The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a disappointing performance last week against the Carolina Panthers, one that’s reignited the discourse on defense and ratcheted it up to 11. However, they have to pull things together this week as they host the Washington Commanders, where a win would place them in second place in the NFC […] The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a disappointing performance last week against the Carolina Panthers, one that’s reignited the discourse on defense and ratcheted it up to 11. However, they have to pull things together this week as they host the Washington Commanders, where a win would place them in second place in the NFC East. Right now, Dallas is a slight favorite, by just 1.5 points. That’s largely due to two receivers’ injury statuses: CeeDee Lamb is making his return, while Terry McLaurin will be out for the Commanders. Is that really enough to swing things in the Cowboys’ favor? Our writers have differing opinions. When Washington has the ball Keep Jayden Daniels in the pocket Jayden Daniels was a phenom last year as a rookie. So far this year, it hasn’t been the same rousing success, but Daniels has still been productive. However, his biggest weapon remains his mobility. Whether it’s throwing dimes from outside the pocket or tucking and running, Daniels is at his best when moving around. The best defenses have managed to have success by keeping him hemmed into the pocket. One way this has been accomplished is with well-timed blitzes and defensive ends that keep contain, rather than just trying to rush the passer. When facing a blitz, for example, Daniels is 26th in EPA/dropback. Matt Eberflus isn’t typically a blitzer, but that’s what needs to be done in order to stop this offense. When Dallas has the ball Air it out The Cowboys have one of the most dominant offenses in the league right now without CeeDee Lamb. Now, they get the All Pro back (along with KaVontae Turpin, who’s no slouch either) to upgrade an already stellar unit. The Cowboys should have success on the ground – Dan Quinn’s defense is still fairly susceptible to the run game – but the air is where they’ll really have an advantage. Coming into this game, Washington is 20th in EPA/dropback and giving up the sixth-most yards per pass; they’re also surrendering the fifth-most yards after the catch. Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr. have relied heavily on the blitz – 10th in blitz rate – and it’s bitten them. Dak Prescott is firing on all cylinders, but he’s especially great against the blitz. A pass-happy approach in this one would make lots of sense. Now onto the predictions from your BTB writers… Tom Ryle (3-2-1): I am concerned the Cowboys are on a downward slide, but things are kinda wonky across the league. Still, it seems unlikely the defense can sort things out. Commanders 37, Cowboys 33. Matt Holleran (4-1-1): It’s hard to say a Week Seven game is a make-or-break matchup, but that’s exactly what this Sunday is for the Dallas Cowboys. If they win, there is still a plausible path for them to be a playoff team. If they lose, it’s time to turn their focus towards the 2026 season. I have plenty of confidence the Cowboys will be able to move the ball, particularly on the ground, against the Commanders’ defense. I have no confidence Dallas’ defense will be able to register even a singular stop against Washington’s offense. At the end of the day, I see Dallas’ defense being unable to get a key stop, causing the Cowboys to drop this one. Give me Washington, 33-27. Mike Poland (2-3-1): This game for Dallas hinges on two very crucial pressure points. On the offensive side, how does Hoffman and Bass handle the Washington defensive front. If the Commanders get to dive into their bag of tricks and start stunting across the line we could see another day where the Cowboys center/guard position start struggle again. On the defensive side it’s all about the edge defenders. They need stay inside the lines, hold that edge and don’t allow Croskey-Merritt or Jayden Daniels to rush at free will. If both sides execute this is a win for Dallas, fail and we have ourselves another Panthers fiasco. Let’s hedge our bets that Dallas has learned from last week’s mistakes and call this a win inside AT&T. Cowboys 35, Commanders 28. Brian Martin (3-2-1): I think this game is going to be a shootout and whoever has the ball last likely ends up with the “W”. With home field advantage and offensive reinforcements (CeeDee Lamb, KaVontae Turpin, Tyler Booker), the Cowboys should have a slight advantage. Score prediction: Cowboys 37, Commanders 34. Jess Haynie (3-2-1): Another narrow loss as Dallas can’t stop Washington from a game-winning field goal. Commanders 31, Cowboys 30. David Howman (2-3-1): I can’t explain why, but I have a lot of confidence in the Cowboys right now. I think Brian Schottenheimer sticking his neck out for Matt Eberflus this past week also results in several material changes to the scheme, and I think we all expect this offense to reach a new level with CeeDee Lamb coming back. The Commanders have been up-and-down this season, and Jayden Daniels in particular has had some struggles along the way. Losing Terry McLaurin for this one certainly hurts, and I think that gives Dallas the edge. I’m not expecting a defensive domination, but I also don’t see this one being particularly close. Cowboys win 37-24. See More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

