'Big Play' KaVontae: Can Cowboys WRs Turpin and Michael Gallup Beat the Giants?
It’s been a tale of two weeks for the Dallas Cowboys to begin the season.
Week 1 saw a brutal 19-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers end with a injury to the thumb of Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.
In Week 2, elation. With Prescott out, backup Cooper Rush - with elite play from the defense - led a 20-17 upset over the Cincinnati Bengals that ended with a game-winning field goal from Brett Maher.
The Cowboys now have a chance to find consistency in Week 3 on Monday, a process that will require patience and moxie on the road against a fiery 2-0 New York Giants team.
And they could get a boost from the receivers room, in two ways.
One, the Michael Gallup ramp-up following offseason knee surgery seems to put him on course to debut on Monday. Said Dallas coach Mike McCarthy before Thursday's workout: “I don’t see Michael playing 70 plays in the game. It is his first game back.”
Quizzed on whether that comment is a big reveal, McCarthy smartly crawfished a bit, characterizing Gallup for Monday as a "hope.''
Added the coach: "(Gallup has) already crossed the physical threshold" to return to play.
Meanwhile, for Cowboys rookie receiver and kick/punt returner KaVontae Turpin (who recently had an exclusive conversation with CowboysSI.com), he’s a bit more bold in his approach. Under the bright lights of Monday Night Football in The City that Never Sleeps, Turpin’s prediction for the game might make Giants fans with they were.
“Every time somebody kick it to me it’s a big play waiting to happen … It’s coming,” Turpin said. “Each and every week we just being patience, one day at a time each game. I just feel like last week we got close and (this) week it’s probably gonna be big showtime … it’s gonna be a big play waiting to happen so that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
While New York focuses on disrupting the poise of Rush and eliminating the dominating pass-rush of linebacker Micah Parsons (who missed Thursday's workout due to illness), Turpin could hit the Giants in the face on special teams before they even realize it. In the regular season, he’s yet to burst open for the big one after what he did in the preseason.
He was one missed tackle away from having a big punt return before halftime against the Bengals. And as Week 3 rolls around, Turpin sits at ninth in the league in kickoff-return yards (77) and punt-return yards (37). He’s also fourth in average yards per punt return (12.3). Probably not up to par with the standard he holds himself to, but he has his ways of breaking free.
“Compared to college, I’d say just like patience,” Turpin said. “Everybody in the league's fast, so I’d just say patience and pick your holes that you gotta pick and I just feel like my eyes and with my speed it’s easier for me to find and direct traffic.
"And I got quick feet.”
Patience waiting for "the big one" coincides with the patience that is required once Turpin steps on the turf waiting to field the punt or kickoff. He'll have an extra day to think about it as the Cowboys have Sunday off for their only Monday night game of the season.
“Patience is the key, ain’t that what they say?" Turpin said. "So I just feel like with my patience and with my speed I can move slower than most of the people and still pick up my top speed.”
The Los Angeles Chargers saw first-hand what Turpin’s top speed looked like in the preseason. With some added motivation under the lights of prime time, Turpin is hoping the Giants can pay for his on-the-field speeding ticket as well as he helps Dallas from one angle ... while a debuting Michael Gallup helps from another.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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