Jerry Jones makes surprising admission about the Cowboys

It's not unusual to hear talk about the Dallas Cowboys in the offseason. They're a polarizing and popular franchise, and that often leads to hyperbole, both good and bad.

That was the case again this offseason. They overhauled their historically bad defense, and some anointed them as Super Bowl contenders before they even played a game.

Then, reality hit. They dropped the season opener with a 28-20 road loss to the New York Giants, a team that wasn't supposed to be a match, at least on paper. 

Now, with another divisional matchup ahead, team owner/general manager Jerry Jones admitted things weren't like he thought. Talking on 105.3 The Fan, he claimed the Giants were better than they expected.

The Cowboys got a rude awakening in Week 1 

“They just did a good job all over,” the business mogul said. “And I will tell you, they were better than we thought they were. I’m anxious to see how New York continues to play, but I really — combination of things. We didn’t play as well as we should play and can play, but they played better than I thought they could.”

Not only were the Giants a tougher rival than they envisioned, but Jones also admitted that the Cowboys were slightly overrated:

“Of course,” Jones said. “Well, and to say it that way, I’d rather say it more positively. We’re not at the level that we thought we would be.”

That said, Week 1 also leads to hyperbole, and no team is as good or as bad as it looked in its first game of the season.

Week 1 is more of an extension of the preseason now than ever, and while it might take some time for all the new pieces on defense to gel, the Cowboys have more than enough talent on both sides of the field to be as good as anticipated.

Still, maybe teams should play a game before the fans and hot take specialists start talking about parades.