Dallas Cowboys: The Postgame Analysis Jason Garrett Doesn't Want to Hear

Dallas Cowboys 18, Washington Redskins 16. America's team is 2-1, and all is well in the world, right?

Wrong.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. While the Cowboys might be the most talented team in the NFL at the skilled positions and Tony Romo has proven to be the marquee quarterback the Cowboys have hoped for since Troy Aikman, problems still abound.

On Monday night in Dallas, it took six field goals by rookie kicker Dan Bailey for the Cowboys to muster up enough points to defeat the Washington Redskins.

While the Redskins are an improved team in 2011, they are still not one of the league's best. They had many opportunities to put the game away, but Rob Ryan's defense was one step ahead of them every time they tried.

The Cowboys offense was just as good as they were last year, moving the ball between the 20-yard lines at will, but unable to score in the red zone. The Cowboys are unable to generate the push needed to run the ball consistently.

This story is getting really old, and it's getting worse each year.

With the release of Leonard Davis and Andre Gurode, the Cowboys no longer have the most powerful line in the NFL. Not that they needed it, because Jason Garrett never used them to their potential anyway.

But now, even though Tony Romo has become one of the league's truly great leaders, he simply doesn't have the tools he needs in order to take the Cowboys to the promised land.

Neither of the Cowboys' first three opponents in 2011 were what anyone would consider an offensive juggernaut. The Jets are renowned for their conservative nature, and the 49ers simply aren't ready to compete yet under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh. The Redskins are improving, but still finding their wings.

This has allowed the Cowboys to struggle to a 2-1 record through three games that they should have won with ease. But it's not always going to be this way, and eventually Rob Ryan's defense will once again feel the pain that the Cowboys defense of 2010 felt.

When the Cowboys' offense struggles, it forces their defense to take control of the game if they want to stay in it.

While six field goals is a remarkable accomplishment for Bailey, it is certainly not the goal of any offense to move the ball close enough to the goal line to let the kicker put in three points.

Being unable to generate any type of consistent run game will continue to haunt the Cowboys, just as it has in the past.

While they no longer waste plays by handing the ball to Marion Barber, the Cowboys simply cannot move their opponents off the line of scrimmage. Yes, there were some big plays in the running game on Monday, but no consistency.

Jason Garrett has never been one to put up a fight for the line of scrimmage, opting instead for the more exciting aerial show that Tony Romo and the Cowboys' receivers can generate. The result has consistently been the same—big gains between the 20's, but when the field shortens in the red zone, the Cowboys' speedy receivers are unable to separate enough to get open for Romo.

And the lack of discipline on the offense continues, just as it has for the past four seasons since Garrett took over.

The snaps that Romo doesn't see coming can be traced back to the 2007 season, and they are still happening. The confusion by the receiving corps on the field can only be traced back to the coach that is directing them during the week in practices.

Kevin Ogletree has been with the Cowboys long enough now to know the plays, yet Monday night's game saw him once again confused and out of position. Romo looked more like a quarterback in a sandlot football game than an NFL superstar.

This has to be laid at the feet of Garrett for not preparing his team properly.

Add that to the fact that the Cowboys no longer possess the strength on their offensive line to take control of the line of scrimmage, and the problems will undoubtedly continue.

It's about philosophy, and the decision in the offseason that it was not important to have an offensive line big enough to push opposing teams off the line of scrimmage will now haunt Dallas throughout the 2011 season.

And when the real powerhouse offenses of the NFL are on the field with the Cowboys, field goals will simply not be enough.

That's the bottom line.