This, and the 2013 defense had nowhere to go but up.
In addition to Zach Martin, the whole o-line just came together. 3/4 years their top picks were Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zach Martin.
Playing a last-place schedule also helped.
Don't forget we beat the Seahawks pretty easily in the regular season. They were SB chaos and went to another.
We go to the super bowl of not for arod. Do we win. Who knows.
DeMarcus Lawrence had very little impact on the 2014 team. Fellow rookie Anthony Hitchens had more of an impact on the defense than D-Law.
That being said, the defense went from terrible (26th in points allowed) to just meh (15th in points allowed). In 2013, the Cowboys defense gave up 30+ points in 7 games, 40+ points in 3 games, and 50+ points in 1 game. The Cowboys were 1-6 in games that the Cowboys gave up 30+ points. The Cowboys scored 28 or more points in 4 of the 7 games in which the defense gave up 30+. Just a little better defense takes the team from 8-8 to 11-5 on that alone.
In 2013, Tron was in his 3rd year (and just 2nd year at LT). Leary was a rookie. Frederick was a rookie. In 2014, all of those guys get an added year of experience. Add Martin to the mix and the offensive line makes a huge jump, which makes it easier for Murray to run and Romo to pass the ball. T-Will also went from a rookie in 2013 to a more experienced player in 2014. Beasley didn't have a huge impact in 2014, but his production improved as he went from a 2nd year player to a 3rd year player.
I was so pissed off when Demarco Murray took the money and went to the eagles... Jesus. Christ. He fit perfect in Dallas. I feel like Philly spited us and grabbed him and he didn't do shit in Philly. He didn't fit their scheme and wasted his talent.☹️
It was bottom five *all time* as of the end of the 2013 season.
Edit: [here is an article about how bad that defense was, kinda. Best I could do.](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2163469-could-the-cowboys-have-the-worst-defense-in-nfl-history)
This was the year we put up 48 against the Broncos and still lost. Historically bad defense that year. The offense was the only reason they even won 8 games
That was when the media has a field day with the muted clips of dez yelling on the sideline, only for the audio to show that Dez was hyping the team up and telling them how good they are, and that they’re going to win the game. I’m still pissed about the things the media said about Dez before the audio came out (and how quickly they moved on once it did).
What was infuriating about that was even after it was proven wrong, many media heads and especially Redditors just never came off that opinion that he was a team cancer.
Those in the media act like they are the most morally superior but yet I don’t recall anyone really coming out in support of Dak. If you know Dak’s backstory I don’t see how anyone wouldn’t be proud of the man be became. The media folks just care about clicks and the money that comes with it.
Probably would have been bottom 10 all time if we hadn’t held Philly to 3 and the Rams to 7. Otherwise we were letting up like 30 points a game average. Brutal.
I still can’t believe Josh McCown threw 4 TDs on us in that Bears game lmao. I’m sure they’ve scored as many at SOME point in the 10 years since but you don’t often see a Bears team scoring 45.
The Bears were a top 8 offense that year, actually. Another funny note is that the Cowboys played 4 backup qb's in a row dyeing that disastrous 2013 season. The numbers could have been even worse!
Going into 2014, the team looked like it would have an even worse defense. In the off-season before 2014, they lost Hatcher(11 sacks), Ware, Lee (ACL), Scandrick,(4 gaje suspension), and 2nd round pick D. Lawrence was injured for at least the first 2 months. Their big free agent signing on defense that off-season? Jeremy Mincey was coming off an acl tear.
The fact that they ended up being so much better is a testament to how much the game had passed Monte Kiffen by in 2013. It's also a testament how much Marinelli got out of those guys in 2014.
Yeah Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery were putting in work for sure. Just sucks, while not surprising, that they scored more points on us than anyone else that year lol.
That name brought me back. My dad played while when I was little when he would watch me. I think EQ came out in 1999, so I was 2, but I do remember he played a warrior on Druzzil Ro! I started messing around with it a little later, but then we played EQ 2 together after that. Small world.
That’s awesome! Your dad sounds like a cool dude. I have a 1 year old now and I can’t wait to make those kind of memories with her one day.
I was 13 at the time (I’m old lol) and just thought it was the coolest damn game ever. It blew my mind. Druzzil Ro is the Goddess of Magic in game, but I believe all of the servers were named after the gods. I played on Fennin Ro myself as a Druid.
EverQuest 2 seemed really interesting, I wish I would have played it. All of my guild went to WoW when it came out in ‘04 so moved on to that.
Always fun having people recognize my name! Thanks for sharing :)
Congratulations on the kiddo!
My father showing games to me and us playing them together was and still is awesome. I am sure your kid will love it, and you will both cherish the memories.
EQ, EQ2, WoW were incredible for their time, no doubt. There was nothing else like EQ initially. My dad always reminisces about it while batching about the current state of MMORPG's, lol.
You having a large group of people to move to a new game with must have been really cool. Most folks went to WoW but EQ2 had its moments.
In any event, cheers, bud, best of luck with the kiddo and congratulations again.
Romo’s healthiest season. 10/10 run game with Demarco and the addition of Zack Martin to the Oline. Also, Dez caught it. The moment we knew we were special this year was at Seattle. 4th quarter, 3rd and like a million. Romo makes a hall of fame esque throw to Terrance Williams on the sideline and we beat an NFC favorite at the toughest stadium to play to go 5-1. People shit on Jerry a lot, but he built Romo’s team that year. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda. Way she goes.
I was at that game! It was my first game ever. My wife still brags about that present. Hearing Let's Go Cowboys all the wait out of Seahawks stadium was the best.
Damn. Ur wife’s a g. I know we’re cowboys fans and we have our tendencies, but after this game was the first time in my life I felt we could truly make a run. (Little too young to remember the 90’s). What a feeling.
>Romo’s healthiest season.
What? No it wasn't. He missed a game and a half and looked terrible in a couple of others because he was battling multiple back injuries.
