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Best of Tim Cowlishaw: Questions about the Cowboys' defense, memories from Valley Ranch
By Tim Cowlishaw

Here is a sampling of offseason musings and hot sports opinions from Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw, taken from online chats, podcast interviews and his stories.

Question: Training camp right around the corner ... what Cowboys story lines will you be most interested in in Oxnard?

Cowlishaw: Mostly what's going on with the defense. It always looks pretty good in camp, but will this team have a legitimate pass rush? Is the secondary ready to make some plays? What do they do at LB if they lose Sean Lee for any stretch of games with McClain already out for most of the season?

Question: Seems to me there's more pressure on Ezekiel Elliott to produce than any Cowboys rookie in a long time. Is too much being expected of this rookie?

Cowlishaw: In a way, yes. I agree. He should have an optimal situation, playing behind this offensive line. But he is still a rookie, is likely to make more mistakes either with fumbles or pass protection than people are likely to expect. But I still think he has big numbers at the end of the year, and you can't wait more than a few picks in your fantasy draft or he will be gone.

Question: Does Kellen Moore being -- gulp -- the without-a-doubt backup QB to Romo bode well for Dak Prescott's trajectory toward backup status? Or is Dak so much of a project that it doesn't matter who the QB in front of him is this year?

Cowlishaw: I have to feel like Dak is a project. And if something happens to Kellen Moore, they would need to find the next Matt Cassel if you will. I don't think you can rush Prescott along and think he should be out on the field in 2017.

Question: Are there any reasons to be encouraged about the Cowboys' defense in 2016?

Cowlishaw: If you assume Sean Lee will stay healthy, Byron Jones develops as a safety, Mo Claiborne and Brandon Carr and Scandrick get the job done at corner and they find a pass rush out of thin air (OK, it's not that bad but it will be a struggle early), you can be encouraged. I think the unit could be all right. And the offense can help it a lot as happened in 2014.

Question: Should Cowboys fans be worried about Dez getting distracted by this lawsuit with training camp around the bend?

Cowlishaw: A lawsuit over alleged $60,000 in damages? No, I'm sure Dez has had greater issues on his mind through the years. It's all silliness, the kind of stuff you have come to expect, but, no, I don't think he's going to be dropping passes in Oxnard because he's got Royce West on his mind.

Question: NFL.com guy said Bob Lilly is Cowboys' best all-time defender? Would you agree? If not, who would be your choice?

Cowlishaw: Without question. Team has had many quality defensive players from Mel Renfro and Howley and Jordan through Harris and Waters and Too Tall and Harvey Martin to Darren Woodson and Charles Haley. I'm sure I forgot a key one off the top of my head. But for anyone of my generation or really anyone who looks at the team's history, Lilly is a No. 1 pick who will be hard to move aside. Just as he was back then. Good man, too.

Question: What do you expect out of Terrance Williams this season? If he has big year in his contract season, should Cowboys beware of him being motivated by money or sign him anyways?

Tim Cowlishaw: You should expect big plays but not big numbers. This team figures to commit to the run with Zeke. And when they throw, Dez is the first option and Williams falls into line somewhere in the mix of Witten, Beasley, etc. But he needs to produce big moments to show his worth.

Question: Seems like I've read more and more about Cowboys' OL depth (lack thereof) lately than ever before. For that reason alone, is Ron Leary a must-keep?

Tim Cowlishaw: Certainly you would like to have one or two backups with experience because, in most cases, all five guys are not going to stay healthy for 16 games. So while he has asked to be traded, I'm sure the Cowboys see him as an important piece as a backup.

Notable stories
1. Whatever his status, success not guaranteed for Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys
Quick preview: The Cowboys rookie running back claims to have text messages that prove his former girlfriend was trying to set him up on domestic violence charges, a story that broke Friday morning and one that he and the Cowboys were trying to diffuse quickly.
So let's assume for now that Elliott is correct and this story goes away. If it doesn't, there will be plenty of time for hand-wringing and the casting of stones later.
Even if Elliott's world is quickly restored to exactly what it was a few days ago -- that is, the No. 1 jersey seller in the league and a presumptive top pick in a few million fantasy drafts -- haven't we gotten ahead of ourselves in seeing him as the one to restore glory to the star on the helmet?
Click here more

2. Recalling memories made at Valley Ranch, from getting yelled at by Michael Irvin to ugly scene of '87 strike
Quick preview: The Cowboys moved to Valley Ranch, their new state-of-the-art training facility, during the 1985 season. I bought what I was hoping would be a state-of-the-art house there in the spring of 1986. I figured since I had just become the Cowboys' beat writer for The News, we would be attached at the hip -- me and this new community called Valley Ranch.
When the Cowboys moved there from the dump on Forest Lane, they were in the midst of their 20th consecutive winning season. They assumed that just might go on forever. I assumed home values would continue to climb.
It fell apart for the Cowboys in 1986. For me, it wasn't until the spring of 1988 when I had moved to San Francisco to cover the Giants that I realized I was going to be fortunate to rent this house, never mind sell it, while working 1,500 miles away.
In the fall of '89, I was back in the same house covering the same team for the same newspaper. But somehow everything had changed. And I was about to have a front-row seat to the very worst and the very best in Dallas Cowboys history.
 
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