The Dallas Cowboys had a very disappointing 2010 season, but they did have a few bright spots appear towards the end of the season. Starting quarterback Tony Romo was lost for the season in the sixth game after a player missed a block allowing him to be sacked. After starting 1-7 the almighty Jerry Jones fired head coach Wade Phillips and named offensive coordinator Jason Garrett the interim head coach. Garrett seemed to turn the team around with his no nonsense style of coaching. The team went 5-3 under him, and even with Jon Kitna as the quarterback they were one of the scariest offenses in the NFL down the stretch.
But let’s come back to the present and look at where the Cowboys are now. On paper the Cowboys look pretty good. Tony Romo is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and Felix Jones is very explosive when he is healthy. The dynamic duo of Miles Austin and Dez Bryant will be tough for any team’s secondary to cover, and when you add Jason Witten to the mix they become lethal. DeMarcus Ware has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL since he came into the league in 2005, Jay Ratliff is a very underrated nose tackle, and Bradie James is a playmaker as an inside linebacker. So when you put all this together it sounds as if the Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders, right?
Wrong. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe the Dallas Cowboys will win 10 games and make the playoffs, but they are not Super Bowl contenders. There are two key components that Dallas lacks that almost all Super Bowl teams have; a stout offensive line and a dominating defense. An offensive line that consists of Kyle Kosier, Phil Costa, Montrae Holland, Doug Free, and Tyron Smith does not sound like a Super Bowl offensive line. This line is young and inexperienced, and that could mean the Big D stands for disaster. One missed assignment and Romo could be gone, as well as the Cowboys season. Next is the Cowboys defense. In 2010 Dallas allowed 243 passing yards per game, almost 110 rushing yards per game, and were ranked 24th in the league in total defense. How do they expect to win giving up that many passing yards per game? The scary thing is Dallas did not really do anything to improve their lackluster secondary. The best defensive move they had was bringing in Rex Ryan to be the defensive coordinator. Abram Elam was brought in, but I highly doubt that is enough to bring them over the hump.
Last but not least the NFC is stacked, and that doesn’t work in the Cowboys favor. The reigning Super Bowl champs, the Green Bay Packers, will be back and possibly even stronger. The Philadelphia Eagles improved both their offense and defense with offseason acquisitions. The New Orleans Saints are always a dangerous team, Tampa Bay is a young team headed towards greatness, and I haven’t even mentioned the top-seeded team out of the NFC last year, the Atlanta Falcons.
So expect America’s team to go somewhere around the 9-7 or 10-6 mark, and have their usual early exit in the playoffs. They may be a playoff team, but they are definitely no Super Bowl team.
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