The salad years. What happened?

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

We are still in the salad years. lol

Yeah....the prison reference kind of salad.

 

[nyc-cowboy]

plus a pretty good Defense led by D-Ware, young Demarcus Lawrence, Anthony Spencer, Tyrone Crawford and linebacker studs in Sean Lee, Rolando McClain, Anthony Hitchens, Justin Durant, Bruce Carter, DBs Brandon Carr, Barry Church, Orlando Scandrick, Morris Claiborne,

I dont know if I'd call the D pretty good by the time we played GB to be fair...

D-Ware - was not on the team that year - signed with Denver

D Law - was a rookie that fractured his foot in training camp and didn't come back till week 9 and couldn't beat out Jeremy Mincey
he wasn't the same D-Law that we know today. Yes he made a couple of plays in the play-off but not the baller he was
during his contract year.

Anthony Spencer - coming off a career threatening knee surgery signed a 1 year deal - not the same player. Didn't start vs GB.

Sean Lee - tore his ACL in May - never played in 2014.

Ro McClain - absolutely balled out that year, unfortunately he got his bell rung in the first series of the GB game and came out the next
series..lost for the game - humongous hit to the D.

Justin Durant - another guy that was playing good ball - went out week 6 - gone for the season.

Here was the starting line-up for that game...

Front 4 - George Selvie - Ty Crawford - Nick Hayden - Jeremy Mincey - Not very impressive imo

LBs. - Bruce Carter and Ro Mac ( I believe Hitchens came in when Ro got hurt). - Carter a decent player and a rookie Hitch...

Secondary - Cbs - Carr - Scandy - and Sterling Moore

Ss - Church and Wilcox. Again not very impressive imo.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I dont know if I'd call the D pretty good by the time we played GB to be fair...

D-Ware - was not on the team that year - signed with Denver

D Law - was a rookie that fractured his foot in training camp and didn't come back till week 9 and couldn't beat out Jeremy Mincey
he wasn't the same D-Law that we know today. Yes he made a couple of plays in the play-off but not the baller he was
during his contract year.

Anthony Spencer - coming off a career threatening knee surgery signed a 1 year deal - not the same player. Didn't start vs GB.

Sean Lee - tore his ACL in May - never played in 2014.

Ro McClain - absolutely balled out that year, unfortunately he got his bell rung in the first series of the GB game and came out the next
series..lost for the game - humongous hit to the D.

Justin Durant - another guy that was playing good ball - went out week 6 - gone for the season.

Here was the starting line-up for that game...

Front 4 - George Selvie - Ty Crawford - Nick Hayden - Jeremy Mincey - Not very impressive imo

LBs. - Bruce Carter and Ro Mac ( I believe Hitchens came in when Ro got hurt). - Carter a decent player and a rookie Hitch...

Secondary - Cbs - Carr - Scandy - and Sterling Moore

Ss - Church and Wilcox. Again not very impressive imo.

While there's some truth here.....the defense allowed 26 points to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The best offense in the league that put up over 30 points a game.

So no they weren't Doomsday but the offense scoring 21 points through 4 quarters might'e hurt them more than the D did....

 

[America's Cowboy]

I dont know if I'd call the D pretty good by the time we played GB to be fair...

D-Ware - was not on the team that year - signed with Denver

D Law - was a rookie that fractured his foot in training camp and didn't come back till week 9 and couldn't beat out Jeremy Mincey
he wasn't the same D-Law that we know today. Yes he made a couple of plays in the play-off but not the baller he was
during his contract year.

Anthony Spencer - coming off a career threatening knee surgery signed a 1 year deal - not the same player. Didn't start vs GB.

Sean Lee - tore his ACL in May - never played in 2014.

Ro McClain - absolutely balled out that year, unfortunately he got his bell rung in the first series of the GB game and came out the next
series..lost for the game - humongous hit to the D.

Justin Durant - another guy that was playing good ball - went out week 6 - gone for the season.

Here was the starting line-up for that game...

Front 4 - George Selvie - Ty Crawford - Nick Hayden - Jeremy Mincey - Not very impressive imo

LBs. - Bruce Carter and Ro Mac ( I believe Hitchens came in when Ro got hurt). - Carter a decent player and a rookie Hitch...

