For the Dallas Cowboys, 2006 started in controversy, hobbled into the season, wilted under the pressure of opposing defenses, sprang into life like a shooting star, faded into the playoffs and finally ended, almost appropriately, with a fumbled snap.

The controversy started early with the free agency signing of Terrell Owens. Undoubtedly one of the best wide receivers in the league, T.O., or “the player” as he was often called by head coach Bill Parcells, brings as much controversy as talent to any team. His signing put the Cowboys under the microscope throughout the off season, the preseason, and well into the season until a quarterback change finally took the glare off of T.O. and put the spotlight on Tony Romo.

The signing also put high expectations on the Cowboys for the 2006 season. With a big-name players like Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn and Jason Witten, opposing defenses would find it tough to keep the Cowboys receivers covered. Unfortunately, what the Cowboys did not do in free agency or the draft was fix an offensive line that had struggled down the stretch in 2005 and lost perhaps the best offensive linemen in Cowboys history, Larry Allen, in free agency.

Drew Bledsoe is a solid quarterback with the intelligence and accuracy to find and deliver to the open man, and with the Cowboys receivers some of the most talented in the league there was usually a receiver open. Unfortunately, Bledsoe is the type of quarterback that relies heavily on protection, and the Dallas line proved early on in the season that they could not provide that protection.

Thus entered Tony Romo, an undrafted free agent who had somehow stuck around for three years doing something that Quincy Carter, Chad Hutchinson, and Drew Henson could not do: stay on the roster. Romo provided an immediate spark to the offense with his ability to avoid the blitz and uncanny ability to make plays. Under Romo’s guidance, the Cowboys were able to beat the then-unbeaten Indianapolis Colts and thrash the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game where Romo threw five touchdown passes in the annual Thanksgiving Day game.

But even the emergence of Tony Romo was not enough to save the season. The Cowboys defense suffered a blow when Greg Ellis suffered a season-ending injury while the secondary couldn’t seem to cover a deep pass throughout much of December. After ending the season with a loss to the lowly Detroit Lions, the Cowboys sealed their fate in the wildcard game when Tony Romo fumbled the hold on a field goal that would have put the Cowboys ahead with less than two minutes left in the game.

The season may not have lived up to the high hopes of Cowboys fans, but it did ensure that those high hopes would hold up for the upcoming 2007 season. The emergence of Tony Romo gives Dallas fans more hope of having found the ‘quarterback of the future’ than any quarterback since Troy Aikman retired. Young defensive stars like DeMarcus Ware continued to grow, and rookie Bobby Carpenter started coming on strong late in the season.

The Cowboys ended the season ranked fifth in total offense with two 1,000 yard receivers in Owens and Glenn and a 1,000 yard rusher in Julius Jones. Marion Barber III ran for over 600 yards while scoring 14 rushing touchdowns and giving the Cowboys over 1,700 yards rushing with their duel rushing attack. This firepower should remain in tact going into the 2007 season and, if the defense can return to form, the Cowboys can be serious contenders next season.