The season that should have been

[CCBoy]

You are the one cherry picking, by bringing up a season that has no relevance today. They still made the playoffs that year, if I am not mistaken.

I'm not a fan of Ripple, you can have the entire burn barrel.

 

[KJJ]

I'm a bit sick of hearing that too but I guess that's what the rest of the 70% of the league says. IF we would've done this we would've been champions. I'm sure Browns fans probably say the same thing.......

When you go 4-12 too many things went wrong to play the coulda, woulda, shoulda game. It's not like a play here or there would have had us in the SB this year. The injuries certainly played a big part but not to the extent that it should have led to a 4-12 season. Injuries are part of the game and good teams find a way to hang in despite injuries to key players. Several teams lost their QB for parts of the season including Denver and were still able to make the playoffs. The Panthers lost their #1 receiver prior to the season Kelvin Benjamin and didn't miss a beat. You take a QBs #1 receiver away and that's huge but Cam ended up having an MVP year leading the Panthers to the SB. When you go 4-12 your issues are a lot deeper than losing your QB.

From 2000 to 2002 the Cowboys had some of the worst QBs to ever start for this franchise and never lost as many games as we did this season and those teams had a miserable OL to go along with a horrid QB situation. I know many want to hear something encouraging but there's not much to be encouraged about after a season like this especially when you end up in the basement of one of the weakest divisions in football. With Romo aging and missing games the last 3 seasons due to injury and Dez coming off ankle and foot surgery this season has left things way up in the air as to what to expect next season.

 

[DallasCowboys2080]

Why do bad fans be fans of such a bad team is the question.

I should switch my team because of a bunch of whiney *******? I'll just make fun of them.

its called a die-hard, aka a real fan. a real fan is not made thru ease or success but through pain adversity and trial

fans made through ease or success but leave because of pain or adversity aren't die-hards. they are bandwagoners.

real fans are hard to kill!

 

[CyberB0b]

From 2000 to 2002 the Cowboys had some of the worst QBs to ever start for this franchise and never lost as many games as we did this season and those teams had a miserable OL to go along with a horrid QB situation. I know many want to hear something encouraging but there's not much to be encouraged about after a season like this especially when you end up in the basement of one of the weakest divisions in football. With Romo aging and missing games the last 3 seasons due to injury and Dez coming off ankle and foot surgery this season has left things way up in the air as to what to expect next season.

People on here like to trash Parcells, but taking a team lead by Quincy Carter, Troy Hambrick, and Terry Glenn to the playoffs is really one of the most masterful coaching jobs in the history of the leauge.

 

[KJJ]

People on here like to trash Parcells, but taking a team lead by Quincy Carter, Troy Hambrick, and Terry Glenn to the playoffs is really one of the most masterful coaching jobs in the history of the leauge.

When Parcells arrived in 2003 he kept the team pretty much intact because he wanted to evaluate the players. He ended up going 10-6 and making the playoffs with basically the same team Campo went 5-11 with 3 straight seasons.

 

[rpntex]

If we're a sleeping Giant about to be awakened after the off-season what signs have you seen that point to that?

2014 season, that's what, as far as the offense is concerned. 2015 soon for the defense.

What's a more reasonable expectation - for Tony Romo to miss 12 games with injury, or for him to remain relatively healthy and productive, as he was in 2014?

What's a more reasonable expectation - for Dez Bryant to have one half of football where he was 100%, then miss 7 games and be hobbled in the remaining 8, of for him to remain relatively healthy and productive, as he was in 2014?

Even with the loss of Demarco Murray, the running game was efficient, and would have been much more so with a healthy Romo and Dez.

Then there's the OL...what more needs to be said about that unit?

If the offense can regain anything near their form of 2014, and the defense continues to play as well as it did the last half of 2015, Dallas will be one of NFC favorites in 2016.

 

[IrishAnto]

Aren't the fans a reflection of the team? If not, then why does this team have such terrible fans? Is it genetic or environmental?

Every team has terrible fans.

Two years ago on an New England site I saw more than one fan want Belichick gone coz he hadn't won a Super Bowl in 8 years.

