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2016-2017 Offseason: Post-Selection Follow Up And
Other Revelations
- May 21, 2017 At 7:39 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- Finally freed from unavoidable, near
month-long distractions, it is time to refocus on semi-recent main
attractions.
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- Recognitions From Institutions
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- Awards were shared with
potential and long-standing legacies (automatically, inevitably, and
ridiculously) compared.
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- The "AP COTY (Coach Of The Year)"
award went to Jason Garrett who – when losing his veteran offensive
wizard just before the start of the season – did not panic and push
Jerry Jones to trade for another (potentially) implosive retread for
an understandably desperate reason. He turned to an unproven rookie
who did more than his fair share to help Garrett earn it.
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- The "AP OROTY (Offensive Rookie Of
The Year)" award went to Dak Prescott who – when Romo went
down and "Cowboys Nation" wore a collective frown – was Johnny on the spot, spending practically all season blazing hot.
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- The "FedEx Ground Player of the
Year" award went to Ezekiel Elliott who – as the NFL rushing king
and a pro-ready rookie who proved the best at doing his thing – was
easily 1A or 1B to Prescott, as the Cowboys relied on each of them
quite a lot.
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- The "Built Ford Tough Offensive Line
Of The Year" award went to "The Great Wall Of Dallas"
(the
group of whom did all they could to help the Cowboys reach the
postseason's golden chalice).
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- The official selections for the
2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame class include Jerry Jones, who will enter
the Hall via the contributor category. He has meant as much
(and more) as any owner since 1989 to the NFL success story. Though
his undeniable ego may only be partially satiated (because entering
the Hall due to recognition as an executive AND as a successful GM would make him uncontrollably elated), the reason for his entry
simply cannot be debated.
Before Jerry joined the ranks of the
NFL, his would-be ownership peers showed comparatively ZERO
marketing imagination. Whatever plans they had involved a
spoonful of Wheaties, an "Oh, well," and some seriously slow
gestation. Their collective product placement efforts were so
limited, they were practically in the basement.
The NFL offered the only
professional football game around, after watching the talent-loaded,
financially-corroded USFL crumble to the ground. Jerry would arrive
and – through his own local area opportunities (which railed against
some of the NFL's key national product exclusivities) and following
some settled NFL vs. Dallas Cowboys legalities – he showed his
slow-to-change colleagues how they could, should, and would
financially thrive.
Jerry – ever since – has been at or near the center of every NFL expansion
or business transaction of
product-and-service partnerships, an NFL-branded cable channel, new
teams, and beautiful new billion dollar, fan-centric venues
(including those where critical fan-funded bond initiatives – like
in Oakland and San Diego – can end in bad news). Jerry's results
(in both incredible wins and arguably temporary losses) speak
volumes, whereas the crumbly efforts of the few enterprising
owners who preceded him would simply trigger clean-up vacuums. Any
(remaining) stubborn, creatively-challenged owners no longer require
so much effort to convince.
Jerry's marketing genius – in other sports by other owners –
may never be equaled and might only ever be mimicked. The AP writers
– unintentionally on behalf of NFL ownership (and younger football
fans who just stepped off the ship) – have chosen this way to thank
Jerry for ensuring old-world marketing habits have been permanently
kicked.
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- The Craft Of The Draft
The 2017 NFL Draft has come and gone.
The new talent procured – for some philosophically and schematically
stunted organizations – will not prevent their teams from laying
another performance turd. For other teams (with promising-to-proven
methods and steadily-increasing victories), that fresh blood points
to a new dawn.
Cowboys Nation – by and large – was as myopically messed (up as usual)
heading into the first day of the draft until they saw Jerry,
Stephen, Will, and Jason were firmly in charge. By the end of the
third day, fans – with every new pick – cheered and laughed, as
the brain trust of “America’s Team” had not gone bust. They made the
most of their opportunity and turned another solid talent trick.
