2014 Dallas Cowboys season
| 2014 Dallas Cowboys season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jason Garrett |
| General manager | Jerry Jones |
| Owner | Jerry Jones |
| Home field | AT&T Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st NFC East |
| Playoff finish |
Won Wild Card Playoffs (Lions) 24–20 Lost Divisional Playoffs (Packers) 21–26 |
| Pro Bowlers |
Dez Bryant WR, Travis Frederick C, L. P. Ladouceur LS, Zack Martin G, DeMarco Murray RB, Tony Romo QB, Tyron Smith LT, Jason Witten TE |
| AP All-Pros |
Dez Bryant (1st team), Zack Martin (1st team), DeMarco Murray (1st team), Tyron Smith (1st team), Travis Frederick (2nd team), Tony Romo (2nd team) |
| Uniform | |
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The 2014 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 55th season in the National Football League, the sixth playing their home games at AT&T Stadium and the fourth full season under head coach Jason Garrett.
After the departure of long time Cowboy favorites DE/LB DeMarcus Ware and DT Jason Hatcher to free agency, coupled with a season ending knee injury to MLB Sean Lee during Organized Team Activity in late May, the Dallas Cowboys, were one of the most heavily admonished, and second guessed NFL franchises through the entire preseason, and half-way into the 2014 regular season. Much of the criticism was in response to the Cowboys selecting Notre Dame offensive guard Zack Martin over the perceived Cowboys savior (Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel) in the first round of the NFL draft. Even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was uncharacteristically down playing expectations for the upcoming season during spring training, emphasizing to the media and fans, that it might take a little more time for the Cowboys young players to mature into a NFL championship caliber team.
Adding injury to the many insults hurled at Jerry Jones, Tony Romo and the Cowboys organization in general, Tony Romo did not play well during two preseason starts after receiving only a small percentage of snaps throughout training camp, due to continuing recovery from off-season surgery to repair a herniated intervertebral disc in his lower back. For these reasons, Romo and the Cowboys passing offense struggled mightily for the first two games of the regular season, causing many fans and media to declare the Dallas Cowboys as the absolute worst team in the league after their week 1 loss to the 49ers at AT&T Stadium. A humiliating turnover led to defeat for Dallas, which appeared to prove all the Cowboy critics right, that Jerry Jones should have selected QB Johnny "Football" Manziel in the first round of the NFL 2014 draft to eventually replace. By season's end, not only would Tony Romo have the highest quarterback rating (113.2) in the NFL for the 2014 regular season but, first round pick (OG Zack Martin) would have a well deserved All-Pro season while establishing himself as a critical piece in the development of what many now consider to be, the best offensive line in the entire NFL.
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