We've seen this show before.
Openly ignoring what happened last winter, we watch as the Dallas Cowboys are raised up as Super Bowl contenders once again. We're told they have all the pieces, they're talented enough and this year, at last, they will be crowned king once again.
Then the games start and (ever since January 1996, at least) some other NFL team is made champion.
It's a dynamic that generates a fair amount of disdain for the Cowboys and might heap unfair expectations on the franchise, except for the fact that enough of the buzz comes directly from owner Jerry Jones and others close to the team.
Jason Witten said recently he was excited to face the Giants in the season opener on September 5 and believes Dallas is in position to match New York's feats of last season.
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"You see that schedule, knowing we're going to open up against the defending champs ... What else do you need to motivate yourself?" Witten told the team's official website. "It's time to do that. I think guys understand that. They've been around here and know to forget everything else and let's go be our best and play great football.
"There (are) going to be times when you lose, but you've got to be able to address it and get better. Hopefully we can hang our hats on that. We've got the right type of guys that can lead us to have the same kind of success that we've seen the Giants have."
As Jones has pointed out in the past, the Giants were a 9-7 team in 2011 that battled through its rockier moments and found a way to peak when it mattered. The 8-8 Cowboys had trouble getting out of their own way and crumbled under the lights. 2012 is very much a season under the microscope for Tony Romo and the Cowboys.
Witten sees a team ready to deliver. Until they do, excuse us if we remain suspicious.
