TIDBIT: For the Cowboys, nothing less than a Super Bowl win will do
By ROB LONGLEY
The New England Patriots were the latest and the last shocked victims of the New York Giants at the end of the Super Bowl upset in the desert this past February.
But the Dallas Cowboys, for one, believe it never should have come to that.
So dominant among NFC teams in the regular season, the Cowboys were expected to crush the Giants in their NFC divisional playoff opener on the way to their own expected trip to the Super Bowl.
Instead, what arguably is America's most highest-profile team, the Cowboys extended their streak to 11 consecutive seasons without a playoff win and the Giants rode the momentum all the way to a most unlikely championship.
The 'Boys are back, however, preparing to kick off another season thick with expectations this afternoon in Cleveland. As solid 3-1 favourites to capture the NFC title that they believed should have been theirs a year ago, the spotlight once again is on the guys with the blue stars on their helmets.
With a team that is basically the same as the one that took the NFC East and sent 13 players to the Pro Bowl, anything less than a conference title will be seen as a disappointment.
"There are high expectations here every year and for a long time," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said this past week. "That's not unusual for the Dallas Cowboys."
There is unlikely to be a dull moment in Dallas with quarterback Tony Romo and his ongoing female follies plus the soap opera of receiver Terrell Owens and the off-season addition of bad boy Adam (Pacman) Jones.
But a team that scored 455 points last season believes its recent 0-6 run in the post-season is a case of unfinished business.
"We belong in those situations and we are going to try to put ourselves in that situation for the next decade," Romo said. "If we can, we'll eventually break through."
The New England Patriots were the latest and the last shocked victims of the New York Giants at the end of the Super Bowl upset in the desert this past February.
But the Dallas Cowboys, for one, believe it never should have come to that.
So dominant among NFC teams in the regular season, the Cowboys were expected to crush the Giants in their NFC divisional playoff opener on the way to their own expected trip to the Super Bowl.
Instead, what arguably is America's most highest-profile team, the Cowboys extended their streak to 11 consecutive seasons without a playoff win and the Giants rode the momentum all the way to a most unlikely championship.
The 'Boys are back, however, preparing to kick off another season thick with expectations this afternoon in Cleveland. As solid 3-1 favourites to capture the NFC title that they believed should have been theirs a year ago, the spotlight once again is on the guys with the blue stars on their helmets.
With a team that is basically the same as the one that took the NFC East and sent 13 players to the Pro Bowl, anything less than a conference title will be seen as a disappointment.
"There are high expectations here every year and for a long time," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said this past week. "That's not unusual for the Dallas Cowboys."
There is unlikely to be a dull moment in Dallas with quarterback Tony Romo and his ongoing female follies plus the soap opera of receiver Terrell Owens and the off-season addition of bad boy Adam (Pacman) Jones.
But a team that scored 455 points last season believes its recent 0-6 run in the post-season is a case of unfinished business.
"We belong in those situations and we are going to try to put ourselves in that situation for the next decade," Romo said. "If we can, we'll eventually break through."
posted by The Gryphon at 9:40 AM
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