Dallas Cowboys: 5 Reasons Super Bowl Is Actually Possible in 2012

The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2012 NFL draft waiting period sitting better than they did two weeks ago. They've acquired seven new players since the free-agency period opened, including six potential starters.

Aside from that, which has to be considered a success, they hold the 14th pick in the upcoming draft. Choices ranging from secondary, to defensive line, to offensive line have been brought to the forefront of the prediction process, and no matter what direction the Cowboys choose to go there, they have a chance to select two guys to compete for starting jobs on day one. 

If Dallas wants a chance to compete for a Super Bowl, why not adopt the mantra of their basketball equivalents—the Dallas Mavericks. Their slogan for their championship run was, "The time is now," and they rode that spirit all the way to the NBA championship.

Why not now for the Dallas Cowboys? Here are five reasons why Jerry and Co. should be celebrating in February 2013 instead of answering questions for why 2012 wasn't good enough—again.

The Defense Will Be Better

Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is expected to change the defensive identity of the Cowboys. During his first season, he had virtually no time to implement a very complex system due to the lockout.

Luckily for Dallas, he'll have an entire offseason to not only help his current players expand their knowledge of his defensive principles, but he'll have influence on the players they look at in the draft and the rest of the free-agency period.

His Cleveland Browns team made stark improvements from the 2009 season to the 2010 one, doing so with a team that had less talent than the one the Cowboys send out on the field every Sunday.

They've already addressed the secondary in the form of Brandon Carr and and Brodney Pool. The defensive line will be addressed in the draft, and they've signed Dan Connor, Sean Lee's old running buddy at Penn State, to compete for a starting job.

Throw in DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff, and there is no reason this defensive unit shouldn't be better in 2012.

NFC East Questions

The NFC East boasts the Super Bowl champions. It's also host to a myriad of questions heading into the 2012 season.

In Washington, the trade for the No. 2 overall pick will likely net them a gem in quarterback Robert Griffin III. But apart from him, the talent and learning curve around the rookie will leave the Redskins at least a year away from true contention in the division. Aside from that, the loss of $36 million in cap space over the next two seasons is a huge blow for a team that's historically upgraded through free agency.

In Philadelphia, DeMeco Ryans might be the absolute steal of the entire free agency/trade period. Concerns of his ability to play the 3-4 under Wade Phillips in Houston sent him packing, and Philadelphia snuck in and got him. However, injury concerns for players like Michael Vick are still prevalent, and Mike Kafka and Trent Edwards don't exactly have a winning pedigree.

The Super Bowl champion New York Giants don't exactly have it all figured out, either. While the road for the Lombardi trophy will go through the Big Apple, this is a team that leaned on their defensive line to play lights out for six straight weeks after a season of very inconsistent play.

Odds are the NFC East is up for grabs. The likelihood that the Cowboys could make the playoffs and play at Jerry World increases the chances of them moving on deeper into January exponentially.

Healthy DeMarco Murray

Murray finished the 2011 season with 897 yards and a 5.5 yards-per-carry average in only seven starts. The former Sooner tailback burst on the scene with a 253-yard game against the St. Louis Rams and claimed the starting job from Felix Jones until he went down with an injury.

The Cowboys were a different team when he was on the field, going 4-3 when he started. They were 5-3 if you include the Rams game (he didn't start—crazy!), and who knows if the Giants would have even won the Super Bowl if Murray would have been in the game instead of watching from the sidelines during Dallas' 34-37 loss during the two teams' first meeting?

The starting job in 2012 is his to lose. Felix Jones has done nothing with his four NFL seasons to prove he is anything other than a novelty back, and behind that, the 'Boys won't waste a draft pick on a back when there are other positions to fill.

Murray could be the key to balancing Jason Garrett's playbook and maintaining the kind of 50-50 offense Dallas has had success with, most notably with DeMarco handling the bulk of the carries.

Jason Garrett's Maturity

Jason Garrett will be entering his second full season as the head coach of the Cowboys, and parts of a third season when Wade Phillips was fired in 2010.

For Garrett, maybe more so than any of the other Dallas coaches not named Landry, Johnson or Switzer, the expectations are such that he needs to be successful in the near future.

To me, this is the year Garrett has to put it all together. He has an opportunity to step into this position, one that is more scrutinized and sought after than many of the other head coaching positions in any sport, and really demand a chance to be given the reins without looking over his shoulder.

Coaching is important in the NFL. Just ask the New Orleans Saints, who just lost their head coach. Teams need a pedigree and consistent coach to win games in this league.

The icing-your-own-kicker incident is behind us. Garrett will also have some help on offense in the form of O-line coach/offensive coordinator Bill Callahan, which can only further his development in making the right calls down the stretch.

Tony Romo

Don't look now people, but Tony Romo is one of the best QBs in the NFL. He finished in the top five in three major categories: completion percentage, touchdowns and overall QB rating. This guy can play, and he even has Troy Aikman, one of the greatest to ever lace 'em up, singing his praises.

Let's get the bad out of the way. There isn't a diehard Cowboys fan that didn't wish Romo would put his golf clubs in the closet for the next three or four years and focused on leading the Cowboys. He takes a lot of the flak when things go wrong, but he's the QB of "America's Team," and that's just part of the job description.

Romo has gotten the bad out of his system. We won't hear about any more off-the-field romances anytime soon, and a healthy Tony Romo has shown he can sling it with the best of them, even with a beat-up receiver corp.

Bottom line, the Cowboys will go as far as Romo takes them. Call me crazy, but I think this can be the year he puts the playoff demons behind him, becomes the leader they need him to be and potentially make the deep run so many fans in Dallas are desperately after.