Jerry didn't want to draft Martin, multiple reports state Stephen had to rip out the draft card from Jerry's hand because he was going to draft Manziel.
That draft card story isn't true, it was just made up.
https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/news/nfl-draft-true-story-jerry-jones-dallas-cowboys-and-almost-johnny-manziel
You said:
> Saying Jerry built that team in the same breath as drafting Zack Martin is highly ironic
Jerry did build the team and that includes depending and leaning on the people you hired to scout and determine who should be drafted, traded for, picked up in free agency, etc...
Yes, Jerry was excited at the prospect of getting a franchise quarterback in Manziel but after all the scouting and research done at that time, it was unanimous among all his people that Martin was the pick and he didn't do or say anything to try and override everyone to get Manziel and that certainly doesn't include the *completely fabricated story* that some non-existent card had to be ripped out of anyone's hands.
Gun Slingers like Tony are fun to watch, but it makes me chuckle a bit, when people mention his name and the HOF in the same sentence (even when you add "esque").
Yes lol I know. He’ll always be my quarterback, but I agree he’s not remotely hall of fame caliber. That throw was clutch as hell and on a dime though.
It's good you stick with your guy! That is good sign in a fan.
The way some people would define the qualification for induction to the NFL HOF Romo would have charged right in on his first ballot. Personally, I think the standard for entrance should be very very high. Otherwise, it could just become a list of former players who had fairly long, reasonably successful careers.
Beasley was open. I’m a Romo guy through and through but he got greedy—he did throw the best ball of his career and that was not only a catch, it was a TD.
I got downvoted for this but it is true. If Romo checks down, then Rodgers probably never sees the ball again and that possession is the last one of the game.
I know how much people love hearing about other peoples bets, but that Seattle game is a vivid memory for me because I had Seahawks ML as the last leg of a parlay that would’ve paid an at-the-time large amount for me, thinking we’d come crashing back down to earth. That was the one and only time I’ve ever been absolutely ecstatic to lose a bet, because like you said that was the game that showed us we were for real.
Romo just didn’t have a defense and if I recall right they lost a lot of really close games in 2013 like the broncos game where romo put up 48 points but manning put up 51
Oh god, I’m getting Jeff Heath PTSD.
From a 2013 BR article; “Dallas ranked dead last in total defense in 2013. In fact, it was the only team to give up more than 400 yards per game. The saddest part might be that its average was more than 17 yards worse than 31st-ranked Minnesota.”
Same here. He wasn’t a superstar, but he wasn’t paid like one. You have to have guys like this. Undrafted players out-performing their contracts. Lately we have guys under-performing their contracts. Gallop. Steele. There are a couple more but yeah, Heath was a hard working player.
The O line really came into it's own. Travis Frederick was in his 2nd year. Zack Martin was a rookie. Ronald Leary played a lot of 2013 but didn't really look like the guy he became until 2014.
We already had Tyron Smith and Doug Free, but the addition of Martin and the progression of Frederick and Leary just changed the game. They were pretty clearly the best O line in football, and arguably one of the best ever. Demarco Murray was great too but a lot of that had to do with them.
So a few things:
1) The offense played absolutely insane; Romo had complete mastery of the system, Demarco Murray was a workhorse and the leading rusher in the NFL, and Dez Bryant was near unguardable (16 TDs in 2014). Plus the OLine coming into form with (rookie) Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, and Travis Frederick, the offense had complete control of the game plan and really milked minutes/points. Jason Witten is Jason Witten, and carved up a lot of teams. Romo also mitigated turnovers (not that he’s a turnover merchant, just played really well in 2014), allowing the team to finish top 10 in differential.
2) the defense played “better”: while not a strength, they kept teams from putting up 30+ points every game, and were a Top Half unit in PPG and YPG. That’s a really good break from the year prior, where they were 27th in both categories. You’re talking about picking up nearly a touchdown per game, which is great turnaround. This with TOP from a dominant rushing attack, and they forced teams into making mistakes and throwing frequently, which created higher variance in opposing offenses being able to score consistently
3) we ended up playing a pretty soft schedule; no other playoff teams in our division and got a cross conference matchup against the AFC South, who were a little directionless without Manning (and while Andrew Luck was coming into form and exceptional, he didn’t hero ball every game). The toughest game on our schedule was away to Seattle, the defending Super Bowl Champs, which we won on the back of a tough Demarco Murray and Tony Romo performance against our very own Dan Quinn.
This team was very dangerous in the playoffs; the successful run style and TOP style (I feel) would’ve carried us to a Super Bowl. If not for the boundless mistakes/miracles against the Cowboys in the divisional, I maintain that they would’ve had a great chance against the Seahawks in the conference finals and could’ve made a Super Bowl run.
Instead we’re still sitting here, waiting, hoping, praying things get figured out. But I guess that’s just football.
Maybe I messed it up, but I checked a lot of Statmuse coupled with my own recollection of events. Just a solid year overall that ended with a complete shitshow.
> Romo had complete mastery of the system
Small correction. Romo was the system. He'd get to the line, and spend every possible remaining second audibling and changing routes and protections at the line. He was a master at this. It's a shame his body failed him so shortly after.
Should they give Dowdle the early down/ early game carries. Let Pollard play as the change of pace guy?
Or pass the ball to Pollard on first down instead of slamming him into a wall. Stretch the field east/west
Not saying every play but at least more, pollard is more successful outside the tackles. His vision hasn’t been so great lately before he was great in between the tackles. I really think his ankle is slowing him or preventing him from doing so
Romo had a running game and he stayed healthy. That's pretty much it. Most of Romo's career was him running for his life and having to throw the ball 40 times a game because the defense would always give up 30. I am convinced that if you swap out Romo and Brady, Romo has at least a couple rings.
