The Dallas Cowboys Have The Talent to Win, But Can They Put it Together?

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What comes to your mind when I mention players like Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek, and Emmitt Smith?

How about champions, greatness, tradition, and everything that epitomizes who the Dallas Cowboys are. Those four players were some of the biggest reasons the Cowboys were called "America's Team" for so long. It's the reason the Cowboys are still known as one of the best franchises in NFL history.

When those four players left for retirement, a new era of players donned the silver star on the helmet.

But in each of the last 16 seasons, the Cowboys haven't shown the greatness this franchise use to be all about. In fact, they've been everything but great.

A single playoff victory is all this franchise has been able to accomplish since the aforementioned four players hung up their gear for good.

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The team formerly known for greatness is now known for underachieving and mediocrity with no end in sight.

With the 2011 season very much in question, new head coach Jason Garrett, quarterback Tony Romo, and a list of talented offensive and defensive players, this team has no more room for error.

During the 2010 season all of the team's problems were blamed on then head coach, Wade Phillips. While the team played better under Garrett after Wade was fired, this team still missed the playoffs by a long shot. Now that their reason for losing is out the door, their excuses have no room to make their presence known.

No longer are they able to say they aren't motivated to play and no longer can they say their head coach isn't holding them accountable.

It's time for the Dallas Cowboys to step up and become the team they once were.

After the team drafted running back DeMarco Murray, it became the first step in moving on from Marion Barber who has been less than impressive over the last few seasons. The guy who used to be one of the up and coming stars did a disappearing act and has fans begging to see a trade to send Marion out of town.

Murray, a former running back with the Oklahoma Sooners, along with current running backs Tashard Choice and Felix Jones, makes a scary trio out of the Cowboys backfield.

Romo will return to the quarterback position after sitting out most of the 2010 season with a broken collarbone. Though some of his teammates say he should have to earn the starting role again against backup Jon Kitna, it's not likely that Garrett will have any sort of battle between the two veterans.

Wide receivers Roy Williams, Miles Austin, and Dez Bryant are arguably three of the most talented wide receivers in the league and it doesn't hurt that they play for the same team.

There's no reason this Dallas Cowboys' team can't make it deep into the playoffs if the 2011 season ever gets underway.

They have no excuse as to why they would falter or sputter and die before getting to the Super Bowl for the 17th straight season. The players are in place and the head coach is in place.

All they need to do now is show it on the field.

2011 NFL Draft: Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys Have a Lot to Prove With This Draft

With the NFL Draft just a few weeks away, the projections, mock drafts, opinions, conjectures, and all the rest that come with this event.

For the Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones, there might be more riding on this draft than at any other point in franchise history. Jones needs to make a splash to prove he still has what it takes to turn this team in a championship contender.

He's failed over the last few years, bringing in players who haven't met the kind of potential most thought they would. Bottom line? Jones' draft picks have flopped.

His most recent and most hyped, former Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant, has made news during this off season and not for any good reasons. He and his "friends" were tossed out of an upscale mall in the Dallas area, his third such run-in with security or law enforcement at the same location.

This time needs to be different for the owner who spent most of last season being ridiculed by fans and questioned by every radio talk show and writer in the Dallas and Fort Worth areas. After every loss his team sustained, Jones was in the locker room in front of more than 15 cameras trying to calm everyone's fears about who this team really was.

What he wasn't willing to do was give up the one thing everyone seems to want him to give up--control. Jones' ego won't allow it. He wouldn't be watch some young general manager come swooping in to Arlington and build the team he has failed to build for the past 16 seasons.

Say what you want about the players available in this draft, the big names that could draw big ticket sales the moment after his name was announced, or the safe pick that would make fans and the media groan and let out a collective, "here we go again."

Where the Cowboys need help is on defense, it seems to be the consensus among the die hard fans and those who cover the team.

I've had my own opinions about where the Cowboys need to go and what could shake up the same old picks Jones seems to make.

Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton was a hot topic around these parts for quite awhile. However, his name was shot down by just about everyone in the metroplex not only because of his off the field problems at both Florida and Auburn but the lack of being able to fit in head coach Jason Garrett's system.

With Tony Romo, Jon Kina, and former Texas Tech quarterback Steven McGee already on the roster, it seems unlikely they would use a first round, or even a second round, draft pick to bring in yet another quarterback who would be buried on the bench for a good portion of the next two to four years. Not exactly money well spent, right?

Another player who's name was mentioned was former Pitt wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin. But ESPN's AFC blogger, James Walker, seems to think he's a better fit with the Baltimore Ravens. Luckily for Mr. Walker I tend to agree with him.