Secondary - Cbs - Carr - Scandy - and Sterling Moore

Ss - Church and Wilcox. Again not very impressive imo.

Fair enough, but still a better Defense in talent than Dak had on Offense last year against the 49ers #1 overall best Defense. Romo had a very good Offense around him in 2014, especially in the divisional playoff game against Green Bay. I wonder why you didn't mention that?

 

[nyc-cowboy]

Fair enough, but still a better Defense in talent than Dak had on Offense last year against the 49ers #1 overall best Defense. Romo had a very good Offense around him in 2014, especially in the divisional playoff game against Green Bay. I wonder why you didn't mention that?

It was obvious they had a good O - I was just replying to the D part.

 

[nyc-cowboy]

While there's some truth here.....the defense allowed 26 points to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The best offense in the league that put up over 30 points a game.

So no they weren't Doomsday but the offense scoring 21 points through 4 quarters might'e hurt them more than the D did....

Yes could be - it was a close game - the 3 things that killed us that day was Ro Mac going out early, the Dez non catch and the Murray fumble.

But thats football...

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Yes could be - it was a close game - the 3 things that killed us that day was Ro Mac going out early, the Dez non catch and the Murray fumble.

But thats football...

You're right. And that's when your QB has to compensate for the mistakes the rest of your team makes. Some can some can't. ITs unfair but that's how you win rings. Jalen Hurts never could make up for the fumble 6 he gave up.

 

[jay94]

I get it. Romo was your childhood hero, but facts are the facts. Romo did have very good teams (13-3 team in 2007 w/franchise record 13 Pro Bowlers; 11-5 team in 2009 w/9 Pro Bowlers; 12-4 team in 2014 w/6 Pro Bowlers) around him.

Aikman was my favorite childhood hero, as far as when Romo was on the team, my last favorite player was Ware, but now I'm to old for that.

 

[Gator88]

Fair enough, but still a better Defense in talent than Dak had on Offense last year against the 49ers #1 overall best Defense. Romo had a very good Offense around him in 2014, especially in the divisional playoff game against Green Bay. I wonder why you didn't mention that?

How would you even begin to argue that the 2014 defense in the playoffs against GB was more talented than the 2022 Cowboys offense minus Dak?

The Cowboys 2022 offense minus Dak had 3 pro bowlers, a 4th that played a 3rd of the snaps before getting hurt, and 1 more healthy player that was a pro bowler the previous year that didn't make the pro bowl this year due to injuries.

The Cowboys 2014 defense had zero pro bowlers, and the closest any of them was to a pro bowl was Lawrence's first pro bowl 3 years later.

 

[HabsCowboysOwn]

Tony Romo singlehandedly made the ''salad years'' watchable -- one of the only bright spots on some of these garbage, poorly built, poorly coached teams. He never had the kind of defense we have right now and for one season (2014), they gave him an elite o-line but he was constantly running for his life before that. Some people here should stop trying to rewrite history, it's pathetic.

 

[links18]

Me too. One of the biggest chokes in Dallas history. A lot of people blame Romo but Crayton dropped a TD pass and the TE dropped a TD pass. Romo can only get it there, the real chokers are Crayton and Fasano. The Crayton drop was unbelievable, it was right in his hands and he was alone. Fasano had people on him and it was a hard catch but a pro NFL player should have caught it.

That was 2007. Is that included in the "salad years"?

 

[links18]

How would you even begin to argue that the 2014 defense in the playoffs against GB was more talented than the 2022 Cowboys offense minus Dak?

The Cowboys 2022 offense minus Dak had 3 pro bowlers, a 4th that played a 3rd of the snaps before getting hurt, and 1 more healthy player that was a pro bowler the previous year that didn't make the pro bowl this year due to injuries.

The Cowboys 2014 defense had zero pro bowlers, and the closest any of them was to a pro bowl was Lawrence's first pro bowl 3 years later.

Well, we had Rolando "Purple Drank" McClain playing like a madman in 2014--then there was an arson or something.

 

[beware_d-ware]

2007 was probably the most loaded Cowboys squad I've seen this century. That was a Super Bowl caliber team. 2008-2012 was just that core decaying, with lots of bad drafts and bad contracts.

2013 was a momentum shift off that path. On defense, the Cowboys bottomed out. But on offense, Romo hit a different level to his game. Dez Bryant developed. Tyron began blocking out the sun. I remember when Robert Quinn just straight-up quit against him, and started jogging it in the second half.