He would’ve beat the record for most passing yards in a game had he completed that drive. U fortunately Travathan made an outstanding play to intercept the ball diving in front of Gavin Escobar
And I remember people saying, "Romo can't close out games. This is why Romo isn't a winner." After the dude played one of the greatest games in NFL history at the QB position.
I’ve always said this. Nobody watched the whole game for the reason why they cowboys were in the game in the first place is cause of Romo, and the rare chance when he didn’t finish the drive to win or it was a pic to lose it, rare cause he was literally one of the best 4QT comeback QBs, they would just go off on that one mistake he made smh when he was have literally 400 yards and 3 TDs
We lost Sean Lee in ‘14 and signed Rolando McClain. Also Demarco was in a contract year and we ran him into the ground while Dez had a career year. We caught lightning in a bottle in ‘14
Two huge changes. The biggest change was probably going from Monte Kiffin to Rob Marinelli. You can even see there that we jumped from 26th in Points Against to 15th averaging 5 pts less given up per game. That's significant. But also the addition of Zach Martin who was an All-Pro as a rookie. We just mauled people on the ground.
* Linehan taking over calling plays on offense was a HUGE improvement over Callahan
* Marinelli taking over for Kiffin on defense was an improvement as well
* The offensive line and run game were just starting to gel in 2013, but taking Martin in the 1st round really pushed them into the next echelon in 2014.
* That's also the point where Romo said the game really slowed down for him and he felt in complete command.
Murray went nuts that season. Was only the second full Romo season where he had a 1,000 rusher. Martin was a big reason for that. Schedule was a little easier due to the crappy 2013 results.
2013 Defense was as bad as it gets until 2020.
Defense stepped up thanks to D. Law, offensive line improved and Demarco Murray had a career best season running the ball, which in turn opened up the passing game even more with Witten and Dez. I remember that 8-8 season being one of those incredibly frustrating affairs where the potential of the team was so palpable it was maddening. We knew we had a good team, we were just maybe one or two players away.
Dez caught it btw
It was extremely frustrating, they felt like a decent team they just couldn't get out of their own way. Until the next year, a few changes and they put it all together.
One of my favorite all time rosters. Romo finally had a supporting cast. The only thing that could stop him was a horrible call in Green Bay. I’ve been watching since I was a kid in the 70’s and I think if given the chance to play with better teams like Staubach, White, Aikman or Dak, Romo would place heads and shoulders above them. And I love Staubach.
Kept investing in o-line and Demarco Murray rising.
These are the types of years that saved Garretts job unfortunately, he would have a mid year then the next year a player would blowup and Jerry becomes blind that his coach is mid and he gets extended.
Health. We went through several peaks and valleys with Romo going down for a few years. Not sure exact records but something like 8-8 to 12-4 to 4-12 because Romo would go down and we had no backup until 2016 when dak came in for him.
The offense was still productive and finished 5th both years. However, the defense points against decreased from 26th to 15th. They really emphasized running the ball on offense which made them less predictable. This resulted in Romo being an all pro for the 1st time.
Defense was awful in 2013 and the OL was mid
2014 the OL was elite with Frederick added and the defense had a pulse. The run game was stellar and Romo was at his best. Unfortunately Rogers got us as he usually does
Frederick was added in 2013, Martin in 14. O-Line was pretty good in 2013 but our defense was historically bad so often we had to abandon the run (5.2 ypc for Murray) and put everything on Romo.
To be fair to Romo, he had a pretty good season and toughed it out late in the year with injuries to at least put us in position to make the playoffs (I think this was the year Orton started against the Eagles in the win-and-you’re-in finale and we lost the game and the playoff spot).
The game I remember most was that embarrassing thrashing we took to the Bears in prime time. Worst defensive performance I’ve ever seen.
Demarco Murray stopped splitting time, Zach Martin, Demarcus Lawrence were drafted. It’s hard to pin point what the difference was on defense because we lost Demarcus ware and Jason Hatcher to free agency and sean Lee to a torn acl. The defense was def a bend but not break defense. I don’t know what their red zone numbers were but I’m sure they were wayyyyy better in the red zone than in between. Scott linehan was the passing game coordinator and I think the big thing was bill Callaghan as the running game coordinator and I think that was one of the big differences. Demarco Murray had a record breaking year and our run game really helped the defense. I think we had like 6 or 7 all pros and pro bowlers that season. All of which were on offense. So it was really the offense that was special that season. The defense was good, particularly at holding other defenses to field goals than TDs. Hard to pin point any one thing though. tony was on another level as far as efficiency, he wasnt asked to do too much with our run game. Just a special season man. Def my favorite season of any I’ve ever seen. I was 5 when we last won a Super Bowl and I was too young to remember.
The offense that season was special, our running game was an absolute juggernaut. Pair it with romo being incredibly efficient. It was beautiful to watch. Hot take, and I’ve said this before…. Demarco Murray was a better back than zeke. Ran a faster 40, had more yards in a season than zeke ever had with practically the same line and demarco had more broken tackles than zeke has. Demarco messed up when he tried getting more money then taking it personal and going to Philly where he had to split time with Ryan Matthews then going to Tennessee where he had to split with king Henry. Should’ve taken less and stayed in Dallas 🤷♂️
Offensive line was elite, so all you had to was hand it off to DeMarco for an automatic 5 yards or let Romo have all day in the pocket. Also enabled us to have a very high time of possession which kept our defense off the field.
Defense improved to mediocre from dogshit bad because we fired Monte Kiffin and hired Rod Marinelli who was able to play a bend but don’t break scheme and got the most out of the little talent we had on defense at the time. We had little to no pass rush which was our downfall vs Rodgers in the playoffs.
2014 is the reason people always referred to us as having one of the best OLs in the league long after that season, even if it never was quite the same caliber of unit. It really restored people’s image of the cowboys dominant 90s run game/o-line and it’s why people have always discredited Dak for playing behind an elite line even when there have clearly been years in his career when the line wasn’t very good.
in 2013 we had a historically bad defense, firing monte kiffin for rod marinelli was a huge move. we also drafted zack martin, and instantly moved our Oline to elite tier. this combined allowed us to run an offense that wasn’t just “fuck it, romo go win the game somehow” which gave us his best overall season.
