was hilarious, including him basically acting like a little kid on the phone with Dan Quinn and then asking if there are orange slices at halftime. But the biggest laugh-out-loud moment was when teammate CeeDee Lamb walked up to him after the fumble recovery and ripped the first-rounder for not having enough “swag” based on his uniform/equipment. We’ll see if Parsons levels up by Week 1.

 

Underrated moment: Jerry Jones putting salt on his breakfast sandwich

It was just a couple of seconds following a phone call with Jim Maurer about Dak Prescott’s shoulder injury, but Jones immediately grabbed the salt to sprinkle on his McDonald’s breakfast sandwich—drawing the attention of Chad Johnson and others on Twitter.

 

Best quote: Jerry Jones

“It’s a better world to be naïve than critical and negative all the time.”

 

MVP: Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott

There were a lot of candidates for Episode 1, but I’m going to split the vote between Prescott and Elliott. The two best friends are genuinely close off the field, and on the field, they are both taking the 2021 season very seriously with Dak eager for maximum reps and Zeke transforming his body to get into the best shape of his career. Although some will dislike them simply because they play for the Cowboys, Prescott and Elliott both came off well in the premiere.