For the second consecutive season, the Cowboys, a team widely considered one with Super Bowl potential, let down their fans and fantasy owners down the stretch in 2008. After a 2007 season, in which they lost two of their final three regular-season games and their wild-card playoff game, Dallas didn’t even reach the postseason in 2008, going 6-7 after a 3-0 start.

Injuries were partly to blame. Star quarterback Tony Romo missed three games with a broken finger, starting running back Marion Barber saw his yards-per-carry average dip from 4.8 to 3.7 because of a dislocated toe, backup running back Felix Jones was limited to six games before landing on injured reserve with a torn ligament in his foot and tight end Jason Witten battled a broken rib, though he didn’t miss any game action. Then, of course, there was the drama that always surrounds Terrell Owens, who remained remarkably healthy, not to mention the disaster that was the team’s secondary.

So what was the true reason behind the letdown? Cowboys management, apparently, believed it was distractions like Owens, who was released with safety Roy L. Williams (not to be confused with the receiver with the same name, who remains) after the season. With Owens gone, the Cowboys evidently feel they’re free from controversy, but with Owens went a large chunk of their offensive production. Now the question becomes can the 2009 Cowboys match the 38 touchdowns Owens amassed in 47 games in his three years in Dallas?

Article via ESPN, written by Tristan H. Cockcroft – http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football/ffl/story?page=nfldk2k9cowboyscamppreview