Cowboys record: reason for optimism, or false hope?

Born a decade too late, I have had to endure the round-the-clock saga that is the Dallas Cowboys. Some years, it was false hope, and others, it was a pity party or a laughing stock. And, just when you thought there was reason for hope and optimism, the coach blinked, Romo audibled into an interception or Jerry stirred the pot just enough to send even the homers overboard.

So, with the Cowboys at 3-1, what should we make of this season?

Well, for starters, they are playing much better than I had them doing, a 6-10 overall record. Now, that can certainly still happen, but it seems as though Dallas is playing with some heart and efficiency on both sides of the ball that has been so absent in this team. I'll attribute that to two things: defense showing up and the offensive line.

People want to blame Romo for everything, and some years, it's justified. But, there's no denying that he has talent. Finally with a pro-bowl caliber offensive line, he has no excuses. Giving Romo time should create more consistency and electricity for a team with highly skilled offensive personnel. And, it certainly doesn't hurt to have Scott Linehan calling plays, and actually running the ball with the beast DeMarco Murray (please don't get hurt for once!). On top of all that, the Cowboys defense looks somewhat decent! They were the worst in the league last year, and an argument could be made for one of the worst all-time. Either way, they were supposed to be just as bad this year. And, for four weeks anyway, they have played inspiring football. Shutting down the Saints is no easy task. They have had one bad half against the Rams, but played very good in the 2nd half. They did the same against the 49ers in the one loss, and really, the first half was more to blame on Romo and Murray turnovers.

Back to the question at hand, I can't believe I'm saying this but Dallas will have a winning record this season, and that may just land them a playoff spot. My outlook on this is simple. Last year, they were in a much bigger hole before division play, and they also had a much worse-looking team. Now, they find themselves at 3-1 with six divisional games, all winnable. Let's say at worse, they go 3-3 in those games. That means they need to win three other games this season, and I see at home against the Texans, Cardinals and Colts as possible wins, as well as a game in London against Jacksonville. With all that being said, the wildcard game is at Chicago in December. This will be a true test of where this team stands. It's December, frigid temperatures and a team that owns Dallas and Romo, winning four in a row. But, Chicago has question marks of their own at the moment, so who knows?

All in all, predictions aside, this team has given the fan base a reason for hope, and silenced the haters. Nevertheless, it could be false hope, and I would not be at all surprised if it was. But, I will go out on a limb and say that they are actually a good football team and will have a winning record. Time will tell. Go Cowboys!