“The Tortured Cowboys Fan” – like many but not all members of
Cowboys Nation – had been waiting years for Jerry and Co. to put
offensive needs on a bit of a vacation in order to address so
many defensive holes that had – in so many ways (some uncontrollable
and others eye-roll-able) – been lost in translation.
The Cowboys – on the other hand and in committing to the needs of
Tony – invested heavily in (and surrounded him with) critical
offensive pieces to encourage him to diminish his impulsive, routine
risk / righteous reward
“Romo Coaster” baloney. The combined results of several draft day
efforts would see his unit become among the best point and yardage
collectors in the land.
The Cowboys' defensive ranking – ever since 1996 – has been
inconsistent at best, leaving their 3P (Point Prevention
Performances) lumped in
with the rest (of the league) and seemingly in need of a
tide-turning fix. Medicating the Cowboys’ glaring defensive pimple –
however – has proven not quite that simple.
While it is, indeed, Rod Marinelli’s job to prevent further
defensive woes against beatable foes, he has found a consistent way
to compete against some of the elite even when weighed down by
players signed from the street. He has more-than-earned a
shot with some seriously fresh defenders in order to extensively
keep opponents on their toes.
Cowboys Nation is (understandably) desperate to see GM Jerry and Co.
finally improve most-if-not-all current roster deficiencies that
have – in no small part – contributed to the most recent spate of
early playoff vacation, but such a rise from average to savage
cannot escape a basic four-part equation (with the salary cap taking
its typically sobering lap): talent scouting, player selection,
coaching, and execution.
Those who can see no difference between quantity and quality almost always pay a(n ignorance) penalty. Dallas – since, for
example, 2005 – has selected at least five defenders six different
times in order to help their defensive unit steadily improve and
thrive. Buying in bulk, however, never guarantees immunity from that
purchase involving or triggering a serious talent dive.
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- 2005: LB – DeMarcus Ware, DE – Marcus Spears, LB – Kevin Burnett, DE
– Chris Canty, SS – Justin Beriault, and DT – Jay Ratliff.
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- 2009: LB – Jason Williams, LB – Victor Butler, DE – Brandon
Williams, DB – DeAngelo Smith, FS – Michael Hamlin, SS – Stephen
Hodge, and DB – Mike Mickens.
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- 2012: DB – Morris Claiborne, DE – Tyrone Crawford, LB – Kyle Wilber,
FS – Matt Johnson, and LB – Caleb McSurdy.
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- 2014: LB – Anthony Hitchens, DE – Ben Gardner, LB – Will Smith, SS –
Ahmad Dixon, DT – Ken Bishop, and DB – Terrance Mitchell.
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- 2016: LB – Jaylon Smith, DT – Maliek Collins, DE – Charles Tapper,
DB – Anthony Brown, and SS – Kavon Frazier.
Outside of DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, Chris Canty, Jay Ratliff, Anthony
Hitchens, and (most recently) Anthony Brown, the others have either been valuable
role players (with potential to achieve more), performance busts,
or the injury-plagued variety who were given a bus ticket out of
town.
The safety position – in particular and even worse than at tight end
– has suffered incredible attrition for several promising draft
picks who met with a seriously short-circuited end. While Justin
Beriault and Michael Hamlin were somewhat standard cases of
promising talent with bad injury luck, Matt Johnson was the
absolute poster child for the extreme with the Cowboys showing
INCREDIBLE patience in hoping the injury bug his legitimate talent
would finally buck.
Morris Claiborne, of course, deserves a special mention – as a
top-rated defensive talent for whom the Cowboys traded up – who
was able to survive his extremely impactful injuries long enough to
actually produce and experience a little redemption. This offseason
– with Dallas neither contractually competing nor impeding – on
himself Morris decided to bet, as he headed to New York to become a
Jet.
And, then, along came the draft of 2017 with a chance to wash the mixed
results and failures of past picks (somewhat) clean. This nine-pick
draft – with two diversions – was an all-defensive excursion.
