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SturmStack · Aug 24, 2026

Two Mornings After – Preseason Game 2 in Arizona

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Bob Sturm · SturmStack

ONE WEEK WARNING! Before we begin, I would love to remind you of our August Training Camp special subscription offer to new annuals. This month, our best price of the year is available where you can lock in a year of Sturmstack for $5.33 a month ($64 annually). It ends when August ends so don’t delay - One week to go!

The Cowboys win again! They have guaranteed a winning preseason record in 2026! Good times are here again!

Dallas pounded the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday and we are here to discuss. But, first, let’s look at the record of 2-0.

I bet this puts them on a track for a winning season, right?

Well, that remains to be seen.

I am not sure what we should do with preseason records – actually, I am. We should ignore them altogether. Of course, people like us are going to feel 10% better or 10% worse if they win or lose these games where the goal is to get them over with while avoiding catastrophic injury. The best way, admittedly, to prepare to play football is to play football. On the other hand, the best way to avoid catastrophic injury is to stand on the sideline and do nothing.

But, they keep score and you might as well begin feeling good about winning. I suppose that is why preseason games are not scrimmages. There is no scoreboard in a scrimmage. There are no tickets or television for a scrimmage.

Again, we have established (many, many times over) there is literally no correlation between preseason winning and actual winning. The Ravens won 24 straight preseason games and have also been a winning franchise, but we think there is no relationship between those two things. You can be great in the preseason and lousy when the outcomes matter. Let’s prove it.

We all know about the 1989 Cowboys 3-1 preseason and then the 1-15 regular season. But, perhaps you are not as familiar with the 2017 Cleveland Browns. Let me show you:

You may remember that the 2017 Cleveland Browns went 0-16. So, tough to correlate the two, right?

The exact same thing happened for the 2008 Detroit Lions who also went 0-16 for Rod Marinelli.

But, their preseason? 4-0!

Read the original on bobsturm.substack.com

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