Back in 2008, the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys unexpectedly fell victim to the New York Giants in the NFC divisional round, and then painfully watched their hated-rival spoil the New England Patriots' perfect season in Super Bowl 42.
While there's no pleasure in playing the coulda-shoulda-woulda game, former Cowboys edge rusher DeMarcus Ware is still somewhat bitter about losing to the Giants at home, and exiting the playoffs prematurely.
"I felt like that was our year, because we came out like the Monstars every game," Ware told The DA Show on Friday. "Just that one game, we slipped. And I was like, 'That was it, that was the year.' I think we would've [defeated the Patriots], because one thing we did was bring pressure. We had great pressure guys.
"The Giants had great pressure guys -- from [Justin] Tuck to [Michael] Strahan to Osi [Umenyiora] -- they crushed the Patriots at the time. I think we could've done the same thing, but we just had to get past a team that could beat us doing the same thing."
Dallas, which finished 13-3 during the 2007 regular season, ranked third in the league in yards per game (365.7), and second in points per game (28.4) and total points (455). As for the Cowboys' defense, led by Ware in the trenches, they ranked third in the NFL in total sacks (46), fifth in quarterback hits (91), and seventh in interceptions (19). Ware also recorded a team-high 14 sacks and 26 QB hits.
The 2021 Cowboys will open the regular season on the road against the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Sept. 9. According to the William Hill Sportsbook, Dallas currently has the best odds (+115) to win the NFC East, and the sixth-best odds (+1400) to win the conference.
The entire NFL conversation with Ware can be accessed in the audio and video players above.
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