Season Recap - 2010 Dallas Cowboys

Final Record: 6-10

Finished: 3^rd Place in the NFC East

2011 Draft Position: 9^th

Preseason Ranking:   6

Preseason Letter of Misfortune:

Pressure? What are you talking about? There is no pressure on my favorite team to perform at a high level this season. That's crazy talk!

Before we continue this Letter of Misfortune, let me be perfectly clear. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys are my favorite team, but not for the reasons you may think. I am not a fan of theirs because of the five Super Bowls they have won (though that doesn’t hurt my loyalty one bit). I cheer for them because of the two Super Bowls they lost in the 70’s to the Pittsburgh Steelers. My dad was a huge Steelers fan when I was growing up and when I learned Dallas was a big rival of Pittsburgh’s, I became a Cowboys fan just to annoy him. Since then, I have followed the ‘Boys through thick (three Super Bowl championships in the early 90’s) and thin (their dreadful 1-15 season Aikman’s rookie year, but hey, at least they beat Washington).

But I assure you I am not a “homer” fan for the Cowboys. They can do wrong, sometimes as much, if not more, than they do right. I laughed last year when Brandon Marshall weaved through half the Cowboys team on his way to a long touchdown. I found it hysterical when Sensabaugh had absolutely no idea Sydney Rice caught that pass in the divisional playoffs. Like a true fan, I watch them whether they are winning 35-7 or getting crushed by some fool singing “Pants on the Ground”, 34-3. You have no idea how much I hate that video. This season, you will see me predict Dallas lose games, depending on their matchups. As with every other team that takes to the field on Sundays, I will both celebrate Dallas’ victories and make fun of their mistakes, because Creative Misfortune is a double-edged sword that tolerates no Homers. I love the Simpsons. But enough about me. On with the post…

Pressure? All their monkeys are off their back, right? Dallas won the division last year by crushing Philadelphia in dramatic fashion. They won their first playoff game in over a decade by crushing Philadelphia in dramatic fashion. Romo has become a star player. The three-headed running game is among the best in the league. The receiving corps is stacked, even with the near-dead weight of Roy Williams. The offensive line is solid. The defense is strong enough to stonewall the run, skilled enough to defend the pass and mean enough to knock opposing players out. Their kicking game might be a little shaky as they try and convert a kickoff specialist into a true field goal kicker, but this just means more opportunities for Romo and his offense to convert Fourth-and-shorts in opposition territory.

Picked as a favorite to win the Super Bowl by a large number of experts, they better win this year, if no other year. Jerry Jones managed to get Super Bowl XLV to be played in Dallas. Never before has the NFL so aggregiously flirted with home-field advantage in their championship game. Let's just say there was a reason the Super Bowl was played in New Orleans all those years during the Ain't's heyday. Yes, he will make money, regardless of who plays the game, but can you imagine how upset he'll be if the Cowboys are not playing in that game? I mean, all those years he has spent on the sideline learning to be a general manager and a coach would be completely wasted.

Can you imagine somebody other than Dallas playing on behalf of the NFC? Or worse, can you imagine Dallas winning home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, only to lose the NFC Championship game and not go to the Super Bowl? So can I.

And that’s what scares me.

HOW ‘BOUT DEM COWBOYS!

Week 1: Lost at Washington Redskins, 13-7

Ranked – 15

Words fail me. The Cowboys defense and a brilliant (until the last flag) final drive keep this team from plummeting even further after their inexcusable performance in Washington.

Week 2: Lost to Chicago Bears, 27-20

Ranked – 24

Seriously? Talk about being over-hyped. A trip to Houston will not make the season start any better. If desperation hasn't kicked in by now, it never will. If Dallas doesn't play Houston on Sunday like they played the Saints last season, 2010 could quickly become a wasted year.

Week 3: Defeated the Houston Texans, 27-13

Ranked – 21

Desperation and urgency lead to a solid road victory against the Texans, but has all the momentum already been lost by an early bye week? We'll find out in week 5 when the Titans come to town.

Week 4: BYE WEEK

Ranked – 22

The Cowboys survived the bye week with their coaching staff intact. I'm still undecided if that is a good thing or a bad thing, but a game at home against the struggling Titans should answer that question.

Week 5: Lost to Tennessee Titans, 34-27

Ranked – 22

There are no excuses for losing at home after a bye week. Now the Cowboys all but have to win in Minnesota to have any shot at a home-field Super Bowl.

Week 6: Lost at Minnesota Vikings, 24-21

Ranked – 25

Terrible, terrible coaching by the Dallas staff. How can you allow excessive celebration penalties when your team is below .500? I know, let's celebrate the Cowboys start by dropping their ranking a few more points.

Week 7: Lost to New York Giants, 41-35

Ranked – 28

As if the Cowboys season couldn't get any worse, Romo now out indefinitely with a broken clavicle and they sit a full 3 games back of everybody in their division in the win column.

Week 8: Lost to Jacksonville Jaguars, 35-17

Ranked – 32

The Cowboys have quit on their season. Plain and simple.

Week 9: Lost at Green Bay Packers, 45-7

Ranked – 31

When the best thing that can be said about the game on Sunday night is, "at least Green Bay kicked that one kick-off out of bounds", you know you have problems. Firing Wade Phillips was a good start to improving this team, but the Cowboys are playing for 2011. Their 2010 campaign has gone done in flames. 

Week 10: Defeated the New York Giants, 33-20

Ranked – 28

So, if you could play like that all along, why did you waste half the season?

Week 11: Defeated the Detroit Lions, 35-19

Ranked – 21

Finally. A victory in the billion dollar pleasure dome. Now all the Cowboys have to do is win out, get a lot of help and slide into the playoffs as a wild card. Or they can win just enough to screw up their 2011 draft picks.

Week 12: Lost to New Orleans Saints, 30-27

Ranked – 22

C'mon, Roy! Hold onto the football. All you had to do was fall down WITH THE BALL IN YOUR HANDS and Dallas is on a three-game winning streak. I wonder, where will you be playing next year?

Week 13: Defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 38-35

Ranked – 22 (ROCKY WEEK!)

           

Dallas Cowboys: We've been your favorite team for over thirty years, and all season you've been sticking it to us, and we wanna know how come! 

            Creative Misfortune: You don't wanna know!

            Dallas Cowboys: We wanna know how come!

            Creative Misfortune: Ya wanna know?

            Dallas Cowboys: WE WANNA KNOW! 

            Creative Misfortune: OK, I'm gonna tell ya! You had the talent to become Super Bowl champions, but instead of that, you quit on your fans and became some cheap, second rate franchise!

            Dallas Cowboys: It's a living.

            Creative Misfortune: IT'S A WASTE OF A FOOTBALL SEASON!

Week 14: Lost to Philadelphia Eagles, 30-27

Ranked – 23

A valiant effort, but just one more failure on this team's 2010 resume.

Week 15: Defeated the Washington Redskins, 33-30

Ranked – 21

The Cowboys do late-game collapses with style. Sure, they let their division rivals come storming back, but unlike the Giants, Dallas held on to win the game.

Week 16: Lost at Arizona Cardinals, 27-26

Ranked – 24

An extra point doinked off the upright? Yep. Pretty much sums up the entire Cowboy season.

Week 17: Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 14-13

Final Rank - 20

Tomorrow, my least favorite team, the 2010 Washington Redskins…