Dallas Cowboys on Hard Knocks: Winners, losers from episode 1

Hard Knocks: The Dallas Cowboys premiered on Tuesday and we’re breaking down the winners and losers from episode 1 as best we can.

Whenever HBO chose to make the Dallas Cowboys the focus of Hard Knocks for the 2021 NFL season, there was never going to be a shortage for content. From Dak Prescott returning from injury to Jerry Jones generally being himself to America’s Team trying to rebound from a lost 2020 campaign, this team is a goldmine for entertainment. And we saw that on Tuesday’s premiere episode.

Prescott was featured heavily, opening the episode with talk about a difficult 2020 for the quarterback and also being highlighted during training camp practices. We also got a good look at some of the rookies, Ezekiel Elliott, the hilarious and odd coaching stories of Mike McCarthy and John Fassell, and so much more.

And while it’s silly to glean things from a television show that is heavily produced by HBO and NFL Films, we have to do it. So these are the winners and losers coming out of the first episode of Hard Knocks: The Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas Cowboys winners and losers from episode 1 of Hard Knocks

Winner: Micah Parsons – No one came out of episode 1 looking better than rookie first-round pick Micah Parsons. For starters, it was cool to see his teammates simply wow at the speed he possesses in the middle of the field and equally so witnessing him already mixing it up with trash talk and supreme confidence.

However, the best part was in the Hall of Fame Game when he was all but begging defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to play more. While he was also coached by Quinn and Leighton Vander Esch on how he can be better, his aggressiveness and eager mentality is something you want to see from a top-12 pick. He looks the part of an already-budding star.

Loser: Backup Quarterbacks – Whenever Prescott wasn’t taking reps, we got a few glimpses of Garrett Gilbert, Ben DiNucci and Cooper Rush taking reps. Suffice it to say that wasn’t pretty when we did see it as they were picked off a few times, made some errant throws and simply didn’t look good.

Again, part of that could be just what the Hard Knocks cameras want us to see but, after seeing Andy Dalton and DiNucci struggle once Dak went out last season, this room of backup quarterbacks in episode 1 didn’t inspire a ton of confidence.

Winner: Ezekiel Elliott – We’ve seen all the reports that Ezekiel Elliott arrived at camp trimmed down and looking more explosive and it certainly seemed that way on Hard Knocks. He was moving much better than he was a year ago and came off as hungry to bounce back from a down 2020 season.

More important to me, though, was the running back’s overall demeanor. Whether it was joking around with best friend Dak Prescott or talking to the cameras, there is a joy to Elliott that, frankly, wasn’t there in 2020. If this isn’t just production, we could see a renewed energy and play-style from the running back, which would be a welcomed sight.

Winner: Dan Quinn – It’s hard not to watch the episode and not think that Dan Quinn can have an overwhelmingly positive effect on the Cowboys defense. Yes, he failed as a head coach in Atlanta but you see the way he interacts with the players in Dallas when asked to solely focus on the defense and there is a different air about him.

Quinn has enjoyed success in the NFL as a defensive coordinator previously and, seeing the way he praises his guys, coaches up rookies like Parsons in the Hall of Fame Game and so on, his arrival in Big D appears like a positive addition for the franchise.

Loser: Gift-wrapping – There wasn’t a funnier moment in the premiere episode than the aforementioned Elliott wrapping Dak Prescott’s birthday present and having to watch YouTube tutorials on how to accomplish that. The mere fact that he made it this long without ever having wrapped a gift before is a big L for that process.

Winner: Mike McCarthy – I know, I know. Mike McCarthy isn’t exactly the most popular head coach in NFL circles as most people consider him overrated. And perhaps this is a testament to the HBO and NFL Films production crews, but it was hard not to come away from the first episode of Hard Knocks not buying into McCarthy.

Whether it was his championship expectations, his incorporation of Austin Powers with “Mojo Moments”, or just his general relationship with players, everything seemed extremely positive for the head coach with his team. At least after 50-plus minutes, that should be a refreshing sight after his first season in Dallas didn’t go to plan.

Loser: Dallas Cowboys trainers and coaches trying to rein in Dak Prescott – “I sat last year enough.” That was the sentiment from Prescott when he was being put on a pitch count even before he strained his shoulder. Whether it was McCarthy or the trainers, Dak clearly has no interest in watching from the sidelines anymore. And peace be with the coaching staff trying to rein in a player who clearly has a fire burning in him to get on the field and get back at it.