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How many of you had a childhood influenced by Highlights The Magazine like I did? Highlights was the first piece of mail that arrived to the house in my name besides birthday cards, and man did that mean something. The articles were top notch, the games were entertaining, and the humor was high brow. At least it was for a six year old.
One of my favorite sections of Highlights was Check... Double Check. They'd post two drawings side by side, both full of similar actions and poses, with very slight differences between the two. Your job was to discern the differences between the two scenes and the reward was self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment.
There's a lot about the 2013 version that will resemble the 2012 Cowboys. There might only be two starters on defense that didn't start on opening day 2012, and maybe only three on offense depending on how things shake out. The team barely made a ripple in free agency; with the only big name signing being their own player, Anthony Spencer. There's going to be a lot of things that look similar to how a season that ended up decidedly average kicked things off last season.
That doesn't mean that there wasn't a lot of change going on within the friendly confines of Valley Ranch, however.
Change was everywhere, or will be when things kick off in Oxnard, California next month. I decided to put together a video recap that goes over what I believe are the most important differences between this year and last.
If you have some time to sit back and pow wow with me, give it a look. Check and Double Check.
I was able to find 5 major differences between 2012 and 2013. Does my Top 5 match your Top 5? Let me know what you agree or disagree with in the comments section.