You Are What Your Results Say You Are

[Crown Royal]

Reading over Bob's Blog and just glancing at the Cowboys last 15-20, it dawned on me some disturbing things. Everyone knows the story of how it has been for the last 17 years, but there have only been two times that the Cowboys went 3 straight years without at least making the playoffs; 2000-2002 and 2010-2012.

Someone wrote that they don't want to see the "post Aikman" era again, to which I agree to an extent, but when you consider that he retired after 2000, this is the first time in the post Aikman era the cowboys have missed the playoffs 3 straight times.

Now, we have NOT had 3 straight 5-11 or worse seasons. In fact since Campo left the only time we have been close to that record is 2 times, 2004 and 2010 were both 6-10. But for me, I don't see much different between 5-11 and 8-8. I guess it's nice to think that if a few things go our way maybe that 8-8 becomes 10-6, but that works both ways.

I don't know, this isn't a Garrett or Jerry or Romo thread at all. I hope it doesn't become one. It's just an existential observation on the state of the Cowboys as they are right now. And right now I don't see how they are performing much better than we did at the beginning of the 2000s, outside of maybe some more talent.

[BraveHeartFan]

Those 5-11 teams probably couldn't win 2 games a year in today's NFL. They didn't have any talent really and were just flat out bad. Those games were absolutely awful to watch because you knew, without a doubt, going into each and every one of them that you had no shot of winning. When we won games during that time it was a shock and nothing more.


These days I would say most of the time people go into games at least feeling like this team has a shot to win the game. We're not a great team, by any means, and 8-8 certainly isn't good enough and won't get the job done.

I've got to say I enjoy watching today far more then I did back then and far more than I have anytime since the mid 1990s.

[big dog cowboy]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

But for me, I don't see much different between 5-11 and 8-8.

At 5-11 we had no QB and our overall talent was bad. Clearly we are now much better at QB and the last few years our talent is much better. Go look at those roster during the 5-11 years and you will feel much better about our current Cowboys team.

[Crown Royal]

I don't disagree at all that our talent is better than the early 2000. Clearly Romo > Carter/Hutch/etc., Murray>end of career Emmitt and Hambrick, Ware>Ebenezer, etc. Absolutely it is, and absolutely we have a better shot at winning games as well as closer victories.

But I guess to me at the end of the day, when your season is over after 16 games, there is little difference between a team that clearly sucks and a team that looks close if the outcome is the same. Heck, we've been a team that's "close" since 2005. At some point that close feeling starts to remind you of snake oil.

[Crown Royal]

I'll put it in another way, when Parcells came in 2003 I was convinced that within 5-7 years we would be back to relevance at least regularly. I didn't fool myself into thinking that we would go win 2-3 Super Bowls, but at least be a regular in the playoffs and win some games there. The only improvement we've really seen from the Campo years to now is that we have better talent (which really shouldn't be hard to do considering how bad we were then), but have become a "well there's always things to build on next year" team.

[DBOY3141]

Talent wise it's no contest that today's team is more talented than those. I am by far more disappointed in today's team.

In today's NFL when you have the Colts go from 2 wins to making the playoffs with a rookie QB. The Redskins and Seahawks with rookie QB's making the playoffs. The parity in today's NFL is so, that each year 3/4 of the teams have a shot, yet the Cowboy's can't get it done.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by DBOY3141

Talent wise it's no contest that today's team is more talented than those. I am by far more disappointed in today's team.

In today's NFL when you have the Colts go from 2 wins to making the playoffs with a rookie QB. The Redskins and Seahawks with rookie QB's making the playoffs. The parity in today's NFL is so, that each year 3/4 of the teams have a shot, yet the Cowboy's can't get it done.

Very well put, kind of what I'm trying to express. At least when you were talentless and going 5-11 it was easy to see the problem...no talent. Since 2005, though, talent has been better, yet the Cowboys remain in the bottom sector of teams in terms of success.

[bigdnlaca]

I remember those 5-11 teams. Cowboys couldn't score any offensive tds.

