As much as I love football (it's the second best sport to baseball) and my Dallas Cowboys this past season was just a difficult one to watch.
When the new labor agreement was struck between the NFL and its' players it lowered the salary cap which caused Jerry Jones to release several players and in return he really didn't sign anyone. He didn't have the cap room to do it.
So a 6-10 team was unable to improve and fans were supposed to believe that the minor changes that were made and a healthy Tony Romo was supposed to equal playoffs?
I didn't buy it. Granted, the Cowboys did come close but it was in a division that was a pale watered down version of the dominating one that it used to be. The Redskins still had no identity and the Eagles were an over-hyped joke led by an overrated quarterback.
The Cowboys need help and they need it bad. They have a weak offensive line. Doug Free of 2011 paled in comparison to the free of 2010. They need a dominating fullback. They desperately need help in the secondary.
It's time to let go of Alan Ball and Terrance Newman and Keith Brooking.
It's time to get a quarterback of the future. I don't believe in Stephen McGhee. And I've also never been fully sold on Tony Romo as far as being a leader and being clutch.
I'll admit that earlier this season I called for the firing of Jason Garrett. However, I didn't like Ron Washington in his first season with the Rangers but I gave him a chance so I'll give Garrett one more season before the tongue lashing begins anew.
Now some people may call me a bandwagon fan but that's simply not the case. I am a disheartened and angry fan. I saw no hope for this team and knew that even if they made the playoffs they would be embarrassed in the first round, especially since they would have played the Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan would have torched the Cowboys' secondary.
Jerry Jones will never step down as general manager. And due to that I really don't see happening anytime soon. The Cowboys were once the dominant sports team in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex but they now have one playoff victory in the last fifteen years. Meanwhile the Dallas Mavericks are the reigning NBA champions and the Texas Rangers have gone to two straight World Series. Even the Dallas Stars have won a Stanley Cup in the years since the Cowboys last made a Super Bowl appearance.
One day the Cowboys will return to glory. But will it be with Romo as quarterback? Will Garrett be the head coach? Will Jerry Jones even be the owner?
Time will tell. But for now I'm more excited about the day that pitchers and catchers report.
Until next time, I'll see you in the cheap seats!
James Holland has followed the Cowboys since he was born and his father made him believe that football was the only sport in town. You can follow him on Twitter @TXRangersJames.
