Isn't it amazing that just a couple of weeks ago the news out of Valley Ranch was nonstop and the anticipation for the game against the Vikings was growing every day? Now I'm sitting here waiting for the offseason action to pick up for the Cowboys. I did take advantage of the down time by taking some time off from my blogging but it wasn't like there was much to talk about anyway. It is hard to get excited for the Super Bowl when the NFC representative is a team that the Cowboys beat late in the season. It hurts to think how close the Cowboys were even if the Vikings embarrassed them to end the season.
I've been trying to look back at the season and celebrate the accomplishments that we waited for 13 years for our team to achieve. The playoff win satisfied me for a short time and I am not taking it for granted. But I think we are all ready for a Super Bowl run next year. It is going to be a long wait until training camp in July and the start of the season in September.
I don't expect this offseason to be filled with very much roster movement from the Cowboys. They have most of their key players locked up and you can be sure that Jerry Jones isn't going to let Miles Austin go anywhere. There is a search for a new kicker in progress and the offensive line needs improvement, but most of the key pieces to the puzzle are in place. My fear is that Jerry Jones believes that he can stand pat with his current roster and repeat the successes of this season. That would be a mistake.
I don't think we are going to see any major changes at the starting positions but there is a lot of room for improvement in the depth of the roster. The giant class of draft picks from last season need to bust their rear ends to get themselves ready to contribute next season. And the Cowboys have a chance to draft quality players since they'll actually be drafting in the first two rounds this season.
So are we going to see a lot of action and storylines developing this offseason? No. But there are a lot of details that need to be addressed. That is actually a nice change after the way last offseason started. The team was such a mess that Jerry and Stephen Jones had to clean house before they could start addressing the roster. This year they can focus on improving the talent on the team right away.
They can basically only go after 1 unrestricted free agent for big bucks, and I think they should. Just go out and get 1 1st class free agent that would fit in nicely, then add more through little signings and the draft.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I can't stop thinking about what this team can do next season. Like what would happen if they went backwards? Our schedule will get better if Favre retires because the Vikings will have somebody else and then the Cardinals game gets easier because Warner isn't there, but if they get worse...what will they do? I hope that doesn't happen.
Anyways, I'm just going to look forward to the Super Bowl. Then look forward to the free agents and the draft. It's all I have really.
Oh and sad news about Jay Novacek's wife. I met him near Beaumont and he signed a ball for me. Seemed like a good dude.