TrailBlazer
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IRVING, Texas -- Sometimes, the numbers lie. Sometimes, the numbers allow an owner such as Jerry Jones to lie to himself.
Sometimes, the numbers make an average offense appear to be good. The 2013 Dallas Cowboys were a perfect example of that.
If the Cowboys' offense had been good, the team would've made the playoffs this season, despite a historically bad defense.
That's the truth.
After all, we're talking about a team that finished 8-8, even though it gifted games to Detroit and Green Bay, and was positioned to beat Philadelphia.
Obviously, this is all a bunch of woulda, coulda, shoulda, but it's important to note -- because the worst thing an organization can do is lie to itself. Unfortunately, Jerry excels at that.
It was hard to miss the inability of the Cowboys' offense to take proper advantage of turnovers created by the defense, particularly in key losses to Detroit and Philadelphia.
He's the ultimate optimist -- a man who has a warehouse full of rose-colored spectacles for any occasion.
So you know Jerry is going to look at having left tackle Tyron Smith, receiver Dez Bryant, tight end Jason Witten and running back DeMarco Murray in the Pro Bowl from a team that averaged 27.4 points -- fifth in the NFL -- and think everything is OK.
Much of it was a mirage.
Jerry will only see that Tony Romo passed for 3,828 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, Bryant had 1,233 yards receiving with 13 touchdowns, Murray had 1,124 yards rushing and an offensive line that ProFootballFocus.com considered one of the best in the NFL.
The owner is going to see all those numbers and believe it's all good.
But the game is about more than numbers. Look beyond the gaudy stats and you'll see that the Cowboys' offense often struggled when it mattered most.
Understand, the only positive thing the Cowboys did on defense this season was create turnovers, which often positioned the offense to score points. Too many times, though, the offense didn't take advantage of those opportunities.
http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?storyId=10341606
Sometimes, the numbers make an average offense appear to be good. The 2013 Dallas Cowboys were a perfect example of that.
If the Cowboys' offense had been good, the team would've made the playoffs this season, despite a historically bad defense.
That's the truth.
After all, we're talking about a team that finished 8-8, even though it gifted games to Detroit and Green Bay, and was positioned to beat Philadelphia.
Obviously, this is all a bunch of woulda, coulda, shoulda, but it's important to note -- because the worst thing an organization can do is lie to itself. Unfortunately, Jerry excels at that.
It was hard to miss the inability of the Cowboys' offense to take proper advantage of turnovers created by the defense, particularly in key losses to Detroit and Philadelphia.
He's the ultimate optimist -- a man who has a warehouse full of rose-colored spectacles for any occasion.
So you know Jerry is going to look at having left tackle Tyron Smith, receiver Dez Bryant, tight end Jason Witten and running back DeMarco Murray in the Pro Bowl from a team that averaged 27.4 points -- fifth in the NFL -- and think everything is OK.
Much of it was a mirage.
Jerry will only see that Tony Romo passed for 3,828 yards with 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, Bryant had 1,233 yards receiving with 13 touchdowns, Murray had 1,124 yards rushing and an offensive line that ProFootballFocus.com considered one of the best in the NFL.
The owner is going to see all those numbers and believe it's all good.
But the game is about more than numbers. Look beyond the gaudy stats and you'll see that the Cowboys' offense often struggled when it mattered most.
Understand, the only positive thing the Cowboys did on defense this season was create turnovers, which often positioned the offense to score points. Too many times, though, the offense didn't take advantage of those opportunities.
http://m.espn.go.com/wireless/story?storyId=10341606
