Dallas Cowboys: Do the Cowboys Have the Best Offense in the NFL?

Back in 2011, the Dallas Cowboys ranked 11th in total offense throughout the entire National Football League.

They averaged 375 yards per game, almost a full 100 yards behind the New Orleans Saints, and came in seventh in passing.

Quarterback Tony Romo, well technically the team, averaged 262 yards per game. Again, almost a full 100 yards behind the league leader, the New Orleans Saints.

Lastly, Dallas ranked 15th in points per game as they averaged 23 per contest. That is a full 12-point difference between the Cowboys and the team that led the league in points in 2011, the Green Bay Packers at 35.

Now those stats may mean absolutely nothing to a fan because the Packers and Saints were both bounced in the playoffs. Both teams made the second season but failed to make it to the final game.

Green Bay was handily defeated by the Giants in the divisional playoff round and the Saints lost to the Niners by four.

Both teams had two of the most potent offenses in the NFL last season and failed to make it to the championship game.

So what does that say about having a great offense and not enough defense to push your team toward the promised land?

That is where the Dallas Cowboys currently stand. I do not believe that this team has the best offense in the entire league. In fact, I do not believe the Cowboys have the best offense in their own conference.

The New Orleans Saints are still around as are the Green Bay Packers. One machine has been severely weakened by "Bountygate" and the other should continue to roll along as usual.

Dallas has the talent to compete with both teams, but maybe not the infrastructure. The team's quarterback has one of the top five throwing arms in the league, DeMarco Murray is an emerging running back and the Cowboys have two of the best receivers in the NFC with Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.

What's lacking is consistency, stability and cohesiveness.

The talent has always been there, but the results are lacking. If Dez Bryant doesn't know the entire playbook, Miles Austin shows up to camp out of shape and Felix Jones can't stay healthy, how is the team supposed to compete?

2012 is a make or break year for the Cowboys as they continue to search for the key to unlock their potential.

Another face-value statistic that I'll point to is when the Cowboys lose a game. Tony Romo threw for over 300 yards in four of the team's eight losses. In the team's last game of the year, Dallas failed to defeat the Giants and came out on the negative end, 31-14.

The Cowboys season was gone by that point in the eyes of many and they didn't show for their chance to make it to the playoffs.

But if the team cannot muster up a win when their quarterback throws for almost 400 yards, there is a problem. Then again, the game that I am referring to is the first one of the year against the Jets where Tony threw a game-ending interception.

So where does this leave the Cowboys for 2012? Not the league's best offensive unit but enough of a threat to cause problems for many teams vying for a playoff spot this season.

They will be tough to match because of their talent, but if the Cowboys cannot become a more stable unit, expect the same results from last season to appear in 2012.

-JH