The Dallas Cowboys welcome their NFC East rival, the Washington Commanders, to AT&T Stadium for a Sunday afternoon clash. Dallas is desperate for a win after dropping a winnable game to the Carolina Panthers and falling to 2-3-1 on the season. The good news for Dallas is they get CeeDee Lamb back on offense, along […] The Dallas Cowboys welcome their NFC East rival, the Washington Commanders, to AT&T Stadium for a Sunday afternoon clash. Dallas is desperate for a win after dropping a winnable game to the Carolina Panthers and falling to 2-3-1 on the season. The good news for Dallas is they get CeeDee Lamb back on offense, along with Tyler Booker, which gives that side of the ball even more juice. Of course, it’s the defense that’s the problem, and this week Trevon Diggs is out. Jayden Daniels should be able to score points. But if the Cowboys can end up with a win, they would move into second place in the NFC East. Here is info for the game. Cowboys vs Commanders game info Important links: Cowboys depth chart | Roster Date: Oct 19, 2025 Game time: 4:25 PM EST Location: Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium TV channel: FOX Coverage Map: 506 Sports Radio: 105.3 The Fan | SXM Streaming: Fubo Cowboys record: (2-3-1) Commanders record: (3-3) Odds: Dallas -1.5, courtesy of FanDuel Prediction: Cowboys 28 – Commanders 27 Enemy blog: Hogs Haven Twitter: @BloggingTheBoys Facebook: Please Like us! See More: Dallas Cowboys Game Information

The Dallas Cowboys return to sunny AT&T Stadium on Sunday to play their divisional rival, the Washington Commanders. Both the Cowboys and Commanders are coming off their third loss of the season after losing to a game-winning field goal last week as time expired. This game is big for both teams as they look to […] The Dallas Cowboys return to sunny AT&T Stadium on Sunday to play their divisional rival, the Washington Commanders. Both the Cowboys and Commanders are coming off their third loss of the season after losing to a game-winning field goal last week as time expired. This game is big for both teams as they look to stay in the playoff race and within striking distance of the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles. Here are five things to keep an eye on in this key divisional matchup between the Cowboys and Commanders. 1. Grounding the Commanders? Stopping the run will be the focus of most games going forward, and it certainly won’t change against the offense that averages 5.5 yards per rushing attempt, the highest in the league. After giving up 216 yards to the Carolina Panthers last week, the attention will again turn to keeping Washington from running all over the defense. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt is now the Commanders’ lead back after injuries to Austin Ekeler (Achilles) and Chris Rodriguez (calf) have taken them out of the mix. He is averaging 5.7 yards per carry, which is the third-highest efficiency for running backs who have at least 25 carries. Only Bijan Robinson and the recently resurgent Rico Dowdle have a higher average. Croskey-Merritt is a north-and-south runner who doesn’t waste movement dancing around. If the Cowboys’ defense isn’t able to clog the lanes, it could turn into a grindfest with the result being a big day for the rookie back. 2. CeeDee’s return The Cowboys’ offense will get a nice boost this week with the return of their star wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb. The team’s biggest offensive weapon started the year well with two straight 100-yard performances before he injured his ankle in Week 3. In his absence, George Pickens has picked up the slack, averaging over 100 yards receiving over the last four games, and has scored five touchdowns in the process. The Cowboys will get their dynamic duo back for the first time in a month, and the last time these two played a complete game together, the offense put up 478 yards of offense, their highest output of the season. It will be a nice feeling to have Lamb back in the mix and give Dak Prescott more weapons to work with, especially with how vulnerable the defense has been this season. Every little bit helps. 