NFL Pro Bowl 2008; The Dallas Cowboys’ Final Hurrah

by Brandon Worley on Feb 10, 2008 10:43 AM CST in Dallas Cowboys News

Today, 13 Dallas Cowboys players will take the field in the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, more than any team ever, and yet arguably the most talented team in the NFC was unable to win a playoff game to extend an 11 year drought. Much has been made of this team’s shortcoming this year and the disappointing end to the season, gameplans meticulously scrutinized and questioned and players’ focus on the field called into question. No matter how frustrated the ending to the 2007-2008 season might have been, there is no doubt that this was a special time in the history of the Dallas Cowboys. A record setting offensive year, as Tony Romo, Jason Witten, and Terrell Owens all set Dallas Cowboys records in their respective categories, and while that is a nice accomplishment to do it while having the kind of winning season they did is almost magical.

All season long it seemed as if the Cowboys were a team of destiny. The bounces always seemed to go our way, as evidenced by some of the most important plays of the year: The Romo 30 yard scramble for a 4 yard first down against the Rams; The Miles Austin 12 yard punching of a perfect onside kick against Buffalo; Jared DeVries kicking a Tony Romo fumble, recovered by Kyle Kosier, in the final minutes in the game in Deroit. All of these game changing bounces seemed to indicate that this was our year to rise to the top, and it was only a matter of playing the games until we arrived at our pre-ordained destination.

As we all know, football is tricky and can play a dastardly trick on us all if we are not careful. The Dallas Cowboys, like the New England Patriots, expected fortune to come to them, all they had to do was wait for it. After all, following such a magical and incredible regular season what else was supposed to happen? Surely a struggling team like the Giants would be hard pressed to even pose a problem, no more than a fly swat on the way to ultimate glory. Yet here we are, the players and fans alike wondering what happened as we watch our nemesis bask in the glow of a Championship.

Yet this season was not a waste. Vital lessons have been learned, and a young team has become experienced and toughened and has witnessed first hand what it takes to win it all. The game tonight, while not indicative of our team as a whole, will be the epilogue written in the story of the 2007-2008 season. 13 players. Most players, if not all, boasted career numbers in an amazing and unforgettable season. Here are the Dallas Cowboys representing our team today:

Terrell Owens – Sixth Pro Bowl. 81 rec., 1,355 yards, 15 TDs.
Roy Williams – Fifth Pro Bowl. 115 tackles, 2 INT.
Jason Witten – Fourth Pro Bowl. 96 rec., 1,145 yards, 7 TDs.
Flozell Adams – Fourth Pro Bowl. Career year as he shut down elite DE’s on Romo’s blindside.
Tony Romo – Second Pro Bowl. 335/520, 64.4 Comp %, 4,211 Yards, 36 TDs, 19 INT.
DeMarcus Ware - Second Pro Bowl. 84 tackles, 14 sacks, 27 QB pressures, 4 FF.
Andre Gurode - Second Pro Bowl. 5+ errant shotgun snaps leading to hilarity and insanity.
Leonard Davis – First Pro Bowl. Infinite induced headaches and backside pains on defensive lineman and blitzing linebackers.
Greg Ellis – First Pro Bowl. 31 tackles, 12 ½ sacks, 3 FF, NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.
Ken Hamlin –First Pro Bowl. 103 tackles, 5 INT,.
Terence Newman - First Pro Bowl. 4 INT, 15 pass deflections, 1 FF.
Marion Barber – First Pro Bowl. 975 yards, 4.8 ypc, 10 TD.
Nick Folk – First Pro Bowl. 26 of 31 Field Goals, 53/53 Extra Points, One Gigantic 106 yard Game Winning kick.

Todd Archer examines this very issue of a lack of a consolation prize.

But Ware said seeing the Giants' win will push the Cowboys this off-season.
"We worked so hard, and we see how good of a team we are," Ware said. "Even with those changes, the players make the team. Coaches implement what we should do, but if we play well and play more effectively in the second part of the season, it's all going to work out well."

