The season that should have been

[zack]

Cam's ability to throw from the pocket....Cam's maturation as a leader....Cam's physical presence....make him almost impossible to contain. IF..IF...they get some fresh legs at RB...and add a big time WR....that offense will be scary with Cam at the helm.

Look he has improved no doubt. But let's not get carried away. A QB can be a hell of a lot more relaxed when you have a defense that plays like theirs does. How many times did Cam have to come from behind this season, not many. Again, not saying he didn't play great this year but it's a whole different ballgame if you don't have the defense to support you.

In that game yesterday he threw a terrible errant interception that could have changed the game. Two plays later, the defense gets another pick. If AZ scores a td off that pick, could be a different game. The previous week, you had Stewart start off with a 65 yard run. He's had that advantage all year.

People want to compare QBs all the time. But the biggest thing Romo has never had was a complete team. The closest was 07 and last year, but even then, our defense was not a Super Bowl defense.

The Panthers are just playing solid complementary football right now.

 

[cowboyblue22]

I am all in on romo its the rest of the bunch I am not sure about.

 

[StarBoyz83]

I am all in on romo its the rest of the bunch I am not sure about.

We have romo, the oline, dez and oscan. Everybody else is questionable.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

Look he has improved no doubt. But let's not get carried away. A QB can be a hell of a lot more relaxed when you have a defense that plays like theirs does. How many times did Cam have to come from behind this season, not many. Again, not saying he didn't play great this year but it's a whole different ballgame if you don't have the defense to support you.

In that game yesterday he threw a terrible errant interception that could have changed the game. Two plays later, the defense gets another pick. If AZ scores a td off that pick, could be a different game. The previous week, you had Stewart start off with a 65 yard run. He's had that advantage all year.

People want to compare QBs all the time. But the biggest thing Romo has never had was a complete team. The closest was 07 and last year, but even then, our defense was not a Super Bowl defense.

The Panthers are just playing solid complementary football right now.

Keep in mind....Cam is still getting better. His #1 WR went down before the season. No one even gave Carolina thought after that. The protection from his OL is solid. I stand by my statement...give him some young legs at RB....give him a legitimate threat on the outside....and Cam will go to another level.

 

[CyberB0b]

Another disguised thread blasting Jones and Garrett. So tired of this crap.

Well, it has been a long time since this team has had any real success.

 

[Blackspider214]

Cam, just like Russel Wilson also have the best defenses in the league. Something Romo has never had.

And what player leaves here and has a spark in their play? Sam Hurd? Roy Williams from OU? Roy Williams from Texas? Marion Barber? Tank Johnson? Bruce Carter? George Selvie? Anthony Spencer? Demarco Murray? Dwayne Harris was just as good for the Giants as he was for us Who's lighting it up that we let go?

This team isn't immune to criticism by no mean but one thing you can say about this team is that when they let guys go it has been for the better.

Demarcus Ware? Terrence Newman still had many years left after we ran him off. For the likes of Mo and Carr. And yes, Dwayne Harris showed he is much better than Beasley in the hands of a competent staff. Murray just was never in the right system at all.

And how did Martellus Bennett do? Great in 2014. But that's right, we are content with using Witten on 3 yard outes instead of trying to develop a TE who can stretch the field. He was perfect for that. I have no doubts when we run off Escobar, he will be successful.

Weeden goes elsewhere and he magically is able to win games.

 

[zack]

Keep in mind....Cam is still getting better. His #1 WR went down before the season. No one even gave Carolina thought after that. The protection from his OL is solid. I stand by my statement...give him some young legs at RB....give him a legitimate threat on the outside....and Cam will go to another level.

Agree with you. But the other thing that bothers me. It's not like he is absent of weapons. His TE is the second best In the NFL hands down. He made amazing catches all year long. Ginn played really well and Philly Brown is under rated. So it's not like he doesn't have weapons. And Stewart is a damn good running back. He just has been hurt a lot.

 

[Rockport]

Well, it has been a long time since this team has had any real success.

12-4 LAST year means they turned the organization around and are heading in the right direction.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

Agree with you. But the other thing that bothers me. It's not like he is absent of weapons. His TE is the second best In the NFL hands down. He made amazing catches all year long. Ginn played really well and Philly Brown is under rated. So it's not like he doesn't have weapons. And Stewart is a damn good running back. He just has been hurt a lot.

I don't know what this says about our front office..but other than Olsen...Dallas would not want any of those guys Carolina has on offense.

 

[CowboyRoy]

As I watch my home town Panthers steamroll their way to the SB with a 17-1 record, I can't help but get a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. This was supposed to be the Cowboys victory today (am I the only one who feels that way?).

