Training Camp Starts Today!

The dog days of summer are almost over. This is one of my favorite days of the year as Cowboys training camp gets underway, which means football season (both pro and college) is just around the corner. Just about everyone that I’ve seen or heard is picking Dallas to win the NFC so this is the first time in over a decade the Cowboys have entered training camp a legitimate contender to not only go to the Super Bowl but win it. However, just because they ended up with the #1 seed in the NFC last year doesn’t automatically mean they will even make the playoffs. Of the 19 #1 seeds that didn’t make it to the Super Bowl in the previous season, more failed to reach the playoffs the following season than won the championship: 6 miss the playoffs altogether, 5 lost in the wild care or divisional round, 2 lost in the conference championship game, 2 lost in the Super Bowl and 4 won the Super Bowl.

However, it is my opinion that the Cowboys will win the NFC and get back to the Super Bowl for a record 9th time. They are absolutely loaded at just about every position. And really, the only glaring weakness I see on the team is at strong safety (Roy Williams) and by middle of the season he might be buried on the roster or traded altogether depending on how Adam Jones works out. Every position, except defensive line, boasts of at least 1 pro bowl player and Dallas has kept key free agents from leaving the team (Flozell Adams, Ken Hamlin), have made solid additions to the team through free agency (Adam Jones, Zach Thomas) and the draft (Felix Jones, Tashard Choice, Mike Jenkins and Martellus Bennett).

Even though Dallas is favored to make it back to the Super Bowl, there are a few things that could derail a trip to Tampa in early Feb. ’09:

-First and foremost is the play and health of Romo. Even though he had an outstanding season overall last year, his play in December dropped and, well, we all know what happened in the playoff game vs. New Yawk. Romo was not completely to blame for the loss but his play during the game was not on par with what he did during the season. I don’t think any of the “drama” regarding his tabloid romance with Daisy Duke will matter though although I am getting tired of hearing or reading about it. As the play of Romo goes, so goes the team.

-The injury bug didn’t really hit the Cowboys last year and that is a rarity in the NFL. And even when it did (Terry Glenn) it didn’t seem to really affect the team. If Dallas has the same good fortune, then book your hotel reservations in Tampa. However, since last year was rarity, I wouldn’t count on that happening again. Dallas has solid depth at most positions but if a key injury occurs to either the WR corps or the offensive line, things could get a little dicey.

-As a follow up to the above paragraph, TO Owens has to stay healthy. If he goes down, this team goes from elite to pretty good overnight. Unless Dallas picks up Anquan Boldin from Arizona, the WR position is without adequate depth if an injury crops up. So, hopefully if/when a season ending injury strikes, the WR corps can dodge it.

America’s Team is back in the elite company of the NFL and hopefully will stay for a while. Here’s to the start of training camp and my favorite time of the year.