Roger Steinman.
It has been 26 years.
The Dallas Cowboys have not been considered a contender in 26 years. The organization hasn't been to the NFC Championship Game since Super Bowl XXX.
Forget about the ghosts of the past that were said to have crept into the meeting with the 49ers.
Roger Staubach is the "Captain Comeback". Jimmy Johnson said, "How 'bout them Cowboys." Deion was jumping ship from the Bay Area to join America's Team.
It's ancient history makes it irrelevant.
Mike McCarthy's Cowboys are undisciplined and oblivious to their immense potential.
The ending of Sunday's game was a good representation of the season that the Cowboys had, in which they were unable to make the playoffs because they had too much talent.
Even though the Cowboys didn't have a chance of scoring, they called a quarterback draw.
The offense didn't do a good enough job getting the ball into the umpire's hands and letting him reset the football.
The chances of a Cowboys comeback completely went in a fog of bad decisions and missed opportunities and the game was stopped.
"You need to have success when you get this combination of players together," Jerry Jones said.
When the likelihood of a talent exodus among the coaching staff and roster is a real possibility, the team will likely be worse off.
Ron Jenkins is an Associated Press photographer.
The starting point is the coaching staff.
A lack of discipline is a reflection of the staff. The Cowboys had a season- and all-time high in penalties. Only four teams were assessed penalties this season. Dallas did it twice.
"I thought they would let these teams play today," McCarthy said when asked about the number of penalties. "That's for them to answer."
McCarthy's answer showed a lack of accountability. Why? The Cowboys had the highest number of penalties in the regular season. Dallas committed many presnap penalties.
The coach is trying to shift the blame to the officials even though the issues start with him and his staff.
McCarthy defended the draw that ended the game and said he was surprised when they didn't get another snap. He called it the "best option" and the "right decision".
The Cowboys head coach stood at the podium as a living embodiment of the effect.
Richard Rodriguez is a photographer.
McCarthy probably won't be fired, but a coaching search will likely occur behind the scenes.
If the Cowboys don't change their direction, they could very well be looking for a new head coach since Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn are drawing interest.
Moore is interviewing with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos.
The Chicago Bears, Broncos,Jaguars, Dolphins and Vikings are interested in Quinn.
The return of McCarthy coupled with the loss of one or both of his coordinators is a bigger disaster waiting to happen since they played a big part in the success of the Cowboys this season.
Jones said earlier that a combination of players would be shuffled based on financial realities.
The Cowboys will be moving forward with quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, guard Zack Martin, offensive tackle Tyron Smith, linebacker Micah Parsons, edge DeMarcus Lawrence, corner Trevon Diggs, and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The Cowboys are one of six items that will be in the red for the next campaign despite the salary cap rising to $208.2 million, which is an increase of $25.7 million over the current number. Dallas is over the figure by $13.1 million.
The front office can make moves to get the Cowboys under next year's number.
The lack of financial flexibility will affect how much talent the team can retain. Dallas may not be staring down the possibility of losing one of their star players because ownership has done an excellent job locking down the squad's top performers.
Multiple key contributors could be gone once the franchise's free agents are able to test the open market.
The two pending free agents are wide receiver Michael Gallup and wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. The duo made 80 catches for 1,047 yards and eight touchdown grabs. Gallup's season ended on injured reserve with a torn knee, so he might consider returning on a short-term, prove-it deal.
Both could be looking for more opportunities if they stopped playing with Cooper and Lamb.
Tom Pennington is a photographer.
The last year of his current contract has another weapon operating on it. The fourth-round draft pick had a career year, finishing tied for first on the team with eight receiving touchdown and second with 78 catches and third with 808 yards.
Changes are likely to need to be made. Williams is a free agent as well. Biadasz has been the weak link.
The Great Wall of Dallas is crumbling. The 49ers had 14 quarterback hits. San Francisco did not need pressure packages to do so.
Despite Nick Bosa missing the second half with an injury, the Niners' defensive front won more often than not.
A lot will be dependent on the status of Quinn. Linebacker Keanu Neal and defensive backs Jayron Kearse and Damontae Kazee were great additions. They have flourished because of Dallas' current defensive scheme, but their value will diminish if the current defensive coach leaves. The Cowboys need to find a way to keep their services.
The statuses of defensive end Randy Gregory and LB Leighton Vander Esch will be interesting as well.
Gregory finally put it all together this fall and looked like the top talent many projected when he entered the league after multiple suspensions for violating the league's substance abuse policy. How much is Dallas willing to invest in him?
He finished third on the team with 77 tackles despite not getting his fifth-year option picked up.
Dallas isn't who we thought they would be. They're a one-and-done playoff team who's clearly capable of dominating a weakNFC East but not good enough to be anything more.
Jones had a lot of talent in recent years.
The Cowboys won't be considered a Super Bowl team if they don't win the Superbowl.
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