ESPN NFL 2014 News: Fans Not Confident in Dallas Cowboys, SportsNation Poll Says
It's been a rough drought for the Dallas Cowboys. They've had a ton of injury issues over the years, big salary cap problems, and some of the most disappointing last second losses a team will endure. Things didn't get any easier for the Cowboys this week when they learned that linebacker Sean Lee would be out for the season after tearing his ACL, again.
Last season the Cowboys defense was the worst in the National Football League, and the team did very little to improve that unit.
An ESPN Sports Nation Poll was taken asking fans "how many games will the Cowboys win in 2014?" The results were overwhelmingly against the Cowboys. As of Wednesday, nearly 20,000 votes were casted globally and the results were the following:
- 7 wins or fewer, 57 percent
- 8 wins, 31 percent
- 9 or more, 12 percent
Only 12 percent of the nearly 20,000 people that voted around the world believe that the Cowboys will even have a winning record. It's amazing how America's team has now gathered such little confidence on the football field. Almost one third of the voters think the Cowboys will finish even at 8-8. The Cowboys have finished 8-8 the last three seasons, so this wouldn't be a big surprise. Almost three-fifths of the voters doubt the Cowboys will be able to get eight wins and will go on to have a losing record.
If the Cowboys miss the playoffs again this season, it will tie their franchise record for most consecutive seasons without making the playoffs.
But how did the fans vote in the Lone Star State? Despite being the home team in Texas since 1960, the fans in Texas made it quite clear that they too have little confidence in the Cowboys. Out of more than 2,000 votes placed in Texas, 56 percent think the Cowboys will finish with seven wins or fewer. Out of the 50 states, 48 think that the Cowboys will have a losing record, with only Maine and Vermont voting for an 8-8 season.
It doesn't come as a huge surprise when we see these numbers. This defense is historically bad and it's only got worse with the release of DeMarcus Ware and the recent injury to Sean Lee. Another thing to keep in mind is Tony Romo. Romo will be returning from back surgery and is now 34 years old. Can he continue to carry this offense?
The Cowboys only hope at the playoffs is to win the NFC East, because a wild card is pretty much out of the question. Teams like the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers will take up too many spots. This upcoming season may be the last one for Head Coach Jason Garret if he misses the playoffs for the fourth straight season.
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