3. Get Javonte back on track It was a beatdown in the trenches last week as Carolina asserted their dominance on both sides of the ball. Not only did the defense roll out the red carpet for the Panthers’ running game, but the offense couldn’t do anything with their own rushing attack. Dallas only had 31 yards on the ground. Running back Javonte Williams was an absolute non-factor. Before last week, Williams was averaging 98 yards over the previous four games. Getting the running attack back on track will be important for the offense. The good news is that the offensive line is gradually getting healthier. After being without four starters just a couple of weeks ago, the team saw the return of Tyler Smith and Tyler Guyton last week, and they could get a third Tyler back this week with the rookie Booker returning to practice. With stronger reinforcements, the team will have a better chance against a Washington interior defensive line that features DaRon Payne and Javon Kinlaw. The Commanders are middle of the road against the run this year, allowing an average of 4.2 yards per carry. 4. 19 could be the difference maker With the return of Lamb and KaVontae Turpin adding to the threat of Pickens, the Cowboys’ passing game should pose a danger to the Commanders’ secondary. But the fun doesn’t stop there. Over the last few games, second-year receiver Ryan Flournoy has shown he can be a viable target as well. He even put together an impressive 100-yard game against the Jets a couple of weeks ago. With all the attention on the bigger names, don’t completely forget about Flournoy. He could still be a thing. On the other side of the ball, the Commanders don’t have a lot of receiving weapons with veteran Terry McLaurin missing time with a quadriceps injury. This will put all the attention on Deebo Samuel Jr., who can be a dangerous player in space. While the Cowboys’ defense should be attentive to Samuels whereabouts (if he plays because of injury), they have some under-the-radar guys who could sneak into the space of the Cowboys’ porous pass defense. Youngsters like Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane are receivers capable of being forgotten about, but pay close attention to veteran Chris Moore, who came up with a touchdown last week against the Bears. Whether it’s Flournoy or Moore, don’t be surprised if one of these no. 19’s come up with a difference-making play on Sunday. 5. A big play on special teams Whenever these two teams square off, weird things happen on special teams. From kick returns taken to the house, to mishaps on field goals/PATs. In fact, both of those things happened in Week 12 of last year when Turpin did his infamous video game spin move and scurried 99 yards for a touchdown. Then, on the ensuing drive, it looked like the Commanders were going to tie the game when a coverage breakdown resulted in an 86-yard touchdown reception from Terry McLaurin, but a shanked extra point prevented that from happening. The Commanders blocked a field goal last week, and you might remember them blocking a field goal a couple of years ago that ended Brandon Aubrey’s perfect season. Don’t be surprised if we

After last week’s demoralizing and damaging loss to the Panthers, the Cowboys are on the brink of collapse in 2025. While many things are still mathematically possible, and will be even if they lose again this week, Dallas is near the point where talking about playoff chances becomes futile. In this week’s rooting guide, we’ll […] After last week’s demoralizing and damaging loss to the Panthers, the Cowboys are on the brink of collapse in 2025. While many things are still mathematically possible, and will be even if they lose again this week, Dallas is near the point where talking about playoff chances becomes futile. In this week’s rooting guide, we’ll lean more heavily towards better positioning in the 2026 NFL Draft, but still keep a hopeful eye on what could improve the Cowboys’ postseason hopes. Thursday night’s upset win by the Bengals over the Steelers was a good start. With no playoff implications in an all-AFC matchup, we got what we wanted by Cincy improving to 3-4 and becoming less threatening in eventual draft ordering. For games with broader potential impact, how you personally root going forward depends on your focus. That’s certainly the case for every remaining Dallas game, but also most of the schedule involving NFC teams. NFC East Vikings d. Eagles If you still hope for a playoff spot, the best way to get it is by winning the NFC East. The tragedy of last week’s loss by Dallas is that it squandered a chance to gain ground on both Philadelphia and Washington. But even with that blown opportunity, they’d still move ahead of Washington with a win this week. If that happens while the Eagles somehow lose a third-straight game, Dallas would be right on their heels in the division. Draftwise, it still makes more sense for the Vikings to win to help Dallas. Minnesota is only 3-2 while Philly is 4-2, so that would pull the Vikings further up in the standings and still leave Philly as a four-win team. If Dallas falls against