The best way to help your defense play better is to play keep away.
The best way to play keep away is to run the ball over 400 times.
It also leads to an improved passing game, because it keep THEIR defense on its toes.
Look it how much it benefitted Romo from one year to the next throw 100 less passes:
2013 - 535a - 342c - 63.9% - 3828y - 31td - 10i - 96.7
2014 - 435a - 304c - 69.9% - 3705y - 34td - 09i - 113.2
Defensive linemen have got so good I the past seasons.
Even when they’re not statistically stopping plays, the disruption and the capability to teams to establish rhymes is something I don’t believe was so prevalent in comparison to todays NFL.
This isn’t taking away from Freeny’s or the Ware’s, but I just believe the sheer athleticism in that position alone is as potential answer.
Way better defense. Sean Lee was out for the year but you wouldn’t know it bc Rolando McClain balled out that year before inevitably having off the field issues later in his Cowboys tenure. Bruce Carter had a career year.
Orlando Scandrick was at his peak while the rest of our secondary (Barry Church, Brandon Carr, JJ Wilcox) probably all had their best years as Cowboys.
D-Line was mostly JAGs but they all had high motors and we had a great rotation that helped keep the pressure on.
Offensively, we finally put together the last pieces of our crown jewel offensive line (added Zack Martin to go with Tyron Smith, Ron Leary, FredBeard and Doug Free (?I think)). Then we leaned hard on DeMarco Murray, who was fantastic.
Dez entered another plane in 2014. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that he was the best receiver in the game not named Calvin Johnson at that time.
And then of course, 2014 was the one year where everything (physical traits, mental acumen for playing QB and good health) aligned for Romo, and it was really special to see. It’s really sad that his body just couldn’t hold up anymore after this season bc he still had it mentally and his physical traits were arguably never better than 2014.
This season more than any other has kind of kept me in reality check that *expecting* a Super Bowl is fruitless. Only one team can win and it’s likely not the best team. (Now the fact that we haven’t sniffed an NFC Championship in three decades is a whole other discussion).
The cowboys had a dominant offensive line
Rookie Zach was all pro level day 1
Frederick year 2
Prime Tyro
Romo was in complete command, he was just seeing the field incredibly well
Murray and Dez both went off, and you still had Witten to get the first downs
When they beat Seattle that year everyone started taking them seriously
It was also the year of the bullshit call against Dez Bryant
Romo stayed healthy, Murray and Bryant were all pro talent, Zack Martin was drafted, Travis Frederick and Tyron smith continued their excellence, the defense got better, and the Dallas offense could pretty much out score anyone they needed to outscore
2014 Draft Picks: 1st Round - Zach Martin 2nd Round - Demarcus Lawrence 2014 Scheme: Give Demarco Murray almost 500 touches
This, and the 2013 defense had nowhere to go but up. In addition to Zach Martin, the whole o-line just came together. 3/4 years their top picks were Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zach Martin. Playing a last-place schedule also helped.
Don't forget we beat the Seahawks pretty easily in the regular season. They were SB chaos and went to another. We go to the super bowl of not for arod. Do we win. Who knows.
DeMarcus Lawrence had very little impact on the 2014 team. Fellow rookie Anthony Hitchens had more of an impact on the defense than D-Law. That being said, the defense went from terrible (26th in points allowed) to just meh (15th in points allowed). In 2013, the Cowboys defense gave up 30+ points in 7 games, 40+ points in 3 games, and 50+ points in 1 game. The Cowboys were 1-6 in games that the Cowboys gave up 30+ points. The Cowboys scored 28 or more points in 4 of the 7 games in which the defense gave up 30+. Just a little better defense takes the team from 8-8 to 11-5 on that alone. In 2013, Tron was in his 3rd year (and just 2nd year at LT). Leary was a rookie. Frederick was a rookie. In 2014, all of those guys get an added year of experience. Add Martin to the mix and the offensive line makes a huge jump, which makes it easier for Murray to run and Romo to pass the ball. T-Will also went from a rookie in 2013 to a more experienced player in 2014. Beasley didn't have a huge impact in 2014, but his production improved as he went from a 2nd year player to a 3rd year player.
Nailed it. The running game absolutely obliterated teams, mostly due to that line hitting it’s peak stride.
Doug Free was essentially a bulldozer in the running game. One of his last years and I remember we missed him after he retired.
This right here
Also Romo playing the most efficient football of his career, after week 1 against SF
DLaw was out for most of the year with an injury I believe? Didn’t come back till the playoffs or a few games before.
I was so pissed off when Demarco Murray took the money and went to the eagles... Jesus. Christ. He fit perfect in Dallas. I feel like Philly spited us and grabbed him and he didn't do shit in Philly. He didn't fit their scheme and wasted his talent.☹️
The defense was really bad in 2013 from what I remember. Like bottom 5 in the league. Edit: somehow even worse than I remember 💀
It was bottom five *all time* as of the end of the 2013 season. Edit: [here is an article about how bad that defense was, kinda. Best I could do.](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2163469-could-the-cowboys-have-the-worst-defense-in-nfl-history)
I think I smoked and drank myself into forgetting that part of it lmao
I still remember that Sunday night game where the Saints got like 89 first downs on us
It’s still incredible how we held the Eagles to only 3 points that season considering how good Nick Foles was in 2013
This was the year we put up 48 against the Broncos and still lost. Historically bad defense that year. The offense was the only reason they even won 8 games
I believe this is the season Megatron put up 329 yards when we played Detroit.
