How good can the Dallas Cowboys be this season?
If someone keeps breaking your heart, do you stay with them?
When we experience heartbreak we get really upset. However, some people choose to stay with the person that broke their hearts, giving them multiple chances to prove their worth.
Is that loyalty or foolishness?
This season the Dallas Cowboys faithful will either look extremely loyal to their always humbled team, or completely foolish for having a false belief in them.
This season I think a lot of people are in for a surprise. The Cowboys will do a lot better this season than people expect.
The days of being mediocre are finally over. The last three years the Cowboys have been the definition of average going 8-8 in consecutive seasons. The pity of being a “Plain Jane” team is especially embarrassing when there are so many playmakers on each side of the football.
The biggest playmaker on the Cowboys is their quarterback, Tony Romo.
In the past, I have been extremely critical of Romo and for good reason (I still agree with my opinion). He has not always been the best performer late in pressure filled games.
Last season, Romo earned a lot of respect from football fans across the country (and my adoration) because of his play. The Cowboys would’ve been in the NFL playoffs had Romo played the last game in the season instead of Kyle Orton.
Romo threw for nearly 4,000 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. No one can argue with those numbers, they are more than productive.
The Cowboys understood that with the back surgery of the 34-year-old Romo, they had to keep him off of his back and keep him upright.
One of the major reasons why Romo succeeded so much last year was because of his offensive line. The men upfront guarded him well and allowed him to work magic from under center. The Cowboys offensive line were ranked the fourth best in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.
One of the main reasons is because of Tyron Smith who is now viewed as one of the best left tackles in the NFL.
In fact, Romo’s former teammate DeMarcus Ware had plenty to say about Smith. In an interview with ESPN’s Tim McMahon, Ware said this.
"“He looked at me and I said, ‘If you’re that guy that can shut each one of those guys down and make them quit the first quarter, I promise you they’ll stop coming,’” Ware said. “From that point on, he’s been like that since the first quarter, trying to kill people. I see the guys quit.”"
One of the people Smith used to share the offensive line is no longer starting.
Guard Ronald Leary who earned one of the lowest grade from Pro Football Focus is no longer starting and Jerry Jones also added in Zack Martin in the 2014 NFL Draft to play right tackle for good measure.
With the addition of Martin to the offensive line, it will help substantially for the passing game and running game to have more opportunities to make bigger plays.
Call me crazy, but the Cowboys are looking as if they are the early favorites in their deadly NFC East division. Sure, their defense is still shady at best, but it is not the worst problem to have.
The Washington Redskins are still waiting for Robert Griffin III to find his game (I sure hope he does too), while the New York Giants are living on a prayer.
As for the Philadelphia Eagles, they once again will play the biggest roadblock to the Cowboys success next season, but in the NFL as the cliché goes, anything can happen on any given Sunday.
The fans in Dallas need to start expecting a playoff appearance this season, because if the boys don’t do it this year it would be yet another failed expectation.
With that being said, “Would you rather be labeled loyal or foolish?”