Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys were expected to be a borderline playoff team, but no one expected them to finish 10 games over .500. QB Tony Romo ,who completed 65% of his passes and even rushed the ball 31 times for 129 yards and two TDs, was far superior to what his pre-season projections indicated. The off-season relationship he and WR Terrell Owens developed was a big reason that both players succeeded in 2007.

But if you're looking for one of the biggest reasons for the Dallas Cowboys' success... look no further than TE Jason Witten. The fifth-year TE from NFL team Tennessee absolutely dominated the position in PPR leagues, posting career-highs in receptions (96), yards (1145) and TDs (7). Witten was expected to be as much of a blocker as a pass-catcher under the Bill Parcells regime, but when Jason Garrett took over the offense in '07, Witten was used more like NFL team San Diego uses Antonio Gates. WR2 Patrick Crayton  was more than a pleasant surprise when it was learned Terry Glenn wouldn't be able to participate until late in the season after coming off knee surgery. Crayton complemented Owens and Witten well, blocking when needed and catching clutch third down passes.

The running game wasn't nearly as effective early on, but as Marion Barber began to get more and more opportunities, the Dallas Cowboys began to gain more and more confidence in their ground attack. Despite seeing less playing time in the first two-thirds of the season than Julius Jones, Barber still posted numbers worthy of a borderline RB1. Jones rushed for just two TDs and didn't really play a factor in the passing game as the Dallas Cowboys had hoped.

The major question mark surrounded the defense coming into 2007. Could Wade Phillips' new attacking style of 3-4 defense work with the current personnel for Dallas Cowboys? Could Roy Williams figure out how to cover wide receivers? Was Greg Ellis going to continue to demand a trade? Dallas Cowboys finished in the top-third of the NFL in total defense, mainly because they were so good against the run (6th overall). LB Bradie James led the team in total tackles (101) while DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis combined for 26.5 sacks.

2008 OUTLOOK: Okay, bold prediction time again. Pacman Jones WILL be reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodell and will play at least 13 games for the Dallas Cowboys this year. He and Terrance Newman will form a dynamic CB tandem that will take the team from the 13th best pass defense into the top 10. Jones will also return at least one kick for a score and will line up at WR on occasion, giving the Dallas Cowboys special teams/WR corps a much-needed lift. Secondly, LB Zach Thomas will be major bust and the Dallas Cowboys will wish they kept Akin Ayodele around. Thomas, a great LB in his prime, has suffered a past injury that isn't going to go away and will nag him in 2008, forcing him to retire in the middle of the season.

Though I'm a huge fan of RB Felix Jones, I have to question why the Dallas Cowboys didn't look at the defensive side of the ball a bit more in the NFL team Draft. I completely agree with the Mike Jenkins draft pick, but taking Jones, TE Marcellus Bennett and RB Tashard Choice leave me scratching my head. It's as if Jerry Jones was trying to fill holes that didn't necessarily need filling... at least not that early in the draft. The defense, not the offense, was the achilles heel for this NFL team in 2007 and I expected a few more early draft picks for the defense. I guess the jury is still out so only time will tell whether or not these selections were wise ones for the Dallas Cowboys.

BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Cowboys didn't make a ton of waves in free agency this off-season, so it's hard for me to think there's going to be a huge difference in this team's performance in 2008. The schedule takes them through the AFC North this year, meaning instead of playing teams like Buffalo, Miami and the Jets they get NFL team Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincy. The offense, in my opinion, will be better than it was last year because Marion Barber will be used in a more traditional role and Felix Jones brings more of a "burst" to the running game than Julius Jones did. The Dallas Cowboys WR corps remains the same and it's going to be interesting to see what (if anything) Pacman Jones can give them. Defensively, rookie Mike Jenkins brings depth to the secondary. This unit now has one season of Wade Phillips' defensive philosophy under their belts. The NFC East is one of the toughest divisions in football, but Dallas Cowboys has enough firepower to win the division again and move deeper into the playoffs.