The Cowboys don't need another wide receiver. They already have Bryant, Miles Austin, Roy Williams, and Sam Hurd not to mention one of the best tight ends in the game in Jason Witten who tends to be a favorite target of Romo's.

A few other names who haev been mentioned in connection with the Cowboys are former LSU cornerback Patrick Petersen who Mel Kiper who has the San Francisco 49ers picking him up at pick No. 7 two spots before the Cowboys; Von Miller the former linebacker out of Texas A&M; Tyron Smith the offensive tackle from USC; Prince Amukamara the star cornerback out of Nebraska, and Da'Quan Bowers the defensive end out of Clemson.

Each of those names should be enticing to Jones and would definitely be big time improvements right off the bat. Not to mention each of these guys could come right in and make an impact in their very first season in the league.

As of right now, it looks like Miller and Amukamara will be off the board before the Cowboys' pick comes up. The only way to grab either of those two guys, if they have the most interest from the team staff, is to trade up.

If they want to do that, they're going to need to give up something to get two to four spots higher in the first round of the draft. You're looking at the number seven (49ers) or the number three (Bills) overall pick, both of whom are in need of a quarterback regardless of how much faith new 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has in Alex Smith or the Bills have in Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The Cowboys have someone they can use as trade bait. In fact, they have two players they could dangle just to see how far the conversation goes. Quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant.

You don't deal them right off the bat but dangling them will give Jones the opportunity to see if it starts any conversations at all with either team.

Regardless of what the Cowboys decided to do, this is going to be the most telling draft for Jones since he brought in Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman. He has a lot to prove to the players in the locker room and to the fans who have supported this team for as long as they've been alive.

It's time for this team and it's ownership to make a splash, to do something no one is going to see coming. It's the only way this franchise gets back on its feet and gets back to where it used to be.


Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann on Twitter or find him on Facebook

Dallas Cowboys: Should Tony Romo Have to Earn the Starting Role Again?

For the past few seasons the Dallas Cowboys fans have become restless with their starting quarterback, Tony Romo. Most who call into the sports talk radio shows want him traded, benched or otherwise while others will back him tooth and nail.

There really is no middle ground to be seen.

 

The players and owners haven't been able to get together and come to an agreement to make sure there is going to be an NFL season. If there was going to be one, it seems some of Romo's teammates believe he should have to battle for the starting role instead of getting it handed to him.

One such teammate, tight end Martellus Bennett, seems to be lobbying for Jon Kitna who took over for Romo last season after a season ending injury.

Bennett was on the Ben & Skin show on 103.3 FM ESPN Radio in Dallas and said, "I loved playing with Kitna. Kitna is one of my favorite people to play with. Just being out there on the field with that guy just makes you play even harder. He made some things happen in limited time, so I think if he got a longer chance, he'd be able to do more. I hope there's a chance for a quarterback competition this year. Every position, I think we need to put more competition into it."

Bennett isn't the only Dallas Cowboy to favor Kitna over Romo. Wide receiver Roy Williams said Kita is "just as good" as Romo.

While Kitna I'm sure enjoys the support and is flattered, his response was predictably of the political correct variety.

"[Romo] understands that my role here is to support him and to serve him the best way that I can," Kitna told ESPN's Tim McMahon. "There's no awkwardness at all. He understands that, and more importantly, I understand that. That's my job."

However, while there may be more who agree with both Bennett and Williams in that locker room, Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones will apparently keep his loyalty and love behind Romo. Especially since he still has three years left on what was a six-year, $67.4 million contract.

The fans here want to see a change because nothing has really changed with this team since Romo became the starter. The team has a single playoff victory in the past 16 seasons. What used to be excellence in Dallas has now turned into a little bit less than mediocrity.

Jones seems to believe he's doing what's best for the team but apparently isn't seeing the lack of results. He can be as upset as he wants after a loss and get in front of the cameras promising brimstone and fire. But when it comes right down to it, not much change takes place.

The Cowboys will come in to the 2011 season with a brand new head coach, Jason Garrett, and apparently a new found outlook for their future.

Don't tell that to Bennett, Williams, or the fan base who don't believe this team is headed for anything but more disappointment.

Until bigger changes occur and until Jerry Jones decides to really shake things up, the Dallas Cowboys will become just another team searching for their identity in the National Football League.


Follow Todd Kaufmann @T_Kaufmann and National Football Authority @NFAuthority on Twitter

The Dallas Cowboys Need a Change and it Starts With Carson Palmer

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The Dallas Cowboys have to be tired of losing, no matter how good they've gotten at it over the years. Owner Jerry Jones wants another Super Bowl championship banner hanging in his new stadium, though he hasn't done a lot to show that by the moves he and the front office have made.