[Arkyvarminter]

I think this team is going to turn the corner pretty soon. Garrett is a smart guy and knows we HAVE to get better along the offensive and defensive lines. Do that and we will be in the hunt. This team doesn't quit on Garrett like they did on Wade. They play hard for 4 quarters and have become more consistent. There is no doubt in my mind we would have been in the playoffs this past season had it not been for injuries. Once you get in, anything can happen.......

[DFWJC]

No doubt, this team still has to make some upgrades. They have added some young talent but not enough at this point. Plus, we're not operating in a vacuum; 31 other teams are trying to get better as well.

In the end 8-8 is what we are until those improvement happen. Like the OP said, it's as simple as that.

[Crown Royal]

Originally Posted by Arkyvarminter

I think this team is going to turn the corner pretty soon. Garrett is a smart guy and knows we HAVE to get better along the offensive and defensive lines. Do that and we will be in the hunt. This team doesn't quit on Garrett like they did on Wade. They play hard for 4 quarters and have become more consistent. There is no doubt in my mind we would have been in the playoffs this past season had it not been for injuries. Once you get in, anything can happen.......

Yeah I said the same thing in 2009. I was convinced in 2010, 2011 we were about to finally light the league on fire, but between the defense losing the ability to stop the pass and the offensive line not seeing any improvement, it just faltered.

[big dog cowboy]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

I'll put it in another way, when Parcells came in 2003 I was convinced that within 5-7 years we would be back to relevance at least regularly.

We all did. Then again, we thought we were getting the old BP.

[Super_Kazuya]

Originally Posted by Crown Royal

But for me, I don't see much different between 5-11 and 8-8. I guess it's nice to think that if a few things go our way maybe that 8-8 becomes 10-6, but that works both ways.

No, there IS a difference, but there are a lot of fans who feel like they're entitled to winning football simply because their great grandpappy watched Dandy Don run around in the Cotton Bowl. Cowboys fans are not special, or any better than Jaguar fans, Chiefs fans or any other struggling franchise.

In the Garrett/Romo era, except for the year Romo got hurt, every season Cowboys fans have got to watch MEANINGFUL games through Week 17. Yes, the seasons have usually ended up around the .500 mark in the end, but at least there was reason for fans to turn on the TV and feel excited. When you are 4-12/5-11, at some point (and often early) you are out of it and that is a total different feel. For a team to be out of it at Week 10, to have 5-6 or more meaningless games on the schedule, that is a truly bad thing and something the bandwagon fans on this board take for granted. But then again, I actually LIKE football. I can watch two 2-7 high school teams play and get great enjoyment out of it. The Jerry/JG/Romo haters who make up this forum are just front running, bandwagon riders who don't even like football and are just here to make themselves and us miserable.

[burmafrd]

Originally Posted by Arkyvarminter

I think this team is going to turn the corner pretty soon. Garrett is a smart guy and knows we HAVE to get better along the offensive and defensive lines. Do that and we will be in the hunt. This team doesn't quit on Garrett like they did on Wade. They play hard for 4 quarters and have become more consistent. There is no doubt in my mind we would have been in the playoffs this past season had it not been for injuries. Once you get in, anything can happen.......

you have to have a certain level of talent to actually win the SB. When the Cardinals got so close even they had a fair amount of talent- it was temporary but it was there.

We at this time do not have that talent on the Lines.

offensive Skill talent and most of our secondary and LBs are close if not there; but the lines are what would keep us from winning it all

[Omegasupreme]

Originally Posted by bigdnlaca

I remember those 5-11 teams. Cowboys couldn't score any offensive tds.

It's still tough to see an incredible amount of passing yards, having more offensive plays and time of possession than opponents, and just not being able to transfer yards to TDs. The offense does one thing very, very well: distance passing. But unless there is some manufacturing of points when that rigid passing game is defensed, the pattern since that one banner year in 2007 has been an average of just over 2 TDs a game. Just can't break a consistent output from all of those yards. That's the tough part: the meaningless gains.

The Campo years did not have the weapons that the current roster so it's a little more palatable to excuse the lack of meaningful gains.