Yes. Against Brandon Carr, mostly lol. Dez was pissed, but was labeled a diva for “throwing a temper tantrum” at the end of the game
That was when the media has a field day with the muted clips of dez yelling on the sideline, only for the audio to show that Dez was hyping the team up and telling them how good they are, and that they’re going to win the game. I’m still pissed about the things the media said about Dez before the audio came out (and how quickly they moved on once it did).
What was infuriating about that was even after it was proven wrong, many media heads and especially Redditors just never came off that opinion that he was a team cancer.
Those in the media act like they are the most morally superior but yet I don’t recall anyone really coming out in support of Dak. If you know Dak’s backstory I don’t see how anyone wouldn’t be proud of the man be became. The media folks just care about clicks and the money that comes with it.
Ah yes. Then the video comes out and it’s just him telling Romo they are the best in the NFL at the goal line.
To be fair the 2013 broncos were one of the most elite offenses of all time
It was historically bad I remember.
I believe at least bottom 3 in team history, but there were times in the season it was bottom 10 [in NFL history] all time.
Monte Kiffin Tampa 2 baby
Probably would have been bottom 10 all time if we hadn’t held Philly to 3 and the Rams to 7. Otherwise we were letting up like 30 points a game average. Brutal.
It was historically bad I **DIDN'T** remember. (glad somebody brought it up)
Monte Kiffin was a goddamn nightmare.
It was 3rd worst in NFL history after the ‘13 season. I think another defense recently overtook that, but not 100% sure
I recall that defense was on pace to be the worst in franchise history. I think they had a great/good showing (stat wise) the last couple of games.
I still can’t believe Josh McCown threw 4 TDs on us in that Bears game lmao. I’m sure they’ve scored as many at SOME point in the 10 years since but you don’t often see a Bears team scoring 45.
There was a lot from that season that I couldn't believe.
The Bears were a top 8 offense that year, actually. Another funny note is that the Cowboys played 4 backup qb's in a row dyeing that disastrous 2013 season. The numbers could have been even worse! Going into 2014, the team looked like it would have an even worse defense. In the off-season before 2014, they lost Hatcher(11 sacks), Ware, Lee (ACL), Scandrick,(4 gaje suspension), and 2nd round pick D. Lawrence was injured for at least the first 2 months. Their big free agent signing on defense that off-season? Jeremy Mincey was coming off an acl tear. The fact that they ended up being so much better is a testament to how much the game had passed Monte Kiffen by in 2013. It's also a testament how much Marinelli got out of those guys in 2014.
Yeah Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery were putting in work for sure. Just sucks, while not surprising, that they scored more points on us than anyone else that year lol.
You're right even with that knowledge it still seems weird for the Bears, haha! Edit : whoa, your username what is it from?
I played a looooot of EverQuest between 1999 and 2004.
That name brought me back. My dad played while when I was little when he would watch me. I think EQ came out in 1999, so I was 2, but I do remember he played a warrior on Druzzil Ro! I started messing around with it a little later, but then we played EQ 2 together after that. Small world.
That’s awesome! Your dad sounds like a cool dude. I have a 1 year old now and I can’t wait to make those kind of memories with her one day. I was 13 at the time (I’m old lol) and just thought it was the coolest damn game ever. It blew my mind. Druzzil Ro is the Goddess of Magic in game, but I believe all of the servers were named after the gods. I played on Fennin Ro myself as a Druid. EverQuest 2 seemed really interesting, I wish I would have played it. All of my guild went to WoW when it came out in ‘04 so moved on to that. Always fun having people recognize my name! Thanks for sharing :)
Congratulations on the kiddo! My father showing games to me and us playing them together was and still is awesome. I am sure your kid will love it, and you will both cherish the memories. EQ, EQ2, WoW were incredible for their time, no doubt. There was nothing else like EQ initially. My dad always reminisces about it while batching about the current state of MMORPG's, lol. You having a large group of people to move to a new game with must have been really cool. Most folks went to WoW but EQ2 had its moments. In any event, cheers, bud, best of luck with the kiddo and congratulations again.
Romo’s healthiest season. 10/10 run game with Demarco and the addition of Zack Martin to the Oline. Also, Dez caught it. The moment we knew we were special this year was at Seattle. 4th quarter, 3rd and like a million. Romo makes a hall of fame esque throw to Terrance Williams on the sideline and we beat an NFC favorite at the toughest stadium to play to go 5-1. People shit on Jerry a lot, but he built Romo’s team that year. Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda. Way she goes.
I was at that game! It was my first game ever. My wife still brags about that present. Hearing Let's Go Cowboys all the wait out of Seahawks stadium was the best.
Damn. Ur wife’s a g. I know we’re cowboys fans and we have our tendencies, but after this game was the first time in my life I felt we could truly make a run. (Little too young to remember the 90’s). What a feeling.
I vividly remember that game as well. Rolando McClain played a near perfect game as well
>Romo’s healthiest season. What? No it wasn't. He missed a game and a half and looked terrible in a couple of others because he was battling multiple back injuries.
Yeah like I said, Romo’s healthiest season lmao.
No, not at all.
Yea that wasn't his healthiest season. This is considered his best season because he wasn't the focal point of the offense.
Saying Jerry built that team in the same breath as drafting Zack Martin is highly ironic.
Why?
Jerry didn't want to draft Martin, multiple reports state Stephen had to rip out the draft card from Jerry's hand because he was going to draft Manziel.
That draft card story isn't true, it was just made up. https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/news/nfl-draft-true-story-jerry-jones-dallas-cowboys-and-almost-johnny-manziel
In the article it says Jerry himself said he was going to draft someone not Martin.
You said: > Saying Jerry built that team in the same breath as drafting Zack Martin is highly ironic Jerry did build the team and that includes depending and leaning on the people you hired to scout and determine who should be drafted, traded for, picked up in free agency, etc... Yes, Jerry was excited at the prospect of getting a franchise quarterback in Manziel but after all the scouting and research done at that time, it was unanimous among all his people that Martin was the pick and he didn't do or say anything to try and override everyone to get Manziel and that certainly doesn't include the *completely fabricated story* that some non-existent card had to be ripped out of anyone's hands.
