Five Reasons Dallas Cowboys Fans Shouldn't Worry About Saturday's Preseason Loss to the Houston Texans

If you are a Dallas Cowboys fan like me, you probably uttered an expletive or two (or fifty) as you watched America's Team get dominated by their neighbors to the south, the Houston Texans. We witnessed some of the most incompetent football from a Dallas team since Dave Campo led the Cowboys to three consecutive 5-11 seasons.

Saturday's embarrassment added to a less than stellar preseason in which the Cowboys witnessed one starter after the next go down to injury, the offense continued their pathetic streak of failing to have red zone success from last season, and even my grandmother could break through the new-look offensive line at least once a series.

But you shouldn't worry. I shouldn't worry. Neither should Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett, Jerry Jones, or Tony Romo. Relax. That's right, relax. There are five glaring reasons why you shouldn't give up hope that the Cowboys will play in Super Bowl XLV in their backyard this February.

Five Reasons Cowboys Fans Shouldn't Worry

Reason #1: Preseason game plans are not regular season game plans. Dallas did not show their full arsenal of plays on Saturday night and neither did Houston. In fact, the Cowboys ran limited offensive plays and defensive schemes for all four of their preseason games so far, and will continue to do so Thursday against Miami. The football featured during the preseason does not resemble the quality of the regular season, which is why the preseason is a joke and why Cowboys' fans shouldn't worry.

Reason #2: Injuries. The Cowboys have been hurt the entire preseason and the game against Houston was no exception. Five starters sat out, including offensive linemen Kyle Kosier and Marc Colombo, and defensive players Marcus Spears, Keith Brooking, and Gerald Sensabaugh. Not to mention the explosive first-round draft pick Dez Bryant has yet to make his NFL debut. The addition of these six players to the Dallas roster improves the Cowboys from an average team to a Super Bowl contender.

Reason #3: Focus. The mental mistakes that occurred against the Texans were numerous. Fumbles, failure to complete the center-quarterback exchange, and overall confusion about plays lingered throughout the night. These mental mistakes will not occur during the regular season, at least not to the extent we witnessed against Houston. Coach Phillips said during the week that he wanted his players to be tired. Exhaustion, combined with running plays that the Cowboys do not usually run, led to the plethora of mental mistakes. These mistakes will be eliminated by September 12.

Reason #4: Lack of incentive. What incentive did the Cowboys have to even show up for Saturday's contest? None. The Texans, viewed as the step-sister of the Cowboys in Texas, psyched themselves up for the game, focusing on the lack of respect they receive. The Texans wanted to send the rest of the league a message by dominating the Cowboys. Dallas just wanted to escape without any more injuries. Playing their fourth of a miserable five game preseason schedule, Romo and the Boys were just going through the motions. The team is obviously sick of training camp and exhibition games. The incentive will come when the Cowboys open the season against the rival Washington Redskins on Sunday Night Football. Until then, don't expect Dallas to put forth a strong effort, they have no reason to do so.

Reason #5: The Dallas Cowboys are too talented to fail. With the exception of the rebuilt offensive line, the Cowboys have above average talent at nearly every position. The exceptional talent on this team will be able to compensate for weaknesses and injuries throughout the season. Dallas is by far the most talented team in the NFC East, and a strong argument could be made that they are in the same league as New Orleans and Minnesota. The Cowboys' talent will carry them to another division crown and put them in prime position to return to the Super Bowl for the ninth time in franchise history.

Don't dwell on Saturday's shortcomings. Prepare for Sunday Night Football on September 12. A new, more focused Cowboys team will take the field. Keep your heads up Cowboys Nation, we are on the verge of something big.

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Sources:

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=BCB268AA-9C98-DD49-4B06EE70BCE3E78F Rob Phillips. "Cowboys Lose; Phillips Considers Playing Regulars Thursday". Retrieved August 29, 2010.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/CampDa0.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com. "Dave Campo Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Retrieved August 29, 2010.