Boy to have those problems.

 

[IrishAnto]

How many division titles does Garrett have? How many playoff appearances? How many winning seasons?

1,1,0

Other than Jeff Fisher, there aren't a lot of coaches who stick around without actually winning. I am tired of the injury excuse. There are multiple examples, this year, of teams winning with third string quarterbacks. The Steelers won a game with their backup, and third string QB. They also lost Bell for the year, and Antonio Brown for some part of the season. Look at the Broncos. They lost Peyton Manning for a huge chunk of the season, and they are in the Super Bowl. Heck, even the Texans found a way to win, without Arian Foster and about 5 different QBs starting games.

One of whom was a QB we couldn't win a single game with.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Wait until preseason and see how most are picking us to win the East.

Wouldn't surprise me. The division is awful. I do think we would have won it if Romo was healthy. Doing anything in the playoffs is another matter.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Every team has terrible fans.

Two years ago on an New England site I saw more than one fan want Belichick gone coz he hadn't won a Super Bowl in 8 years.

Boy to have those problems.

We used to be that in the 80's.

 

[IrishAnto]

We used to be that in the 80's.

I've always wondered if the Web etc. were around in the 60s would Landry ever have coached the Cowboys for 29 years.

These days it's "What have you done for me in the last 5 min" never mind lately.

 

[tyke1doe]

Next year obviously.

So if we don't go farther than we've gone in the post-Jimmy Johnson era, you'd be willing to admit that you're wrong?

 

[Fletch]

2014 season, that's what, as far as the offense is concerned. 2015 soon for the defense.

What's a more reasonable expectation - for Tony Romo to miss 12 games with injury, or for him to remain relatively healthy and productive, as he was in 2014?

What's a more reasonable expectation - for Dez Bryant to have one half of football where he was 100%, then miss 7 games and be hobbled in the remaining 8, of for him to remain relatively healthy and productive, as he was in 2014?

Even with the loss of Demarco Murray, the running game was efficient, and would have been much more so with a healthy Romo and Dez.

Then there's the OL...what more needs to be said about that unit?

If the offense can regain anything near their form of 2014, and the defense continues to play as well as it did the last half of 2015, Dallas will be one of NFC favorites in 2016.

Well said. Not only the obvious that you pointed out, but our three first round talents (Jones, Gregory, Collins) will have more
experience and a full offseason to add to another draft class that will be taken high in each round. We are young and continue to infuse this team with young talent.
Let us not gloss over the fact that we are sitting pretty with the cap, and will be able to add a couple pieces thru free agency.

There will be those that will continue to point to last season as the beginning of the end, much like they did after the 2013 season. Let em. It just makes it that much sweeter when we win.

I for one am excited for next season. Can't wait!

 

[Rockport]

So if we don't go farther than we've gone in the post-Jimmy Johnson era, you'd be willing to admit that you're wrong?

It all depends on the circumstances. If you lose you're starting QB for example. Any team would struggle. Why isn't that obvious to you haters?

 

[CyberB0b]

It all depends on the circumstances. If you lose you're starting QB for example. Any team would struggle. Why isn't that obvious to you haters?

There's a team in the Super Bowl who lost their starting QB for nearly half the year. There's also teams that made the playoffs and won games with 3rd stringers, like the Steelers and Texans. That's just this year. Dave Campo did more with less.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Aren't the fans a reflection of the team? If not, then why does this team have such terrible fans? Is it genetic or environmental?

Fans attitudes towards the team are usually a reflection of the teams success or lack there of. Which is why right now you are getting a lot of disappointed fans complaining. Its more than warranted. Both in the very short term and the long term looking back at the last 20 years it is more than warranted.

