Not quite as bright for the Boys anymore...

if I understand the playoff scenario correctly, the winner of this weekend's Cowboys/Redskins matchup will be the winner of the NFC East.

That's correct, the loss on Sunday didn't hurt the Cowboys playoff chances at all.

It did in that winning last week could have put them in with a loss next Sunday.

But I like it better this way. If the Cowboys can't beat the Redskins, they wouldn't be going very far anyway.

Scott, I meant that after the results of all of Sunday's games it didn't matter.
They wouldn't have made the playoffs with a win against the Saints and a loss to the 'Skins.

Still a chance. Should have to win to get in. Was watching a news report on channel 9 here in DC that said that 73% of the people who voted, and every state but Texas, were rooting for the Redskins. Did not get all the details on who ran the poll, but wow. I am in the minority on that one.

That's probably a direct reflection of people tiring of the media making so much fuss about a team that has done so little for nearly 20 years now.

Anxiously awaiting an update to this thread from Dallas fans. Another ho-hum finish from an underachieving franchise. How many sets of goat horns and who gets to wear them?

Todd - why so anxious? We're fans of our team, just as you are a fan of yours. None of us play professional football, so there shouldn't be anything personal. I'm also an Astros fan - underachievers as well. I'm proud not to be a bandwagon fan of ANY sports team, and I've stuck with both teams through the good and the bad.

Okay, here are my thoughts, and they are the same as last year, and the year before, and the year before that. When it's crunch time and the playoffs are on the line, Romo can't do the job. Yeah, great stats during the season. That hasn't gotten us to the playoffs.

The Cowboys are considered by Forbes to be the most valuable football franchise, so the "America's Team" thing has worked. The Redskins are #3 on the list. It's strange to me that I get to see the Cowboys almost every week on t.v., yet I live in Seattle where everyone hates them. People here must want to watch them, even if it's just to see them lose. I'm fine with that.

Scott,
I have no issue with any of it. I never have liked them bc when I was growing up in St. Louis they were the Cardinals biggest rivals. But I'll give them their due - they were good and when you best them you beat a good team. This is all a part of the ESPNing of American Sports, you get a hold of something and cover it and beat it into the ground. That's what you have with Jerry Jones. Honestly I can't tell from the coverage most of the time if they are mocking him or lauding him. He has built a great monument to himself there, now he needs to fill it with a football team.

At the end of the day I don't think most fans, pro or con, measure the success of a franchise based on where it stands on the the Forbes list but rather on how many championships it at least competes for. And IMO after the initial run of glory purchased by Herschel Walker and coached by Jimmy J., Jerrah has put up a goose egg.

I live in KC which is closer to Big D and I don't get the Cowboys every week. It's close though and it makes for good theatre.

+1....The same can be said about my Falcons and Matt Ryan. Until they go deep in the post season, all the great stats and records in the regular season don't mean anything.

I mentioned Forbes because the value of the franchise is at least partially the result of all the media hype the team receives. The more everyone hates them (the more "theater"), the more their value increases. Winning hasn't seemed to matter.

All true, but you as a "fan," would trade several spots on the Forbes list for a couple of playoff runs wouldn't you? So as an investment the Cowboys have been a windfall for Jerry but in terms of on-field success how would you rate his tenure as owner?

Who's #2 on the list btw the Cowboys and the Redskins, the Pats?

I'm pretty sure it was the Pats. Surprised me - I thought the Giants would be either #2 or #3.

Of course I want to see them win, and I don't care what the franchise is worth - again, just a response to your comment about the media.

Re: on field performance

Jerry Jones brought all of this on himself. He pushed Jimmy Johnson out because he thought he could coach just as well. Who knows what Jimmy might have accomplished if he had been there long term. Jerry has continued to act as GM with very little success. I'm definitely not a Dan Snyder fan but, after a decade of futility, he was smart enough to shut his mouth, hire a coach and GM to get the job done, and let them do what they do best without meddling. Jerry is apparently not that smart.

jeff

Jeff, it's just his huge ego. I've never heard of anyone having a bigger ego, but he's not stupid.

The positive thing about the Washington loss is that Cowboys fans can forget about them until next Fall. My prediction is that they will have a much better year, easily make the playoffs, then choke in the first round.

I believe around this time last year I made some predictions about Romo choking this season. I'll have to go dig that post up :)

When it comes for FOOTBALL, I would maintain that he's not smart.

jeff

I believe you can state that empirically based on his total body of work. I think Scott is right, this is an ego issue. I just can't fathom someone having that big of an ego that they can't even get out of their own way.

Winning football games isn't the most important thing to Jones - he has to win his way, and everyone has to know that the Cowboys are winning because of him. In the '90s, everyone knew it was because of Jimmy Johnson, and Jones hated that. Now he has to win with Garrett, and if he manages to, and Garrett gets credit, Garrett will be gone before long. That's the new Cowboys formula.

I was talking with someone last night, comparing the Seattle situation and Pete Carroll, with the Jones/Johnson thing in the '90s. The big difference is that Paul Allen lets Pete Carroll coach the team and John Schneider gets to be the GM. What an odd arrangement! As a result, the Seahawks might be at the beginning of a long reign.

http://media.oregonlive.com/educatio...d734d20792.jpg

Agreed Scott, even Dan Snyder saw the light. Has always been the same way, remember when he hired Switzer, overmatched from the begining. Never been the same since. Things were coming together, in my opinion with Parcells, who seemed to get fed up with it. Think we will just have to deal with it until we fall lower on Forbes list or a fan revolt. He is just counting his money, and believing he is not part of the problem. Free agency has taken alot of joy out of it for me with 50%roster turnover per year. Still a fan though.

3 thoughts on this subject:

• I can't believe I'm in a nit-picking contest over how to classify Jerry Jone's brain :(
• He's 70 years old, so his brain probably is only going to get worse :eek:
• I'm 54, so if my health holds out, I should enjoy around 16 years of Jones-free Cowboys at some point.
• Still lots of great NFL football left. Any team that wins will be a good story...except the 49'ers

I'm not sure what you mean about Switzer (ego-clash with Jones?), but the only thing worse than turning ownership over to someone from Arkansas, dumping Landry like he was garbage, bringing in Jerry Johnson and his perfect hair (which actually ended up being good) or watching the team go from a clean image to the exact opposite....was naming Barry Switzer as the Cowboys head coach. When Switzer was hired I was stunned. However, some claim that he had a Super Bowl team handed over to him, and I have to disagree. A coach still has to coach his team through the season, all the playoff games and actually win the Super Bowl. To say Switzer had it handed to him is like saying coaches don't matter.

I agree with you about Parcells. They even addressed the 'Jones interference' possibilities before signing the contract, but his ego STILL managed to creep in and screw things up. If Jones had dropped dead during Parcells' last year, I think the Cowboys would have turned it around the next year or two.

I meant that I feel that Jones gave Switzer the job to prove to Johnson that anybody could win with that team. I do feel that almost anyone could have won with that team. I feel in that instance the coach did not matter much, that team had been there before and won it in spite of him. Switzer lost the team after that year, I felt he was overmatched. Agree about the Landry thing, had a hard time with that one for awhile. Like you say I do think his ego gets in the way of common sense sometimes, but who can fire the GM now. lol