Time to move on.

So, I’m finally ready to start posting to this blog again after the Cowboys’ playoff exit on Sunday, but I have my sunglasses on, just in case I get a little emotional.

I won’t speak very much about that game, because frankly, what happened shouldn’t have, and I’ll leave it at that.

Now that the season is over, albeit a little earlier than any Cowboys fan wanted it to be, it’s time to look ahead, because dwelling doesn‘t help anyone.

Tony Sparano leaving was expected from the word go; Dallas’ loss just sped up the whole process and allowed Parcells and Co. to get the deal done a lot sooner.

Thankfully, Jason Garrett used both his head and his heart and decided to stay in Dallas, which works out great for everyone.

While that little raise he got is certainly a nice perk, Garrett gets to continue to ready himself for being a head coach, and frankly, getting to work with one of the league’s best offenses and be a part of big success for the foreseeable future sounds a lot more appealing than going to Atlanta (unless he likes the thought of going out to dinner and a show with Pacman Jones) or Baltimore.

A less secure man would probably get a little uneasy about all of the love that Garrett’s getting, but if you’re Wade Phillips, you have nothing to worry about, and not just because you’re still raking in more $$, even with Garrett’s hefty raise.

He knows he’ll be leaving the franchise in capable hands when he decides to retire, and besides that, after the success that Dallas had in ’07, having to install a new offensive gameplan likely wasn’t on Phillips’ list of things to do in 2008.

And, if you’re Jerry Jones, you now don’t have to worry about potentially making other plans for the future.

Now, provided that the Cowboys don’t lose anymore assistant coaches in the off-season, it’s time to think about the on-field personnel.

Marion Barber needs to be tied up soon, with a nice new long-term contract for the new starter. With all apologies to Julius Jones, but if it‘s a decision between giving one a new contract and letting the other one go, Barber‘s the choice, hands down.

Jones’ touches and effectiveness went down in the latter part of the season, and it was a pretty telling sign that Barber was the starter against the Giants after Jones had still held onto the starting job despite Barber getting more carries.

And, instead of giving Julius a hefty new contract, Jerry should just use the draft to get someone that will complement Barber’s physicality and add an extra dimension to an already high-powered offense (where it wouldn’t be strange to see both backs in the game at the same time), and allow Jones to pursue a fresh opportunity as a starter elsewhere.

Those two guys aren’t the only free agents the Cowboys have to make decisions on, but I‘ll address that and the draft in an upcoming post, along with a quick preview of next season, which promises to be another (and hopefully more) successful season, unless Tony Romo decides to give up his promising football career to become a movie star. And Tony, Dukes of Hazzard 2, no matter how nice Jessica might make it sound, would not be a good career move.