Missed Opportunities

[Manwiththeplan]

Sometimes in the NFL you can have a great team and it just doesn't end with you winning the Super Bowl, but a lot of years, there is no dominant team that will go down as one of the greatest ever. A good example of that came in the 2002 season. Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense was great, but that was not a great team. Nearly the exact same roster went 9-7 the previous year and did not win a playoff game, and then followed up their SB win by going 7-9. The Philadelphia Eagles were considered the better team up until the conference championship game, and really missed their opportunity to win a SB considering how bad Oakland played, and just how dominant the Patriots were the next two seasons. If Andy Reid could do it all over, I think he doesn't pull the franchise tag from Jerimiah Trotter and potentially resigns him long term. Andy Reid was right in believing Trotter wasn't worth his asking price, his tenure in Washington showed that, but the Eagles weren't the same either, and he may have been the difference between them winning the SB that year and losing in the NFC CCG.

Another missed opportunity, was our chance at a SB in 2008. Yes, we were closer in 2007, but even if we beat the Giants, I'm not sure that we go on to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I believe 2008 was such a missed opportunity, because I think both the Steelers and Cardinals were very beatable. But a divided locker room, Romo+Witten vs TO and his flunkies really sunk our ship before it could take off and we finished 9-7 and out of the playoffs.

So that brings me to this season. I don't know what the next four weeks will hold, and I certainly don't know what will happen in the playoffs, but I know there is no team out there, that we can't beat. Not in the NFC and not in the AFC. That may not be the case next year or the year after, some other team could emerge, but this year, we can beat anyone. With Gronkowski out for the year, not only does New England not scare me, but I'm not convinced they beat Oakland or Kansas City. I don't think this season will be considered a failure if we don't win the Super Bowl, but it will certainly be a missed opportunity that may not come around again.

 

[Dale]

I completely agree. This season represents more of a beginning than it does the closing of a window of opportunity, so it's difficult to consider this surprise year "disappointing" if it fails to yield a Super Bowl win. But at the same time, there's a good chance Prescott's Cowboys will never start another season 11-1 -- much less in a year where no obvious favorite awaits to knock you down.

 

[Clove]

I happen to agree and disagree to a certain extent. I do think we will have more years like we've had because I think our defense will get better. I don't think Dak will fall off, I think he'll get better and better. Not sure of his sealing, but we do know that he's not really a turnover machine.

 

[Trouty]

I happen to agree and disagree to a certain extent. I do think we will have more years like we've had because I think our defense will get better. I don't think Dak will fall off, I think he'll get better and better. Not sure of his sealing, but we do know that he's not really a turnover machine.

His ceiling is Tom Brady/Troy Aikman. Not saying he will get their hardware, but he can be every bit as good as those two, with some wheels to boot.

The two aforementioned benefitted from two phenom coaches (The Hooded One/Jimmy J)... the jury is still out on JG.

 

[DandyDon52]

Sometimes in the NFL you can have a great team and it just doesn't end with you winning the Super Bowl, but a lot of years, there is no dominant team that will go down as one of the greatest ever. A good example of that came in the 2002 season. Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense was great, but that was not a great team. Nearly the exact same roster went 9-7 the previous year and did not win a playoff game, and then followed up their SB win by going 7-9. The Philadelphia Eagles were considered the better team up until the conference championship game, and really missed their opportunity to win a SB considering how bad Oakland played, and just how dominant the Patriots were the next two seasons. If Andy Reid could do it all over, I think he doesn't pull the franchise tag from Jerimiah Trotter and potentially resigns him long term. Andy Reid was right in believing Trotter wasn't worth his asking price, his tenure in Washington showed that, but the Eagles weren't the same either, and he may have been the difference between them winning the SB that year and losing in the NFC CCG.

Another missed opportunity, was our chance at a SB in 2008. Yes, we were closer in 2007, but even if we beat the Giants, I'm not sure that we go on to beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I believe 2008 was such a missed opportunity, because I think both the Steelers and Cardinals were very beatable. But a divided locker room, Romo+Witten vs TO and his flunkies really sunk our ship before it could take off and we finished 9-7 and out of the playoffs.

So that brings me to this season. I don't know what the next four weeks will hold, and I certainly don't know what will happen in the playoffs, but I know there is no team out there, that we can't beat. Not in the NFC and not in the AFC. That may not be the case next year or the year after, some other team could emerge, but this year, we can beat anyone. With Gronkowski out for the year, not only does New England not scare me, but I'm not convinced they beat Oakland or Kansas City. I don't think this season will be considered a failure if we don't win the Super Bowl, but it will certainly be a missed opportunity that may not come around again.

good post evil emperor !
This is a weak year, and a good time to go to SB, and be a top seed.
This is a opportunity and hope this team can take advantage of it.

Seems all the teams stepped down a notch or 2 or 3 lol like GB and panthers,
and dallas and oakland are the only teams that have stepped up this year.
I would like to see those 2 in the SB.

 

[Blackspider214]

2008 went downhill after the Cardinals game. We lost Romo for about a month and our punter was done for the year. We never got back on track. TO's last season I believe.

I really thought we could get back on track had we won that Steelers game late in the year but we choked that away.

 

[Tabascocat]

Nothing is guaranteed, this current season is there for the taking......I don't care if led by two rookies or not. Dallas may not be in this position again for a long time due to many factors, key injuries being numero uno.

So, for those who say they would be happy with just making the playoffs at the onset, I say bah humbug! Make some noise in the playoffs, it is staring right at us. Participation trophies go to the trash can and I guarantee our players will not be happy losing in any round........Super Bowl or bust

 

[1972COWBOY]

We cant just look at ourselves. Other teams will be getting better also. They will drafting good players and build OP offensive lines like we did. We have to take the opportunity while we can. Since the salary cap, the NFL has changed; we can no longer buy an OP team like we did in the past. In the past the Cowboys were able to buy players to win SB's, those days are now over. Everything has to be gradually built and managed perfectly to get a SB.


Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
Sir Winston Churchill, November 1942