Mind over matter, it’s a real thing.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup might finally be over that hurdle.
“Mentally, it’s up to 100 percent,” Gallup said this week.
He went on to say that he knew his leg was just fine last year, but he couldn’t get over the mental part of it.
Sometimes the most significant challenge in returning from an injury is the mental part.
The healed injury doesn’t bother the player; it is just their mind limiting them because they are worried it will happen again.
In 2019, Gallup caught 66 passes for 1,107 yards and six touchdowns. His best season as a pro.
Even if we got his 843 yards and five touchdowns from 2020, that would be IDEAL for a WR3.
Trading for Brandin Cooks in March gave the Cowboys one of the best trios in football: CeeDee Lamb, Cooks, and Gallup.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, last season Lamb was the only true wide receiver, and this team still got to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Outlook for 2023
The status of Gallup is the wildcard in 2023. Dallas is loaded at wideout if he can get back to anything close to 2019 and 2020.
I’ll be fine with Gallup running his slate on third and five and picking up a first down every time.
That and high-pointing the football are two of his best qualities as a receiver.
I don’t see any third or fourth corner on any team guarding Gallup one-on-one.
You can tell by what Gallup said this week that he is excited and ready to go.
“Getting on the plane, you get to see everybody. Everybody’s got a smile on their face,” Gallup said. “First couple of weeks of camp, that’s what you wait on.”
Regardless of how Mike McCarthy wants to run the offense, Gallup returning puts a lot of pressure on a defense.
Save the Dak Prescott slander. This team will win another 12 games; it comes down to winning in the playoffs.
It’s been that way for the last 25 years. The Dallas Cowboys haven’t won with anyone behind center since Troy Aikman.
With everything this season, time will tell.
Training camp starts today, and Cowboys football is finally back.
Training camp vibes
A handful of other teams started camp on Monday this week, and have been hit by the injury bug.
That is main thing I am worried about. As long as they get through the next month or so without anything major, I’ll be happy.
Zack Martin was a question mark. He wants to be paid what he’s worth.
Cornerback Jourdan Lewis will more than likely start camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.
As of right now, that is the only major news. Tony Pollard is good to go.
I am excited for football to be back, it is my favorite sport.
After watching my Denver Nuggets win the NBA title after 47 years, I know anything is really possible.
Let’s enjoy these next month and some change before it starts to get real stressful.