Chan Gailey, Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips and now Jason Garrett. Four coaches, one playoff victory in the last 16 seasons. The Cowboys need a change and they need one quick.

No matter how many fans you talk to, most will tell you that they're tired of seeing mediocre football being played each and every Sunday. They're tired of taking to the radio airwaves on Monday morning and calling for Jones to step down as the general manager or for the head coach to be fired.

They know there are changes that need to be made but one that seems to be argued over more than any other is whether or not the team can get anywhere with quarterback Tony Romo. There are some that will defend him and others that want to trade him out of town for another "future of the franchise." The only thing most fans won't be able to give you, at least realistically, is who they want to take his place. Who should be the quarterback of the future for the Dallas Cowboys?

Can Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush Provide a Change in the Dallas Cowboys?

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The 2010 season is not one that New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush will look back on fondly. While he spent most of the season battling injuries, he'll also remember 2010 as the year he voluntarily gave back the Heisman Trophy he won as a member of the University of Southern California.

Not exactly a memory he wants to remember.

However, that might be the least of his worries. According to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, Bush's career with the Saints might be coming to an end.

Saints' general manager Mickey Loomis, while on NFL Radio with Marvez and co-host Jim Miller, told them there was no question the team wants to sign quarterback Drew Brees for the longterm. But when it came to Reggie Bush, Loomis was anything but clear on the running backs' future.

"We've talked a lot about the position (internally) because we had a lot of injuries," Loomis told Marvez and Miller. "It's pretty difficult to prognosticate injuries. I've got to be a little careful about just because a guy was hurt one year assuming he's going to get hurt the next. We're going through that evaluation process right now."

To me, it sounds as if Bush might be seeing his time with the Saints come to an end. Though he's made it known he would be willing to renegotiate his rookie contract in order to stay with the team, there's no telling if the Saints are willing to continue to have the same relationship.

A little more than 800 miles to the north, up in Cincinnati, another controversy is brewing and another former USC Trojan could be seeing the end of days with his respective team.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer has made it clear he no longer wants to be a member of the Bengals and has asked the team to trade him or he would consider retirement. To this point, the team has no plans to give him what he wants.

In a story from Cindy Boren in the Washington Post, ESPN's Chris Mortensen cited sources that said Palmer is financially secure and the threat of retirement is not an idle one.

Two former USC players, two different situations, both seem to be at a crossroads in their respective careers. One thing they may have in common is the ability to bring change to another NFL team in the state of Texas.

It's no secret the Dallas Cowboys need a change on the offensive side of the ball to improve the team from their abysmal 2010 season. A season where they would win just one of their first eight games before firing head coach Wade Phillips.

While there is a love affair with quarterback Tony Romo regardless of being able to lead the team anywhere when they do get to the playoffs, one position the team needs to upgrade badly is at running back.

Fans have tired of Marion Barber and haven't seen enough of Felix Jones or Tashard Choice to believe they can be the next big thing in Dallas. They were spoiled with long time running back Emmitt Smith and having not seen anything like him since his retirement has brought a lot of frustration down on Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones.

It looked like Barber was going to be the heir apparent for awhile, but as soon as he was given the starting job it quickly became clear that he wasn't ready to be an every down back.

Choice has made his share of big plays and, when challenged by Jones in the media, came up with a huge game to prove he be starting material.

However, the Cowboys still need one guy that can make an immediate impact. Not necessarily a guy who can come in and be the starter right away, but a guy who can line up with Choice and make defenses think twice about keying in on one guy.

Bush brings speed as well as the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He can take pressure off of the other running backs as well as off of Romo who, at times, seems to have to do things on his own.

As for Palmer, most will tell you that he won't accept a backup job anywhere. While I can understand that sentiment, the Cowboys need a backup quarterback not named Jon Kitna. He did a respectable job when Romo went down, but if it happens again, the Cowboys need a guy who can come in and not miss a beat. Not only that, but a guy who can be just as good if not better going forward.

For those of you who have read my thoughts on the Cowboys, and Romo, in the past you know I'm not a fan of his nor do I think he's the right quarterback to get this team over the hump and back into the championship spotlight.

That being said, maybe having a guy like Carson Palmer would help push Romo a little bit harder. Maybe it would force him to play at another level knowing he has a proven NFL starter behind him waiting to take his job.

However you want to see this, the one thing that can't be questioned is the number of changes that need to be made to a team that was a foregone conclusion for the Super Bowl more than 15 years ago.

Now, fans wonder if they'll get out of the first round of the playoffs or even get that far.

