Gosselin: After 20 years of excuses, Cowboys don't deserve preseason rubber stamp for playoff contention

Cotton

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Gosselin: After 20 years of excuses, Cowboys don't deserve preseason rubber stamp for playoff contention

By Rick Gosselin , Staff Columnist

OXNARD, Calif. -- I picked the Cowboys to win 11 games last season. I also picked them to win the NFC East.

But I won't pick them to win 11 games this season, and I probably won't pick them to win the East.

Frankly, the Cowboys have lost the "benefit of the doubt" that was theirs under Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson.

The Cowboys no longer deserve that preseason rubber stamp for playoff contention that the Green Bays, New Englands and Pittsburghs have worked so hard to achieve these last 20 years. But the last 20 years of Dallas Cowboys football? Forgettable.

Last year, the Cowboys could use injuries as an excuse for their 4-12 collapse and tumble to the bottom of the NFC East. No Romo, no Bryant, no chance. But there always seems to be an excuse for this team's failures. Wrong head coach. Wrong quarterback. Salary cap issues. Injuries. It's been 20 years since the Cowboys last won a Super Bowl. Twenty years of excuses.

Since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy as champions of the 1995 season, 11 different NFL franchises have won Super Bowls. Seven of them became first-time winners: Baltimore, Denver, New England, New Orleans, Seattle, Tampa Bay and the Rams. Six franchises won multiple Super Bowls in the last 20 years: the Patriots, Broncos, Packers, Steelers, Ravens and Giants.

But no Cowboys.

In the last 20 seasons, 19 different NFL franchises have won conference championships, including 12 of the 16 NFC teams: Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Chicago, Green Bay, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa Bay and the Giants and Rams.

But no Cowboys.

In the last 20 seasons, 23 of the NFL's 32 franchise have reached conference title games, including 13 of the 16 NFC teams. Add Minnesota to the 12 teams listed previously.

But no Cowboys.

The Cowboys have won only three playoff games since hoisting their last Lombardi Trophy -- and one of those victories came in the 1996 post-season when a group of six Hall of Famers (Troy Aikman, Larry Allen, Charles Haley, Michael Irvin, Deon Sanders and Emmitt Smith) plus eight other veteran Pro Bowlers (Ray Donaldson, Daryl Johnston, Leon Lett, Nate Newton, Tony Tolbert, Mark Tuinei, Erik Williams and Darren Woodson) began defense of a Super Bowl championship.

Since the last Super Bowl celebration hosted by Jerry Jones, 22 NFL franchises have won more playoff games than the three of the Cowboys. That includes Carolina (nine victories) and Jacksonville (five) -- expansion franchises that started from scratch in 1995. And the Panthers have since been to four NFC title games and two Super Bowls.

The Patriots have emerged as the best team in the NFL. They have won a league-best 225 games in the last 20 seasons and 25 more in the playoffs. They have won 15 division titles and reached 11 AFC title games. New England has won seven AFC titles and four Super Bowls.

The Patriots have become what the Cowboys aspire to be.

The Packers have emerged as the model of success in the NFC. Green Bay has won an NFL-runner up 206 games over the last 20 seasons plus an NFC-best 15 more in the playoffs. They have won 10 division titles and reached five NFC title games. The Pack has won three NFC titles and two Super Bowls -- with two different coaches and two different quarterbacks, no less.

The Packers have become what the Cowboys aspire to be.

The Cowboys are no longer even the best team in the NFC East. Nor are they the second-best team. Over the last 20 years, the Eagles have won 176 games, the Giants 166 and the Cowboys 162. The Eagles have won seven NFC East titles and the Cowboys and Giants five apiece. The Eagles have gone to five NFC title games and the Giants three. The Giants have been to three Super Bowls and the Eagles one.

And in case you missed it, the Giants won two of those Super Bowls -- both times upsetting Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Patriots, proving you don't necessarily need the best coach, the best quarterback or the best team in order to win a championship.

The Bucs, Giants and Seahawks found ways to win a Super Bowl. The Cardinals, Falcons and 49ers found ways to win an NFC championship. The Vikings found a way to reach an NFC title game.

It's time for the Cowboys to again find a way -- win a division, reach the NFC title game, capture an NFC championship, reach a Super Bowl, win another Lombardi Trophy. Other teams with lesser resources and lesser profiles have managed to do it.

Get out of the company of the Buffalos, Clevelands and Detroits and back into the company of the Green Bays, New Englands and Pittsburghs.

Do that and you can restore the "benefit of the doubt."

By the numbers

Here's the breakdown on the NFC East since the Cowboys last won an NFL championship in 1995:

 

ravidubey

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Only Jerry Jones could stumble upon a great QB by accident and then squander his entire career.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Here's the breakdown on the NFC East since the Cowboys last won an NFL championship in 1995:

Isn't it a little unfair to start counting after their last superbowl. I mean if you count after the Giants last superbowl for example their numbers would look terrible. It's like rigging the statistics intentionally.
 