It also depends on what you call a bad fan. If you think bad fan is one that doesnt celebrate losing and ineptitude, then you are probably talking about 98% of the fan base across the world.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Getting laughed at for feeling we had a chance before losing our two best players for the year? Ok. Laugh away. Hell, laugh at me whenever you want about rooting for my sports team instead of whining about all the great moves I would've and could've and should've made if I was the GM. Then further crying about just about anything possible. Then in big games like the Seattle game last year throwing up the surrender flag like a bunch of *******'s. This is sports. It's entertainment. If they enjoy the poor is we don't have a chance. We are run so poorly. Our players are bad, our coaches worse, oh boo hoo woe is me. Then they're free to do that. I think it's weak and hedging thier bet. Evidence by all the bandwagon jumping last year befitting of a bunch of ********.

Interesting you said that homers are being laughed at for pulling for their team. Very telling words. We're not worried about being laughed at by other teams fans or our own faction of "fans"" Theyre pathetic and predictable.

We didn't laugh last year and we won't this year when we're a very good team. We'll just pity as we usually do.

So you do consider yourself a homer? I appreciate your honesty.

As far as the NFL landscape laughing at how pathetic we are, if that doesnt bother you, then you just arent a die hard fan. Watching your team lose nearly every weekend should hurt and hurt real bad. And you shouldnt be excited or laid back about any of it. Again, if you are, then I would submit that you just dont care enough.
I would also surmise that many of us thought the year would be a good one. But some of us had our doubts about Romo staying healthy and about what would happen if Romo went down. Some of us also complained all off season about the way the RB position was handled. If you didnt see any of that coming, no problem. Just dont label other people bad fans because they can see something that others cannot.

Its pretty obvious every year what this team needs to do to fix the problems they have to remain competitive or become a contender. This is not rocket science. They either do it or they dont. When they cut corners, sometimes they can get away with it, sometimes they dont. Last year was a perfect example of how the Cowboys cutting corners at key positions came back to haunt us all at once. Many things about this team got exposed for all to see.

Now some wont see it. Or they will refuse to see it. They will simply say that Romo will return and all will be wonderful again in Cowboy land.

 

[Doomsday101]

I don't think in terms of season that should have been only the season that was. No doubt injuries hurt but it was more than injury, this team took wait till Romo gets back approach just treading water instead of going out and getting the job done. I put that on coaches and players alike. I did not expect offense to be able to put up a lot of points and knew a bigger load would fall to the defense to pick up the slack and while they played well at times they failed to get the turnovers they had shown in 2014 they also managed to blow opportunities late in games. I'm not 1 to point the finger at 1 person I think there is plenty of blame to go around from coaches, players to organization and for all the praise they got in 2014 they deserve all blame for the disaster that was 2015.

 

[tyke1doe]

It all depends on the circumstances. If you lose you're starting QB for example. Any team would struggle. Why isn't that obvious to you haters?

Don't be so childish.

But to answer your question, I thought this was a team game and not just an individual game. If it's just an individual game and Tony Romo is the ANSWER that's even more damning to your argument because the Cowboys haven't sniffed a NFC Championship Game with him healthy.

Second, you're ignoring the responsibilities of a coach and a GM. A coach and GM aren't supposed to build a team that is reliant JUST on a quarterback. A coach and GM are supposed to build a complete team.

You focus on the injury to Tony Romo. We focus on the fact that we had a very winnable division and could only muster a 1-11 record without Tony Romo.

Does that not register with you?

This team that is supposed to a Super Bowl contender couldn't beat the Saints or the Eagles or the Buccaneers - very winnable games.

We're not talking about beating the Steelers or the Cardinals or the Packers without Romo.

We're talking about the weaker teams of the league. And we're supposed to have confidence in the coach and GM???

But we'll see. If we get to the NFC Championship Game next year with JJ and JG at the helm, I'll gladly eat my words.

But I'll also be waiting for you to accept the reality that despite all the changes we're following the same pattern established 20 years ago.

You know, seeing the forest despite the blowing leaves of the tree.

 

[Rockport]

There's a team in the Super Bowl who lost their starting QB for nearly half the year. There's also teams that made the playoffs and won games with 3rd stringers, like the Steelers and Texans. That's just this year. Dave Campo did more with less.

And their best WR and best CB and Dunbar, etc, etc. jeez you guys are just stupid ot have an agenda.