NFL 32 in 32: Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys came into 2010 hoping that they would become the first team in NFL history to play a Super Bowl in their own stadium. But, the season ended as a complete disaster. Wade Phillips was fired midseason, Tony Romo was lost for the season due to an injury, and wins were hard to come by. The bright side was that they found a very good young coach in Jason Garrett, who was a former Cowboy QB. They have much higher expectations this year than what happened last season, so will that change the Cowboys' fate?

What's New: Honestly, very little. The only two free agent additions were both Cleveland Browns a season ago, in safeties Alan Ball and Abram Elam. They should both help the secondary improve from a unit last year that was at some points the worst unit in the league. Their main moves came in the draft, where they drafted such players as T Tyson Smith from USC, ILB Bruce Carter from UNC, and RB DeMarco Murray from Oklahoma. Their losses include RB Marion Barber and WR Roy Williams, who both went to Chicago, and T Marc Colombo, who went to Miami.

Biggest Strength: Tony Romo is back, and that should drastically improve the passing game from when he was out last season. They have an unique running game with their trio of backs, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice, and DeMarco Murray. The loss of Marion Barber may hurt, but it probably will not leave a lasting impact. Their wideout group is also very good, with both Miles Austin and Dez Bryant becoming stars. The depth behind them is a bit suspect, but it's not major when they have a Tight End like Jason Witten. On defense, they still have one of the league's premier pass rushing units with guys like DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, and Anthony Spencer.

Biggest Weakness: Their offensive line could pose a major problem for them this season, as the losses they had on the line could pose to become problems with rookies and inexperienced players filling in the holes. Tony Romo may have some issues staying upright at times this season. The secondary had plenty of bad moments last season, and they may have a few this season as well. They failed in their chase of Nnamdi Asomugha, even though they have a decent group of corners in Terence Newman, Mike Jenkins, and Orlando Scandrick, who just got a lucrative new contract. Overall though, the secondary group is still a problem.

Outlook: It won't be as bad as last year, but they still may not make the postseason. The offensive line and secondary issues could prove to derail the Cowboys this season, even though Tony Romo will be back and better than he was before the injury. The NFC has many good teams this year, and Dallas may struggle to keep up.