At the end of last season, this is exactly what I envisioned for my beloved Cowboys. It was supposed to be our return to the glory days....our return to our rightful spot as a contender. 2014 was our warmup to the SB...it was the Cowboys announcing to the rest of the league we have arrived, just like that 1991 season. We had our triplets, we finally addressed our OL creating what was being described as what could become one of the best OL in history. We had a coach who appeared to have finally benefited from his on the job training and the light bulb finally went off in his head. We were using downhill running to setup the pass and finish off games when we had the lead. We had Pro Bowl talent at all of the offensive skill positions in Romo, Dez, Witten, Murray. The Defense still needed help but it appeared it was on its way. Sean Lee, RoMac and Hitchens as our starting LBs seemed to be the equivalent of our OL. our DE was improving with Hardy signing, D Law getting another year in offseason program and T Crawford coming off an impressive year. Finally we still needed some help in backfield , but Scandrick was impressive and if we solidified our DL with the promise at LB and a solid defensive draft, this defense could only get better. Everything pointed to our return to SB glory. Romo was going to be the League and SB MVP, and the new Dallas Dynasty was starting in 2015.

Then the bus started creaking. We didn't resign Murray, While not happy, many of us thought it was the right move to not match the eagles offer. We could surely find another back to run behind this OL....shoot, there was probably 500 backs who gain 1500 yards behind this OL - right?!?!? Then another creak, Callahan signs with the skins. That's OK, this OL filled with first rounder’s was so good we didn't need Callahan. Plus we just had THE...BEST...DRAFT....EVER....Three first rounder’s in our first three picks including another consensus first rounder (even if he wasn't even drafted) for the OL guaranteed SB am I right?!?!? Then it started to happen...cracks in the body, Scandrick out for the season, Dez holding out and getting hammy issues in training camp, Greg Hardy is the worst criminal in football noise, RoMac suspended for violating the substance abuse policy even our second round pick gets the kiss of death high ankle sprain. Of course this all sucked, but it was only speed bumps on our way to the SB....at least that was what I believed and that is what I told anybody who would listen. This team is too good from top to bottom and the NFC East sucked The Skins suck as they normally do. Chip Kelly did his best to destroy his team to prove that his system didn't need players to succeed, but we all knew his team would go down faster than the titanic. the NYG were finally realizing that Eli was a product of their great defenses, and oh, by the way, they no longer have a great defense. This was the year we were going to seal the NFC East crown by week 12.

And then, the first wheel falls off. We are sitting at 1-0 but Dez breaks his foot. This is bad, but, at least we still have Romo...this is a slight inconvenience, it may even cost us 14-2, 15-1 season. The good news, is we have a head coach that got all of his RKG that have the right mental mindset to overcome this type of adversity and again, we at least still have Romo. Then on our way to a very shaky 2-0, the unthinkable happens....Romo goes down (I am still shuddering from the thought of it). In the immortal words of the marine in Aliens 3 "That's it, game over dude!). but wait, what's this, our players will defy medical logic and we will get them both back and we only have to win 2-3 games out of 7 to still have a chance to win the NFC East and go into the playoffs with a winning streak that will carry us into the SB?? Is it possible we can still salvage this season??? of course not....the football gods no longer look favorably at this franchise. We go 1-7 and the GM and his assistant GM son failed us with the crap they hired as backup QBs and the Head coach proved he still doesn't know anything about coaching football (we also learned who the real offensive coach was and he was out for 10 weeks with a broken collarbone). Garrett proved over 12 games this year, that he could not coach his way out of a paper bag and the 4 games he won were in spite of him.

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR YEAR!!! And the GM, and the coaches (every last one of them) and the backup QBs, and the football gods who forsake us ruined it. The year the panthers had was the year we were supposed to have. Everything pointed to that in May 2015...the only question mark was the RB position and we could overcome that....well, it is amazing how far this team has fallen...from SB aspirations to picking fourth in the upcoming draft. This has got to be the worst season ever in the 42 years that I have been a fan of the Cowboys. I will be depressed watching the panthers play thinking about what could have been.

end rant/

There is nothing off the wall about any of this. If anything, last years 12-4 season was NOT the norm. This type of season has been coming for a while. some of the decisions over the past 5 years led directly to this. Certainly the decision to NOT draft the next Romo had this coming. Definitely the decision to rely on Brandon Weeden, then Cassell had a lot to do with this. The backup QB situation here has been completely bumbled. And no doubt NOT replacing Murray properly was another blunder. They have an opportunity to correct both mistakes this off season. Will they?

Then there is the Carr blunder, the Claiborne blundder, not properly addressing the safety position properly.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Look he has improved no doubt. But let's not get carried away. A QB can be a hell of a lot more relaxed when you have a defense that plays like theirs does. How many times did Cam have to come from behind this season, not many. Again, not saying he didn't play great this year but it's a whole different ballgame if you don't have the defense to support you.

