New season, same story......

Each season always begins with high hopes.  The disappointments from the season before to be forgotten and the season ahead filled with promise.  That is, unless you happen to be the Dallas Cowboy

They've been called "Next Year's Champions", "The Team that can't win the Big One'.  Has anything really changed?

The facts are, this team hasn't won a playoff game since 1996 when Aikman, Irvin and Emmitt where winning Super Bowls.  Those days are now gone.  What we have now is a version of the Cowboys who seemingly excel at underachieving at each position.   Yes, injuries do take a toll but a great team somehow overcomes that and despite the shortcomings, pulls together and still wins.

This 2009 team shows flashes of brilliance and great potential, but the truth of the matter is, they simply aren't that good.  As with all teams, you start at the top.  In our case, it's Jerry Jones.  Jerry, to his credit over the years, has spent the money to bring a Super Bowl champion to Dallas.  Jimmy Johnson did just that.  Since then, mediocrity has been the status quo.  With Switzer, Gaily, Parcells and now to Phillips, this team has not achieved the kind of success one would have logically thought.  Phillips, though defensively minded is a poor choice for head coach.  His record is not awe inspiring.  As far as hiring a head coach, Jones need to look far and wide for a coach that isn't afraid to make the touch choices, both in the draft and teaching fundamentals to developing players who will be the team's future, such as a Miles Austin.  Whether that's a Shanahan, a Cower,etc...Jerry needs to bring in someone with a record of winning and not just winning but winning championships and that knows HOW to win.

Underachieving players.  This team is full of them.  Flozelle Adams comes to mind.  How many points and games has Adams cost this team with his talent for causing a penalty at critical times in a game?  It's simply unacceptable to keep this guy on the roster when he costs you W's.  How many times is too many times?  How many times must that player continue to cost you games before you actually do something about it other than going to a press conference and saying "we'll look at it". 

The 2009 Cowboys defense was so supposed to be elite.  It was supposed to be a defense feared by any offense it faced.  Instead, this defense allows big plays both running up the middle and deep down the field.  Ware, a great pass rusher, by any definition has had a sub par season.  Yes, teams are double teaming him but that's when your're DC makes adjustments to free your elite pass rusher so he/they can make plays.  When safety Roy Williams was shipped off to Cleveland, we all breathed a sigh of relief.  No more getting burned deep down field.  Terence Newman was going to prevent that.  It hasn't happened.  Newman is at best an average corner.  He routinely gets beat downfield and his cover technique needs tweaking.  That's coaching and Phillips responsibility to make sure his players are prepared for each game.  That simply has not happened.  New corner Mike Jenkins HAS been a breath of fresh air.  He has done a great job of covering but still needs work.  A few more years playing and Jenkins may be considered an elite cover corner.  His smallish frame is deceiving but he more than makes up for it in confidence, speed and smarts.

The Offensive Line. 

About all you can about the offensive Line is inconsistency.  Then again, you can say that about the entire team.  Routinely, this offensive line is pushed around and pushed  backward.  Against KC, this team was almost embarrassed by a one win team.  Without Miles Austin in the mix, this team goes home from that game wondering what hit them.  Roy Williams.  What is there to say about Roy Williams?  First, his attitude is one from a losing team.  While with the Lions, Williams lived with losing so you might say he got used to it.  His work ethic has been called into question by many including many former Cowboys.  He has openly questioned his role on the team.  'Scuse me?  Your role on the team?  C'mon dude, why were you brought here?  Is it really that hard to decipher?  Didn't you used to play WR at one time??  What about all that time playing pitch and catch in the off season with your quarterback?  You get the feeling with RW that, although he has a tall frame, the elvevator doesn't always reach the top.

The Quaterback.

Tony Romo is a good quarterback.  And, that's the problem.  He's not a GREAT quarterback.  Don't get me wrong, I do like Romo.  He has shown the heart and desire to win.  Romo's main problem is his judgement.  In the midst of making some of those great plays, more often than not, he has made some very poor decisions with the football.  A great quarterback makes great decisions and doesn't hurt his team by making turnovers.  Romo has shown himself to be a risk taker but at some point, even that has to be called into question.  Romo has taken his share of the blame for this team losing.  Jessica Simpson notwithstanding.  She was made to be the scapegoat for '07 and that's fine.  But the reality is different.  The Cowboys were beaten by the better team and anihlated by a great defense.

The 2009 Dallas Cowboys are a riddle of inconsistency and poor play.  Has anything really changed?