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- ROUND 1 – DE – Taco Charlton (out of University of Michigan)
will
either (hopefully) perform to his potential or resemble a taquito charlatan.
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- ROUND 2 – DB – Chidobe Awuzie (out of University of Colorado) could,
indeed, be a well-rounded, secondary doozy, knockin’ receivers woozy
(or end up makin’ the
Cowboys wish they were a bit more choosey). Regardless of how well Chidobe does for Dallas, however, the task of announcing his
selection was quite the entertaining endeavor. None other than
former Super Bowl winner and former Cowboys star wide receiver Drew
Pearson was asked to face the Philly-filled draft event crowd and – boy oh boy
– did he make Cowboys Nation proud!
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- "Alright. How 'bout them Cowboys! I want to thank the Eagle fans for
allowing me to have a career in the NFL. (Deliberate wave) Thank
you! I am honored, as an undrafted free agent, to be selected to
make the Cowboys' second round draft pick, and on behalf of the five time world champion Dallas Cowboys, Hall of Fame owner, Jerry Jones,
Gene Jones, and the Jones family, head coach Jason Garrett, all the
Cowboy players that played before me, that played with me, and
played after me, with the 60th pick in the second round, the
Dallas Cowboys select defensive back from Colorado, Chidobe Awuzie!
(One more Super Bowl-ringed fist pump followed by a martial
arts-style bow to the enraged Eagles fans and how)."
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- ROUND 3 – DB – Jourdan Lewis (out of University of Michigan) is
considered by many NFL teams to have the best pure coverage skills
of any corner in the draft and – so long as he is found completely
innocent of the accusation that he dragged a woman “across the
living room and held her down by her neck” – Cowboys Nation will not
feel compelled to scream “What the bloody heck?!”
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- ROUND 4 – WR – Ryan Switzer (out of University of North Carolina and
no relation to Barry) is just the sort of tiny terror and special
teams stud to potentially pop a somewhat slow-to-show Lucky Whitehead and make punters
extremely wary.
ROUND 5 – QB – Matt Cassel is a fella’ who – as the result of a
2015 Buffalo Bills trade – proved completely unworthy of the hassle
and still managed to get paid. THIS mention is a not-so-subtle reminder to the forgetful
or the oblivious – as to why Dallas was missing a pick in the fifth
round. Those who choose to remember know the well-intentioned
decision was, sadly, not at all spurious, as Cowboys Nation
watched a QB carousel practically throw the ball and the season into the ground.
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- ROUND 6 – SS – Xavier Woods (out of Louisiana Tech) has a reputation
for seeking and destroying receivers he has been assigned to wreck.
The “Xtra” bonus is he appears capable of handling assignments from
all three secondary positions – outside corner, safety, and in the
slot – to provide more depth on the spot when the bite of the injury
bug inevitably causes attrition. Dallas traded their 2018
fifth-round pick to the New York Jets to move up 20 spots and select
Woods, who was officially part of the 65th draft-day trade in
franchise history. Fans – especially when it comes to the safety
position – hope the Cowboys made the right decision and that
Woods really has the goods to help solve another component of the
team’s defensive secondary mystery.
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- ROUND 6 – DB – Marquez White (out of Florida State) is an
underweight finesse player with good instincts on underneath routes
from the slot. Surely this technique-troubled, raw talent – in need
of plenty of finishing – was not the reason Orlando Scandrick was
suddenly viewing his role as diminishing (or that Jerry was
allegedly going to trade him on the spot)?
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- ROUND 7 – DT – Joey Ivie (out of University of Florida) has the
non-stop motor Marinelli loves and prizes in all his players but – in his (determined) effort to nab an available roster spot of
which there are not a lot – Ivie’s otherwise Rudy-esque functional
and physical features may leave him at the mercy of hopes and
prayers.
