Wrappin up the ‘Boys'

Coming into the 2009-2010 season, the Dallas Cowboys were a team that no one believed in. An embarrassing 44-6 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles ended their previous season and any playoff aspirations they had.

The Cowboys, however, lost more than just playoff hopes that day in Philly. They lost the trust of the fans. The loss was the low point of 13 years of mediocrity for the proud organization known as "America's Team."

The Cowboys went from the league's most talented team to its most disappointing one in the span of a season.

The Cowboys could be defined by one word in 2009-2010 – redemption – highlighted by the fact that they redeemed their loss to the Eagles by beating them three different times this season, stealing the NFC East title from them and ending their season with a playoff beat down.

Nothing could have given Cowboys fans more satisfaction.

When Cowboys fans look back at this season, they should fondly remember the good moments and savor the redemption that came with them.

Following are the five major moments that headlined the 2009-2010 season:

1. "We Gonna hit ‘em in the mouth" – By the end of the year, the image of Keith Brooking's pregame rituals that served to pump up the Cowboys should have been firmly ingrained into every Cowboy fan's brain. Brooking readied the troops by taking to the middle of huddles and yelling at his teammates before games, and while it may seem like a juvenile ritual that's been overemphasized by the media, it symbolized two significant changes in the Cowboys this year.

First, over the duration of the season, Brooking became the leader that the Cowboys lacked last year. Second, the fact that Brooking, a newcomer in the Cowboys' locker room, could have such an impact on the leadership of the team highlighted the impact that the newcomers the Cowboys brought in during the offseason had. Special Teams Coordinator, Joe DeCamillis, linebacker Keith Brooking, free safety Gerald Sensabaugh, defensive end Igor Olshansky, and even rookie kicker David Beuhler were unheralded signings that were intricate to the Cowboys' success.

2. "Running for Miles" – Perhaps the turning point to the Cowboys' season was Miles Austin's catch and touchdown run in the Cowboys' overtime win against the Kansas City Chiefs. In Austin's first start of his career, he had a breakout game that ended up propelling him into the Pro Bowl. This moment also symbolized the many breakout players that ended up propelling the cowboys to winning the NFC East. Players such as second-year cornerback Mike Jenkins, third-year linebacker Anthony Spencer, and virtually-unknown tackle Doug Free were all pleasant surprises, capitalizing on the chances they were given to have a positive impact on the Cowboys' season.

3. "Opening of Cowboys stadium" – In the opening of Jerryworld, the Cowboys and Tony Romo came up small against the Giants. Romo threw three interceptions and his mistakes ended up costing the Cowboys the game. However, the game symbolized a change in Romo as quarterback. From this point on Romo began taking care of the ball and trusting his defense to keep him in games. The transformation of sorts that he endured early in the season was followed by initial struggles, but ultimately led to him being an elite quarterback by the end of the year.

4. "Be ‘Ware' of the Cowboys D"- Demarcus Ware's sack of Drew Brees to lead the Cowboys to victory of the New Orleans Saints. Just a week before the New Orleans game, Ware was carted off the field against the San Diego Chargers, with an apparently-serious neck injury. Ware was not expected to play that week against the Saints, but team doctors cleared him late in the week, and his play ended up giving the Cowboys the boost they needed to upset the undefeated Saints in New Orleans.

5. "Mauling at the Metrodome" – Yes, for all the good memories the Cowboys gave the fans this year, it will be hard to shake the image of Brett Favre running around celebrating his Vikings late touchdown against the ‘Boys. Keith Brooking didn't like it and neither did Cowboys fans.

The interesting thing about this game was that the media and Cowboys' fans and were waiting for the inevitable downfall of this team, only people believed that it would come a week earlier at the hands of the Eagles. Still though, they believed a downfall was coming; trust takes time to build back up.