AMERICA'S TEAM, DALLAS' DREAM

           The 90’s. Google was discovered, the Soviet Union was destroyed, Nelson Mandela was freed, and the Dallas Cowboys were relevant… ‘America’s team’ were a force to be reckoned with at the end of the 20^th century, with their dominance exemplified in January 1996 when they clinched their third Super Bowl in four years. Eight play-off appearances out of a possible ten during the decade made them one of the league’s most dominant sides.

Dallas’ 1996 Super Bowl starting line-up was loaded with future Hall of Fame talent. QB Troy Aikman, RB Emmitt Smith, WR Michael Irvin and DB Deion Sanders to name a few. The offensive trio of Aikman, Smith and Irvin soon deteriorated after their third Super Bowl success of 1996, drawing an end to the most successful period in Cowboys history. Michael Irvin was the first to hang up his cleats, doing so in 1999. Troy Aikman trudged through the 2000 season, but numerous concussions and competition at the QB position led to the Cowboys waiving him prior to the 2001 season. Emmit Smith persevered for a couple of years after Aikman’s departure but left the side in 2002 to sign with the Arizona Cardinals, the Lone Star state never felt so lonely.

Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys entered a new chapter at the beginning of the century. Since the glory days of the 1990’s Dallas have assembled various rosters with Super Bowl potential but failed to meet the heights of Aikman and co. Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Terrel Owens, Dez Bryant, DeMarcus Ware, Sean Lee, play-making, Pro Bowl players have all filtered through Jerry’s world in a bid to get the famous Dallas Cowboys at the pinnacle of football once more. None have succeeded as the Cowboys’ Vince Lombardi drought stretches into year twenty-four. This offseason saw the Cowboys finally part ways with head coach Jason Garrett after over ten years with the organisation, much to the delight of the Dallas faithful who had been growing increasingly frustrated by the underachievement’s of their side during Garrett’s tenure. The former QB, Garrett struggled to succeed with a more than capable roster and slumped to an 87-70 record as Cowboys HC, with an abysmal 2-3 showing in the postseason.

 2020 could be the Dallas Cowboys’ best chance to bring the Lombardi trophy back to the great state of Texas since their dominant 90’s. I don’t blame anyone for doubting them. We all watched the Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson video game-esc performances last season, it’s hard to comprehend neither of these young men sticking a ring on their finger come February 2021. However, the NFL is a very complex league, injuries, underdogs, controversy, there is no script.

At 24-40 the NFC East trailed the league with the most defeats in 2019. Philadelphia took the division title with a 9-7 record, whilst Dallas, fortunate to make .500 on the year at 8-8, were just one win away from the play-offs. Green Bay, New Orleans and San Francisco all won their respective NFC divisions sealing thirteen victories each along the way (regular season). The NFC East is the oddball amongst the conference. Every other division winner posed a legitimate threat at the Super Bowl. Structural building both on and off the field in New York (Giants) and Washington make Dallas’ quest to take the division back far simpler. The 2020 season is expected to be yet another two-horse race for the East. Dallas quite easily disposed of Philly in their first encounter last year with a 37-10 victory yet in the campaigns penultimate game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia the stagnant Cowboys offense couldn’t get going. A 17-9 Eagles victory essentially crushed the Cowboys’ play-off hopes and sealed Garrett’s fate in Texas. 2019 was a peculiar year in Dallas Cowboys history. Inconsistency was the most decisive factor in the end. Three consecutive wins to kick off the season were followed by defeats on the road to New Orleans, at home to Green Bay then an embarrassing loss in New Jersey to the Jets. Dallas lost to both the 13-3 New Orleans Saints and 7-9 New York Jets by just two points. Heading towards the tail end of the season Dallas travelled to New England to face the Patriots. In good scoring form, coming off the back of a 35-27 road win at Detroit, the Cowboys failed to post double figures in Massachusetts, falling just 13-9 to the Super Bowl holders. Just four days after the Pats loss, Dallas hosted another AFC East side, Buffalo, on Thanksgiving Day. Festivities of the home crowd couldn’t motivate Jerry’s boys as the Bills rather convincingly walked away 26-15 victors. Resolving the inconsistency issues will go a long way to fixing the Dallas Cowboys and restoring some credibility and fear within the franchise.

