The Dallas Cowboys are once again considered the class of the NFC and possibly the entire NFL. This year’s team has already seen some bumps and bruises (like a loss to the Redskins), but it’s still a very talented team. In my opinion, the Cowboys have more potential than any other team in the league. However, Jerry Jones has created a three-ring virtual circus with his players. Off-field incidents could make all the difference this season. On paper, the Cowboys should go all the way to Super Bowl victory. In reality, they could be derailed by non-football issues.
When it comes to the good things about the Cowboys, there’s a lot to like. Without Tom Brady around, they might have the best quarterback in the league in Tony Romo. Romo has a poise you don’t often find in quarterbacks. It’s especially rare when it comes to undrafted college free agents from eastern Illinois. While Romo has currently thrown an interception in every game since last year, he’ll usually make up for it.
He’s usually good for at least two or three touchdown passes and 300 yards. It can be a bit sporadic, but overall it’s pretty solid. It doesn’t exactly hurt to have an average of 5 minutes to shoot the ball every time it lands back. The Cowboys’ offensive line is so good that Romo doesn’t even know what it’s like to face pressure. Even if he occasionally gets pressured, he moves and has good balance in the pocket.
The running game has also improved this year. Marion Barber has become one of the top 5 running backs in the league this year. On top of that, the Boys used their first-round pick on another running back, Felix Jones, from Jerry Jones’s alma mater. Felix is the big game threat the Cowboys have been missing and is a welcome addition to the offense. Already this year he has scored on a kickoff return as well as some long runs. He looks for his role to increase as the year progresses.
The wide receiver group is led by the greatest showman TO In my opinion, he is the best wide receiver in the game today. Randy Moss might give him some competition if he didn’t have Matt “I haven’t started a game since high school” Cassell throwing him the ball. TO likes to talk a lot of trash, but the difference between him and other wide receivers is that he actually has his back on the field. The rest of the receiving core is nothing to write home about, but they have solid options in Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin. Jason Witten is one of the best tight ends in the game and has wide receiver-like ability. He is Romo’s most reliable option when he gets into the red zone.
The defense is solid but not spectacular. They’re a bit banged up right now, but they do have some talent in newcomers Mike Jenkins and Adam “Pacman” Jones. Demarcus Ware continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the 3-4 defense and I like him a lot. Overall, his defense isn’t going to overpower anyone, but it’s solid enough to get the win most of the time. With a high-octane offense like the Cowboys boast, they really don’t have to be perfect.
All of that said, the Cowboys have a lot of drama off the field. Last week TO cried on the sidelines during the game. We later learned that he was emotional about the loss of a family member. But still, TO always has something to do. The week before he was thrown 18 times and he thought he hadn’t gotten involved enough. The Cowboys also employ two ex-criminals in Tank Johnson and Pacman Jones. Tank has kept his business under control, but Pacman is another story. He previously asked not to be called Pacman anymore, but to me, he will always be Pacman.
His troubles off the pitch have followed him wherever he goes. Jerry Jones realized when he hired him that he had been involved in 12 different run-ins with the law. This prompted him to hire a full-time bodyguard to keep an eye on Pacman wherever he goes. Apparently even this isn’t enough to calm Pacman down because he was recently called out by the police for fighting with his own bodyguard. If this isn’t ridiculous, I don’t know what is. As if having a man paralyzed wasn’t enough, Pacman will continue to cause trouble.
Although Tony Romo is the golden boy on this team, he still contributes his share of distractions. That will happen when he is dating one of the most beautiful girls in the world, Jessica Simpson. His presence in games has coincided with a definite decline in Romo’s game. They traveled to Mexico last year before a playoff game, and Romo didn’t play to his best when they got back. Whether or not Romo can keep his mind on the game long enough to win a Super Bowl remains to be seen.
The Cowboys in general are a very volatile team. They tend to play a lot at the level of the competition. One week they put a bunch of points on the Eagles on Monday Night Football. Another week, they barely manage to get past the winless Bengals.
Despite all the things the Cowboys have going for them, they seem to have a lot of obstacles to overcome. Can they keep Pacman and TO under control long enough not to interrupt the team? Will Romo keep his mind on the game all season long? These problems remain to be seen. Ultimately, everything will be decided on the field, and in my opinion, they are still the team to beat in the NFL. They have a lot of competition even in their own division, but ultimately I think they will make it.
