It's worth noting at this point that the Cowboys are very good. They went 13-3 last year. Romo is an outstanding player. No running back in the league runs with as much fury as Marion Barber. Owens isn't the league's best pass-catcher but he is its most terrifying receiver because of his combination of size, speed and power. Tight end Jason Witten is excellent. The offensive line is very good and the defense has the requisite superstar in DeMarcus Ware and 10 good to very good players.

Mentally? That's where the problems lie. Last season, after Thanksgiving, the Cowboys started to backslide. In their final six games (including the playoff loss to the Giants), they went 3-3 and one of the wins was a 28-27 edging of the moribund Lions.

Phillips, oblivious to his team's need for a kick in the can, gamely maintained an "All is well, we won 13 games," mantra right until the end. It's worth noting at this point, Phillips' regular season record as a head coach is 61-42. His postseason record is 0-4.

Because there is much more than simple Xs and Os to being the Cowboys head coach, there are times when this job and this team seem too big for the ambling, rambling Phillips.

The roster has a combustible mix of talent and ego.

"We have a lot of names. We have a lot of egos," admits linebacker Bradie James. "One thing that we have done is (try) to put those things aside. When you have a lot of names on the defensive side of the ball or the offensive side of the ball – everywhere, really – the only name that matters is the Dallas Cowboys. If we can get all that pride and ego out the door and come together as one, we can be a force. There are so many things are going on, there is so much potential for distractions, in order for us to be where we want to be, we have to set aside those things."

The Cowboys, James says, will not pretend to be something they are not.

"We can’t be the Patriots," he allows. "The Patriots, they epitomize the whole team concept. Those guys are all about team and that's it. We're not them. We are a team that has a bunch of names, a bunch of personalities and a bunch of youth. We are learning what it takes to win at the right time."

Jones, whose eyes have been locked on mine during our conversation, looks down when I mention James' comment about the Patriots.

"You can have different personalities and have a team," he says after a moment's thought. "You do have to have the team concept and a common purpose. But to think it's going to be done with the same makeup and the same people, that’s not even realistic. That team will recognize that it’s different people and different backgrounds and different motivations involved.

"Unlike the traditional way to build an army or whatever, I don't believe you have to break people down to their soul and then build them back up," Jones concludes. "I have a strong belief that the spirit and the will that is there gets better if it's (not broken down)."

This is a privilege Jones gives his players. Despite inroads made by the Patriots and Giants, the Cowboys remain "America's Team." There is a cache to that for players and they are allowed to cash in on it. What Jones expects in return is a Super Bowl.

Give Adam Jones the last word:

"We're America's Team. [We're] expected to win. Just like the boss man. He don't want no less than that and we don't expect no less as a team. We got to do what we got to do man."

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