Washington, they’re that much more ahead of the pack in draft order. Giants d. Broncos New York somehow getting back in the playoff hunt seems even more unlikely than Dallas. They’re far more relevant in the draft discussion, so a win is a good thing. And thankfully, with Denver at 4-2, it doesn’t hurt much for the Giants to pull off another upset. NFC vs. NFC Saints d. Bears Another win-win from either perspective. Just 1-5 currently, New Orleans could become catchable in the draft order if they can eke out a few more wins this year. Upsetting the Bears would also help Dallas’ playoff chances, especially given Chicago’s head-to-head tiebreaker. That tiebreaker is also why you’re not as worried about the Bears’ record worsening for draft purposes, because it has the opposite effect in that situation. Cardinals d. Packers Arizona picking up its third win could pull them above Dallas in the standings, so that’s good for the draft. It also doesn’t hurt that much playoffs-wise, because Green Bay is only leading the NFC North by a hair right now. They could easily end up in the wild card race, and their tie with the Cowboys at least makes them more desirable there than teams who could end up with head-to-head tiebreakers. Considering the Cowboys hold the Packers draft pick, any loss by them is a good thing. Falcons d. 49ers This is more split between the two worlds. Draft focused: we’d rather see Atlanta (3-2) win and move further away from Dallas in the order. Playoff focused: it makes sense for the 49ers to just run away with the NFC North, which they currently lead, and put losses on as many potential wild card teams as they can. So this is one where your rooting interest depends on your priorities. Lions d. Buccaneers Same idea here. Detroit winning is better for draft purposes, moving them further up the standings and away from Dallas. The Bucs are the Niners of the NFC South, so their winning would be good for us from a playoff perspective and potential wild card clash with the Lions. NFC vs. AFC Jaguars d. Rams Both teams are 4-2, so it’s a wash from a draft perspective. In that case, we can lean toward the playoffs side and root against the NFC team. Panthers d. Jets There’s probably no catching the 0-6 Jets in the draft order, especially since Dallas has a head-to-head win over them. So better that they just stay in that top spot and allow Carolina to get another win, which moves them further away from a premium pick. Playoff-focused fans will obviously want the opposite, as the Panthers could be a problem in the wild card race with their own tiebreaker against Dallas. Texans d. Seahawks This is a win-win for both the draft and playoffs. Houston (2-3) is a potential issue for Dallas in draft order, while 4-2 Seattle could easily keep us out of a wild card spot if the 49ers do end up winning their division. AFC vs. AFC Browns d. Dolphins Titans d. Patriots Raiders d. Chiefs Chargers d. Colts Easy picks within the same conference: teams with worse records beating the better teams and helping Dallas’ potential draft pick. With both Cleveland and Miami at 1-5, it doesn’t matter much. But the Dolphins feel like less of an overall mess than the Browns, so we could see them winning a couple more down the road. See More: Dallas Cowboys General

Every week here at Blogging the Boys we’ll spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years to come, this is your weekly college football guide. (For teams previously covered in other weeks, we move down […] Every week here at Blogging the Boys we’ll spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years to come, this is your weekly college football guide. (For teams previously covered in other weeks, we move down the depth chart, giving you more insight on other draft candidates) GAME OF THE WEEK Ninth ranked Georgia and fifth ranked Ole Miss roll into Week 8 in a heavyweight clash. Kirby Smart will be dialing up for bully-ball efficiency and Lane Kiffin will be mashing the turbo button trying to out pace the Bulldogs. This is a pure tempo vs. torque game. The Rebels want pace, space, and chunk plays on the perimeter, Georgia answers with trench control, pressure-down poise, and a red-zone defensive vise that squeezes sevens into threes. The game will hinge on clean snaps in the noise, ball security, and who can limit the most missed tackles. Buckle up for a fourth-quarter nail-biter. Predictions here, Georgia 31, Ole Miss 28. Game Overview Matchup: Ole Miss (5) vs. Georgia (9) October 18th, at Sanford Stadium Kickoff time: 3:30 p.m (EST) Ole Miss favored by 7 points The team with the best turnover differential in this game will take the win Player Watch Ole Miss: Da’Shawn Womack, DE Womack plays like a can-opener with an initial pop that jars the tackle and suddenly the quarterbacks pocket shrinks quickly. If he snaps to a faster counter when plan A stalls and keeps the pads trimmed, he graduates from