(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
Do you still look at the Cowboys as a "Super Bowl or Bust" team? I wonder if myself and other fans have developed a jaded outlook as to the Cowboys' expectations in terms of making deep playoff runs. I find myself having to lower the bar if I want to truly appreciate moments like three consecutive years of going 12-5 in the regular season.– Jesse Budd/Harper, KS**
Patrik: I get it. You're coming off of a 7-10 season and the coaching regime is changing for the second time in roughly half a decade, and the list of in-house free agents is as long as a day of working on the railroad; but I personally am not lowering my expectations based upon any of that when I know there's not only an opportunity to do something special, but also the resources to accomplish it.
The cornerstone players are in place and one is likely about to land historic money to stay put (let's not get any Mavs-worthy ideas, please). The staff being placed around the first-time coach is admittedly very impressive. The salary cap situation isn't as dire as you'd believe and can quickly be made better by pulling some triggers and getting Micah Parsons extended pronto and not far-less-pronto, etc., so I refuse to lower my bar here, stepping down versus challenging them to step up.
If you ordered a Ferrari but were presented an Altima, would you accept delivery — out of frustration? Or would you demand to have what you've paid for and invested in? I ordered a Ferrari. I paid for a Ferrari. So bring me my damn Ferrari, please and thank you.
In other words: Get my order correct, because I'm not changing it.
Tommy: I think the Cowboys will always look at each season as Super Bowl or bust. It's what the front office wants, it's what the coaching staff wants, it's what the players want, and it's what the fanbase wants. Moving on from Mike McCarthy went to show that going 12-5 in three straight seasons meant nothing if there wasn't playoff success going with it, so that tells you what the standard is going forward.
Of course, all NFL teams are hungry for a Super Bowl, but the Cowboys are moreso Super Bowl or bust because of the combination of the aforementioned aspects of the organization. They have a window with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons, and now just need to find the players to surround them and the success in the postseason that can get them back to the pinnacle of the sporting world.
Mailbag
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