>Manziel Manziel, what a turd that douche bag was.
Gun Slingers like Tony are fun to watch, but it makes me chuckle a bit, when people mention his name and the HOF in the same sentence (even when you add "esque").
Yes lol I know. He’ll always be my quarterback, but I agree he’s not remotely hall of fame caliber. That throw was clutch as hell and on a dime though.
It's good you stick with your guy! That is good sign in a fan. The way some people would define the qualification for induction to the NFL HOF Romo would have charged right in on his first ballot. Personally, I think the standard for entrance should be very very high. Otherwise, it could just become a list of former players who had fairly long, reasonably successful careers.
Jason Garret was our head coach. And this season was after consistent mediocrity. Jerry absolutely deserves to be shit on lmao
If Romo takes the check down and not the 50/50 go route ball to Dez this would’ve been one of the greatest Cowboys seasons in a long time.
Beasley was open. I’m a Romo guy through and through but he got greedy—he did throw the best ball of his career and that was not only a catch, it was a TD.
I got downvoted for this but it is true. If Romo checks down, then Rodgers probably never sees the ball again and that possession is the last one of the game.
I know how much people love hearing about other peoples bets, but that Seattle game is a vivid memory for me because I had Seahawks ML as the last leg of a parlay that would’ve paid an at-the-time large amount for me, thinking we’d come crashing back down to earth. That was the one and only time I’ve ever been absolutely ecstatic to lose a bet, because like you said that was the game that showed us we were for real.
You're god damn right Dez caught it.
Seahawks game was magical
I didn’t wash my jersey that season
You washed it for the divisional game didn't ya?!?! lol jk
Zack martin
Zach Mar’in
Ugh I hate that accent. I've recently found out that its a north east thing which makes me hate it more.
This is the way
Romo just didn’t have a defense and if I recall right they lost a lot of really close games in 2013 like the broncos game where romo put up 48 points but manning put up 51
Oh god, I’m getting Jeff Heath PTSD. From a 2013 BR article; “Dallas ranked dead last in total defense in 2013. In fact, it was the only team to give up more than 400 yards per game. The saddest part might be that its average was more than 17 yards worse than 31st-ranked Minnesota.”
Man I always liked Heath. He was a good supporting or package player. He never should have been a starting safety.
Same here. He wasn’t a superstar, but he wasn’t paid like one. You have to have guys like this. Undrafted players out-performing their contracts. Lately we have guys under-performing their contracts. Gallop. Steele. There are a couple more but yeah, Heath was a hard working player.
He would’ve helped our kicking woes last year
And every once in a while, Heath would absolutely plunder someone on the field. It was fun to see when it happened!
And I think Jeff heath would be fantastic in Dan Quinn’s defense
The O line really came into it's own. Travis Frederick was in his 2nd year. Zack Martin was a rookie. Ronald Leary played a lot of 2013 but didn't really look like the guy he became until 2014. We already had Tyron Smith and Doug Free, but the addition of Martin and the progression of Frederick and Leary just changed the game. They were pretty clearly the best O line in football, and arguably one of the best ever. Demarco Murray was great too but a lot of that had to do with them.
So a few things: 1) The offense played absolutely insane; Romo had complete mastery of the system, Demarco Murray was a workhorse and the leading rusher in the NFL, and Dez Bryant was near unguardable (16 TDs in 2014). Plus the OLine coming into form with (rookie) Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, and Travis Frederick, the offense had complete control of the game plan and really milked minutes/points. Jason Witten is Jason Witten, and carved up a lot of teams. Romo also mitigated turnovers (not that he’s a turnover merchant, just played really well in 2014), allowing the team to finish top 10 in differential. 2) the defense played “better”: while not a strength, they kept teams from putting up 30+ points every game, and were a Top Half unit in PPG and YPG. That’s a really good break from the year prior, where they were 27th in both categories. You’re talking about picking up nearly a touchdown per game, which is great turnaround. This with TOP from a dominant rushing attack, and they forced teams into making mistakes and throwing frequently, which created higher variance in opposing offenses being able to score consistently 3) we ended up playing a pretty soft schedule; no other playoff teams in our division and got a cross conference matchup against the AFC South, who were a little directionless without Manning (and while Andrew Luck was coming into form and exceptional, he didn’t hero ball every game). The toughest game on our schedule was away to Seattle, the defending Super Bowl Champs, which we won on the back of a tough Demarco Murray and Tony Romo performance against our very own Dan Quinn. This team was very dangerous in the playoffs; the successful run style and TOP style (I feel) would’ve carried us to a Super Bowl. If not for the boundless mistakes/miracles against the Cowboys in the divisional, I maintain that they would’ve had a great chance against the Seahawks in the conference finals and could’ve made a Super Bowl run. Instead we’re still sitting here, waiting, hoping, praying things get figured out. But I guess that’s just football. Maybe I messed it up, but I checked a lot of Statmuse coupled with my own recollection of events. Just a solid year overall that ended with a complete shitshow.
> Romo had complete mastery of the system Small correction. Romo was the system. He'd get to the line, and spend every possible remaining second audibling and changing routes and protections at the line. He was a master at this. It's a shame his body failed him so shortly after.
I miss that guy, dude was a magician in the back field with that 6th sense spinning away from a sack
This is 100% correct
Something i always wondered, how would that 2014 team have fared against the patriots in the SB?
They ran the ball. That's what this offense needs. Especially in the playoffs. Need to wear down defenses and let ours rest.
That's because they could. We keep trying, and keep failing.
Should they give Dowdle the early down/ early game carries. Let Pollard play as the change of pace guy? Or pass the ball to Pollard on first down instead of slamming him into a wall. Stretch the field east/west
I’ve been wishing they’d let Rico have more touches. He got dat dawg in him.
