"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."
There is no question that the Dallas Cowboys have once again put together a roster that is laced with talent, top to bottom. All of their skill positions on offense and defense have big names, big price tags, and big-talent players.
Only in Texas can you get the likes of Tony Romo, Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, and DeMarcus Ware all wearing the same uniform. After all, they do say everything’s bigger in Texas.
But we can only wait and see if Texas is big enough for all of the personalities and egos this 2008 squad will encompass.
You would think Jerry Jones would have said grace after having a season with Terrell Owens's combustible personality staying intact long enough to see Dallas win 13 games, en route to the top seed in the NFC. But as Jones has always been, he pushes the envelope to lengths that would make Houdini say, “Whoa man. Do you really want to do that?”.
Jones brought on Tank Johnson last year, this being the first full season as a Cowboy, and Adam “Pacman” Jones this year. Throw in the fact that Tony Romo is playing his, “Yep, I’m the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys” card to the fullest with the paparazzi, and with celebrity women following, and you have one hell of a mix.
Did I mention the beef between Terrance Newman and Roy Williams?
The question isn’t if Dallas has the talent to win the Super Bowl. Looking at all the teams on paper, I give the Cowboys the definitive No. 1 ranking. They are much better than New England and Indianapolis on paper.
But as I know too well, being a Washington native, being good on paper means nothing come Sunday. Dallas boasted an NFL-record 13 Pro Bowlers last year. There are teams who haven’t had 13 Pro Bowlers in five years!
But with individual success and recognition comes ego. It’s natural. Does this team have the leadership to have all egos checked at the door?
It starts with the head coach, Wade Phillips. He came into Dallas known as a defensive-minded coach, but it was the offense that caught all the headlines last year. Some think that Phillips’s nonchalant attitude is what T.O. needed to stay in line.
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I disagree. I think it was the fact that last year was his final chance to earn himself another contract, which he obviously got. Now all bets are off, again.
You also need leadership from your players. One of the things that put New York over the top last year was the emergence of leadership from Eli Manning. Tom Brady always has been in control of his squad, and we’ve seen Peyton basically coach his own ballclub.
Is Tony Romo that guy? Can Tony Romo be a leader, and not just “one of the guys”? He needs to be for this team to be successful in the postseason.
While we’re on the topic of Tony Romo, let’s all start this season with rational minds, and let's try to go three or four games without comparing Romo to Manning or Brady. I know the guy is good, but what quarterback has not put up career numbers while playing with Terrell Owens?
Romo makes plays, but T.O. deserves a lot more credit for that than he receives. (I never thought the day would come that I would say "T.O. deserves a lot more credit...". Unbelievable.) Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
The Cowboys did well in the draft and have put together what may turn out to be a devastating one-two punch at running back with Marion Barber and Felix Jones. They also added rookie Mike Jenkins to bolster the corner position, alongside Anthony Henry and Terrance Newman.
Plus, Zach Thomas playing right inside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme should make this defense a terror. So they have depth and talent at all skill positions, along with some youth, courtesy of the draft. They are loaded.
But it’s not like this team wasn’t already really good last year. They won 13 out of 16 games for a reason. They didn’t lose to New York because of a lack of talent. They were out-coached and outsmarted. New York defeated Dallas mentally just as much as they did physically. You could tell by the body language of players.
Though I don’t see them getting outplayed by anyone else this year, I can see them outplaying themselves. Very rarely do star-studded teams win a title.
Most recently in the NFL, you saw the Patriots fall short. Kobe, Shaq, Malone, and Payton couldn’t do it in the NBA. A-Rod, Jeter, and Giambi haven’t been able to put it together yet in New York. It just becomes too difficult to manage all the egos and personal agendas.
I can already hear some of you screaming “BOSTON CELTICS”. Do I really need to explain the difference between Ray Allen’s personality and Terrell Owens? Or the difference between Kevin Garnett and Adam “Pacman” Jones, or Paul Piece and Tank Johnson? I didn’t think so.
The only way a team with so much personality and star power can succeed is through a coach who can command attention of the troops. I’m not saying you need a Marty Schottenheimer, Bill Parcells, or a Bear Bryant type of guy. But you do need someone with the ability to call anyone on the team out if it is warranted; whether it’s the star quarterback or the third-string linebacker.
I’ve always firmly believed that the coach cannot be your friend. He is not there to be your buddy or your “guy”, just like your parents are not supposed to be your best friends. The coach is the authoritative figure who calls the shots. The Cowboys don’t have that.
Ironically enough, the last coach in football to manage this many egos and personalities coached the Cowboys; a guy by the name of Jimmy Johnson.
I don’t think there is any doubt that Dallas has a clear path to the Super Bowl, if they can get everyone on the same page from day one. However, the only way you can predict the future is to go by the information you have gathered in the past.
Everything that we know about the coach, players, and personalities of the Dallas Cowboys leads me to think that it is asking too much for all of them to do what they need to do in order to win a championship.