You may not be a fan of Palmer or Bush for that matter, but these two guys can provide a spark that is badly needed at Cowboys Stadium.

Jones can draft all the guys that he wants, but he's shown over the past few years that he's lost his touch. The past two drafts have been a flop and it's time that a new strategy is put in place. One that will bring this team to a new level of success.

These two guys might not be the most popular names in town, but fans in Dallas are ready to try anything to see their team as Super Bowl champions again.

When it Comes to Tony Romo, the Dallas Media Is an Overreacting Machine

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In Texas, football is king. Whether it's high school football, college football, or the Dallas Cowboys, football is where it's at.

So, as you might imagine, being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys comes with its fair and sometimes unfair share of criticism. When you're Tony Romo, you know that it comes with the territory. He knows that it's going to come from fans when the team loses and it's going to come from the media when it becomes a strong of losses.

If you watched this past season you saw Romo become more criticized than he probably ever has been since he became the starter. With exception to dropping the snap on what might have been the game winning field goal in a playoff game a few years ago.

Give him credit, he's handled it all with a lot more grace and patience than I could have ever handled it. The media knows how to get under people's skin, it's their job. They want the next big quote so they'll stick a microphone in his face, ask him all sorts of dumb questions, than wait to see if he'll explode on them. Sure it's happened before with other quarterbacks around the NFL (see: Ryan Leaf) but with Romo, that explosion has never really come.

But there has to come a time where the media has to realize they've overstepped their bounds and need to back up a step or two. Or three.

A few years ago, while Romo was in a high publicized relationship with Jessica Simpson, the two took a short vacation on an off day given to the players by then head coach, Wade Phillips.

That started a firestorm on the radio stations and through print media on how Romo should have stayed home and "studied the playbook" instead of going on vacation.

It was then that I realized just how scrutinized this young quarterback really was. I will admit that I've been critical of him as well but this went far beyond anything I've heard before.

What makes me laugh about that situation was fans expecting him to be held up in his home with his head in the playbook. They expected Romo to not take advantage of a day off given to him and the rest of his team by the head coach and approved by the owner. Neither of whom, by the way, came out and publicly chastised him.

His vacation hasn't been the biggest outcry coming from the fans as well as the local media. For those of you who are versed on everything Dallas Cowboys, you know one of his hobbies away from the football field is golf. He's not bad at it either. In fact, he's quite good.

If he wasn't a quarterback, Romo could take a real run at obtaining a PGA Tour card. But it's the one sports fans can't be more angry about their quarterback playing.

There's a certain radio station here in town that brought up his playing in a tournament to qualify for a PGA Tour event and it started a firestorm of response. Not only were the fans upset, though I take most of them with a grain of salt, but so were a few of the on air personalities.

I'm not going to bad mouth the station that started this "fire storm" because it's their job to get the fans to respond. It's their job to get callers to light up their phone lines and text board. While there's no telling them how to do their job, something I wouldn't do, I don't think it's right to tell an NFL quarterback how he can and can't spend his time off the field.

Golf isn't the only sport Tony Romo shouldn't play. Basketball has also made that list as well and is the only other topic that has gotten Romo blasted more than any other. Ok, maybe outside of Simpson jinxing their playoff game because she was in the building.

So with all that comes the reason why fans, and local media alike, are so critical of this team and it's quarterback. The Cowboys have just a single playoff victory in the last 16 seasons. They expect better and who's to blame them?

But the one thing I love about Romo, no matter how much I believe he's not the right guy to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, is the fact that he does what he wants when he wants with absolutely no regards to anyone else's opinion.

Bravo, Tony.

I get that players need to respond to their fans and I get that they should care about their expectations of them as well as the team. But when it comes to what they do outside of the football field, it's their decision and their decision alone.

Before you think this is an entire article taking sides with an NFL quarterback, you've got another thing coming. He's not the leader this team needs for the same reasons Jason Garrett isn't the right choice to be the newest head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

That being said, this town needs to stop acting like the sky is falling every time the team loses. Don't get me wrong it makes for great radio for me every Monday morning after a loss. But if the media is going to go after him hard and fast, don't be surprised if he could care less.
It's actually what I like most about Tony Romo.

Whether It's Jason Garrett or Tony Romo, The Dallas Cowboys Need To Make a Change

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The Dallas Cowboys are about to carve another notch in the 'Tree of Disappointment' as soon as this season comes to a close.

As of right now, it has 15 marks in it. When this season comes to an end the team will put a 16th mark on it. Those marks signify the number of consecutive seasons without a Super Bowl title.

Over that same time span the Cowboys have just one playoff victory. No Super Bowl appearances, no NFC titles, just a single playoff win which came in 2009.

