two things will get ya killed in the NFL - and this is JMO.
the first is the inability to effectively rush the passer on defense.
the second is the inability to effectively run the ball on offense.
and those weaknesses alternately dashed our hopes. and "we", those who follow the team (many obsessively... Hello self!), generally discovered the depth of our vulnerabilities about a week behind those masterminds who actually study such things professionally (i.e. - sean payton, andy reid, mike holmgren).
case in point: mike holmgren was determined to keep safeties "over the top" to protect an injury-riddled secondary. and while julius jones' final stats suggest he had a "good" game - the result is underwhelming. a huge chunk of his yardage came on a single carry late that put dallas in position for a winning FG. but the rest of his game was merely pedestrian. parcells was looking to keep tony's throws outta the traffic where he'd been having trouble lately. romo just wasn't getting the isolation plays to take advantage of.
a "contender-caliber" running game woulda forced the safeties to play it straight. they woulda had to move up to support the run and given tony a few more opportunities.
our passrushing woes are so well-documented as to render examples unnecessary.
the team isn't there yet. no more bitterness. no more stamping of feet.
frank zappa said "you are what you is... you is what you am... a cow don't make ham..."
parcells USED TO SAY " don't sugarcoat it..."
bottomline: Dallas didn't have it. dropped FG hold or not.
so... draft wise, spend efficiently in FA, and hire talented motivators.
the cowboys have some talented players and they are in the mix. a tweak or two could push them over the top.
whatever.... we'll be here if and when it happens.