IRVING, Texas – Coming off two straight 8-8 seasons and three full seasons removed from the playoffs, the Cowboys have plenty of question marks surrounding them as they prepare for the 2013 season.
As we counted down the days to camp, the writers of DallasCowboys.com took a different question each day that is hovering over this team.
With just one day until the Cowboys take the field in Oxnard, Calif., today's final question centers on the most important topic that all fans have regarding the Cowboys these days.
1) Can This Cowboys Team Get That Elusive Playoff Win?
When Tony Romo signs a $108 million contract, it comes up.
When the Cowboys were named the most profitable NFL franchise by Forbes, it comes up again.
No matter what happens on a positive note, critics are always quick to point out how many playoff wins the Cowboys have since the 1996 season.
Just one.
Romo has one playoff victory as a starter. The Cowboys as a franchise have just the one victory over Philadelphia in 2009.
And that's it. Every year, with every draft pick, free-agent signing, or any news of note, the question always comes back to on-field success. And it should.
But fans want to know if the Cowboys will finally be good enough to translate their success to playoff wins. Obviously the last two years, they have come up short in the final game of the season, losing to the Giants in 2011 and Washington in 2012 with the NFC East title on the line.
If it comes down to the final week again, the Cowboys will at least be at home against the Eagles in Week 17.
The real questions stems from if the Cowboys have done enough in this offseason to get there. It'll come down to staying healthy, something they couldn't do last year. Camp will start Sunday with the team being relatively healthy, including stars DeMarcus Ware and Tony Romo being cleared to practice after missing all offseason.
Sticking with our numerical journey to training camp, let's take a closer look at the number 1:
- The Cowboys have had three players drafted No. 1 overall Ed Jones, Troy Aikman and Russell Maryland.
- Bob Lilly was the Cowboys' first overall draft pick, going 13th overall in 1961.
- Only five players have donned the No. 1 for the Cowboys: Efren Herrera, Rafeal Septien, Kerry Brady, Ken Willis and Mat McBriar.
- The Cowboys have just one kickoff return for a touchdown in playoff history – occurring in 2006 when rookie Miles Austin returned a kick 93 yards vs. Seattle.
- The Cowboys have played just one game ever on Wednesday, beating the Giants last year in the season opener in the Meadowlands.
