(My Sportsbook) - They say everything's bigger in Texas, and never was that old adage more true than when the Dallas Cowboys unveiled their lavish $1.15 billion new stadium to an eagerly-awaiting public this past spring.

The longtime brainchild of ever-present team owner Jerry Jones features a retractable roof, a capacity of over 100,000 counting standing-room only areas, as well as the world's largest high-definition television screen encompassing nearly the entire length of the playing field.

The breathtaking new venue, understatedly named as Cowboys Stadium, gives Dallas the unquestioned premier stadium in the NFL. It's been quite some time, however, since the Cowboys proved themselves to be the league's best team.

Many insiders expected Dallas to end a 13-year Super Bowl drought in 2008, one year after the Cowboys restored themselves to prominence by winning 13 regular-season games and landing a record 13 players on the NFC Pro Bowl roster. However, a toxic combination of injuries, infighting and a host of off-field distractions caused "America's Team" to crumble under the weight of massive expectations.

The Cowboys lost three of four December games to finish out of the NFC playoff picture with a 9-7 record. In a fitting sendoff to a season filled with disappointing results, the team suffered the most lopsided defeat in the 20- year Jones era with a humiliating 44-6 shellacking by the rival Philadelphia Eagles.

While Jones spared embattled head coach Wade Phillips in the wake of last year's fiasco, the often-impulsive team patriarch did sever ties with superstar receiver and locker-room cancer Terrell Owens. The Cowboys released the self-absorbed wideout in March, citing Owens' negative impact on team chemistry as the primary reason for the departure.

Also no longer on the payroll is Adam "Pacman" Jones, with the Cowboys ending an ill-fated one-year experiment with the troublesome cornerback due to an inability to refrain from bad behavior. Safety Roy L. Williams, often the scapegoat for a defense that failed to come through in a number of critical situations last season, was also cut loose among four other starters on the unit.

With Dallas refraining from any big-ticket signings on the offseason free- agent front, the organization is banking that addition by subtraction will enable the Cowboys to bounce back and return to the NFC's elite in 2009. With such high-caliber players as quarterback Tony Romo, outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and tight end Jason Witten still on the roster, there's certainly enough talent in place to end the team's one-year playoff absence.

The task still won't be any easy one, considering the overall strength of the NFC's East Division and matchups with seven teams that reached the playoffs on the 16-game schedule. But as last season showed, the biggest battle that lies ahead for the 2009 Cowboys may be the one between the team's collective ears.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2009 edition of the Dallas Cowboys, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2008 RECORD: 9-7 (3rd, NFC East)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2007, lost to N.Y. Giants, 21-17, in NFC Wild Card Game

COACH (RECORD): Wade Phillips (22-10 in two seasons with Cowboys, 70-49 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jason Garrett

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Phillips

OFFENSIVE STAR: Tony Romo, QB (3448 passing yards, 26 TD, 14 INT)

DEFENSIVE STAR: DeMarcus Ware, OLB (84 tackles, 20 sacks)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 21st rushing, 9th passing, 18th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 12th rushing, 5th passing, 20th scoring

KEY ADDITIONS: QB Jon Kitna (from Lions), QB Stephen McGee (4th Round, Texas A&M), OL Robert Brewster (3rd Round, Ball State), DE Igor Olshansky (from Chargers), LB Keith Brooking (from Falcons), LB Matt Stewart (from Cardinals), LB Jason Williams (3rd Round, Western Illinois), FS Gerald Sensabaugh (from Jaguars), K David Buehler (5th Round, USC)

KEY DEPARTURES: QB Brad Johnson (released), QB Brooks Bollinger (not tendered), WR Terrell Owens (to Bills), TE Tony Curtis (to Eagles), G Joe Berger (to Dolphins), DL Chris Canty (to Giants), DT Tank Johnson (to Bengals), ILB Zach Thomas (to Chiefs), OLB Greg Ellis (to Raiders), OLB Kevin Burnett (to Chargers), OLB Carlos Polk (not tendered), S Roy Williams (to Bengals), S Keith Davis (to Dolphins), CB Anthony Henry (to Lions), CB Adam Jones (released)

QB: While Romo's numbers (3448 passing yards, 26 TD, 14 INT) last season were a drop-off from his superb 2007 campaign, the value of Jessica Simpson's one- time beau was perfectly illustrated when the Cowboys' offense came to a virtual crawl in the three midseason games he missed with a broken finger. Forty-year-old Brad Johnson proved to be unfit as an emergency fill-in and was released in February, with the team trading for veteran Jon Kitna (758 passing yards, 5 TD, 5 INT) to take his place. The former Detroit Lion should be an upgrade as the No. 2 signal-caller, a role rookie Stephen McGee will be groomed for after being taken in the fourth round of April's draft.