rotational spark to playing every down like a menace. Georgia: Daylen Everette, CB Everette plays with good energy and a surgeon’s touch. He stalls releases with good physicality then shadows routes without wasted motion. He’s more smother than fast, winning with patience, length, and clean transitions. If he keeps the grabs to a minimum and stacks a few more catch-point steals, you’re looking at a dependable CB2 in the NFL who lets teams lean into press and sleep easy over the top. Zachariah Branch, WR Branch is Georgia’s sudden-change of pace player. One touch and the field slides like a pinball table. Motion him, flip the quick, or uncork a slot post and you can see safeties hit the panic button. Add a dash more stubbornness at the catch point, and he’s a weekly explosives bundle who also dares special-teams coaches to punt or kick anywhere near him. Texas Tech (7) Arizona State Texas Tech hits Tempe for Week 8. It’s pass rush vs. protection and explosives vs. consistency. Watch third downs and which team is winning the battle, and the sneaky special-teams yards that can flip this game quickly. For a score prediction, this is an oddly high scoring game that’s see Texas Tech put 38 on the board, and Arizona State loses after scoring 31 points. Game Overview Matchup: Texas Texh (7) vs. Arizona State October 18th, at Mountain America Stadium Kickoff time: 4:00 p.m (EST) Texas Tech favored by 7 points Edge speed versus YAC yards. This is a game of tackle or chase. Player Watch Texas Tech: David Bailey, OLB Bailey is Texas Tech’s hot motor defender and one tick after the snap everybody’s awake. He shoves pockets backward with that long-arm and chases like a greyhound, turning clean launch pockets into scramble drills. Add a quicker second plan when his first move stalls and keep the pads a notch lower, and he’s a weekly starter. Arizona State: Jordyn Tyson, WR Tyson plays like a small-forward in football pads, he boxes out, shields the ball, and walks off with the down marker. At 6’2”, 200, he paces routes like a vet and keeps drives humming on crossers, glances, and back-shoulders, then shows up again when the paint gets crowded near the goal line. He’s not a speedster, he wins with angles and body control. Drop him into a timing offense and he’ll quietly stack catches until the scoreboard notices. Sam Leavitt, QB Leavitt plays quarterback very well on cue. He’ll drop the quick game and sample a keeper when the edge cheats. He’s not exactly playing with a bazooka arm, which will be something a lot of scouts will pick up on when he transitions to the NFL, but when his feet stay synced the slants turn into sprints and RPOs pop for chunks. Keep the footwork calm when the pocket wobbles, and he’s a drive-starter and drive-finisher all in one. USC (20) vs. Notre Dame (13) Game Overview Matchup: USC (20) vs. Notre Dame (13) October 18th, at Notre Dame Stadium Kickoff Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST) Notre Dame favored by 9 points Player Watch USC: Makai Lemon, WR Lemon is a sneaky receiver, he can tap start-stops at an elite level, and when he times it all with the ball in his hands he’s striding for extra yards. He wins with tempo and craft more than raw horsepower, then adds hidden field position on returns. Feed him a steady playcall of slants, crossers, and the sneaky double-move, and you’ll see for yourself that he plays like a high-floor WR2 in the NFL who keeps the offense on beat and the chains moving. Jayden Maiava, QB Maiava is best when he pushes tempo. Playing more upbeat and you’ll watch as he hits receivers in stride, and calls his own number in the red zone when defenses overplay. Keep the platform clean and he carves defenses with anticipation throws, forces constant resets and gets the offense into rhythm. Right now, he’s the engine of the Trojans’ offense and one of the most efficient quarterbacks

KaVontae Turpin feels ‘back to 100%’ ahead of return for Cowboys – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys get one of their most explosive weapons back in Week 7. FRISCO, Texas – As the Cowboys prepare to face the Commanders at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, they’ll be getting some of their key playmakers back in KaVontae Turpin. […] The Cowboys get one of their most explosive weapons back in Week 7. FRISCO, Texas – As the Cowboys prepare to face the Commanders at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, they’ll be getting some of their key playmakers back in KaVontae Turpin. Turpin has missed the last two games with a foot injury for Dallas. After being limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, Turpin was a full participant in Friday’s practice and carries no injury designation, meaning he’s good to go. “I feel like I’m back to 100%,” Turpin said. “No hurting in my toes, I feel good now that I can be out there competing with my guys on Sunday…” “Wednesday, I