Is this your most optimistic season since the mid 90's?

[DallasInDC]

Or are you jaded with the memory of the 2010 season?

For myself I have to say I'm an optimist by nature so I'm very pumped for this season. after finishing the season last year 12-4 and one controversial play away from the NFC championship game against a team we dominated in the regular season you can't help but feel good about the upcoming season. Add Romo is the healthiest he's been in several years (and yes, I have always considered him an elite top 5 QB before last year), we addressed our pass rush with additions of Hardy and Gregory (plus DL and Crawford getting another year in the system). Finally the trenches are a strength on both sides of the ball.....the first time since the 90's. A healthy Lee paired up with RoMac albeit only for 12 games. Our first round pick is an intellect who is an athletic freak (I think that is a great combination for a DB). A happy and motivated Dez. And a process oriented head coach that is getting the entire team to buy into the philosophy. Not to mention the NFC East appears to be in a down year with respect to the other three teams (I ain't drinking the Chip Kelly Kool-aid and Eli is who he is. ...RGIII will be a backup after this year).

Even with all of this optimism, I can't help be reminded of that feeling at the beginning of the 2010 season and how quickly it all came crashing down. I find myself trying to temper my enthusiasm. Partly because I'm afraid of jinxing the team and partly because I know each season is independent of previous season's success.

Am I the only one who is feeling a bit nervous like it is too good to be true?

 

[DallasInDC]

It looks like I posted this thread twice. Can the mods delete or p
merge please. Thanks.

 

[StarBoyz83]

I'd say it is my most optimistic season since then but I'm also to jaded from the past to get my hopes up. I look at the schedule and I see 9 games they could lose but I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt at 10-6 might be 11-5 since hardys suspension got reduced. But they they still did things last season that worry me like losing to the skins. Totally playing down to their level the whole game. Then the worst was almost giving away the games vs Texans and bears.

 

[KJJ]

Because the Cowboys were such a surprise last season and with the catalyst from last season Murray being gone the team is going to have to validate what they did last year with another solid season before I'm totally sold.

 

[Manster68]

Or are you jaded with the memory of the 2010 season?

For myself I have to say I'm an optimist by nature so I'm very pumped for this season. after finishing the season last year 12-4 and one controversial play away from the NFC championship game against a team we dominated in the regular season you can't help but feel good about the upcoming season. Add Romo is the healthiest he's been in several years (and yes, I have always considered him an elite top 5 QB before last year), we addressed our pass rush with additions of Hardy and Gregory (plus DL and Crawford getting another year in the system). Finally the trenches are a strength on both sides of the ball.....the first time since the 90's. A healthy Lee paired up with RoMac albeit only for 12 games. Our first round pick is an intellect who is an athletic freak (I think that is a great combination for a DB). A happy and motivated Dez. And a process oriented head coach that is getting the entire team to buy into the philosophy. Not to mention the NFC East appears to be in a down year with respect to the other three teams (I ain't drinking the Chip Kelly Kool-aid and Eli is who he is. ...RGIII will be a backup after this year).

Even with all of this optimism, I can't help be reminded of that feeling at the beginning of the 2010 season and how quickly it all came crashing down. I find myself trying to temper my enthusiasm. Partly because I'm afraid of jinxing the team and partly because I know each season is independent of previous season's success.

Am I the only one who is feeling a bit nervous like it is too good to be true?

Absolutely!

 

[KJJ]

If the Cowboys had a proven back to go along with this great young OL I would be pretty optimistic about this upcoming season but the backs they have are going to have to prove themselves. There's the potential for a number of problems if the Cowboys can't run the football as efficiently as they did last season.

 

[mugsybows]

Yeah the way 2014 ended left a hungry taste in my mouth. I've been waiting for the season to start as soon as that GB game was over.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

If the Cowboys had a proven back to go along with this great young OL I would be pretty optimistic about this upcoming season but the backs they have are going to have to prove themselves. There's the potential for a number of problems if the Cowboys can't run the football as efficiently as they did last season.

You remind me of the Phil Jackson types hating on the 3 point shot.

You're trapped in the thinking that it is a great back that makes for a great running game.

As he was humbled so shall you be.

 

[NextGenBoys]

I was thinking we had the Super Bowl on lock in 2008. It was the freaking Cards and Steelers. And we lost a pivotal game to Arizona that season too. We had so many opportunities to win that and just continued to give the game away. Same thing with the Steelers that year too.