Yes, a change needs to be made in Dallas. Only problem is, will it be the correct change or just one good enough for Jerry Jones to still have his thumb on this ball club? Or maybe a little of both?

When Jones fired then head coach Wade Phillips, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett took over as the new head coach and has since picked up four wins in the seven games he's been in the position. Doing so without Tony Romo, maybe more impressive than most would think.

But with that change came questions from media and fans alike as to who would be the man going forward. Would Garrett remain in the position for the long term or was Jones looking for "his guy" behind the scenes? The answer to that question would depend on who you ask.

Newy Scruggs of NBC 5 doesn't believe Garrett is the right guy for this team going forward not to mention not being the guy that can lead this team to another Super Bowl title. On the flip side of the coin, Richie Whitt of the Dallas Observer believes the opposite and thinks Garrett deserves the job.

For those that have been fans of this team and have watched what has transpired over the last five to 10 years, you know that Jones will only hire someone that he can control. A 'yes man' if you will.

Garrett is exactly that. Phillips was exactly that. Bill Parcells was not that.

When the season ends for the Dallas Cowboys you'll hear the rumors start being thrown out quicker than you can keep track of them. You'll hear names like Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden along with Jason Garrett and several others thrown around and there will be numerous opinions as to who it will be.

If the Cowboys are going to turn things around, Garrett is not the guy to do that. No matter how many people believe Jones will bring him back as the next head coach of this team, it's not the right decision for this team's future.

Jerry Jones wants two things. Control and another Super Bowl Championship banner being hung at his stadium. But when push comes to shove, will he be able to give up one to get the other? We've seen over the last 15, soon to be 16, seasons that total control has given this team nothing but a single playoff win. It hasn't given this team a lick of success.

There's another factor in the story of success for this team. It's quarterback.

This has been a topic that I haven't given fans the warm fuzzies when I bring it up. While most would agree they don't want Garrett as their head coach, they are still hanging on to their love affair with Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo.

We can sit here and argue just how good Romo has been since he's been the starter and what he's been able to accomplish. However, at the end of the day, what has he really accomplished?

You can compare his numbers to quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady and try to say he's just as good but, in the end, both Manning and Brady have Super Bowl rings.

Romo does not.

So now that I've picked on both Jason Garrett and Tony Romo, the next question that I would normally ask someone that doesn't want a certain player around is, who do you want instead?

I'm glad you asked.

If Jerry Jones really wants a Super Bowl there's only one decision and one phone call he needs to make. Bill Cowher. Only problem with Cowher is he wants complete control of player personnel decisions as well as his own coaching staff. Something Jones isn't like to give any coach.

Here's how I look at this situation. If Jones really cares about this team and really wants to celebrate a Super Bowl Championship at the stadium that he built, than something has to give. Jones needs to give up control or risk making it 17 seasons or perhaps even more.

Cowher is a proven winner, something the Cowboys desperately need. He's a guy that can bring out the best in his players week in and week out. If Jones is really serious about turning things around, this is his guy and this is the right time to make that move.

As far as the quarterback position goes, that's more of an open-ended question. Romo hit the sidelines during their week seven loss to the New York Giants. Since then, the team has won just three of their next seven games, though there really hasn't been a lot to blame on backup Jon Kitna who has played better than a lot of fans, and media, expected.

That being said, 3-4 in seven games is still not playing Cowboys' football. They need someone that can light up the scoreboard and move this team up and down the field every time he's in the game.

Romo, Kitna and third-string quarterback Stephen McGee out of Texas Tech don't exactly have that capability. Kitna has held his own but he's also had his share of problems.

One quarterback who's also had his share of problems, and could also find his way out of the city he's currently in, is Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback Carson Palmer.

I know the name is going to surprise a lot of you but this is a quarterback who has a lot of talent and can do some big things with a team like the Cowboys. Over the years, he's been able to show what he can do when he has the right players around him.

Though he's struggled throughout the 2010 season, he hasn't had nearly the kind of players he had in his first few years with the Bengals. Bringing him to Dallas and putting the kind of players that the Cowboys have around him would allow him to be the kind of quarterback he can be.

There are those of you who are going to disagree with me and that's fine, that's why we have debate, it's why sports is what it is for a lot us fans.

But the bottom line is the Dallas Cowboys need to make a change if they're going to bring a Super Bowl back to Dallas. Those changes need to start immediately.

If they're not made, Garrett and Romo will remain with the team and it will be the same old same old over the next few seasons.

Maybe a few good regular seasons are in store but when it comes to the playoffs, they'll end up falling short as they've done for the past 15 seasons.