Dallas Cowboys need to improve in April

As anybody watching the Cowboys play this season could see, this team needs change. And if you didn't see them play even once, shame on you for one, just simply look at their record and their place in the division. A team with so much 'talent' to finish so poorly is unacceptable.

Jason Garrett has taken the challenge and at times, seemingly, the burden of building and sustaining a playoff caliber Cowboys team. The Cowboys have the money and the glamor and the history to lure talent through free agency. Unfortunately, you cannot build a team through free agency. It's too expensive and the players, generally, don't make it to free agency unless there's issues somewhere. You're team will also get old very quickly if you continue to try to build through adding veteran players.

You have to build teams through the draft. It's tough, but it's absolutely essential if you want to have a good team for years to come. And the Cowboys haven't really had a successful one, by my standards, since 2005 and even that's kinda iffy.

Look at the drafts since '05:

2005 - Dallas Cowboys
Rd	Sel #	Player	Position	School
1	11	DeMarcus Ware	OLB	Troy State
1	20	Marcus Spears	DE	Louisiana State
2	42	Kevin Burnett	LB	Tennessee
4	109	Marion Barber	RB	Minnesota
4	132	Chris Canty	DE	Virginia
6	208	Justin Beriault	DB	Ball State
6	209	Rob Petitti	T	Pittsburgh
7	224	Jay Ratliff	DE	Auburn

2006 - Dallas Cowboys
Rd	Sel #	Player	Position	School
1	18	Bobby Carpenter	LB	Ohio State
2	53	Anthony Fasano	TE	Notre Dame
3	92	Jason Hatcher	DE	Grambling State
4	125	Skyler Green	WR	Louisiana State
5	138	Pat Watkins	FS	Florida State
6	182	Montavious Stanley	DT	Louisville
7	211	Pat McQuistan	T	Weber State
7	224	E.J. Whitley	C	Texas Tech

2007 - Dallas Cowboys
Rd	Sel #	Player	Position	School
1	26	Anthony Spencer	OLB	Purdue
3	67	James Marten	OT	Boston College
4	103	Isaiah Stanback	WR	Washington
4	122	Doug Free	OT	Northern Illinois
6	178	Nick Folk	K	Arizona
6	195	Deon Anderson	FB	Connecticut
7	212	Courtney Brown	CB	Cal Poly-S.L.O.
7	237	Alan Ball	CB	Illinois

2008 - Dallas Cowboys
Rd	Sel #	Player	Position	School
1	22	Felix Jones	RB	Arkansas
1	25	Mike Jenkins	CB	South Florida
2	61	Martellus Bennett	TE	Texas A&M
4	122	Tashard Choice	RB	Georgia Tech
5	143	Orlando Scandrick	CB	Boise State
6	167	Erik Walden	LB	Middle Tennessee State

2009 - Dallas Cowboys
Rd	Sel #	Player	Position	School
3	69	Jason Williams	LB	Western Illinois
3	75	Robert Brewster	T	Ball State
4	101	Stephen McGee	QB	Texas A&M
4	110	Victor Butler	DE	Oregon State
4	120	Brandon Williams	DE	Texas Tech
5	143	DeAngelo Smith	DB	Cincinnati
5	166	Mike Hamlin	DB	Clemson
5	172	David Buehler	K	USC
6	197	Stephen Hodge	LB	Texas Christian
6	208	John Phillips	TE	Virginia
7	227	Mike Mickens	CB	Cincinnati
7	229	Manuel Johnson	WR	Oklahoma

2009 - Dallas Cowboys
Rd	Sel #	Player	Position	School
3	69	Jason Williams	LB	Western Illinois
3	75	Robert Brewster	T	Ball State
4	101	Stephen McGee	QB	Texas A&M
4	110	Victor Butler	DE	Oregon State
4	120	Brandon Williams	DE	Texas Tech
5	143	DeAngelo Smith	DB	Cincinnati
5	166	Mike Hamlin	DB	Clemson
5	172	David Buehler	K	USC
6	197	Stephen Hodge	LB	Texas Christian
6	208	John Phillips	TE	Virginia
7	227	Mike Mickens	CB	Cincinnati
7	229	Manuel Johnson	WR	Oklahoma

2010 - Dallas Cowboys
Rd	Sel #	Player	Position	School
1	24	Dez Bryant	WR	Oklahoma State
2	55	Sean Lee	LB	Penn State
4	126	Akwasi Owusu-Ansah	DB	Indiana(PA)
6	179	Sam Young	OT	Notre Dame
6	196	Jamar Wall	DB	Texas Tech
7	234	Sean Lissemore	DT	William & Mary

There's not many players who are still in the league, much less on the Cowboys roster. A lot of people will point to Jerry Jones and his perceived lack of football knowledge and he definitely deserves some of the blame. How much, is anyone's guess. Whatever the reason, it's imperative that the Cowboys improve on who the choose through the draft.

I'm not saying their struggles through the draft in recent memory are the reason the Cowboys finished 6-10 this season. My thoughts on their downfall have been fairly well documented. I believe not being able to draft properly has kept this team, when good, from being great. 

This team has talent. It's on the older side, but again, they have the players to win a lot of games. It's the coaches job to get those players to mesh and play as a unit. It's his job to get the most out of those players every day. It's his job to get them to focus on the task at hand. And it's the owners job, and in this case, the GM's job also, to allow the coach to do his job. 

Drafting better will just makes things easier for everyone involved.