Of all the talent on the field and personal milestones reached this season, there was one very big thing missing: Fire. Only once this season did the Cowboys come out extremely fired up and motivated, and that was against the Eagles in their house. That also was the Cowboys' most complete game. Coincidence?

The FWST examines Bigg Davis’ first Pro Bowl after being a supposed "bust" in Arizona, in this article.

There is no doubt that Jerry and Wade made the perfect decision in paying the big man to come to Dallas. Bigg was a rock in the interior line all season, and punished opposing defenses that dared to come near Romo. The penalty that Davis took in the playoff game was indicative of his drive and competiveness, as he blocked his man down into the ground, turned on his knees in time to see Michael Stahan get up to attempt a sack, and in one fluid motion lifted his 360 pound frame and just steamrolled Strahan before he could grab Romo. Incredible.

And finally, my favorite columnist (Ha!), Tim Cowlishaw, over at the DMN has decided to go ahead and rank the best quarterbacks of all time.

Let's start this column with an apology. It goes out, alphabetically, to Troy Aikman, Len Dawson, Jim Kelly, Bart Starr and Steve Young because this is a column about the top 10 NFL quarterbacks of the last 50 years, and they just missed the cut.

I guess owning 3 Super Bowl rings in four years and being a first ballot Hall of Famer doesn’t get you in the cut. Oh, wait, I guess it does if you’re name is Tom Brady. I am not saying that Aikman should be at the top of the list, but he is one of the most accurate passers of all time. When he was in his prime, he could fit a ball into the hands of a receiver anywhere on the field, from any angle. Michael Irvin has said that there were times that he couldn’t see the ball, had no clue where it was but he knew it was coming. He just put his hands out and he believed that ball would land in his arms. That is greatness. The fact that Brady is ranked as high as he is, is proof that this list is a farce. So my question to you: Should Aikman be on that list? And if so, who would you remove?

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Comments

Right off the bat, Fran

Aikman is clearly the better QB, particularly in the big games - playoffs. Those who love numbers often dismiss the things trhat can't be measured, but playing well when the pressure is greatest is why most of us watch sports, why we love the Jordans, Montanas and Woods of sports.

Marino is my excpetion to that rule, but generally I think it's a fair measure for the QB because his play more than anything determines the success of the team. It's tough for a CB to will his team to the Lombardi, but we've all witnessed QBs do it.

by dunkman on Feb 10, 2008 11:11 AM CST reply actions

Aikman over Favre

in a heartbeat. Anyone who has watched the NFL playoffs for the last 15 years knows that Favre has lost way more playoff games than he has won and it had nothing to do with the quality of the team. Look no further than this year's NFC championship game - with the game on the line and the ball in his hands, Favre completely crapped the bed. Aikman had ice in his veins and the bigger the stage the better he played. This list should be called "Top Ten emotional favorites at QB" because as it is, it doesn't make any sense.

by Billito on Feb 10, 2008 11:38 AM CST reply actions

Hard to have just a top 10 list

Since the NFL has had several different eras, it's difficult to whittle down a list to just 10 QBs.

With that said, Aikman should most definitely be on there. Doesn't 3 SBs and those annual NFC title battles with Steve Young count for anything? Hate to do it, but bye bye, Fran.

Michael Irvin has said that there were times that he couldn’t see the ball, had no clue where it was but he knew it was coming. He just put his hands out and he believed that ball would land in his arms. That is greatness.

Most definitely.

Only once this season did the Cowboys come out extremely fired up and motivated, and that was against the Eagles in their house. That also was the Cowboys' most complete game. Coincidence?

That was my favorite game of the season. Shutting down McNabb and Westbrook isn't easy, but we did that. Then our offense pretty much scored at will. It also helps that the Eagles fans were so dejected that they couldn't muster the ability to boo T.O. XD

There are two Adrian Petersons, but there is only one Marion Barber.

by Nelson @ Blogging The Boys on Feb 10, 2008 11:40 AM CST reply actions

i think aikman would put up huge numbers...

if the receiver-friendly rules had been in place back then and he was in an offense that utilized his skills more....

i'm a homer but you gotta find a way to put big boy troy in there....

i'd take out brady and manning, not because they don't deserve it, but because i'd only rank players that are retired....it's a little unfair to try and judge former players with current ones when the game is constantly evolving....

by Tuna Helper on Feb 10, 2008 11:42 AM CST reply actions

Aikman

My opinions on QB rankings: I would take Troy over Tarkenton, Favre, Marino, Staubach and Bradshaw. I can't comment on Unitas because I'm not old enough to have watched him play. Aikman is on a level field with Elway and Brady. I think Manning and Montana are the best qb's ever.

