Cowboys Second Guessing in T-minus ....

After how many wins does the national media break out this line?

"And now we're left to wonder what the fate of the Cowboys would have been had Jerry Jones fired Wade Phillips after the [insert chosen loss here]. Had he done so, it's certainly possible the Cowboys would in fact be able to host their new stadium's first Superbowl."

My over/under is after next week if they beat the Saints. My only real question is whether or not someone's already said it, and I just haven't seen it yet.

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The Warring Voices In Jerry Jones' Head

The most disappointing but underreported storyline of the season is the Dallas Cowboys quietly having the best offseason in football.

This is a team that was a Tony Romo injury away from a sure playoff spot and probably a strong competitor for the conference championship. This despite regular absurdities from TO and more distractions from Pacman. With those two pushed from the stoop there should be much greater harmony in Arlington. Roy Williams (the wide receiver) was virtually a non-factor after leaving Detroit but he is fully capable of moving into Owens' role, although with one-third the drama.

Cutting Jones and the other Roy Williams were more additions. Neither player was effective at all last year. Their cuts signify at least a temporary maturing of philosophy in Dallas. The Cowboys will be forced to address the safety position, most likely with their first pick in the second round. Mike Jenkins will likely move into the starting lineup opposite Terrance Newman. They signed Keith Brooking to replace Zach Thomas in what should be no less than a parallel move and their recent addition of Igor Olshansky brings them the best 3-4 DE available in FA. Wade Phillips - probably deservedly - gets a lot of criticism for his coaching demeanor but the man can certainly coach up a defense, as he demonstrated the last half dozen games after taking it over. The pieces are there for the defense to improve over '08.

With Jones, Barber, Williams, Witten, Bennett, Crayton and Austin there are plenty of tools on offense. Romo has yet to shake the reputation of Not Quite Good Enough When It Counts, but that is more likely to be a sample size issue than an actual flaw. The offensive line is not quite the sum of its parts but that is also a factor for minor upgrades and tweaks.

Sadly the Cowboys have improved to become a contender with a normal range of weaknesses rather than a contender that was likely to completely melt down from week to week. The latter was much more fun.

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