L.T. Fan

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Isn't it a little unfair to start counting after their last superbowl. I mean if you count after the Giants last superbowl for example their numbers would look terrible. It's like rigging the statistics intentionally.
Maybe so but it's still factual.
 

lostxn

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Only Jerry Jones could stumble upon a great QB by accident and then squander his entire career.
Oh no, that's definitely not true. Look at Carson Palmer. Look at Matthew Stafford. Then you got the ton of QBs who likely had a stunted career and never achieved what they could have like David Carr (by the way did you know he won a SB ring with the Giants?).

Putting together a SB winning team isn't easy. However, I thinks it's clear that the wildcating with personnel is fucking us.
 

Genghis Khan

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It's factual but it's also a prime example of how you can manipulate statistics by choosing the starting point most favorable to your argument.
I think the point is not that we haven't won anything since our last championship, it's the length of time since then. The have won 2 in the last ten years. We've barely won even a playoff game in twice that amount of time. It's a legitimate criticism.
 

Genghis Khan

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My above statement should read, the Giants have won two championships in the last 10 years.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I think the point is not that we haven't won anything since our last championship, it's the length of time since then. The have won 2 in the last ten years. We've barely won even a playoff game in twice that amount of time. It's a legitimate criticism.
And since their last Superbowl the Giants haven't made it to the playoffs at all. So I guess it's a no go for them as well.
 

Cowboysrock55

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But it hasn't been any where near 20 years for the Giants, is the point.
But what does something that happened 19 years ago have to do with what will happen next year?

I'd say the last 5 years are way more pertinent when discussing what will happen next season.
 

L.T. Fan

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It's factual but it's also a prime example of how you can manipulate statistics by choosing the starting point most favorable to your argument.
What point would the writer be trying to make if in fact he was intentionally utilizing statistics in a manipulative manner? I may be unsophisticated but it seems like a pretty straight forward presentation of how little the organization has accomplished in the last 20 years of competition.
 

ravidubey

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Oh no, that's definitely not true. Look at Carson Palmer. Look at Matthew Stafford.
I think those two QBs did enough to hose themselves by underachieving.

They were each drafted 1st overall and became the focus of their organizations.

Cincy became more successful after Carson left, and Oakland flat out cut him, so I'm not sold that Palmer is the stud every college fan thinks he is/was.

Detroit tried to help Stafford. There was a time he had Megatron, Suh, and Fairley all at once.

Dallas' biggest real moves (non shortcut) to help Romo came in 2010 and 2011-- Dez and Tyron. Dallas has basically dicked around with the defense forever and never went for cornerstone interior DL. Dallas's entire draft policy can be called "Dicking Around With Cornerbacks".
 
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Cowboysrock55

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What point would the writer be trying to make if in fact he was intentionally utilizing statistics in a manipulative manner? I may be unsophisticated but it seems like a pretty straight forward presentation of how little the organization has accomplished in the last 20 years of competition.
Umm the title is pretty clear. He is presuming that we won't be in playoff contention based on what we have done over the years since our last superbowl compared to the others in our division.

My argument is, what does something that happened 20 years ago have to do with next seasons odd of competing for a playoff spot? I'd say the last 5 years is way more pertinent. But that doesn't fit the agenda of the article.
 

L.T. Fan

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Umm the title is pretty clear. He is presuming that we won't be in playoff contention based on what we have done over the years since our last superbowl compared to the others in our division.

My argument is, what does something that happened 20 years ago have to do with next seasons odd of competing for a playoff spot? I'd say the last 5 years is way more pertinent. But that doesn't fit the agenda of the article.
While I don't disagree I will say he has a point. This organization has teased the fans and pundits for the past 20 years with great expectations only to disappoint year in and year out. The upcoming season is another group who seems to have something going but it's wired together in such a way that it is ripe for another collapse. Depth is the Achilles heel on both sides, of the ball. It won't take much for this team to unravel with a few key injuries and we all know the coach isn't elevated enough to handle adversity. Just saying that the structure hasn't evolved enough to be real confident that bad times are a thing of the past. Lord only knows I hope the drought will be broken this season.
 

Genghis Khan

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Umm the title is pretty clear. He is presuming that we won't be in playoff contention based on what we have done over the years since our last superbowl compared to the others in our division.

My argument is, what does something that happened 20 years ago have to do with next seasons odd of competing for a playoff spot? I'd say the last 5 years is way more pertinent. But that doesn't fit the agenda of the article.
The same front office that was in charge 20 years ago is still in charge today. And they've shown a long pattern of incompetency. I'd say that makes it pretty relevant.
 

boozeman

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The same front office that was in charge 20 years ago is still in charge today. And they've shown a long pattern of incompetency. I'd say that makes it pretty relevant.
No no, just stop. Let's just look at the last five years and pretend we got smarter.
 
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