Well, another year is past, another short season.  Let's review:

First, we were all just happy the lockout finally ended.  For months lawyers made serious Benjamins but the deal was struck in the nick of time so no regular season games were lost.  Training camps suffered though and the Cowboys were evidence of that.  Some hate Rob Ryan's defense calling it too complicated, too exotic...considering the lack of off-season, maybe that's a fair assessment.   Maybe he should have scaled back and kept it simple.

Who am I kidding, it's too painful to keep writing this!  Bottom line is much work must done on defense!  Our secondary all sufferred 3rd degree burns from being lit up all season.  The line applied minimal pressure to any QB not in a Rams uniform.  DeMarcus Ware played his butt off and he looked tired as all get-out against the Giants in week 17. 

Every one of my fellow Cowboys fans on this site seems to hate me for hating on Romo.  He almost proved me wrong, but in the end, Romo came through with another 8-8 season.  I'll give him mad respect for coming back from a rib injury, worse than Michael Vick who sat out a couple of weeks.  The offensive line didn't help much either.  The one bright star on this team left us with a broken ankle, DeMarco Murray.  He carried an injury tag from College right into the NFL, hoepfully he can shed that next season.  Felix Jones proved to once again be fragile...maybe he could be trade bait?  Then again, how much money is tied up in him?

Dez Bryant was kind of quiet, but when you're doubled as much as he was, that figures.  Laurent Robinson was a gem of a free agent picked up from the Chargers...he made the most of his opportunites.  Makes me wonder why Romo isn't throwing for a million yards with these guys not to mention Jason Witten and Miles Austin....oh that's right, Miles pulled a hamstring trying to keep up with the Kardashians before fumbling to a basketball player...LOL.

In closing...most of us were hoping for something respectable this year, I for one didn't have SB hopes.  Next year though...no excuses!  Garrett and Ryan will get a full off season with no lockout.  Jerry Jones can redeem his poor GM reputation by cutting dead weight like Newman and maybe just maybe he'll draft decently again.  Bryant and Smith were good picks not to mention Murray.

2012....IT'S TIME!!!!  If the world doesn't end of course....LOL

Last week against the Cardinals goes down in this season's lore of Garrett goofs.  Let's revisit some of those.  Up by 20+ against the Lions, Jason Garrett sends in passing plays forgetting all about running the ball, calling safe plays like screens and such and then lo-and-behold, Tony Romo hands the ball over to the Lions like soup in a soup kitchen...game lost.  Against the Patriots, when more agressive play calling was needed to keep Tom Brady off the field, he goes conservative and lo-and-behold, Brady leads the Patriots to a win. 

Now, back to the cards game...Romo is mounting a comeback and hits a WR in Cardinals territory and with 26 seconds left, Dallas allows the clock to tick down to 7 seconds...pocketing two time outs.  Conventional wisdom would say take a time out with 26 secs left and run another play...anything and everything is available for calling as you still have one time out left.  No, not Garrett, he decides he has more faith in rookie kicker Dan Bailey than he does in his veteran QB Romo.  Really??  Not to take anything away from Bailey as he had been money up until this game when he finally missed a kick ending his streak at 27 (I believe).  A 49 yard FG is nothing to assume...especially on a field like this.  A lot players were slipping for whatever reason (in a dome) and you can't just assume anything.  No problem though...Bailey nails it...until we all realize Garrett had called a time out...and we all know the rest.  My biggest question is why Romo isn't calling for that timeout immediately, but again, Garrett must have little faith in Romo.

To Garrett's defense, this is his first full year.  But it isn't his first year calling the offense which is essentially what he does.  He should know (and remember) as a player, call that timeout with 26 seconds and run another play....worried about a fumble or a turnover...well heck Elizabeth...call off the rest of the season because someone might fumble the ball!  DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones have been sure handed...Tashard Choice is gone (out main fumbler).  Jason Witten and Dez Bryant are pretty sure handed not to fumble either.

I hope this is the last of Garretts errors this season...there's no more room for anymore down the stretch!  We're at Home to the Giants, on the road to the Buccaneers, Home to the Eagles and then close out the season at the Giants.  After the game with us, the Giants have 3 home games to finish the season...Redskins, at the Jets (essentially a home game) and then Dallas at NY.   This first game is the most important game of the Cowboys season now...lose it and the Ginats control their own destiny with all those home games.  Win it, and the pressure is so huge on the Giants it will be hard to overcome for them.   

GO COWBOYS!!!!

Well it took long enough...but I finally can create blogs now.  What better way to start though, than to talk about the NFC East 1st place Dallas Cowboys!

Will the real Tony Romo please stand up?!  I've been at the front of the line when it comes to blasting Romo for years, but is it really time to take off that hater hat?  Over the past 4 games, Romo has two interceptions...seriously!  Those two came last week against the pesky Miami Dolphins, who in my opinion are better than their record states.  Romo is currently 5th in QB rating at 97.5, and really he's 4th as Jake Locker only has 3 games recorded.  Who's in front of Romo?  Small list of who you would figure, Aaron Rodgers (127.7), Tom Brady (105.1), Locker at 103.7 and Drew Brees with 103.6.  Just behind Romo?  Matt Schaub who is out for the season, Eli Manning at 95.6, and none other than Ben Roethlisberger at 92.2.  Not bad company.  "Semi-amazing" is the fact that Romo is doing this without Miles Austin who may be back in the line-up against the Cardinals.

You don't have to look far IMO to see why Romo is playing much better...the running game.  DeMarco Murray who is ninth in the league in yardage at 834 yards (LeSean McCoy is tops at 1,050).  Murray is listed as playing in 11 games, but he wasn't the feature back until Felix Jones got hurt.  Now that Jones is gradually working his way backFelix is back, he will start sharing the RB duties again.  Either way though, it gives Romo a little more added security with having a valid running game. 

Another difference maker for Romo has been the welcome surprise that is Laurent Robinson...and Dez Bryant becoming more reliable.  Robinson isn't chewing up a lot of yards, but he is tied for 10th in TDs.  And of course with Bryant becoming a reliable threat...and don't forget about Jason Witten there's lots of targets for Romo to spread the wealth.  Having the league leader in WR stats isn't always a good thing...may mean a lack of running game and/or lack of other valid receivers....neither of these problems exist for the Cowboys right now.

Now, the road ahead. At the Cardinals, home for the Giants, at the Buccaneers, home with the Eagles, and on the road with the Giants to close the season.  December hasn't always been pleasant for the Cowboys but the schedule sets up nicely.  Dallas sits alone in 1st place of the NFC East for the first time this year and the Giants are the closest threat at the moment.  Take care of those two games, or at least split and division crown is within reach.  The Cowboys defense should be able to take care of the Cardinals and Kevin Kolb (if he returns), John Skelton (who is from El Paso by the way) has thrown 7 INT to just 4 TDs.  Beanie Wells is coming off an epic performance (228 yards) against the Rams (as did Murray) and Larry Fitzgerald will give our secondary fits.  All in all, Dallas still gets the win.  I also think Dallas takes the Eagles at home and get some revenge.  The game at the Buccs could be a crap shoot...never know which Josh Freeman might show up. 

Well enough for now...I hope a few poeple stop by to read and give me your thoughts, be it Dallas or maybe your team against Dallas....