The last 3 years in a row, the Dallas Cowboys have finished a mediocre 8-8. They haven't improved...they haven't gotten worse. They have stayed dormant. But I believe their off-season has actually been very good to at least help them improve. Now how many games will they improve? I don't think much right now, but we'll take a look at their schedule and I'll predict each game later on. Right now let's take a look at who they've added and who they've lost this off-season.
OFFENSIVE ADDITIONS:
The Cowboys, in my opinion, had an excellent draft this year. They added a big man to the already improved offensive line when they took offensive lineman Zack Martin from Notre Dame with their 16th overall pick. Many people were upset they didn't take Johnny Manziel, but I believe for once Jerry Jones the General Manager took over instead of Jerry Jones the owner for the good of the team. The Cowboys needed to stay away from the 3-ring circus that Johnny Football has already become and they did just that. Zack Martin will be put on a line that already includes guys like Travis Fredrick and Tyrone Smith looks VERY good for the Cowboys for years to come.
All the reports that I'm hearing and reading are saying that Tony Romo will be 100% healthy come training camp. Romo has received a lot of flack for his play, including from me. But his supporters keep saying he is a top quarterback despite his inability to make big plays in big games. But with the improved offensive line, Romo will have no excuse if he doesn't play well. And waiting in the wings in case he doesn't play well or is hurt are 2 guys that have experience and want to prove they still belong in the NFL: Brandon Weeden and Caleb Hanie. Weeden ended up being a bust with the Cleveland Browns, but reports from OTAs are that Weeden has really stepped up his game and is playing better than he ever has. I hope that's the case. As for Hanie...I feel he is a good 3rd string. He has experience and he's won a couple big games when he was with the Chicago Bears. So the additions of Weeden and Hanie are ok as Romo's backups.
DEFENSIVE ADDITIONS:
Once again you can see just how good of a draft that Jerry Jones had when you look at the additions they added to the defense. Defensive End DeMarcus Lawrence was drafted in the 2nd round out of Boise State. From the reports I read about Lawrence, this guy has a lot of upside and potential. Now I know "potential" is a rough word to go on, but "potential" is better than no hope. Right? Also, the Cowboys took Iowa Linebacker Anthony Hitchens in the 4th round of the draft. Watching the video from OTAs, he is a big guy who is quick. His tackling will need to improve in order for him to actually make a difference on the defense but new Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli will make sure Hitchens' tackling ability will be better. Dallas also signed former Chicago Bear Henry Melton. Melton, when playing for Marinelli when he was the DC for the Bears, was a pro bowl defensive lineman. But his career began going downhill after Marinelli left Chicago. They've now been reunited and I believe that Melton feels he has a lot to prove. Watch Melton to have a monster year for Dallas. Now my wildcard pick to have a good year for the Cowboys is Rolando McClain. Dallas traded a 6th round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for McClain, who was reinstated from the retirement list in order to play for the Cowboys. He was a bust when he was drafted by the Oakland Raiders out of Alabama and then never really did much for the Ravens either. But he's in Dallas now and claims he wants to prove he isn't the player that you saw on the field in Oakland. I don't know if he'll be good or not, but for the Cowboys he is a low risk high reward player so why not take a shot on him?
OFFENSIVE SUBTRACTIONS:
The Cowboys really didn't lose much on the offensive side of the ball. They released offensive lineman Phil Costa, but Costa hasn't really been anything but a disappointment. So losing Costa actually helps to improve the offensive line. They also lost wide receiver Miles Austin. Now in 2009, Austin was a relevant part of the Cowboys offensive attack. But injuries over the last several years have slowed Austin down considerably. He isn't the player he was 5 years ago and he needed to go. The Cowboys officially released him at the first of June and he has since signed with the Cleveland Browns. Good for Miles to get on with another team, but he was more of a detriment to the Cowboys than he was an asset.
DEFENSIVE SUBTRACTIONS:
Dallas did lose a couple of guys on defense that I feel will make a bad impact on the team. First of all, they lost line backer Sean Lee to a torn ACL on the first day of OTAs. He will miss the entire 2014 season. That will hurt the Dallas defense. When healthy, Lee is one of the best players in the NFL. His problem has always been though that he can't stay healthy. Lee will be missed for sure, but in order to be competitive the Cowboys will need Hitchens and Lawrence to step up and become play makers. The other player the Cowboys will miss is DeMarcus Ware. Ware signed a 3-year deal with the Denver Broncos a couple days after the Cowboys released him. At the time, it was the right thing to do for the Cowboys to let him go. But with some of the additions the team has added to the defense, I think Ware would have had a massive comeback year if he was on the Dallas defensive line. Ware will definitely be missed in 2014.
So overall I believe the Cowboys have had a really good off-season. Probably one of the first off-seasons in a long time that I've felt good about what the team has done. Here is the 2014 schedule with my predictions for the season:
My Prediction: Loss
My Prediction: Win
My Prediction: Win
My Prediction: Loss
My Prediction: Win
My Prediction: Loss
My Prediction: Win
My Prediction: Win
My Prediction: Win
My Prediction: Win
My Prediction: Loss
My Prediction: Loss
My Prediction: Loss
My Prediction: Loss
My Prediction: Win
My Prediction: Win
So there's my predictions game by game. If you tally it up, I've got the Cowboys going 9-7 on the season. As I said earlier, I believe the Cowboys will improve this season, but not by much. I think overall they are 1 game better than the last 3 seasons. But we will see when they take the field against the San Francisco 49ers on September 7th.
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