It's been 20 years since the Dallas Cowboys last captured a Super Bowl Trophy, and since that 27-17 triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cowboys have gone an unimpressive 3-8 in playoff games.
Thanks to Jerry Jones' deep pockets, however, Dallas remains one of the most popular teams in all of sports. The team’s magical run during the 1990s was enough to sustain the Cowboys franchise for years, but as time goes on they can’t continue to rely on past glories.
Head coach Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo have started to turn the ship around, but that just means that the pair will be under increasing amounts of pressure going forward.
The team went 12-4 last season, giving fans much hope for this year. Betters are already going on websites and are banking on Dallas' chances this year. In fact, the gambling guide at GamblingSites.org makes it easy to get started for Cowboys fans to do this.
After winning a playoff game for the first time in five seasons last year (and capturing 12 or more wins for the second time since the team's last Super Bowl title), Jones awarded Garrett a new five-year deal.
Considering how desperate Dallas was to find any sort of post-season success after such an excruciating drought, the deal wasn't that surprising. The season was the boost of momentum that the team desperately needed after three straight 8-8 campaigns.
But before that season triggers another run of Super Bowl rings though, Dallas will first have to prove that it can replace running back DeMarco Murray.
Murray exploded with a monster season in 2014, and was certainly one of the top reasons why the Cowboys were able to win the NFC East.
Murray's effectiveness in the running game helped Romo play some of the best football of his career, so without Murray on the field this season, Dallas fans may have reasons to be concerned.
With Murray suiting up for their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys will have options in players like Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Gus Johnson. But before the worries ease, someone from this group will have to show some serious potential in this offensive scheme.
As for the defense, the Cowboys got good news when Greg Hardy's suspension was reduced from 10 games to just four.
Questions still exist on that side of the ball, and just like the Murray situation, supporting players will need to find consistency in order to help lead this team to its ultimate goal. Make no mistake about it, the ultimate goal is the Vince Lombardi trophy.
While some Cowboys fans may wonder if Jones forgot that along the way, there's no doubt that his goal remains the same as it did in the 90s.
Last year's success was a good sign for the Cowboys, but it set high expectations going forward. Jones' decision to give Garrett a long-term contract was predicated on that idea that the Cowboys coach could lead this franchise back to the promised land.
20 years is a long time without any sort of sustained postseason success, and Jones is banking (literally) on Garrett fixing that problem.
If he doesn't fix it soon, Jones may run out of patience.
By Joe Messineo
