Anyone else keep waiting for the '07 Cowboys to show up?

[parchy]

It just doesn't seem like that long ago to me that we were atop everyone's power rankings and looking like world-beaters... go back into the CZ archives and we were searching under rocks to find things wrong with this team. There just wasn't much. Were there really that many cracks in the foundation?

I honestly, every week, wait for those guys to show up like they did then. I still don't see why we can't. It's why I've been unusually optimistic the past two seasons, even after the Philly debacle, and why this Denver loss is starting to shake confidence I've had in us being at worst a 10-win team in win potential for the past 3 1/2 years. I'm still trying to put my finger on why we can't play like that consistently anymore... even for early parts of 08 we were as tough as it got in the NFC.

This is a different team in a couple ways, the lack of TO probably being the biggest on-field subtraction, but I can't think of a single position aside from that where personnel-wise we're categorically worse. Maybe it's just certain players having better years than others, I don't know, but there seems to be very little reason why we can't play like we did in 07. It's at those times that I nervously eye the coaching staff and wonder if our inconsistency doesn't have anything to do with them as well. Food for thought, anyway.

 

[Asklesko]

Green Bay, Nov 29, 2007, the turning point. Go back and look.

 

[DallasDomination]

There's no easy way at seing this...We went from being the NFC's best team to somehow losing to the underdog giants and never really recovering. The team as a whole has regressed and there are no signs of it changing back around. Even one of our most consistant players in Ware has been missing in action.

 

[GOLDENCHILD1688]

NO

we drove a big part of the 07 cowboys offense to buffalo


i didnt expect this offense to be as dynamic but i didnt expect garett to also having it look this bad as well. well actually at least i hoped he didnt.

im just waiting for a more consistent offense to show up. an offense thats able to adjust when things arent going as expected

i didnt expect this offense to look like it did in 07 which was so much predicated on the big play. that was more of a quick strike offense.

i expected a offense that wasnt as flashy but still productive enough this season. a chain mover, one that moved methodically down field and controlled the time of possesion. one with a run game that imposed its will and could beat you with mismatches if you tried to take it away.

so far ive seen flashes of that but nothing more. just shaky and inconsistent play as well as confusion on the field

in terms of defense i expected us to be better though. i thought we upgraded our corner and safety position since then but i did not like the release of greg ellis without having a viable replacement on the other side of ware first. i wouldnt say the d is worse i like it better so far actually

only the offense has regressed. in terms of special teams. i think its muched improved from the 07 season.

we were just terrible that year, near the bottom half and it hurt us at times especially a few times in our playoff loss to the giants

 

[Alexander]

Why wait for a mirage to re-appear?

That was 2007. Nice statistically impressive year, lots of Pro Bowlers but that is it. All the glitz didn't add up to anything then and still doesn't. Just forget it and find out what you have now and be realistic. Quit living in the past. It doesn't do this team a bit of good.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Why wait for a mirage to re-appear?

That was 2007. Nice statistically impressive year, lots of Pro Bowlers but that is it. All the glitz didn't add up to anything then and still doesn't. Just forget it and find out what you have now and be realistic. Quit living in the past. It doesn't do this team a bit of good.

It's a shame to see how far we have fallen as a fanbase.

Lots of fans use to long for the days of the 1990s, when the team was winning championships. Now, since it has been so long since we have won anything of any meaning, fans long for the days of getting beat at home, with the number 1 seed, in the first Playoff Game against a team the Cowobys beat twice in the Regular Season.

Pretty sad.

 

[YosemiteSam]

we drove a big part of the 07 cowboys offense to buffalo

I recommend we implement a "Don't ask, don't tell" rule about TO.

You are not allowed to say you wanted to keep, or you're mad that TO is gone. If you do, you are ban for life.

TO is gone, GET OVER IT!

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I honestly wasn't expecting the 07 Cowboys to magically reappear, but I did enjoy that ride for as long as it lasted. I can say that the Bucs game had me starting to wonder if the Cowboys knew something the rest of us didn't, but so far that appears to be a case of getting the right bad defense at the right time.

