Throughout the summer, I created several, original posts that detailed what I thought the team's weaknesses were. Last year's team was 1-6 in games decided by one score. Their point differential ranked 3rd in the NFC at +113. Point is, 6 out of the 8 losses could of come down to making 1 more play.
Any improvement in these 5 areas (in no .particular order), could determine success for this upcoming season. Win a few more close games and that record could easily go from 8-8 to 11-5 if not more:
Brief detail:
1) Improved Special Teams-how many times did the offense have to drive the length of the field and if they failed to score a TD came away with zero points as they had the most inconsistent PK in the entire league.
2) Offense's inability to start fast-the Cowboy Offense ranked #1 in yards last season, but were #18 in 1st quarter points. Playing always behind had a snowball affect for their entire team. In Dak's rookie season, the Cowboy Offense dominated the time of possession, forced opposing offenses to play catch up and become more one dimensional. With a more fresh defense and only needing to play the pass, it was far easier for them to have sustained success. Zeke is considered one of the best closers in the entire league, but rarely was given the chance as the Cowboy Offense was always playing from behind late in these close ball games.
3) Red Zone Offense Efficiency-ever since Dez Bryant was released by the team, their red zone offense left with him. This offense used to be ranked in the top 10 in red zone efficiency but now are more average then anything else, last year they were ranked 16th. It's not just his absence, but it's a combination of poor play-calling, poor execution and mental self-induced mistakes.
4) Defense Inability to create turnovers-the Cowboy Defense had an embarrassing interception total of a mere 7 interceptions, that was tied for the league worst. They ranked 20th in the league in turnover differential. No team can have success if they force their offense to drive an entire football field on a consistent basis. This has been an ongoing problem throughout Marinelli's tenture with the team. It was a combination of his coaching and not having any sort of playmakers within the defense.
5) Lack of Depth throughout the roster-we have seen it time after time with this franchise when a starter goes down, success usually goes down with him. This team under the Jones Family has always been built around stars, with questionable depth behind them. We see other teams maintain success with the next man up mantra, but rarely here. This has to change.
Certainly there are some other areas of concern. I do believe this team can compete for a championship now, but they need to get better in the little things to have a chance.