To take it back to the quote that began this article:
"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships” –Michael Jordan
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2 months ago
Good Article and it is with out a doubt a make or break season in Big D, but as usual most of the Cowboys off field issues are media hype rather than major problems...
Newman and Williams (both have called it a non issue)...Newman led his criticism of Roy by saying he was the best safety he has ever played with, but of course the 10 seconds that was played was his criticism of Roy's pass defense--and as a Cowboy fan it is about time someone put some pressure on Roy, he has not played well the last 2 years
And while they certainly do not shy away, TO and Romo can't help that thier every move is the lead story on SportsCenter and TMZ even when it is not football season
But the reality is the majority of the Cowboys 'Big Names' were drafted by Dallas and have been Cowboys thier entire career which would seem to lend itself to cohesion in the locker room...
Drafted Big Names...
Roy Williams 2002
Tony Romo 2003 (undrafted F/A)
Terrance Newman 2003
Jason Witten 2003
Demarcus Ware 2005
M.Barber III 2005
Felix Jones 2008
I do agree that leadership has been a question but Wade/Garrett did take a 9-7 Parcells team to a 13-3 record with a very similer roster...
Besides the leadership for the major egos comes from the owner in Dallas, remember, Barry 'f***ing' Switzer won a Super Bowl 2 years after Jimmy Johnson left his ego laden team...
from 2 months ago
You make great points. It's not Romo's fault he's constantly followed but I wonder of the culmination of all the star power could derail them from winning a championship. The track record of star studded teams is surprisingly bad. I think Dallas will win 12-14 games again this season; without a doubt. But when it comes to the playoffs, I have no idea which way this team will go. It'll be interesting to follow.
from 2 months ago
Very true, thankfully as a Cowboy fan we have a proven track record for winning with a collection of big names...
but as you pointed out it is all about the playoffs, Romo and Co. need to take the next step NOW...
Again Good article...
2 months ago
I'm sure they can win 12 games. I dunno about 14 because they're in the toughest division in the NFL. But the playoffs brings the biggest question mark for the 'boys.
2 months ago
It seems no matter who coached, the team still struggles in December/January. It is now or never. It has been since 1996 since the Cowboys won in playoffs.
I believe the Cowboys have everything in place right now. Just get these big stars working as a team and forget that they are stars while they are on the field!!
2 months ago
E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles! (I couldn't help myself)
from 2 months ago
Hold that thought baby, hold that thought.
2 months ago
Great article! No Greeaaaatt Article! You nailed it perfectly! The Cowboys will Implode this year! I think they will lose a game and next they will be at each others throat. The media will eat it alive and all of America will watch the Implode. But I have one small problem with this, before they Implode my team has to play them. Yes the first game of the year! They will have no reason to Implode yet and they do have an extremely talented team. I'm sorry fellow Browns fans, but we start the season against the Cowboys at their best. If we can win game one then maybe it's the year of the Browns.
2 months ago
Are you a pro writer sneaking article drafts in here to test the waters?
If you'se ain't a pro you aughta be. That's some outstanding word craft there man.
5 starz and I dunno squat.
from 2 months ago
haha I'm glad you like my articles. Your compliments are appreciated
2 months ago
You don't know what you're talking about.
2 months ago
Not really, it was a good article. I am just angry at you for slamming 2 of my articles. Plus, your Josh Howard comment was stupid and was just a deliberate attempt to slam me, again. By the way, Gaz OWNED you in my Gilbert Arenas article:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34195-gilbert-arenas-gets-127-million-is-he-worth-it
2 months ago
Great article Shaun, my only real beef with that team is Wade Phillips, he is a decent regular season coach by most accounts but he's Norv Turner sans last year in the playoffs. The 'Boys don't even need a Bill Parcells (type) to succeed with all that talent, just someone not named Wade Phillips. Dom Capers perhaps (he's a secondary assistant in NE and has 22 years of experience).
Brandon- whether or not Shaun was "owned" in that thread is a simple matter of interpretation, I happen to think that Shaun argued his points well but that's just me. Plus, your propensity to call people who disagree with you names is rather unnecessary.
about 1 month ago
Very good article.
If the players on the Cowboys with big egos, like Owens, Williams, Ellis, and now, Adam Jones, don't curb them, the closest that the Cowboys will get to the Super Bowl will be watching it on a big screen TV at a local Hooters while drinking beer and eating Buffalo wings.
about 1 month ago
Dallas will be okay with the egos I think, but there's no way to now for sure until January. Anything besides a trip to the Superbowl will prompt remarks of a failure of a season, respectively.
from about 1 month ago
Agree 100%. One of the best storylines come playoff time is will Romo be able to win a playoff game. Odds are greatly in his favor, but imagine if Dallas gets knocked out in their first game again.
about 1 month ago
How appropriate to quote MJ. Perfect for the article. I agree wholeheartedly. I do think that Zack will actually help out in the locker room. The two rookies, both of which could start for many NFL clubs, may make things interesting for the Dallas backfield later in the year. How will Barber react if he starts losing carries to two rookies? I would imagine that they will be fine, though. Wow what a load of talent at all the right positions, huh? Great article
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