Super Bowl - in-depth analysis

[Harliduck]

Originally Posted by Runscott

So they have finished 8-8 each year and you call them "underperforming", yet you say they have zero talent? Not bad for underperforming no talent players.

The reason Cowboys fans like me are so frustrated with the team is that they have gone into each of the last three seasons with high expectations, BECAUSE of the talent, and have then underperformed - the players along with the management. I mention them for one reason - I have been a fan since 1966 - that's 47 years. How old are you?

Sorry for the rant, but if you are going to talk football, talk about the part you have been watching, or do some googling first. No offense.

Scott...I appreciate your comments, and if you are referring to me as too young to have an opinion I thank you for the compliment...haha. I have been a fan of the Seahawks since 1976, their inception, and have been a season ticket holder since 1980 (my parents) and took over their tickets...and personally am old enough to remember Tony Dorsett as my favorite player in my youth. So by math you got maybe 10 years on me as a fan...again...

I just see Romo as a QB who will never lead that team to the promise land (all I can think when saying Romo was the botched hold and fumble against my beloved Seahawks). I also feel your team needs major overhauls...just like the Seahawks had to go thru. Sure...we could have held on to the players who were aging and "so-so" that brought us our 2005 NFC Championship...but now...MASSIVE overhauls and good drafts and signings changed our fortunes. To me, the Cowboys are poster childs for the need to rebuild. Yes, they have a stellar history...but it's just that...history. They lack the coaching and the talent for the next level...and as a die hard Seahawk fan who was AGAINST all the changes we went thru (I am truly humbled by the genius of Carroll and Schneider), I certainly don't have the Cowboys answer...I just know with their current line up top to bottom...I am just glad I am NOT a fan...

To answer the age question...I was born in 1970...I am hoping you rip on me for being young...HAHAHA....

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

Scott...I appreciate your comments, and if you are referring to me as too young to have an opinion I thank you for the compliment...haha.

Absolutely not - I would never discount someone's opinion merely because of their age. I do realize that it sounded that way, but my point was that I have followed this team longer than most board members have been alive - I know the team very well, and that comes from following them from good years to bad years to good years, etc. We are in a bad spot at the moment, but I'm acutely aware of the reasons, and isn't for lack of Jerry Jones throwing money at the team. It's simply bad decisions compounded over years, resulting in a lack of motivation for very talented players. Unless you are a long-time Cowboys fan, or a sportswriter, there is no reason for you to have a good feel for these things.

Originally Posted by Harliduck

I have been a fan of the Seahawks since 1976, their inception, and have been a season ticket holder since 1980 (my parents) and took over their tickets...and personally am old enough to remember Tony Dorsett as my favorite player in my youth. So by math you got maybe 10 years on me as a fan...again...

I just see Romo as a QB who will never lead that team to the promise land (all I can think when saying Romo was the botched hold and fumble against my beloved Seahawks). I also feel your team needs major overhauls...just like the Seahawks had to go thru. Sure...we could have held on to the players who were aging and "so-so" that brought us our 2005 NFC Championship...but now...MASSIVE overhauls and good drafts and signings changed our fortunes. To me, the Cowboys are poster childs for the need to rebuild. Yes, they have a stellar history...but it's just that...history. They lack the coaching and the talent for the next level...and as a die hard Seahawk fan who was AGAINST all the changes we went thru (I am truly humbled by the genius of Carroll and Schneider), I certainly don't have the Cowboys answer...I just know with their current line up top to bottom...I am just glad I am NOT a fan...

To answer the age question...I was born in 1970...I am hoping you rip on me for being young...HAHAHA....

Tony Romo is NOT the reason for Dallas' problems. It was tough watching him grow up, throwing a lot of very ill-advised passes, being distracted by off-field stuff, etc., but I'll finally admit that without him we are worse. So he fumbled that snap against Seattle - one play, even if it cost them a shot at moving on. It wasn't stupid - it was a physical mistake. I don't know about the rest of you, but I never really had a choice about which teams I was a fan of. I grew up in the 1960's in Texas, so my teams were the Astros and the Cowboys (the AFL wasn't considered a real league by most of us). They still are - for better or worse. I pulled for the Broncos when I lived in Denver in the '70s and '80s, but they were my second team behind Dallas. Now I pull for the Seahawks and the Mariners, still behind Dallas and the Astros. It was actually easier to become a Mariners fan because they sucked - no arrogant fans. It's hard to like a team of arrogant winners, when you are new to a city. I lived in Atlanta from '94 - '05 and I never liked the Braves. I pulled for the Saints in the playoffs this year against Seattle, but I went to the NFC championship game, and hating the 49'ers, I bonded a bit with the team and the fans. One thing Seattle and Dallas have in common: we both dislike San Francisco.

No, I won't rip anyone for being young. My comments were related to your experience with Dallas in particular, not with your age. I figured you were probably born after I began following Dallas, and I was correct by about six years. Anyone can blast me for being a Cowboys fan, but I've been one for 47 years, and the post-Landry years have not been easy.

[itjclarke]

btw- genius move by Leon to move this thing over to the main board! It was a pretty thread lonely over there in the watercooler.

[Harliduck]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Absolutely not - I would never discount someone's opinion merely because of their age. I do realize that it sounded that way, but my point was that I have followed this team longer than most board members have been alive - I know the team very well, and that comes from following them from good years to bad years to good years, etc. We are in a bad spot at the moment, but I'm acutely aware of the reasons, and isn't for lack of Jerry Jones throwing money at the team. It's simply bad decisions compounded over years, resulting in a lack of motivation for very talented players. Unless you are a long-time Cowboys fan, or a sportswriter, there is no reason for you to have a good feel for these things.