In that game yesterday he threw a terrible errant interception that could have changed the game. Two plays later, the defense gets another pick. If AZ scores a td off that pick, could be a different game. The previous week, you had Stewart start off with a 65 yard run. He's had that advantage all year.

People want to compare QBs all the time. But the biggest thing Romo has never had was a complete team. The closest was 07 and last year, but even then, our defense was not a Super Bowl defense.

The Panthers are just playing solid complementary football right now.

You are looking at a complete team that is only going to get better. The defense is incredible and that definitely allows Cam to be more relaxed. And that Oline gives him all day long. His #1 target didnt even play this year. That 6-6 receiver rookie from last year. And really all they need to do is add a dynamic running back and this team will be completely unstoppable.

Personally, I think Cam gloats too much and he is immature. A lack of class with the way he does it. But there is no denying how good he is.

 

[KJJ]

I doubt anyone even some of the FANS on the board seriously thought the Cowboys would be 17-1 right now having the type of season the Panthers are having. Once Murray left last March most of us knew his departure would take a bite out of the offense that was so efficient in 2014. If you go back and look at the preseason predictions on the board very few thought the Cowboys would duplicate or surpass the record they had in 2014. Most of us thought the Cowboys would win anywhere from 9 to 11 games barring any major injuries. Let's face it the season we had in 2015 was suppose to be the season we had in 2014. Prior to the 2014 season most had the Cowboys winning 4 to 7 games. I'm not surprised at all at the disappointing season the team had this year because disappointing seasons have been par for the course with the Cowboys especially when coming off a solid season that saw a playoff win.

Anytime the expectations for the team are high they fall miserably flat. Prior to this season we all discussed the nightmare that happened after the surprising 09 season. I said many times this past summer that the Cowboys are going to have to validate the 2014 season because I wasn't convinced the team was really that good. The defense had fewer sacks in 2014 than they had this past season so I knew if there was even a slight decline in the offense in 2015 the Cowboys may be hovering around 500 again. Everyone knew if Romo were lost we would be done.

 

[plasticman]

You are correct, this could have been out Cowboys, the elements were all there.

Its absolutely hilarious how so many think the Cowboys at full strength could not defeat the Panthers, a team that is one quarterback injury away from being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The key was DeMarco Murray and those who disagree are the same folks that told us how Randle was going to get all the meat on the bone with his superior vision and elusiveness.

Romo doesn't get hurt with Murray on the team because that play would never be necessary. Life without Bryant for a few games is barable because the Cowboys still have their 2nd and 3rd leading receivers over the previous 4 years, Witten and Murray.

The Cowboy running game would be feared, a veteran RB running behind the same guys he's been with since theyvall came in the league.

The Cowboys were never in a bidding war with the Eagles, never. The Cowboys could have him for less, he even said so, but the Cowboys offer was an insult, Murray was practically run out of town. Any reasonable offer and the Cowboys are 12-4 again.

There are about a half dozen to ten plays every game that would have been far different if Murray was on the team. From his first record setting start to his last 123 yard, 5 yards per carry performance in the divisional playoffs, Murray was the catalyst, Romo's best health insurance limiting his number of throws, the defenses best friend sustaing drives keeping opponent offenses on the bench.

If you are an historic performer for the Cowboys and you have a high level of character, expect no love from Jerry Jones. Demarcus Ware could very well be the Super Bowl MVP but a Hall of Fame performance wasn't good enough to keep the NFL sack leader during his last 5 years as a Cowboy.

The entire philosophy for success with a salary cap is to pay the productive guys and release the underacheivers. No Ware or Murray but we keep Carr, Bryant, and Claiborne. Just brilliant.

 

[Floatyworm]

As I watch my home town Panthers steamroll their way to the SB with a 17-1 record, I can't help but get a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. This was supposed to be the Cowboys victory today (am I the only one who feels that way?).

At the end of last season, this is exactly what I envisioned for my beloved Cowboys. It was supposed to be our return to the glory days....our return to our rightful spot as a contender. 2014 was our warmup to the SB...it was the Cowboys announcing to the rest of the league we have arrived, just like that 1991 season. We had our triplets, we finally addressed our OL creating what was being described as what could become one of the best OL in history. We had a coach who appeared to have finally benefited from his on the job training and the light bulb finally went off in his head. We were using downhill running to setup the pass and finish off games when we had the lead. We had Pro Bowl talent at all of the offensive skill positions in Romo, Dez, Witten, Murray. The Defense still needed help but it appeared it was on its way. Sean Lee, RoMac and Hitchens as our starting LBs seemed to be the equivalent of our OL. our DE was improving with Hardy signing, D Law getting another year in offseason program and T Crawford coming off an impressive year. Finally we still needed some help in backfield , but Scandrick was impressive and if we solidified our DL with the promise at LB and a solid defensive draft, this defense could only get better. Everything pointed to our return to SB glory. Romo was going to be the League and SB MVP, and the new Dallas Dynasty was starting in 2015.