2014 was our next open window after '07. Romo played at an All-Pro level. Dez played at an All-Pro level. Tyron played at an All-Pro level. Fredbeard developed into an All-Pro. Zack Martin literally just walked in the door and played at an All-Pro level. Murray couldn't help but play at an All-Pro level with those bulldozers in front of him. The defense was terrible in '14, but the offense was on another planet. I don't know if they were complete enough to win it all, but the 2014 Cowboys were a scary team.

 

[Fmart322]

Cowboys defenses those years were over rated and like salad in the heat, wilted down the stretch and in big games.

 

[Gator88]

Well, we had Rolando "Purple Drank" McClain playing like a madman in 2014--then there was an arson or something.

Unfortunately, he got hurt and only played around 10% of the snaps in the playoff game against GB.

 

[plymkr]

That was 2007. Is that included in the "salad years"?

I don’t know. I never heard of the “salad years” until this thread but I haven’t been posting in a while. So I’m not sure what the salad years are.

 

[plasticman]

In 2010 Jerry Jones took over as head Coach.

He didn't assume the title. However, he did require the OC to report directly to the GM. Wade Philips would not be involved with the offense because he was also doubling as the defensive coordinator. As the DC, he reported directly to the GM as well..

Now, when your OC and DC directly report to the same person, what is the usual title for that person?

Jerry Jones was the Head Coach. Wade was HC in name only and assumed the authority only for practice management and game time decisions.

If you want a snapshot that perfectly illustrates the total dysfunction caused by a rank amateur at both HC and GM, you only have to look as far as the very first drive in 2010.

However, let's back up just a little. Prior to the start of the preseason, Jerry had the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game, an extra preseason game. And, yes, Jerry arranged it. Jerry never wanted to waste an opportunity for publicity. In addition, Jerry moved the team three times during training camp, specifically to increase exposure to potential new fans. He had no clue when it came to disrupting the team's normal procedures.

I don't remember Jerry talking Super Bowl prior to the start of the 2010 season, not once. It should have been the single thought on the minds of every single person with a role in that franchise. They had just lost in the divisional round the previous year after defeating the Eagles in the Wild Card round. Their running game had a very strong finish.

The Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant in the first round. However, an early injury sidelined him for the entire preseason. he did not participate in a single practice, didn';t enter a preseason game for one play.

So the Cowboys are playing the Washington You-Know-Whos in game #1 and on the first drive they are looking good. They get a few first downs and they entered Washington territory. This is despite the fact that half the starting O-line is out with an injury.

Understand. this is the first drive of the first game of the regular season.

Suddenly, out runs rookie Dez Bryant. This is the same Dez Bryant that missed the entire training camp and didn't play in a single preseason game. What plays does he know?

Romo throws him a sideline pass and he is instantly tackled, of course. He is being defended by Pro Bowler Deangelo Hall.

So now it is 2nd and 12. And what is the play? Romo throws the same sideline pass with the same results!

The drive, that was going so well, stalls. Ultimately the Cowboy lose on the last play of the game. Why was Dez involved in the first drive of the season, one that could possibly set the tone for the entire season?........And it did! The Cowboys would go on to lose 6 of their first 8 games as Garrett totally ignored the running game despite the fact that almost every loss was close in the final quarter and the starter, Felix Jones averaged 4.4 yards a carry.

Jerry Jones was so obsessed in proving that he was a genius for drafting Dez that he couldn't wait even a half of a game to feature him in some plays. Wade Phillips, who had absolutely nothing to do with the offense, was made the scapegoat and fired when the Packers defeated the Cowboys in game #8, 45-7.

The most pathetic, frustrating part of it all was when Jerry was interviewed after the game. Stumbling and mumbling, he swore to get to the bottom of it and find out what was wrong with this team.

This first drive of the 2010 season perfectly illustrates the reason for their ineptitude when it comes to winning championships.

Lack of commitment
lack of preparation
Lack of proper priorities
Lack of direction by franchise management.

Jerry Jones is, and has always been, the common thread. Jerry has brought in some fine people during his ownership. Guys like Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells built him some beautiful teams. But when the success begins, Jerry can't help himself. He pulls his driver out of his seat, jumps in, and eventually crashes in dramatic form. Jerry Jones is the Destroyer of Dynasties.

