NFC preview: America's enigma

The Dallas Cowboys don't have the same buzz about them this season, but that doesn't mean they are any less interesting. 

In fact, one could make the argument that America's Team is once again the NFC squad to watch -- good, bad or potentially very ugly.

A year ago, Dallas returned 13 Pro Bowl players from the NFC's top seed the year before. They were the popular preseason Super Bowl pick.

What followed was the league's most disappointing season. An embarrassing 44-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles ended coach Wade Phillips' second season at 9-7 and a game short of the playoffs.

The underachieving season didn't cost Phillips or quarterback Tony Romo their jobs, but it did bring about change in Big D.

When the Cowboys open their new $1.1 billion stadium in Arlington, Texas, they will do so without the controversies that always swirled around receiver Terrell Owens, cornerback Pacman Jones and defensive tackle Tank Johnson.

Owner Jerry Jones doesn't object to having controversial figures on his team. But he proved this offseason that those figures need to win to stay on his team.

"You don't have all those issues if you win the games," Jones said. "I've had teams that were some of the most controversial teams with some of the greatest characters and personalities you've ever seen. And they won Super Bowls. But when you don't win the games when you are expected to win the games, then you got to go to what is the problem."

A big problem in Dallas is a 12-year stretch without a single playoff victory. If it continues this season, Phillips almost certainly will lose his job while Romo's reputation as a quarterback who can't win the big game will continue to grow.

"As far as perceptions of me or the team, I don't care to read or watch or listen to all the stuff that's going on," Romo said. "It doesn't matter to us who picks us to win the Super Bowl or doesn't pick us to win the Super Bowl. It's about a team improving and winning. Either you can do it or you can't. Last year, we didn't do it. This is a different team this year. I'm interested to find out how it goes for us."

The Cowboys will have five new starters, including four on defense. But how Romo goes is probably how the Cowboys will go.

Romo has a 5-10 record in games played in December and January. He has 16 touchdown passes, 20 interceptions and two ugly first-round playoff exits during that stretch.

Romo also missed three games because of injury last year. It probably cost the Cowboys a playoff berth because of how poorly former Vikings Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger played in his absence. The Cowboys ditched Johnson and Bollinger in favor of former Lions starter Jon Kitna this offseason.

"I think we have a chance, without injury, to have the team that we all expected to have last year," Jones said. "We're going to be better in several areas. Right off the bat, our quarterback is better this year than he was this time last year."