RB: The Cowboys boast arguably the deepest stable of tailbacks the league has to offer in the trio of Marion Barber (885 rushing yards, 52 receptions, 9 total TD), Felix Jones (266 rushing yards, 3 TD, 2 receptions) and Tashard Choice (472 rushing yards, 2 TD, 21 receptions). The bruising Barber, a strong inside runner and skilled receiver out of the backfield, carried most of the rushing load last year, but look for a near-even split of touches this year between him and the dynamic Jones, whose promising rookie season was cut short after only six games due to toe and hamstring injuries. The Arkansas product and Jerry Jones favorite averaged an eye-popping 8.9 yards per rush attempt in limited duty last year. Choice, also entering his second season, proved to be a capable understudy when pressed into service for an ailing Barber late in the year. Dallas won't use a fullback much, but the club seems satisfied with what its has at the position in third-year pro Deon Anderson.

WR/TE: While Owens' non-stop antics and divisive presence were an obvious drain on the team, the Cowboys are still going to be hard-pressed to replace the nearly 1,200 yards and 13 touchdowns the big-play wideout averaged in his three years in Big D. The team is counting on Roy E. Williams (36 receptions, 2 TD), a curious mid-year acquisition from Detroit, to be that field- stretching No. 1 receiver capable of drawing double coverage, and paid him like one as well with a five-year, $45 million contract shortly after the trade. The former University of Texas star needs to contribute more than the 19 catches and 198 yards he mustered in the new offense following the swap, however. Owens' departure elevates Patrick Crayton (39 receptions, 4 TD) back to the starting position he held down before Williams' addition, with Sam Hurd and return specialist Miles Austin (13 receptions, 3 TD) competing to be the third option of a suspect corps of wide receivers. Dallas has far fewer questions at tight end, where Jason Witten (81 receptions, 4 TD) garnered a second straight All-Pro nod after topping the team in receptions, and sophomore Martellus Bennett (20 receptions, 4 TD) displayed a world of potential that should land the 2008 second-round pick a greater role going forward.

OL: Although three of the five members (left tackle Flozell Adams, center Andre Gurode and right guard Leonard Davis) of Dallas' highly-regarded front wall made the Pro Bowl after last season, the group wasn't as effective in protecting the quarterbacks and paving holes for the running game as the previous year. The inconsistent Adams stood among the league leaders in penalties one year after signing a lucrative long-term contract, and the team had trouble finding a suitable replacement for steady left guard Kyle Kosier, held to just three games in 2008 because of a fractured foot. Davis and Gurode did both deliver strong seasons and are two of the best in the league at their respective positions, while Marc Colombo has been durable and reliable at the right tackle spot and was rewarded with a four-year extension in December. Cory Procter, who started 11 times in Kosier's place last year, heads a contingent of holdover reserves that also includes guard Montrae Holland and tackles Pat McQuistan and Doug Free.

DL: This sturdy three-man front lost a key member during the offseason with the free-agent defection of regular right end Chris Canty (37 tackles, 3 sacks) to the division-rival Giants, then signed ex-Charger Igor Olshansky (29 tackles, 2 sacks) to fill the void. The 27-year-old is a sound run-stopper who's quite familiar with Dallas' scheme from having played under Phillips when the head coach was San Diego's defensive coordinator. He'll line up opposite 2005 first-round pick Marcus Spears (35 tackles, 1 sacks), who hasn't quite lived up to his draft status but may be motivated in a contract year. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff (51 tackles), on the other hand, has surpassed expectations as a seventh-round choice and earned Pro Bowl honors after compiling 7 1/2 sacks last year and holding his own versus the run. He'll have a new backup this year in former Chiefs washout Junior Siavii, tabbed to replace Tank Johnson after the controversial lineman was not retained. Jason Hatcher (17 tackles, 1 sack) and Stephen Bowen (17 tackles) are back as the primary reserves on the ends.