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- ROUND 7 – WR – Noah Brown (out of Ohio State) is a raw talent
project who currently resembles a poor man's combination of former
Cowboys draft pick Vince "Little LeBron" Mayle and exceptional /
reliable veteran possession receiver Anquan Boldin. If Dallas shows
enough patience with this player of limited college playing time -
but solid, strong-handed results from that experience - his big play
promise could become golden.
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- ROUND 7 – DT - Jordan Carrell (out of University of Colorado) is
sturdy, athletic, and quick but somewhat undersized for an
interior defender who must be ready to plant, slide, and most
certainly stick. If he can increase his upper body strength to do
more than mainly occupy blockers, he may be able to silence all the
talkers.
Stop Pressin’ And Learn A Lesson
The Tortured Cowboys Fan – over just the past few years – has
pleaded with the more inquisitive sector of Cowboys Nation to cool
their jets, show more patience, let training camp develop, see
which players survive preseason with their health intact, and avoid
viewing even the very best of draft picks as sure bets.
Yes, THAT is easier said than done but – if you have no
interest in seeing and (better) understanding how the pro football
puzzle pieces come together (with roster veterans, drafted rookies,
and undrafted rookie free agents facing compete-or-go-home weather)
– an unfortunate number of fans will never have nearly as much fun.
Yes, “it is a process,” and while unchanging may be the bosses – the playing pieces are always, ALWAYS at risk with mental, physical,
and unforeseen challenges so brisk – having to survive OTAs,
minicamp, playbook brain cramp, training camp, and ever-present
preseason roster losses.
Cowboys Nation can and should be excited about the potential of
every Dallas defensive draft choice and how their possible
impact could significantly strengthen the team’s defensive voice.
While almost every player steams out of the gate with the same basic
competitive opportunity, any one of them could eventually or
suddenly fail to withstand the scrutiny (exposed as a phony or
succumbing to injury). “No man is an island” – save for a younger Darrelle Revis (who intimately knows this) – and any one of them
could become sidelined.
Cowboys Nation – those within the myopic sector who religiously bear
down on one “our savior has arrived” vector – would and could do
well to stop pressin’ and learn a lesson from the next three
educational months of football confessin’ that Garrett’s Gang will –
once again – be professin’. Revel in the multistep process that is
glued together by roster cut downs – from 90 to 75 to 53 (with a
respectful nod to the practice squad) – to gain a
better appreciation of how the Cowboys organization separates the
cream of the crop from the forgettable clowns.
POTential Differential
Cowboys’ defensive end (in name only) Randy Gregory was announced to
have allegedly failed his 7th drug test smack dab in the middle of
all the televised draft activities. He had reportedly blown off
league officials and (if so) has clearly been unable to break from
his standard proclivities. Jerry Jones has (almost) always felt that
any news is good news for America’s Team, but Randy is a
constant reminder of another avoidable (draft day or free agent) risk that has contributed
to the potential differential (the remaining few deficiencies) in a
(now) decades-long Super Bowl dream.
Just about two weeks later, former Cowboys’ linebacker Rolando
“McPain” McClain was arrested on marijuana and gun charges. While an
interest in “Puff The Magic Dragon” he and Gregory may share,
McClain may also have a CTE-affected membrane (which could explain
why he has triggered so much trouble for himself – with so much to
gain – and simply does not
seem to care). McClain may be a free agent, but that is beside the
point.
If McClain had been trusting / willing enough to ask for
readily available help (in the past from the NFL / Oakland /
Baltimore / NFLPA or in the present from NFL / Dallas / NFLPA) – or if he was
battling a more manageable demon – he might have been shown (or
chosen to follow) another path rather than giving the Cowboys such an
inconsistent linebacker lemon or being caught with a firearm
and the makings of a joint.
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- The "Toke Bloke" is seemingly satisfied to follow "Captain Purple
Drank" right off the "U.S.S. Opportunity" plank. Add
this possible eventuality to so many other prior, well-documented examples
(from Dallas and around the NFL) of how to quickly achieve one's demise,
and this fate – for anyone else – would appear something to despise
and never realize. Time (and the often horrifying human condition) will tell if
any of the Cowboys' other veterans or newly-shrink-wrapped guys can dig down deep and avoid
generating a(nother) negative newsworthy surprise.