 

[McCordsville Cowboy]

I recommend we implement a "Don't ask, don't tell" rule about TO.

You are not allowed to say you wanted to keep, or you're mad that TO is gone. If you do, you are ban for life.

TO is gone, GET OVER IT!

Are you in denial? Would this team be better if he were here? At least on the field?

Answer is yes. If you don't believe that then keep asking yourself why Tony has looked liked Chad Pennington the last two weeks. Is either Garret or Tony. Who is the scapegoat this year?

 

[KJJ]

Green Bay, Nov 29, 2007, the turning point. Go back and look.

Agree when Aaron Rodgers took over for Farve in that game the Cowboys started folding their tent and Romo and the team have been going downhill since.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Are you in denial? Would this team be better if he were here? At least on the field?

Answer is yes. If you don't believe that then keep asking yourself why Tony has looked liked Chad Pennington the last two weeks. Is either Garret or Tony. Who is the scapegoat this year?

Terrell Owens is not the Hall of Fame player he has been throughout the majority of his career. I believe his abilities started to fade while he was here in Dallas.

Greg Ellis would have a bigger impact on this team then Terrell Owens at this point.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Terrell Owens is not the Hall of Fame player he has been throughout the majority of his career. I believe his abilities started to fade while he was here in Dallas.

Greg Ellis would have a bigger impact on this team then Terrell Owens at this point.

Those are really good points.

 

[McCordsville Cowboy]

Terrell Owens is not the Hall of Fame player he has been throughout the majority of his career. I believe his abilities started to fade while he was here in Dallas.

Greg Ellis would have a bigger impact on this team then Terrell Owens at this point.

Greg Ellis on defense yes. But no TO to go to has clearly effected Romo's confidence.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Greg Ellis on defense yes. But no TO to go to has clearly effected Romo's confidence.

I disagree.

Besides, the mistakes Tony Romo have made this year, also occurred last year when Terrell Owens is on the roster.

What is hurting Tony Romo is poor coaching.

If Terrell Owens is on this roster, I don't believe we are 4-0.

If we become more of a running team and the play calling on offense was alot stronger, I believe we would at least be 3-1.

 

[TNCowboy]

I'd say the biggest differences are, not necessarily in order:

1) Tony Sparano was here in 2007. It's hard not to give him a lot of credit for how good the offense generally played 2006-7.

2) TO was still productive in 2007. But it's 2009 now, and TO's showing his age. He was mediocre last year except for the SF game, and he's struggling again this year.

3) Speaking of age, the whole team is older. The OL is the oldest in the league, and Flo sure shows his at times.

4) The defense had more depth.

5) Tony Romo's play has deteriorated from November 2007 until now. I guess it's confidence, but I really don't know why.


That team failed when it mattered anyway. No point in pining for them. They were a very talented team that was really in sync for about 3/4ths of the season. Unfortunately, Jerry Jones' decision to hire yet another mediocre yes-man as a HC showed us the weak constitution of the team as the season wore on. It should have been obvious to us all what was going to happen (it was to many of us after the team began to crumble in December).

It was an aberration. Everything since that 12-1 start has been consistently indicative of a 9-7ish team. Wishing that were different isn't going to change anything.

This team will never win another Super Bowl as long as Jerry Jones is making the final decision on personnel matters. But some fans will keep buying those expensive tickets and parking spaces. I know I won't be.

 

[parchy]

Why wait for a mirage to re-appear?

That was 2007. Nice statistically impressive year, lots of Pro Bowlers but that is it. All the glitz didn't add up to anything then and still doesn't. Just forget it and find out what you have now and be realistic. Quit living in the past. It doesn't do this team a bit of good.

To be fair, me pining for days when we were actually a good team doesn't do the team a bit of bad, either. I'm not in the organization. And when what we have to do now has a lot to do with what we did in 07 I think a lot of that has relevance at the present time. The teams are the exact same in a lot of very important ways.