took it one day at a time, every play at a time. Thursday I went out there ready to go, then today I went out there not even worrying about it, just knowing that I’m going to be out there Sunday.” He’ll be joining fellow WR CeeDee Lamb back out on the field as well, who has missed the last three full games for Dallas with a high ankle sprain. In the absence of Lamb and Turpin, George Pickens has stepped up big for the Cowboys offense. With the additions of Lamb and Turpin back into the lineup, the hope is that the NFL’s number one offense can only continue to improve under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer. “I would just say just keep the trust in Schotty,” Turpin said. “Hopefully he can get everybody the ball, everybody’s out there trying to make a play. My boy [George Pickens] man, I just hope they keep finding ways to move him, put him in the slot, and find ways to get him the ball.” Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs out vs. Commanders after ‘accident’ at his home Thursday night – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News In a weird turn of events, Trevon Diggs will not play this Sunday. FRISCO — Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer announced Friday that starting cornerback Trevon Diggs will miss Sunday’s game against Washington with a concussion. Schottenheimer said Diggs suffered the concussion as a result of an accident at his home on Thursday night. Schottenheimer was informed of the health issue Friday morning before speaking with reporters. “Trevon Diggs came in this morning with some concussion symptoms after having an accident in his home,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s been checked out by our doctors and he is in the protocol and he’ll miss the game.” Schottenheimer said he didn’t have details on how the accident occurred. He didn’t know if Diggs went to the hospital because he needed more information. Cowboys’ defensive progress, CeeDee Lamb’s impact and … the sun: 3 things I’m watching – Jon Machota, The Athletic Several things will be under a microscope for the Cowboys versus the Commanders. Over six weeks into the season and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus says his group is still working on finding its identity. That’s not a great sign for a unit that ranks among the league’s worst in several categories, including yards allowed (412 per game) and passer rating against (117.0). Will it be any better this Sunday against Washington? Many would say that it couldn’t be any worse than it was last weekend in Charlotte. But don’t expect significant changes. Eberflus, talking with reporters Thursday for the first time since the Cowboys’ disastrous defensive performance at Carolina, said the adjustments they are making are “subtle.” “We had some good meetings this week, some good conversations,” Eberflus said. “When your performance has been inconsistent or not to the standard, you certainly look at everything. You try to find solutions, that’s the coach’s job to get that done. Nothing is off the table.” All areas have struggled, which makes it difficult to expect a small change to lead to dramatic improvement. The current personnel doesn’t appear to be fully bought into the scheme. The roster could also use an upgrade in talent at all three levels. But Eberflus said he believes, “the solutions are in the room.” “There’s no magic call,” he said. “You gotta do those three things, you gotta make sure that you’re fundamentally sound, make sure you do a great job playing with violence and then execute.” Eberflus has coached in the NFL since 2009. He has been in charge of defenses for the better part of the past decade. Has he ever been in a situation like this one six weeks into a season? “The numbers would not say that,” he responded. “But, hey, we are what we are. So we got to be where our feet are. It’s important that we do that. You can’t look at the past. This is where we are right now. We’re working to take a step this week.” Rinse, Repeat: Cowboys made questionable hire at DC, then made his job impossible – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire Matt Eberflus was doomed from the start when the Cowboys hired him. When Jerry Jones hired Brian Schottenheimer as the newest head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, it shocked most observers in the media and the fanbase. Over the last nine months though, Jones has been proven correct in his assessment of what the first-time head honcho was bringing to the table. His offense is creative, and possibly far more importantly, his presence demands a ton of respect from his troops. His energy, knowledge and confidence have inspired a team of players who are used to being in the center of attention. At least, on the offense. The defense is a different story entirely, and while the club has operated under a separation of church and state for the last several