What should be abundantly clear – to even the most hopeful and
myopic within Cowboys Nation – is that Gregory and McClain (as far
as Dallas should be concerned) are determined to be on permanent vacation. Gregory
and McClain “blew it,” and (save for any deeply-personal mental
health reasons to share as to why, Why, WHY neither
fella' appears to care) the ever-optimistic Jerry /
more-grounded Stephen should never renew it.
Dallas – of course – is not and was
not completely innocent in this scenario as Jerry and Co. gave the
Gregory and McClain transactions the A-OK to GO with ample
knowledge of (significantly) troubled backgrounds that practically
screamed "NO!"
GM
Jerry reserves the right to live and
learn, as long as Cowboys Nation does not have to feel (too
much of) the burn.
Will They Or Won’t They?
The next three months will be telling, and the (expectedly) refreshing
roster competition should be compelling.
All draft picks but one – Jourdan Lewis – have been signed. The
Cowboys are clearly (and understandably) awaiting what the legal
system officially may very shortly find. It turns out the current domestic
violence allegation against Lewis is the second time since 2015 he
is facing a charge of that kind. Jerry and Stephen Jones – still –
remain steadfast in their expectation that Lewis will eventually be
cleared and ready to help produce a defensive secondary thrill.
The Cowboys are also awaiting the on-field presence of a couple
other key players – who still qualify as rookies but began their
“Tour de Dallas” last year. They – out of warranted fear – are
having to return in carefully-administered layers.
Will Jaylon (Smith) realize an even greater recovery of his peroneal
nerve, give the boot to his drop foot, and potentially experience
smooth sailin’ in training camp without failin’? His special harness
he may never be able to shed, but that does not mean Jaylon
will be unable to finally put his injury-stunted time to bed. Most
recent reporting indicates promising results and practically zero
contorting.
Will Charles Tapper also be able to compete his way off the injury
crapper? His situation is a bit more complex, with a life-long
condition that – for less patient organizations – would surely vex. Tapper – for fans who did not know – was diagnosed with an “L5 pars
defect” which affects a portion of the spine called the “pars interarticularis” – a small piece of bone that connects the facet
joints in the back of the spine. Tapper showed up to his first
official Cowboys’ practice out of shape, causing Rod Marinelli
(understandably and as is his history) to go bloody ape. Marinelli was
determined to quickly transform him into a player so slim. Tapper
attempted to fall in line, but it was his back that such an effort would
ultimately malign.
Tapper’s condition – at the end of the day in order for him to have
any consistent chance to play – must be managed (through strict diet
and exercise that he may have to realize by putting down the fries)
to avoid another risk of his spine becoming damaged.
Will these red-shirted rookies be able to join the Cowboys’ latest
draft picks in enjoying some serious practice and playing time
cookies? Can Cowboys Nation imagine the potential additional depth
to Marinelli’s defensive rotation?
Will Dallas make the draft day rumor real – at some point during
training camp – and tell veteran cornerback Orlando Scandrick he no
longer holds any appeal, because the presence of promising
rookies has changed the defensive deal? “It is all fun and games
until . . .” the costlier veteran (albeit with what may never again
be a truly healthy knee) regains value when one or more rookies
sustain a mental cramp.
Will Dak Prescott suffer a sophomore slump or Mack truck even more
doubters to the prognostication dump? Will Ezekiel “Zeke” Elliott
make another run at the ground game title and remind everyone why he
is so vital? Will Zeke become more involved in the passing attack –
transforming into more of an all-purpose running back blend – since
the Lance Dunbar experiment officially came to an end? Darren “Run DMC” McFadden remains exceptional on the swing pass, but he may
(somewhat) soon enter the retirement class.