LB: The strongest unit on the Dallas defense features arguably the game's most dominant defender in Ware (84 tackles, 6 forced fumbles), who racked up a league-best 20 sacks and matched an NFL record with a sack in 10 consecutive contests during a banner 2008 season. Bradie James (116 tackles) also had an excellent year from his inside spot, contributing eight sacks to a unit that topped the league with 59 quarterback takedowns. The four-man crew will have two new regulars, however. Proven pass rusher Greg Ellis was cut loose in June to clear a path for talented third-year pro Anthony Spencer (34 tackles, 1.5 sacks) to start opposite Ware on the outside, and the team also bid adieu to the aging Zach Thomas (94 tackles, 1 sack) following one nondescript season. Thomas will be replaced by another declining veteran in Keith Brooking (102 tackles), with the 33-year-old ex-Falcon likely to be replaced on passing downs by either disappointing former first-round choice Bobby Carpenter (13 tackles) or speedy rookie Jason Williams, a third-round pick in April. Further depth was added through the draft with the fourth-round selections of Oregon State's Victor Butler and Texas Tech's Brandon Williams, though the latter will miss the season after tearing his ACL during the exhibition slate.

DB: This area will be going through a transitional phase as well, with Roy L. Williams receiving his release in March and the Cowboys trading veteran cornerback Anthony Henry to the Lions in exchange for Kitna. Top cover man Terence Newman (37 tackles, 4 INT, 11 PD) does return to a defense that yielded the fifth-fewest passing yards in the league last year, but managed a mere eight interceptions. The standout corner, along with incumbent free safety Ken Hamlin (74 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack), will be asked to provide leadership to a secondary which will have a pair of untested second-year men, 2008 first-round pick Mike Jenkins (19 tackles, 1 INT) and fifth-round surprise Orlando Scandrick (36 tackles, 1 sack) holding down one of the starting corner positions. The loser of that battle will still see plenty of action in nickel situations. Gerald Sensabaugh (70 tackles, 4 INT) was given a one-year trial deal to take over Williams' old strong safety spot following a productive season in Jacksonville, with special teams standout Pat Watkins (21 tackles) and corner-safety hybrid Alan Ball (9 tackles) back to lend depth. Dallas would benefit greatly from a bounce-back season out of Hamlin, who picked off five passes and made the Pro Bowl in 2007.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Dallas is in good hands in the kicking game, as placekicker Nick Folk made good on an excellent 20-of-22 field goal tries last year and the strong-legged Mat McBriar (49.0 avg.) ranked among the NFL leaders in gross punting before suffering a season-ending foot fracture in Week 6. The team wasn't thrilled with Folk's performance on kickoffs, though, which explains the selection of Southern California kicker David Buehler in the fifth round of this year's draft. The former Trojan had an impressive 48 touchbacks as a senior and is the favorite to handle those duties in the fall. Felix Jones averaged better than 27 yards and had a touchdown returning kicks prior to getting hurt in mid-October, while Crayton (9.5 avg.) has been sure- handed but unspectacular taking back punts over the years. The Cowboys are hoping some of the 12 rookies the team drafted in April will be able to shore up coverage units that were suspect at times last season.

PROGNOSIS: Dallas actually enters this season in the rare position of being a bit overlooked, with the Eagles and Giants having grabbed a majority of the offseason attention among the NFC East pack for their offseason personnel moves and off-field exploits. The finger-pointing and locker-room snitching that triggered last season's demise seems to finally have dissipated, and the 2009 Cowboys appear to be a more focused and hungry group than last year's volatile mix. What last season's failures revealed as much as the chemistry problems, however, was a troubling lack of depth in a number of key areas, and it's debatable as to whether those issues have been sufficiently fixed. There's certainly enough parts in place for Dallas to return to the playoff mix after a one-year hiatus, but questions on defense and wide receiver may put the Cowboys a notch below the top teams in the rugged NFC East.