Is the "D" back in Dallas? After an offseason overhaul--particularly on defense--Bill Parcells' Cowboys are poised for a comeback.

Publication: Football Digest

Publication Date: 01-OCT-05

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COPYRIGHT 2005 Century Publishing

JERRY JONES FELT THE FRUStration rising. He had felt this way before, of course. He had watched the Dallas Cowboys' dynasty of the 1990s crumble. He had seen the misery of three consecutive 5-11 seasons under coach Dave Campo, a stretch that led to Campo's ouster and the hiring of Bill Parcells.

And now, after Parcells and his 2004 Cowboys stumbled to a 6-10 disaster, the Dallas owner felt that gnawing feeling again, the one that told him he had to do something.

There was one difference. This time, he could.

In the past, Jones has tried to fix the Cowboys empty-handed, either strapped by the salary cap because of generous contracts that lingered long after the stars they had been given to were gone or by trades that stripped them of their top draft choices.

But this offseason, Jones was loaded with tools--two first-round picks and plenty of cap space--and the Cowboys were ready to do some tinkering. Hence, their new look heading into this pivotal season.

"I think this was a good time to have frustration, because we could do something about it," Jones says. "I've been frustrated before, when we were really behind the eight-ball with the salary cap and didn't have a No. 1 pick. That's frustration, but with no tools to work with. We...

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