Because they are accustomed to the wild ups and downs of sports, most fans are used to a fair share of disappointment. But right now, the most disappointed fan base in sports has to be that of the Dallas Cowboys. Even the Detroit Lions, who set a record for ignominy by going 0-16, didn't let their fans down as badly. Lions fans regularly enter the National Football League season with low expectations.
For the past two or three seasons, the Dallas Cowboys have been the prohibitive favorites to win the Super Bowl, despite the fact that they last won a playoff game during the Clinton administration. They have regularly been among the league leaders on offense, and when they picked up wide receiver Terrell Owens, it seemed like the sky was the limit. After all, Owens had taken the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2005, and played the game on a broken leg. Surely the Cowboys, a team with more overall talent than the Eagles, would use the mercurial receiver to take the next step.
Only it didn't happen. The New York Giants eliminated the Cowboys from the playoffs in 2007 on their way to the Super Bowl. It was a disappointment, sure, but it was only one game. Next year would be the year.
Only that didn't happen, either. The first sign of trouble came during weeks 6 and 7. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Cowboys on Oct. 12, 30-24. Then the Cowboys' lost to the St. Louis Rams, one of the NFL's worst teams of late. Great teams win the games they are supposed to win.
Then, quite predictably, Terrell Owens began to complain. According to Ed Werder of ESPN, Owens was upset that quarterback Tony Romo was throwing almost exclusively to tight end Jason Witten, who happens to be Romo's best friend on the team. Werder's report stated that Owens had called a meeting with offensive coordinator Jason Garrett to discuss the problem. Several unnamed players backed Owens' claim. Garrett publicly said that nothing was wrong with the Cowboys that a win couldn't solve.
Despite the inner turmoil, things weren't looking so bad for the Cowboys. They went into the Dec. 14 game against the Giants with an 8-5 record and a legitimate chance to finish the season with 11 wins. They beat the Giants, 20-8, in a game that essentially a shutout until late in the fourth quarter. Suddenly the Cowboys were looking like a dangerous playoff dark horse.
Then came the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles. Now the Cowboys, the sexy preseason pick to win the Super Bowl, are out of the playoffs, with major changes coming. Owner Jerry Jones is one of the NFL's most prideful owners, and despite his assertions to the contrary, he's going to be tempted to make some personnel moves. Head coach Wade Phillips might do well to put his house on the market now. Owens, the agitator, might find himself out of a job as well. Even Jason Garrett, who was a popular candidate for a head coaching position two years ago, could be fired.
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