FORT WORTH, Texas — Let me spare you the time and expense of perusing the preseason magazines to see what they think about the Dallas Cowboys:
Yawn.

The prognosticators are, you might say, far from impressed.
A year ago at this time, the Cowboys were the trendy, cover-boy picks to be the coming season’s NFL champions.
This summer, there’s almost a backlash.
The wordplay and common theme among the preseason journals seem to be along the lines of High Noon in Dallas, as if there’s a hangin’ a-coming, sheriff, because, of course, all East Coast writers must show us that they can speak Texan.
But on this, they are correct. It is showdown time at Valley Ranch.
The minicamps are over. The new stadium will soon be ready for football. Receiver Roy Williams, who is rumored to now play for the Cowboys, has been introduced to Tony Romo.
Questions remain, however, as the Cowboys wait for the start of training camp.
Questions about team leadership. Questions about quarterback Romo. Questions about Williams and the receiving corps. Questions about the lame-duck head coach, Wade Phillips.
Through it all, owner Jerry Jones has been in his familiar summer role, which is standing in the middle of the town square, shouting that all is well.
It isn’t, of course. You don’t need to buy a magazine to tell you that.
The 2008 season ended with a disgraceful 44-6 spanking at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys, after finishing 13-3 the year before, ended with a 9-7 record.
They were... (pause, like the beer commercial) ...the world’s most overrated team. Stay thirsty, my friends.
Over the past 10 NFL regular seasons, Jones’ team has posted a record better than 9-7 only twice. Curiously, those two came in the respective first seasons of head coaches Phillips and Bill Parcells.
Over the past 10 seasons, the Cowboys have a combined regular season record of 79-81. Only six teams in the NFC have worse records during that stretch.
The Philadelphia Eagles have had the NFC’s best record, 97-64-1, followed in order by the Packers, Giants and Buccaneers (tied), Seahawks, Rams, Vikings and Bears. The Cowboys’ 10-year record is tied for ninth in the conference with the Carolina Panthers’.
Over the last 10 years, in other words, the Cowboys are losers. Yet, Jones won’t stop talking about Super Bowls.
Here’s a question: Are you still driving around the same car you had in 1995?
Jones isn’t either, but he’s still using the Vince Lombardi Trophy from that year as a hood ornament.
As training camp nears, Jones has to convince people — maybe even his team — that keeping Phillips around was the right choice. Phillips promised changes in the wake of the 44-6 debacle at Philly.
Thus, his moves, daily press conferences and postgame demeanors will be scrutinized accordingly.
The shadow could get stifling. If Phillips loses a couple of games in a row, his job status will become a daily story.
Will somebody in Phillips’ locker room stand up and be the team leader?
That question also will have to be answered. Tight end Jason Witten already will have much to do, carrying the cross for the offense. And quarterback Romo’s frat-boy style doesn’t lend itself to him being the locker room leader.
The task, therefore, likely must fall on the defense. DeMarcus Ware and Bradie James could, and should, assume the team’s leadership roles. People will listen.
The other lingering question, meanwhile, concerns the wide receivers. It’s natural to assume that, after his first off-season with the team, Williams will have a more efficient working rapport with Romo.
But what is this guy’s ceiling? Can Williams catch 85 balls and score 15 touchdowns, the way Terrell Owens did?
Can he get open? He’s going to have to, or the losing will continue.
High noon in Dallas? You don’t need to see the blinding sun reflecting off the new stadium to realize that.
One more season without a playoff victory, and what happens to Phillips? To Williams? To Romo himself?
Fortunately, we don’t hang people anymore in these parts.
But training camp starts soon. And it’s time for Jones’ team to start answering some questions.