 

[Jipper]

We got tossed (from the playoffs)

 

[DandyDon52]

2010 thru 2014 the cowboys were stacked. 7 hof level players. 5 on offense. We could not even get to a title game. Truth is that team should have won at least two super bowls. When you look at the SB era every team with at least four hof level players have won super bowls. So what happen to the salad years. They just wilted away.

jason garrett happened lol. its that simple

 

[DandyDon52]

In 2010 Jerry Jones took over as head Coach.

He didn't assume the title. However, he did require the OC to report directly to the GM. Wade Philips would not be involved with the offense because he was also doubling as the defensive coordinator. As the DC, he reported directly to the GM as well..

Now, when your OC and DC directly report to the same person, what is the usual title for that person?

Jerry Jones was the Head Coach. Wade was HC in name only and assumed the authority only for practice management and game time decisions.

If you want a snapshot that perfectly illustrates the total dysfunction caused by a rank amateur at both HC and GM, you only have to look as far as the very first drive in 2010.

However, let's back up just a little. Prior to the start of the preseason, Jerry had the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game, an extra preseason game. And, yes, Jerry arranged it. Jerry never wanted to waste an opportunity for publicity. In addition, Jerry moved the team three times during training camp, specifically to increase exposure to potential new fans. He had no clue when it came to disrupting the team's normal procedures.

I don't remember Jerry talking Super Bowl prior to the start of the 2010 season, not once. It should have been the single thought on the minds of every single person with a role in that franchise. They had just lost in the divisional round the previous year after defeating the Eagles in the Wild Card round. Their running game had a very strong finish.

The Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant in the first round. However, an early injury sidelined him for the entire preseason. he did not participate in a single practice, didn';t enter a preseason game for one play.

So the Cowboys are playing the Washington You-Know-Whos in game #1 and on the first drive they are looking good. They get a few first downs and they entered Washington territory. This is despite the fact that half the starting O-line is out with an injury.

Understand. this is the first drive of the first game of the regular season.

Suddenly, out runs rookie Dez Bryant. This is the same Dez Bryant that missed the entire training camp and didn't play in a single preseason game. What plays does he know?

Romo throws him a sideline pass and he is instantly tackled, of course. He is being defended by Pro Bowler Deangelo Hall.

So now it is 2nd and 12. And what is the play? Romo throws the same sideline pass with the same results!

The drive, that was going so well, stalls. Ultimately the Cowboy lose on the last play of the game. Why was Dez involved in the first drive of the season, one that could possibly set the tone for the entire season?........And it did! The Cowboys would go on to lose 6 of their first 8 games as Garrett totally ignored the running game despite the fact that almost every loss was close in the final quarter and the starter, Felix Jones averaged 4.4 yards a carry.

Jerry Jones was so obsessed in proving that he was a genius for drafting Dez that he couldn't wait even a half of a game to feature him in some plays. Wade Phillips, who had absolutely nothing to do with the offense, was made the scapegoat and fired when the Packers defeated the Cowboys in game #8, 45-7.

The most pathetic, frustrating part of it all was when Jerry was interviewed after the game. Stumbling and mumbling, he swore to get to the bottom of it and find out what was wrong with this team.

This first drive of the 2010 season perfectly illustrates the reason for their ineptitude when it comes to winning championships.

Lack of commitment
lack of preparation
Lack of proper priorities
Lack of direction by franchise management.

Jerry Jones is, and has always been, the common thread. Jerry has brought in some fine people during his ownership. Guys like Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells built him some beautiful teams. But when the success begins, Jerry can't help himself. He pulls his driver out of his seat, jumps in, and eventually crashes in dramatic form. Jerry Jones is the Destroyer of Dynasties.

you left out that Romo was lost for the season early on, and they had nobody at bkup, and the team knew it was pointless without tony.
JG liked to pass and never understood how to use a run game, or a bkup qb.
Thats why they got blasted by GB , and that was as much the fault of JG as Wade, then jerry does what he had planned to do all along, and that is make
JG HC.
Jerry should have been a show business mgr instead of a nfl owner. He has been his own worst enemy since 94.

I might add that people are finally starting to see him and his cowboy team for what they really are, at least some in media and older fans.