Tony Romo is NOT the reason for Dallas' problems. It was tough watching him grow up, throwing a lot of very ill-advised passes, being distracted by off-field stuff, etc., but I'll finally admit that without him we are worse. So he fumbled that snap against Seattle - one play, even if it cost them a shot at moving on. It wasn't stupid - it was a physical mistake. I don't know about the rest of you, but I never really had a choice about which teams I was a fan of. I grew up in the 1960's in Texas, so my teams were the Astros and the Cowboys (the AFL wasn't considered a real league by most of us). They still are - for better or worse. I pulled for the Broncos when I lived in Denver in the '70s and '80s, but they were my second team behind Dallas. Now I pull for the Seahawks and the Mariners, still behind Dallas and the Astros. It was actually easier to become a Mariners fan because they sucked - no arrogant fans. It's hard to like a team of arrogant winners, when you are new to a city. I lived in Atlanta from '94 - '05 and I never liked the Braves. I pulled for the Saints in the playoffs this year against Seattle, but I went to the NFC championship game, and hating the 49'ers, I bonded a bit with the team and the fans. One thing Seattle and Dallas have in common: we both dislike San Francisco.

No, I won't rip anyone for being young. My comments were related to your experience with Dallas in particular, not with your age. I figured you were probably born after I began following Dallas, and I was correct by about six years. Anyone can blast me for being a Cowboys fan, but I've been one for 47 years, and the post-Landry years have not been easy.

Great comments and completely understood...I think you hit it best by saying you mentioned you can't pick who you are a fan of...now we here in Seattle are feeling good at the moment...but please remember, it is absolute HELL being a fan in Seattle...we haven't had this level of success since 1979!!! (And even though I have a daughter who plays for Team USA in Softball, I STILL don't consider a womens championship by our Seattle Storm anything of merit...)

I choose to ignore all the failures I live thru each and every year...and just hope my 8 year old son doesn't have to wait until HIS SON has to wait until he is in the 3rd grade for our towns next Championship!! GO HAWKS!!



I also agree with the poster who mentioned Spring Training...my daughter the baller simply said this..."Good, the NFL is OVER...now lets bring on Pitchers and Catchers for the REAL season!" That is when I knew I raised her RIGHT...lol...

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

I choose to ignore all the failures I live thru each and every year...and just hope my 8 year old son doesn't have to wait until HIS SON has to wait until he is in the 3rd grade for our towns next Championship!! GO HAWKS!!

It's all relative. From the late '60s through the early '80s, we were disappointed any time Dallas didn't win the Super Bowl. Now they don't even make the playoffs. The biggest sports moment of my life was seeing the Asros win their first playoff series. They have now won three total, and the last was nine years ago. So it could be worse than being a Seattle sports fan.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by Runscott

It's all relative. From the late '60s through the early '80s, we were disappointed any time Dallas didn't win the Super Bowl. Now they don't even make the playoffs. The biggest sports moment of my life was seeing the Asros win their first playoff series. They have now won three total, and the last was nine years ago. So it could be worse than being a Seattle sports fan.

You damn Cowboy fans, I hate you all. Try growing up a Giants fan in the 70s. 2-12 seemingly every year after 6-0 preseason starts. Despite winning four Superbowls I still feel the pain from 73-80, the ten years which made up the bulk of my youth. After one fluke year in 81, the Giants were awful again until 84. That's 13 out of 14 horrendous years with the one winning year a 9-7 record. Live through that.

[h2oya311]

Wow!! Shellacking!

[wolf441]

I haven't seen a Bronco in that much trouble since 1994!

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by calvindog

You damn Cowboy fans, I hate you all. Try growing up a Giants fan in the 70s. 2-12 seemingly every year after 6-0 preseason starts. Despite winning four Superbowls I still feel the pain from 73-80, the ten years which made up the bulk of my youth. After one fluke year in 81, the Giants were awful again until 84. That's 13 out of 14 horrendous years with the one winning year a 9-7 record. Live through that.

Everyone hates the Cowboys and their fans, except Cowboy fans. While we had Landry coaching we were still 'clean' and somewhat likable, but Jerry Jones, Michael Irvin, etc., changed all that. I actually quit being a fan for a couple of games back in the '90s, and still renounce my fan-ship after each miraculous come-from-ahead loss of the last three years. I can't tell you how many times in that period I've sworn I'll never watch another Cowboys game.

When I was a kid the Super Bowl didn't matter - the big game each of my first two years of football awareness was losing to the Packers in the NFL Championship. The Chiefs and Raiders were non-entities, along with the rest of the AFL - the Packers might as well have been playing our high school team as far as we were concerned. The Jets changed all of that.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Everyone hates the Cowboys and their fans, except Cowboy fans. While we had Landry coaching we were still 'clean' and somewhat likable, but Jerry Jones, Michael Irvin, etc., changed all that.

Some of my most painful memories as a kid were the few times we had a lead on the Cowboys late in the 4th quarter only to go into a 'prevent' defense -- which of course prevented us from keeping the lead. I hated the Cowboys back then but had great respect for Landry (who as you know was a Giant) and Staubach. Even the rest of the damn team just oozed class. Jones, Johnson, Irvin, et al. did change that. All that being said, they aren't nearly as hateable now because they simply don't dominate in any manner. But I have respect for Jerry Jones who, while misguided at times, wants to win and is willing to spend.