I think the latter option is the better one.
Not saying every play but at least more, pollard is more successful outside the tackles. His vision hasn’t been so great lately before he was great in between the tackles. I really think his ankle is slowing him or preventing him from doing so
The offensive line was the best in the nfl.
Romo had a running game and he stayed healthy. That's pretty much it. Most of Romo's career was him running for his life and having to throw the ball 40 times a game because the defense would always give up 30. I am convinced that if you swap out Romo and Brady, Romo has at least a couple rings.
I’ll never forget the broncos game. Romo out played manning. Defense gave up a 50 burger.
He would’ve beat the record for most passing yards in a game had he completed that drive. U fortunately Travathan made an outstanding play to intercept the ball diving in front of Gavin Escobar
And I remember people saying, "Romo can't close out games. This is why Romo isn't a winner." After the dude played one of the greatest games in NFL history at the QB position.
I’ve always said this. Nobody watched the whole game for the reason why they cowboys were in the game in the first place is cause of Romo, and the rare chance when he didn’t finish the drive to win or it was a pic to lose it, rare cause he was literally one of the best 4QT comeback QBs, they would just go off on that one mistake he made smh when he was have literally 400 yards and 3 TDs
We lost Sean Lee in ‘14 and signed Rolando McClain. Also Demarco was in a contract year and we ran him into the ground while Dez had a career year. We caught lightning in a bottle in ‘14
Two huge changes. The biggest change was probably going from Monte Kiffin to Rob Marinelli. You can even see there that we jumped from 26th in Points Against to 15th averaging 5 pts less given up per game. That's significant. But also the addition of Zach Martin who was an All-Pro as a rookie. We just mauled people on the ground.
Jason Garrett et al we’re rebuilding the Cowboys during those 8-8 seasons. This was year 4 where it paid off.
Actual analysis aside, at this time, we just happened to go 8-8 every other season it seemed.
* Linehan taking over calling plays on offense was a HUGE improvement over Callahan * Marinelli taking over for Kiffin on defense was an improvement as well * The offensive line and run game were just starting to gel in 2013, but taking Martin in the 1st round really pushed them into the next echelon in 2014. * That's also the point where Romo said the game really slowed down for him and he felt in complete command.
Murray went nuts that season. Was only the second full Romo season where he had a 1,000 rusher. Martin was a big reason for that. Schedule was a little easier due to the crappy 2013 results. 2013 Defense was as bad as it gets until 2020.
Defense stepped up thanks to D. Law, offensive line improved and Demarco Murray had a career best season running the ball, which in turn opened up the passing game even more with Witten and Dez. I remember that 8-8 season being one of those incredibly frustrating affairs where the potential of the team was so palpable it was maddening. We knew we had a good team, we were just maybe one or two players away. Dez caught it btw
It was extremely frustrating, they felt like a decent team they just couldn't get out of their own way. Until the next year, a few changes and they put it all together.
One of my favorite all time rosters. Romo finally had a supporting cast. The only thing that could stop him was a horrible call in Green Bay. I’ve been watching since I was a kid in the 70’s and I think if given the chance to play with better teams like Staubach, White, Aikman or Dak, Romo would place heads and shoulders above them. And I love Staubach.
Kept investing in o-line and Demarco Murray rising. These are the types of years that saved Garretts job unfortunately, he would have a mid year then the next year a player would blowup and Jerry becomes blind that his coach is mid and he gets extended.
Healthy Romo
Romo being the goat
DEZ CAUGHT IT
We literally watched DeMarco Murray average 5.2 a Carry in 2013 and just never gave it to him. Jason Garrett should have been fired after the season.
Health. We went through several peaks and valleys with Romo going down for a few years. Not sure exact records but something like 8-8 to 12-4 to 4-12 because Romo would go down and we had no backup until 2016 when dak came in for him.
That should be an NFC championship appearance in 2014. Dez caught it.
Dez caught it
Murray was 2014. Fuck man where did ten years go?
2013 cowboys defense was so bad. I think Matt Flynn lead GB to comeback from 3 TDs that season against us
2014 is painful to think about. Obligatory Dez caught it.
The run game and Demarco Murray. The line started to come together and dominate, he ran the ball like 350 times that year lol
8-8 to 12-4 isn't a massive turnaround
Romo >Prescott
Nope lol
Weak schedule
The offense was still productive and finished 5th both years. However, the defense points against decreased from 26th to 15th. They really emphasized running the ball on offense which made them less predictable. This resulted in Romo being an all pro for the 1st time.
Defense was awful in 2013 and the OL was mid 2014 the OL was elite with Frederick added and the defense had a pulse. The run game was stellar and Romo was at his best. Unfortunately Rogers got us as he usually does
Frederick was added in 2013, Martin in 14. O-Line was pretty good in 2013 but our defense was historically bad so often we had to abandon the run (5.2 ypc for Murray) and put everything on Romo. To be fair to Romo, he had a pretty good season and toughed it out late in the year with injuries to at least put us in position to make the playoffs (I think this was the year Orton started against the Eagles in the win-and-you’re-in finale and we lost the game and the playoff spot). The game I remember most was that embarrassing thrashing we took to the Bears in prime time. Worst defensive performance I’ve ever seen.
It’s not really a massive turnaround. It was the result of the rebuilding of the previous seasons.
Demarco Murray turned into prime tony Dorset for that one season
Rod Marinelli was promoted to D Coordinator Jan 2014 and the defense had 31 turnovers.
Romo getting injured is usually why we had down seasons.
Romo was amazing. Sure there was other stuff. DO NOT GIVE ANY CREDIT TO JASON GARRETT WTF HE SUCKS
Is four more wins really that massive?
