Will Romo and the Cowboys Ever Win the Super Bowl?

Before the 2008 NFL season even began, Cowboys fans in Dallas started sporting shirts that said "want six?" on the front. The back of the shirt answered the question with a "we do" over the Dallas star, with pictures of each of the Cowboys' five Super Bowl rings.

For the Dallas fan base, winning it all is the only acceptable result each season. But instead of celebrating a record sixth Super Bowl win, the last image from the 2008 season was quarterback Tony Romo and the rest of the Dallas players walking off the Philadelphia Eagles' field with their heads hanging low, victims of a 44-6 beat down.

All of the pre-season hype and Super-Bowl speculation evaporated when Dallas lost two straight games to end the season, the first against Baltimore at home followed by the embarrassment in Philadelphia. A win in either game would have secured a playoff spot.

So, what should the Dallas fan base expect this season? The Cowboys didn't need to blow up the roster. Instead, owner Jerry Jones made several moves to improve the team's chemistry and attitude.

Jones started to clean divisive players out of the locker room, cutting cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones and defensive tackle Tank Johnson, who have long lists of off-field incidents. Then Jones said goodbye to receiver Terrell Owens, a player whom he had constantly defended through controversy surrounding Owens's role in the offense.

With Owens release -- Owens signed a $34 million contract extension in 2007 -- Jones sent the message that 2009 Cowboys roster will be free of high-drama, low-production players. New stadium, new attitude.

Jones took another step to improve his team in the NFL draft. Instead of trading up (Dallas didn't have a pick in the first two rounds), Jones traded down, allowing him to stock up on players with potential and competitive drive.

Each player selected, with the exceptions of quarterback Stephen McGee out of Texas A&M and offensive lineman Robert Brewster from Ball State, will compete for a spot on Dallas's special teams.

Dallas still has many question marks. Can Roy Williams -- who struggled after being traded to Dallas in the middle of last season -- step into the top-receiver role left when Owens departed? Will the secondary be able to stop opponents' passing attacks? Will any of the rookies contribute this season? Can Romo lead the team to late-season wins?

As Dallas works through each question, one thing will be certain: the players won't be fighting with each other, a major improvement from last year.

So, for all of the fans who think Dallas should be in the Super Bowl every year, lower your expectations. Don't wear shirts that insinuate Dallas will win a sixth championship (in February, Pittsburgh became the only team with six Super Bowl wins instead of Dallas).

Wait until Dallas can win a single playoff game (hasn't happened since 1996). That should be the pre-season expectation level.