Jason Witten Insane to Believe Cowboys Will Replicate Giants' Super Bowl Success

The 2012 NFL schedule has yet to be released, but we're aware of at least one game, and that opening-night rematch of a Week 17 contest from last season has visions of New Orleans dancing through the head of one Dallas Cowboys star.

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who reeled in 79 catches for 942 yards and five touchdowns during the Cowboys' disappointing 2011 campaign, recently told Nick Eatman of Cowboys.com that he believes that opening contest could serve as the springboard to a Super Bowl season for the Cowboys.

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"You see that schedule knowing we're going to open up (in New York) against the defending champs ... what else do you need to motivate yourself?" Witten rhetorically asked. "It's time to do that. I think guys understand that. They've been around here and know to forget everything else and let's go be our best and play great football. There're going to be times when you lose, but you've got to be able to address it and get better. Hopefully we can hang our hats on that. We've got the right type of guys that can lead us to have the same kind of success that we've seen the Giants have."

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Witten goes on to discuss last year's season-ending loss to the Giants, a 31-14 shellacking at the hands of the G-Men that not only eliminated the Cowboys from playoff contention but also propelled New York on to an eventual victory in Super Bowl XLVI.

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When asked about last year leaving a sour taste, Witten said it's unfortunately something the Cowboys knows all too well.

"It seems like we've had that bad taste in our mouth a lot the last few years," Witten said. "But I think the focus is on not just that bad taste, but what are we going to do about it? That's the focus now: Let's be all in and let's get it right. Let's take advantage of this opportunity we have."

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Witten's confidence is borne of the hope that springs anew in every NFL player at this time of year, but the 10th-year pro's assertions that there's "no reason why the Cowboys won't be contending for the NFC East and possibly more" aside, there are a couple of fairly large holes in the ship set to carry the Cowboys to the Superdome.

The first issue is a Dallas secondary that was shredded with regularity by opposing quarterbacks last year, including giving up 346 yards to Eli Manning in last season's finale.

Granted, the team added one of the top free-agent cornerbacks in Brandon Carr, but until the Dallas defense takes the field we won't know how big an impact Carr will have on a Cowboys pass defense that ranked 23rd in the National Football League last year.

The Cowboys also did precious little to address an offensive line that was middle-of-the-pack last year in both rushing yards gained and sacks allowed, which leaves one to wonder how big the holes will be for running back DeMarco Murray and how much time quarterback Tony Romo will have to get rid of the ball.

However, it's in that last player where the Cowboys' biggest roadblock towards a trip to the Big Easy lies. For all of Tony Romo's regular-season success, including three seasons of over 4,000 passing yards, the fact remains that Romo has a career record of 1-3 in the playoffs.

Where Eli Manning seems to always have one more trick and game-winning comeback under his sleeve, all Romo has under there is, well, his arm, and like they say, you'll make it as far in the playoffs as your quarterback takes you.

So, while hope springs eternal and it's never a bad thing for an NFL player to be confident, Jason Witten may want to dial back his optimism a bit and hold off a sec on the Super Bowl predictions, at least outside the state of Texas, because talk like that in some areas will likely get you fitted for a straitjacket.

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