Then the bus started creaking. We didn't resign Murray, While not happy, many of us thought it was the right move to not match the eagles offer. We could surely find another back to run behind this OL....shoot, there was probably 500 backs who gain 1500 yards behind this OL - right?!?!? Then another creak, Callahan signs with the skins. That's OK, this OL filled with first rounder’s was so good we didn't need Callahan. Plus we just had THE...BEST...DRAFT....EVER....Three first rounder’s in our first three picks including another consensus first rounder (even if he wasn't even drafted) for the OL guaranteed SB am I right?!?!? Then it started to happen...cracks in the body, Scandrick out for the season, Dez holding out and getting hammy issues in training camp, Greg Hardy is the worst criminal in football noise, RoMac suspended for violating the substance abuse policy even our second round pick gets the kiss of death high ankle sprain. Of course this all sucked, but it was only speed bumps on our way to the SB....at least that was what I believed and that is what I told anybody who would listen. This team is too good from top to bottom and the NFC East sucked The Skins suck as they normally do. Chip Kelly did his best to destroy his team to prove that his system didn't need players to succeed, but we all knew his team would go down faster than the titanic. the NYG were finally realizing that Eli was a product of their great defenses, and oh, by the way, they no longer have a great defense. This was the year we were going to seal the NFC East crown by week 12.

And then, the first wheel falls off. We are sitting at 1-0 but Dez breaks his foot. This is bad, but, at least we still have Romo...this is a slight inconvenience, it may even cost us 14-2, 15-1 season. The good news, is we have a head coach that got all of his RKG that have the right mental mindset to overcome this type of adversity and again, we at least still have Romo. Then on our way to a very shaky 2-0, the unthinkable happens....Romo goes down (I am still shuddering from the thought of it). In the immortal words of the marine in Aliens 3 "That's it, game over dude!). but wait, what's this, our players will defy medical logic and we will get them both back and we only have to win 2-3 games out of 7 to still have a chance to win the NFC East and go into the playoffs with a winning streak that will carry us into the SB?? Is it possible we can still salvage this season??? of course not....the football gods no longer look favorably at this franchise. We go 1-7 and the GM and his assistant GM son failed us with the crap they hired as backup QBs and the Head coach proved he still doesn't know anything about coaching football (we also learned who the real offensive coach was and he was out for 10 weeks with a broken collarbone). Garrett proved over 12 games this year, that he could not coach his way out of a paper bag and the 4 games he won were in spite of him.

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR YEAR!!! And the GM, and the coaches (every last one of them) and the backup QBs, and the football gods who forsake us ruined it. The year the panthers had was the year we were supposed to have. Everything pointed to that in May 2015...the only question mark was the RB position and we could overcome that....well, it is amazing how far this team has fallen...from SB aspirations to picking fourth in the upcoming draft. This has got to be the worst season ever in the 42 years that I have been a fan of the Cowboys. I will be depressed watching the panthers play thinking about what could have been.

end rant/

If you had to point the finger @ where it all started to go wrong....It starts w/ Dez and ROCNATION. If the Cowboys and Dez workout a contract...I'm sure they franchise Murray for one year. They keep the big 3 together for one more year. Dez doesn't miss training camp...and comes into camp in shape. But because someone didn't want to work...and used the contract situaton as an excuse to miss training camp....the snowball started...and it just got bigger from there.

 

[DenCWBY]

Another disguised thread blasting Jones and Garrett. So tired of this crap.

I get it but the truth hurts. Trying to put lipstick on a pig is especially hard when your 4-12.

 

[perrykemp]

Another disguised thread blasting Jones and Garrett. So tired of this crap.

4-12 this year. It's going to be a daily occurrence until the Cowboys hopefully make the playoff a year from now.

 

[JBS]

Panthers destroyed the Cowboys in Dallas...with Romo...in short


NO

 

[DandyDon52]

Carolina is now the team to beat in nfc if dallas wants to go to a SB, and I dont think we can beat them.
So playoffs yeah but forget the SB for cowboys.

 

[Aven8]

Here is some more fun facts.
Carolina forced 7 TO's yesterday. We had 11 for the entire season!

Remember when we interviewed Rivera for the Rooney Rule??? Who's laughing now Jerry!?#/*

After the one awful season on O, JG interviewed for the Rams HC position. The team brass liked him, but ticket holders threatened to not by tickets if they hired him so no offer!! Smart fans.

Carolina is not afraid to mix veterans with all of there young talent. They picked up 2 corners that started in December and have vets such as Roman Harper in the secondary, and yet we have to get 23 year old nobodies only because they're young!

 

[perrykemp]

Carolina forced 7 TO's yesterday. We had 11 for the entire season!

Brutal comparison.

What else needs to be said?