I said it at the time...and I probably say it a couple of times every year. 2007 will always leave me shaking my head. Best team in the NFC..probably 2nd best team in the NFL. 13 - 3. And I believe 2 of the losses were late in the season when TO got hurt and/or we were resting guys for the playoffs. The other loss was earlier in the season to the Pats. Who went on to win every game that year except the last one. We would not have beaten the Pats in the Super Bowl....because we were a team that had plenty of talent, but lacked heart/cohesion/leadership. Plus Wade/Garrett would never outcoach Bill Bellicheck on a stage that big. Teams were actually catching on to us...why anyone would EVER play zone defense agaisnt Patrick Crayton was mind boggling to me. He was a former QB and which made him very smart for a WR. But he was not physically gifted. They started playing man to man against him and doubling TO...and our offense was starting to struggle big time.
Anyway, back to the 2007 playoffs. We had already beaten the Giants twice that year. And if you look at the playoff loss to the Giants....if you look at the stat sheet...without looking at the final score...you would have sworn we won the game. People can talk about the drop pass from Crayton...or Crayton stopping on that route...or Fasano dropping the football. But there were far more small things that I think really cost us the game. DeMarcus Ware being incorrectly called offsides extended a drive in which the Giants scored a TD...and remember....this was a game where very few points were scored...so that was huge. Also...the Cowboys chewing up the clock for like 10 minutes and scoring a TD before the end of the first half. Then the defense...getting COMPLETLEY caught with their pants down when they took the field right before halftime. I swear they THOUGHT Eli was going to take a couple of knees or just run a couple of plays and let the half end. After our defense being rested....and NYG offense sitting on the sidelines for most of the 2nd quarter....we let them take the field and march 80+ yards in what seemed like a minute. That is simply NOT championship football. And that is why the so called core and/or leaders of that team simply never have impressed me much. Lastly, Marion Barber was given the starting nod over the bye and Terry Glenn was inserted in the starting lineup after pretty much sitting the entire year. Barber was a beast in the 1st half..but was out of gas by halftime. Julius Jones...who was sulking because he was benched....checked out on the team and his effort and/or enthusiasm to give Barber a blow was half hearted. Again....another reason the leadership of that team was unimpressive to me..and that goes for Wade, Garrett, Romo, Ware, Witten etc..
As for the rest of that era...well Jerry...being Jerry...could not WAIT to capitalize on the 13 - 3 season...and ASSUMED (like he was new to football)...that the season would resume where it left off the year before...and signed the Cowboys up for Hard Knocks. The team became a Hollywood Movie (except for the small fact that football cannot be scripted)....and we have never recovered since. But hey...Jerry got his stadium built....he HAS "produced" 3 Super Bowl trophies...and in his mind...that has bought him time until the day he or the man upstairs decides he is finished.