While Dak and Zeke could both potentially enjoy sensational sequels, such success – in undeniable part – will come down to the
health and strength of the upfront bulls. More so than ever before,
offensive accomplishments will be an all-hands-on-deck work of art.
The calls, the reads, and the adjustments – from rookie to veteran –
all work better with protection that slows or completely halts
an opponent's purposeful performance rejection.
Will a careful shuffle along the offensive line – involving existing
players Dallas does not have to sign – leave the Cowboys (in the
aftermath of Doug Free’s retirement) feeling fine about their
offensive environment?
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- La'el Collins currently practicing at right tackle – rather than
left guard – may pleasantly prove not at all that hard. A rookie out
of Sonoma State by the name of
Larry Allen once had to step in (earlier than planned), show
some uncommon range, and start maulin'. He would spend a decade (in
Dallas) punishing defensive linemen and easily making the grade before Father Time began causing his super powers to fade. Perhaps La'el – like Larry with a new position – can also give 'em hell, rather than helplessly seeing his line mates suffer from injury and retirement
attrition.
Relying on the oft-injured Chaz Green as the solution could
alternatively leave a poor choice contusion. Dallas is Jonathan
Cooper’s fourth NFL stop with previous teams failing to help him reignite his run
blocking and pass protection pop. Will Dallas finally be the
organization to help him regain his mental edge? The Cowboys
re-signed him to a one-year pledge after his bite-size late season
sample, hoping good results next season – as the replacement
for Denver-departed Ronald Leary – prove ample.
Will tight end (in name only?) Rico Gathers gain enough playbook knowledge – and take enough
critical practice steps – to make up for what he did not experience
in college and earn a chance for some game day reps? Jason Witten’s new contract extension – depending on how much more his
body can handle his tight end chore – may very well be just a one or
two-year invention.
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- Gavin Escobar? He had great potential as a receiver, but as ANY kind
of blocker, he simply could not reach the bar. While he was woefully one-dimensional, the Cowboys
– in drafting him – were stubbornly intentional. Martellus
Bennett – in hindsight – was a raw talent stunted by immaturity and
a limited role behind someone who has been a perennial at the Pro
Bowl, but a greater opportunity (in exchange for some
occasional, consistently respectable blocking) was something Gavin
(try as he might) was simply not havin'. "Marty B" – upon his exit
from Dallas – went from bane to boon and perhaps Escobar (having also left Dallas) will magically begin playing a different
tune (though at most as a one-trick receiver in which his new Kansas
City team can be a
solid believer).
The injury-and-consistency-challenged James Hanna and Geoff Swaim have simply been unable to match more than a sampling of Witten's end-to-end game. The recent additions of unrestricted free
agents Connor Hamlett, Blake Jarwin, and M.J. McFarland represent the latest attempt to see what kind of tight end depth
might stick in Cowboys Land.
Will the Cowboys’ “other” key receivers – Dez Bryant, Terrance
Williams, Cole Beasley – be able to improve more easily? Assuming
reasonable time to read and react (or simply enforce their will),
they should – once again – combine with Prescott, Elliott, and
Witten to form a potent offensive pact (and give Cowboys Nation
quite a thrill).
One thing remains crystal clear almost every year. NFC East
opponents have renewed their offseason push to make enough changes
to (potentially) kick Dallas in its talented tush. While the
Cowboys’ ultimate goal is always-and-forever to reach-and-win the
Super Bowl, their immediate mission could not be more cut and dried, as The Tortured Cowboys Fan has often testified.
Will the Linehan Clan at least maintain and perhaps even gain? Will
Marinelli's Men critically find their reloaded groove to
significantly improve? Will Bisaccia’s special teams build on their
11th place ranking and give opponents more of a field position
spanking?
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- If all three phases of the Cowboys’
game successfully solve next season’s most competitive mazes, will
Jason Garrett be a coach of the year to fear and demonstrate the
tournament skills to deliver Super Bowl thrills?
We shall see. We always do.
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