We had the talent in 08 to win a Super Bowl but not the leadership.

We might have both this year. The NFC is just much tougher now and harder to get through.

 

[KJJ]

You remind me of the Phil Jackson types hating on the 3 point shot.

You're trapped in the thinking that it is a great back that makes for a great running game.

As he was humbled so shall you be.

What I'm thinking is what Garrett said at the end of last season that the back matters. It mattered in the 90s with Emmitt Smith without him the Cowboys weren't the same team regardless of their OL. I'm certainly not putting Murray in Emmitt's league but he was the best back the Cowboys have had since Emmitt and he meant as much to the Cowboys success last season as Emmitt meant to the Cowboys success during the 90s.

Can we run the ball without Murray? Sure, but can we run it as "efficiently?" I don't think so. You don't lose a player of Murray's caliber and not lose something he was the starter the past 4 seasons for a reason. There's a reason he carried the ball almost 400 times last season.

 

[Vanilla2]

Its the most optimistic I have been by far.

I'm hoping for Super Bowl good.

I'm not jinxing it by talking now about it though

 

[Manwiththeplan]

I think a lot of us were optimistic before the 2008 season. We rebounded nicely in 2009, which bought more optimism in 2010 (not nearly as much as now), but we know how that season went.

 

[KJJ]

It's not just losing Murray that has me concerned it's the fact that we lost him to a division rival that the Cowboys have been in a tight battle with for the NFC East the past two seasons. We're going to have to face him twice In 2015 barring injury and everyone is blowing it off like it's no big deal. The Cowboys defense better improve because Murray is going to be out to prove something against us. Don't think he hasn't seen all the slaps the fan base have taken giving most of the credit for his success to the OL.

 

[AmericasTeam81]

1st practice is Thursday right? I can't wait.

 

[DFWJC]

2008 disappointed me more than 2010.

The 2009 playoffs made it clear that our Oline and defense were in decline and there was gonna have to be some rebuilding.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

What I'm thinking is what Garrett said at the end of last season that the back matters. It mattered in the 90s with Emmitt Smith without him the Cowboys weren't the same team regardless of their OL. I'm certainly not putting Murray in Emmitt's league but he was the best back the Cowboys have had since Emmitt and he meant as much to the Cowboys success last season as Emmitt meant to the Cowboys success during the 90s.

Can we run the ball without Murray? Sure, but can we run it as "efficiently?" I don't think so. You don't lose a player of Murray's caliber and not lose something he was the starter the past 4 seasons for a reason. There's a reason he carried the ball almost 400 times last season.

OK Phil.

I'm going to enjoy watching all the crow eating after this line and these disrespected backs dish out butt whooping after butt whooping.

 

[Blackspider214]

I was pretty optimistic going into the 2008 year. We were coming off a 13-3 season and the 1 seed in the NFC. I thought we would be right back at the top that year and very good. We were on our way until the Romo injury occurred.

Also, going into the 2010 season many were optimistic. As was I. But that season was a disaster on so many levels.

 

[KJJ]

OK Phil.

I'm going to enjoy watching all the crow eating after this line and these disrespected backs dish out butt whooping after butt whooping.

Like I said I'm not saying the Cowboys won't be able to run the football but that will be the spin from the agenda crowd when they do however I don't believe they'll run it as "efficiently" as we did last season especially in short yardage situations. You just can't remove a talented runner and replace them with average runners and not lose something. Who knows Randle may end up being better than average but we haven't seen him enough to know what he is.

 

[KJJ]

The Cowboys are going to be depending more on the talent they've assembled on the OL than the talent they've assembled at RB. They're clearly banking on the OL that's where all the money is we'll just have to see if it pays off.

 

[DallasInDC]

While RB is a big question mark, I am not overly concerned about that positron. I don't think we need the type of production we had early in the year last year as, long as the defense has improved. We just need enough to keep defenses honest and give Romo a chance to do what he does best. I have faith that our line will win many more battles than they lose and we, will be fine. not to take anything away from Murray, but he did benefit tremendously from that OL and I'm in the camp that he left a lot of meat on the bone as well. I thought Murray was a good back, but not necessarily a great back. I think that theory will prove itself out this year and Murray will become one of those players who would have been better off staying where they were instead of chasing the money (from a career stand point)