The Downfall of the Dallas Cowboys

2009 marks the 20th Anniversary of Jerry Jones owning the Dallas Cowboys. A franchise that dominated it's competition and was well-respected when Tom Landry coached the team, today Cowboys seems to be nothing but a bad soap opera. 

It's been over 13 years since the Dallas Cowboys last won a playoff game. I've been a Cowboys fan since I was born, and today I'm only 19 and I keep asking myself could this get any worse?

Jerry Jones wants to win at all costs. After winning three Super Bowl titles in the early '90s the Cowboys were the team to beat. Today the leaders of yesterday such as Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin are nowhere to be found unless your watching to the games on Fox or listening to analysis on ESPN.

A team that struggled mightily in the late '90s and early 2000's, you could tell Jones would do whatever it would take to get back to the glory days of winning Super Bowl titles.

Even Bill Parcells, who is considered to many as one of the elite coaches of all-time could take control of this team and lead them to a playoff victory. They were defeated by the Carolina Panthers in 2003 and a last second loss to the Seattle Seahawks in 2006.

The acquisition of controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens is what ultimately forced Parcells to retire following the playoff lose in Seattle. Parcells made this team what it is today. He drafted a lot of young talent and it's a shame that Jones has made this team what it is today. 

Parcells put all the pieces to the puzzles in place and still the lack of team chemistry is what has led to the downfall of this once elusive franchise. That all goes back to the Owner and Jerry Jones needs to realize what has happened to his club that has loads of talent but can't translate that to wins on the field.

Over the past two years, the story of the Dallas Cowboys has only escalated. Undrafted QB Tony Romo as looked at times to be the answer to Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.  There are still a lot of questions of Romo's ability to win the big game.

He's been scrutinized for taking a trip to Cabo with girlfriend Jessica Simpson during the bye week his team earned in January of 2008.

After a 13-3 and NFC East division title all the speculation was the Cowboys were ready for a Super Bowl run under new coach Wade Philips. Yet again, a divisional home playoff game exit to the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and Cowboy fans would have to yet wait another year. 

A postgame interview brought tears to the eyes of Terrell Owens and made many people believe he was human and not the monster that he was made out to be in San Francisco and Philadelphia. The expectations for 2008 were about as high as any team had ever seen, even bigger then the 18-1 New England Patriots.

2008 was off to a promising start, the cowboys were 3-0 and the Super Bowl talk had already begun. But then a Week Four loss to the Redskins and Week Six loss and injury to QB Tony Romo against the Cardinals only raised new questions from the media.

T.O. wasn't getting upset or talking when his team was winning, but when they started to lose and he wasn't getting the ball he would certainly be heard. With no real backup QB in place this team was 5-4 and struggling.

A opportunist bye week brought the return of Romo back and he didn't disappoint. The Cowboys won three straight and yet again looked like they were ready for a run in the playoffs. Then a last-second loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers which was greatly impacted by an INT touchdown return late in the fourth quarter fueled new questions.

This is where all Cowboys fan know the Soap Opera this franchise was got out of hand. Reports out of Dallas surfaced that Romo and tight end Witten were having secret meetings behind players back. There was a whole lot of talent in this club and no chemistry. 

Terrell Owens was yet becoming a cancer that Niners and Eagles fan had known all to well. Somehow, the Cowboys were able to beat the division champion New York Giant on Sunday night and were one win away from a playoff berth. Sadly, the closing of Texas Stadium brought a loss against the Ravens, yet there was still a glare of hope. 

When all was said and done the Cowboys were playing the Eagles in Week 17 for the last NFC playoff berth in Philadelphia. The Cowboys came out and played their worst game of the season.

A defining moment could have been made here, but this team decided to falter just like they have year after year.

Jerry Jones was deeply upset with his teams performance, yet he has decided to keep coach Wade Philips. The question now is whether or not he will release wide receiver Terrell Owens. Recently Jones has put a gag order in place where he is the only one that is allowed to talk to the media.

This was a result of the anonymous sources leaking information towards the end of the year. The fact of the matter is T.O. craves attention and drama, and no matter how much talent you have your not going to win games when it counts. Terrell Owens is a good wide receiver but he is a cancer to any team he steps on the field with.

Tony Romo has promised to take on a new active role in leading this team. Wade Philips has been bold and said there are going to be drastic changes in the way he conducts himself. 

Today there are a lot of unanswered questions and topics that need to be addressed in the Dallas Cowboys locker room. Dan Reeves was a consultant for all of about two hours and he realized what a mess it was in Big D. 

It's about time Jerry Jones takes the initiative to clean up this team and made listen to his son Stephen who believes T.O. needs to go.

The downfall of this once storied franchise has been long and painful. There's never been a team in the history of the NFL with so much talent and so little camaraderie among one another.

No one individual will ever lead his team to victory. To raise the Lombardi Trophy you need a total team effort on Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the perfect example. 

Jerry Jones needs to look himself in the mirror and address the problems that have occurred in Dallas. The first seven years has the owner of the Dallas Cowboys were a lot better then the last 13.

I'm optimistic that one day the Cowboys and Jones will raised another Lombardi Trophy, but Jerry isn't getting any younger and time is ticking. The talent this team has in place is a recipe for instant success. Every player should be discussed and those who are breaking this team apart should be gone.

Until that happens this franchise is only going to fall faster and harder then any team has in any professional sport.