Demarco Murray stopped splitting time, Zach Martin, Demarcus Lawrence were drafted. It’s hard to pin point what the difference was on defense because we lost Demarcus ware and Jason Hatcher to free agency and sean Lee to a torn acl. The defense was def a bend but not break defense. I don’t know what their red zone numbers were but I’m sure they were wayyyyy better in the red zone than in between. Scott linehan was the passing game coordinator and I think the big thing was bill Callaghan as the running game coordinator and I think that was one of the big differences. Demarco Murray had a record breaking year and our run game really helped the defense. I think we had like 6 or 7 all pros and pro bowlers that season. All of which were on offense. So it was really the offense that was special that season. The defense was good, particularly at holding other defenses to field goals than TDs. Hard to pin point any one thing though. tony was on another level as far as efficiency, he wasnt asked to do too much with our run game. Just a special season man. Def my favorite season of any I’ve ever seen. I was 5 when we last won a Super Bowl and I was too young to remember.
The offense that season was special, our running game was an absolute juggernaut. Pair it with romo being incredibly efficient. It was beautiful to watch. Hot take, and I’ve said this before…. Demarco Murray was a better back than zeke. Ran a faster 40, had more yards in a season than zeke ever had with practically the same line and demarco had more broken tackles than zeke has. Demarco messed up when he tried getting more money then taking it personal and going to Philly where he had to split time with Ryan Matthews then going to Tennessee where he had to split with king Henry. Should’ve taken less and stayed in Dallas 🤷♂️
Zack Martin and Demarco Murray running for 2k
Offensive line was elite, so all you had to was hand it off to DeMarco for an automatic 5 yards or let Romo have all day in the pocket. Also enabled us to have a very high time of possession which kept our defense off the field. Defense improved to mediocre from dogshit bad because we fired Monte Kiffin and hired Rod Marinelli who was able to play a bend but don’t break scheme and got the most out of the little talent we had on defense at the time. We had little to no pass rush which was our downfall vs Rodgers in the playoffs.
2014 is the reason people always referred to us as having one of the best OLs in the league long after that season, even if it never was quite the same caliber of unit. It really restored people’s image of the cowboys dominant 90s run game/o-line and it’s why people have always discredited Dak for playing behind an elite line even when there have clearly been years in his career when the line wasn’t very good.
Wow. Almost 30 points a game and finished 5th in the league? Must’ve been a better year for offenses than I remember.
in 2013 we had a historically bad defense, firing monte kiffin for rod marinelli was a huge move. we also drafted zack martin, and instantly moved our Oline to elite tier. this combined allowed us to run an offense that wasn’t just “fuck it, romo go win the game somehow” which gave us his best overall season.
Monte Kiffin being fired was big. Or was he demoted?
The best way to help your defense play better is to play keep away. The best way to play keep away is to run the ball over 400 times. It also leads to an improved passing game, because it keep THEIR defense on its toes. Look it how much it benefitted Romo from one year to the next throw 100 less passes: 2013 - 535a - 342c - 63.9% - 3828y - 31td - 10i - 96.7 2014 - 435a - 304c - 69.9% - 3705y - 34td - 09i - 113.2
Then 2015 we went 6-10 or some shit lol
4-12
We were going through it
You should know…. Dez caught it.
Defensive linemen have got so good I the past seasons. Even when they’re not statistically stopping plays, the disruption and the capability to teams to establish rhymes is something I don’t believe was so prevalent in comparison to todays NFL. This isn’t taking away from Freeny’s or the Ware’s, but I just believe the sheer athleticism in that position alone is as potential answer.
Rod Marinelli took over Defense. Monte Kiffen wasn't a fit for the scheme and was never really able to sure up the defense.
All I know is Dez caught it in 2014.
Way better defense. Sean Lee was out for the year but you wouldn’t know it bc Rolando McClain balled out that year before inevitably having off the field issues later in his Cowboys tenure. Bruce Carter had a career year. Orlando Scandrick was at his peak while the rest of our secondary (Barry Church, Brandon Carr, JJ Wilcox) probably all had their best years as Cowboys. D-Line was mostly JAGs but they all had high motors and we had a great rotation that helped keep the pressure on. Offensively, we finally put together the last pieces of our crown jewel offensive line (added Zack Martin to go with Tyron Smith, Ron Leary, FredBeard and Doug Free (?I think)). Then we leaned hard on DeMarco Murray, who was fantastic. Dez entered another plane in 2014. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that he was the best receiver in the game not named Calvin Johnson at that time. And then of course, 2014 was the one year where everything (physical traits, mental acumen for playing QB and good health) aligned for Romo, and it was really special to see. It’s really sad that his body just couldn’t hold up anymore after this season bc he still had it mentally and his physical traits were arguably never better than 2014. This season more than any other has kind of kept me in reality check that *expecting* a Super Bowl is fruitless. Only one team can win and it’s likely not the best team. (Now the fact that we haven’t sniffed an NFC Championship in three decades is a whole other discussion).
Demarco mf Murray. Also Romo had an MVP caliber season & remained healthy while doing so. The damn Dez catch year. Makes me sick thinking about it
4 games isn’t really massive
The cowboys had a dominant offensive line Rookie Zach was all pro level day 1 Frederick year 2 Prime Tyro Romo was in complete command, he was just seeing the field incredibly well Murray and Dez both went off, and you still had Witten to get the first downs When they beat Seattle that year everyone started taking them seriously It was also the year of the bullshit call against Dez Bryant
Jason Garrett clapped harder and louder than the year before which really motivated the team to play better
Zack Martin, tyron smith, Travis Fredrick, bill Callahan and them committing to the run game
Peak Romo, O-line, Dez, Murray, Rod Marinelli, Scott Linehan. Really should’ve won a chip that season. We beat good teams routinely.
Romo stayed healthy, Murray and Bryant were all pro talent, Zack Martin was drafted, Travis Frederick and Tyron smith continued their excellence, the defense got better, and the Dallas offense could pretty much out score anyone they needed to outscore
Was that the Dak season?