Recent Trend - Our Successful Seasons Followed by Status Quo

[CowboyMike]

In the last decade we have had four rather successful seasons which culminated in the playoffs.

2003: Parcells first year, 10-6, loss in Wildcard

This season was followed up with a rather uneventful offseason. Not many changes were made other than plugging some holes here and there and attempting small upgrades, like the RB position from Troy Hambrick to Julius Jones and DE from Ekuban to Marcellus Wiley. (Fail.) Anyway, mostly anyone would agree that 2003 was a mostly smoke and mirrors season. However, it seemed the Cowboys attempted to see if they could win the same way again. We even kept Zim's 4-3 defense because we had been #1 the year before.

The following year, 2004, we went 6-10.

2007: Wade's first year, 13-3, loss in Divisional.

Wade comes in, everything is peachy. We look absolutely dominant in the regular season, then get beat in the playoffs. Was it a fluke? Most likely. But it still happened. So... we keep it the same in that offseason. We don't do anything major and think we're still good.

The next year we go 9-7 and miss the playoffs.

2009: Last year, 11-5, wildcard win, divisional loss.

See above. Great year. First playoff win in the last 13 years, and everyone is riding high. So what do we do? Kind of stay the same this last offseason.


The only time we had a good year followed by another good year was 2006 when we made the playoffs in Parcells' last year. We then shook thing up by bringing Wade in and had an even more successful season after that.

You can't keep status quo in today's NFL. People have too much film to study and learn how to play you. You can't let your players get comfortable, and that is exactly what happened in each of those years. Each and every offseason a team needs to look to get better, strive to be different and improve on the year before, despite what they did the previous year.

What one did last year will not work this year. Period. Doesn't matter if it's the Dallas Cowboys or the Detroit Lions or the Indianapolis Colts or the Oakland Raiders.

We need to shake things up every off season.

You are what you are.

 

[TheDude]

In the last decade we have had four rather successful seasons which culminated in the playoffs.

2003: Parcells first year, 10-6, loss in Wildcard

This season was followed up with a rather uneventful offseason. Not many changes were made other than plugging some holes here and there and attempting small upgrades, like the RB position from Troy Hambrick to Julius Jones and DE from Ekuban to Marcellus Wiley. (Fail.) Anyway, mostly anyone would agree that 2003 was a mostly smoke and mirrors season. However, it seemed the Cowboys attempted to see if they could win the same way again. We even kept Zim's 4-3 defense because we had been #1 the year before.

The following year, 2004, we went 6-10.

2007: Wade's first year, 13-3, loss in Divisional.

Wade comes in, everything is peachy. We look absolutely dominant in the regular season, then get beat in the playoffs. Was it a fluke? Most likely. But it still happened. So... we keep it the same in that offseason. We don't do anything major and think we're still good.

The next year we go 9-7 and miss the playoffs.

2009: Last year, 11-5, wildcard win, divisional loss.

See above. Great year. First playoff win in the last 13 years, and everyone is riding high. So what do we do? Kind of stay the same this last offseason.


The only time we had a good year followed by another good year was 2006 when we made the playoffs in Parcells' last year. We then shook thing up by bringing Wade in and had an even more successful season after that.

You can't keep status quo in today's NFL. People have too much film to study and learn how to play you. You can't let your players get comfortable, and that is exactly what happened in each of those years. Each and every offseason a team needs to look to get better, strive to be different and improve on the year before, despite what they did the previous year.

What one did last year will not work this year. Period. Doesn't matter if it's the Dallas Cowboys or the Detroit Lions or the Indianapolis Colts or the Oakland Raiders.

We need to shake things up every off season.

You are what you are.

2005 was QC getting the boot in training camp. No QB

2008 - injuries (romo/felix/mcbriar) and coaching
2010 - 3+ years of thi regime

 

[CowboyMike]

2005 was QC getting the boot in training camp. No QB

2008 - injuries (romo/felix/mcbriar) and coaching
2010 - 3+ years of thi regime

But was anything major done in those offseasons compared to what we had done before? No. We even went into 2005 with the intent of QC being the starter until he forced their hand.

2008 wasn't looking good anyway before we lost Romo to injury... and did you really just cite a punter's injury as being a reason a season was unsuccessful?

And point out the major changes we made last offseason other than adding Dez Bryant and cutting some vets.

 

[28 Joker]

Complacency and over confidence and over rated talent and inconsistent coaching..

It starts with Jerry Jones and goes to Phillips and Garrett and trickles down to the players...

 

[Fizziksman]

i think a change in scheme and coach coupled with a last place schedule will equate to the biggest turn around in wins/losses for a season. repeating that 2007 season

 

[TheDude]

But was anything major done in those offseasons compared to what we had done before? No. We even went into 2005 with the intent of QC being the starter until he forced their hand.

2008 wasn't looking good anyway before we lost Romo to injury... and did you really just cite a punter's injury as being a reason a season was unsuccessful?

And point out the major changes we made last offseason other than adding Dez Bryant and cutting some vets.

2004 was meh. 2003 the team overachieved and once 500lb squat Yesteverde took over at the last minute, it was over. the team was close though, i remember almost beating Pitt, but testeverde funmbled the game away. cundiff also choked

Parcells coached that team to its max talent.

And yes losing Mcbriar did hurt. He has always been money and our replacement punter shanked a few (Pitt, balt). McBriar is VERY underappreciated. but Romos was the primary, then Felix (even though i think we lost the wash game due to Garrett giving him 0 carries). 1 game and we would have made the playoffs and 44-6 would ahve been an irrelevent game.

i thought 2009 was a surpirse year with Austin emerging as an elite receiver. Tony improved and felix was used more. However, the glaring holes exposed in Minn were not addressed.

the team is aging and focus and athleticism is dropping in the trenches and in the middle of the defense. All replacemetns have sucked

 

[CowboyMike]

Y'all are missing the point of my thread. I understand there were reasons that we lost in those seasons, and I agree with most of them. The point of this thread is not to rehash what happened during those losing seasons.

My point is that each time we have had a rather successful season in the past decade, the off season after has been void of major changes or tweaks or attempts to get better. It has been about staying the course. Thus, regardless of the reasons why, the season after that has been very unsuccessful.

I do not think that is a coincidence.