lspain1;3455807 said:
Too much hype always worries me. The Cowboys have shown a tendency in the past to read their press clippings. That said, it is good to see Jerry and Wade getting some credit for building a good team.
I know... I don't think everyone saying the Cowboys are the favorites to win it all, is in their best interests either.
However, with the 2008 season still fresh in everyone's minds, I don't think they will be complacent.
Really though, I don't think complacency was problem with that '08 team. With all that happened, it is no surprise the '08 team didn't make the preseason. Heck, they still almost made the playoffs, even with:
*
Romo missing games with injury and having no real backup QB.
Kitna alone might have been enough to get us to the playoffs.
*
TO's play declining at a geometric rate. The team HAD to throw to
Owens because if they didn't... he would create big locker room problems. There was very little else at WR on that 08 team, and defenses just swamped
TO. That is always difficult to overcome, but throw in the fact that he was losing his ability as a #1 WR, and severely hampered the offense. It was the blueprint for every team to defend the Cowboys, and it worked. Garrett didn't really have an answer for it. (The 2010 Cowboys offense is night and day from that one. The WR corps is deep and diverse, making the problem of having to throw to TO most of the time a distant memory.)
*
TO causing a stir and dividing the locker room. Even though he got tons of balls thrown his way, he still managed to invent a story about
Romo and
Witten running their own plays.
*
Pacman creating all sorts of distractions and not playing very well on defense.
*
Hard Knocks which only serves to disturb a teams season, starting right up front with training camp.
*
Barber hurt and
Felix out for the season, and only rookie 4th rounder
Tashard Choice to rely on.
*
Kosier out for the year and
Proctor replacing him. It was like an open door for DT's.
*Difficult schedule with a
murderer's row in
December.
All of that, and the team
still won 9 games.
Think about it. Just losing Romo for a few games with no real backup could have been enough to blow the whole season. Add in Proctor playing for Kosier, Barber and Felix out, and the divisive force of TO and Pacman, ... all following the circus that is Hard Knocks, and it is a wonder that team won as many as it did.
No... I don't think complacency is going to be a problem for this team. Injuries could derail the season, like they can for any team... but I think they will be OK between the ears. The problem players are gone, the WR's are light year's ahead of the 08 group. The defense is better, and the whole team has much more depth.
I do not anticipate an '08 like season.