Jerry Jones finally relieved Jason Garrett of his duties last month and in his place hired Mike McCarthy, a Super Bowl winner with an impressive CV. 135-85-2 overall including a winning record, 10-8, in the postseason. McCarthy served as the offensive co-ordinator in New Orleans and San Francisco before taking the Packers head coaching role where he won his one (and to date, only) Super Bowl ring. McCarthy’s hiring is a sign of ambition, having made the play-offs in nine out of his thirteen seasons as a head coach. McCarthy knows what it takes to succeed and is being handed over one of the top offensive lines in the league along with one of the best running-backs around. The key to success in 2020 will be how much McCarthy can get out of quarterback Dak Prescott. During his reign in Green Bay, McCarthy was spoilt in the quarterback department. Having worked with Brett Favre and his hand in moulding Aaron Rodgers into the exceptional player he is today, McCarthy knows how to run an offense and how to influence quarterbacks. Prescott was franchise tagged in the offseason and will return to Dallas this fall. It’s no secret that the Cowboys try to involve Ezekiel Elliot as much as they possibly can. Zeke is currently the highest paid RB in the league and was fourth in the NFL’s rushing yards last season with 1,357. Dallas’ quality offensive-line has allowed the side to exploit Zeke since his introduction to the pro’s, helping him lead the league in rush yards in 2016 and 2018. The star-studded offensive line includes seven-time Pro Bowl offensive-tackle Tyron Smith, six-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin and the highly rated young left tackle La’el Collins. This side were 5^th in Pro Football Focus’s pass-blocking grade and 3^rd in run-blocking grade. This is obviously a strong offensive line, competent enough to protect a top running-back like Zeke and allow the Cowboy’s to rack up the rushing yards year after year. Only Jared Goff (22 times) was sacked fewer times than Dak Prescott (23 times) last season, showing just how composed Dak Prescott can afford to be in the pocket. It’s up to Prescott to get his job done. There are no excuses, he has receivers proficient at making big plays. Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, the most accomplished amongst the receiving core, each enjoyed 1,000 receiving yards in 2019. Jason Witten has moved out west to the new Las Vegas Raiders, causing concerns at the tight-end spot and hoovering valuable experience out of the locker room but should benefit the franchise financially. Dallas look poised to add pieces to their offense before the beginning of the new campaign whether it be exploring free-agency or scouting thoroughly and taking a chance with rookies in this month’s draft.

At the moment Dallas are in possession of seven picks in this year’s draft including a first and second rounder. Whilst McCarthy is busy deploying his offensive minded experience on one side of the ball, new defensive co-ordinator Mike Nolan has the task of getting every ounce of quality out of a very respected defence. Plenty of Pro Bowl experience lies within this group. Line-backer Jaylon Smith has just one Pro Bowl appearance to his name so far in his early career, however, was tied for the sixth most tackles in the entire league last year (142). Fellow line-backers Sean Lee and Leighton Vander Esch have two and one Pro Bowls each respectively. Defensive tackles Gerald McCoy (six Pro Bowls) and Dontari Poe (two Pro Bowls) are recent acquisitions to the side. Both have several years of wear and tear but can still offer much to this side in terms of wisdom. Dallas have made positive modifications across the board as they seek another championship this fall. Even the special teams have seen upgrades with the introduction of Greg ‘the leg’ Zeurlein, one of the leagues top place-kickers.

Dallas cannot bring the inconsistency from last year with them into 2020 if they aspire to hit the gridiron beyond New Years. Dallas have been dealt a good hand with the schedule release for the upcoming season, they rank 3^rd with the ‘easiest’ strength of schedule, with their opponents amassing a total 117-138-1 record in 2019. The Cowboys have some very win-able games at home against the likes of the Giants, Redskins, Browns, Falcons, Cardinals and Steelers, who were all .500 or below last season. Road games at Seattle and Baltimore are the black marks on an otherwise moderate fixtures list. For the first time ever, Tom Brady is now in the NFC picture frame following his switch to Tampa, however, Brady and his new divisional rival Drew Brees are both facing a fight with father time and are showing distinct signs of slowing down. Other NFC contenders include Super Bowl runners-up San Francisco, a side that were exposed for their one-dimensional approach on offense as the season progressed. Across the league in the AFC, it seems as though there are only two teams in existence. Current champions Kansas City with wonderkid Patrick Mahomes, a dual threat with his monstrous arm and quick feet and Baltimore, who boast current MVP Lamar Jackson, a guy who continues to defy the laws of both the game and physics. The NFC is up for grabs, with six different Super Bowl representatives in six seasons and no real dynasty, the recent NFC champions have all struggled the year after a conference championship win.

Judging last seasons showing, I don’t blame anyone for writing off the Dallas Cowboys as Super Bowl contenders’ early doors, but the NFL is a revolving door. ‘Not for long’ is what NFL really stands for after all isn’t it? Every so often a dynasty emerges that takes the league by storm and there’s almost nothing you can do about it, 90’s Dallas, 00’s Patriots etc. But what about when there isn’t a dynasty in the spotlight? Who shines brightest then? 9-7 Wild Card teams like the 2007 Giants? Back-up QB’s who cruise through the postseason like the 2017 Eagles? Joe Flacco led teams who charge into Peyton Manning and Tom Brady’s home grounds and surface victorious like the 2012 Ravens? Dallas have a range of resources to navigate a championship back to Jerry’s world for the first time since the dominant Cowboys of the 1990’s. ‘America’s Team’ is Dallas’ dream.