As America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys normally come into each season with sky-high expectations. Despite this high standard which has been set over time, the Cowboys are without a Super Bowl appearance since the 1995 season.
Yes, it's been a long time.
Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant isn't worried about this, however, telling reporters on Wednesday that Dallas has “something special” this year. He even went as far as to say this is the best team the Cowboys have had since he's been in the league.
Dez Bryant on his excitement for the 2017 season: "This is the best team I've been on." #Cowboys
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) May 31, 2017
While the Cowboys have missed the playoffs during most of Bryant's career, they have had two seasons which could be deemed pretty special, especially during the regular season. Those, of course, were 2014 and 2016.
Still, it is hard to remember the Cowboys coming into a season with this level of expectations in a while, maybe since 2008. It could be argued that 2015 came with high expectations as well, however, but neither '08 nor '15 went the way the Cowboys or their fans had hoped. In fact, the Cowboys have not made the playoffs in consecutive years in exactly a decade.
Injuries to then starting quarterback Tony Romo had a lot to do with the faltering of those seasons, so as long as the Cowboys' stars can remain injury-free, they will be held to a high standard in 2017.
It's nice to see a veteran leader in Dez Bryant embracing this standard.