I’m going to break a rule here on BTB. Below is an article by an author I cannot name, so I shouldn’t really be posting it. However, I just love it and I think other guys will enjoy reading it. I think it was written around the time of Troy’s retirement. I keep it around when the Favre knuckleheads get a little too cocky up here in WI and start bashing Aikman. I simply pass this along each time because it says what I feel, far more eloquently than I ever could. With my apologies to the author and Grizz:

The Real Troy Aikman One Last Time

And there, as if hanging over his head in deliberate tribute, were the three Super Bowl banners - 1992, 1993 and 1995 - draped from the rafters at the opposite end of the stadium, the definitions of this great career.

But ironically, as I sat there, silently reminiscing many of the 181 games I saw him play, the plays, the touchdown passes, the interceptions, the preseason dive into the end zone, my most vivid memory of Troy Aikman is from the game which denied the Cowboys ownership of the missing flag - the 1994 Super Bowl flag - the one preventing them from becoming the only team ever and forever more to win four consecutive Super Bowl titles.

Yep, that 38-28 loss to San Francisco in the NFC Championship game. Dusk had swept, a chilly, misty Candlestick Park. There was more mud than turf with just minutes left in the game. The Cowboys had been beaten, mostly by three turnovers in the first six minutes of the game.

But there was Aikman, still zinging passes to Irvin and Kevin Williams and Jay Novacek. There he was rushing to the line, trying to make up a 10-point deficit with no timeouts and not nearly enough time. There he was barking out signals, his face and hands and arms caked in mud.

This chill overcame me on the sideline with pads still clashing and the crowd's roar soaring every time he dropped back to pass. And it wasn't just me.

"He was bloodied, and dirty, was getting hit, but kept getting up," Avezzano said. "Troy came over for a timeout, and at that time the sun was peaking through the clouds. And with the mist, the crowd and everything I said to myself, 'This is a John Facenda (former voice of NFL Films) moment.' Just this guy who was tough, battered, beaten, but he kept getting up and going back for more. "At that moment, for some reason, I thought of the voice."

And the booming voice would have said something poetic, something about a true gladiator trying to defy the odds; about a champion refusing to let go; about a fierce competitor whose numbers will never, ever do him justice.

This, folks, truly is Troy Aikman.

by Cowboy Louie on Feb 10, 2008 12:31 PM CST reply actions

Thanks for sharing Louie...

Farve hasn't stepped up in the pocket and taken a big hit since about 1999. Unfortunately Aikman's toughness and lack of mobility caught up to him and robbed us of a few more good years....of course he was never the same without Michael Irvin...they were truly made for each other.

by Fargo Cowboys on Feb 10, 2008 1:37 PM CST up reply actions

I don't agree

with Manning as being one of the greatest QBs in the history of the game. He consistently puts up huge numbers, but over all his years of playing he has one ring to show for it, and that ring came from the team winning in spite of him. I wouldn't put him on Montana's level.

I would also put Roger the Dodger near the very top of the list. Just to make it to four superbowls is quite an accomplishment. Also, you have to consider the superbowls he was in, he led the Cowboys to wins over the Dolphins the year before they went undefeated and the Broncos and their "Orange Crush" defense, and lost to arguably the greatest dynasty in the history of the game. His stats don't compare to Montana's or Mannning's head-to-head, but after considering he started his career at the age of 27 and the fact that the game was different then, they start to look pretty good.

Aikman was a great QB and while he didn't put up the huge numbers, he was never really given the chance. He had Emmitt and he did what was asked of him as good as any other quarterback in history.

by Romo9 on Feb 10, 2008 3:23 PM CST reply actions