TOTAL IRRELEVANCE: 

THE LEGACY OF THE HATEFUL EAGLES FAN

Despite priding themselves as Broad Street Bullies, many obnoxious Eagles fans are nothing but pathetic blowhards that intimidate no one, especially the five-time World Champion Dallas Cowboys

 

Dear Obnoxious Eagles Fans,

We are writing to you as the bearer of bad news:

You are irrelevant.

Yes, irrelevant. 

Despite all of the boorish chest-pumping and Cro-Magnon-like behavior, you are irrelevant. And despite the odd delusion of seeing yourself as intimidating, and thus feeling as though your city, your stadium and your favorite team is also intimidating, the stats and facts just don't back you up. And this is particularly true when it comes to your unhealthy obsession with the Dallas Cowboys.

We know, we know ... you really hate the Cowboys. You seem to talk about it a lot. But what you might not know is that, from the outside, you are looked at not with any sense of intimidation or fear, but rather empathy and pity. Because we Dallas fans actually know and understand where your hate is coming from. More often than not, for the past 63 years, the Dallas Cowboys have been punching you in the face. And the way we see it, if someone had been punching us in the face for 63 years, we wouldn't like them either.

And the history of the face-punching is quite remarkable:

* The Cowboys all-time record vs. Philadelphia is 70-55. Edge: Dallas 

* The Cowboys all-time record vs. Philadelphia in the playoffs is 3-1. Edge: Dallas

* The Cowboys have appeared in the playoffs 30 times. Philadelphia has appeared in the playoffs 24 times. Edge: Dallas

* The Cowboys have won the NFC East 21 times. The Eagles have won the NFC East 11 times. Edge Dallas.

* The Cowboys have appeared in the Super Bowl eight times and have won five. The Eagles have appeared in the Super Bowl four times and have won 1. Edge: Dallas. (And really, it's the Lombardi's that matter the most.)

* The Dallas Cowboys officially recognize 22 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as Cowboys because they spent all or much of their career in Dallas. There are 31 in total. There are only 13 people in the Pro Football Hall of Fame that are associated mostly with the Philadelphia Eagles, and that is despite the fact the Eagles organization pre-dates the Dallas organization by 27 years. (And that's kind of pitiful.) Edge: Dallas   

* The Cowboys all-time record vs. Philadelphia in Dallas is 42-24. Edge: Dallas

* The Cowboys all-time record vs. Philadelphia in Philadelphia is 31-32. We know, this one really hurts you. Despite all of your tough talk and obsurd posturing, you really have no home field advantage over the Dallas Cowboys. You get drunk and wave towels and flap your arms like ridiculous ostriches, trying to "fly," and you seem to think you will have some sort of affect on opposing players or have an impact on the game. But you are irrelevant. And you scare no one. Whether it has been at Franklin Field, The Vet or The Linc, the fact is when Dallas has been in town, you have often walked out of your own building in silent defeat. (A favorite memory is Emmitt Smith rushing for 237 yards at The Vet against your big, bad defense on Monday Night Football.) Edge: Dallas. 

* Recent history? The Cowboys record against Philadelphia over the past fast five years is 7-4. The Cowboys record against Philadelphia over the past 10 years is 12-9.  There have been Cowboys victories by scores of 51-26, 37-17 and 41-21. And, to further demonstrate the irrelevantness of the "tough Philly crowd," the Cowboys record when playing at The Linc over just the past 10 years is 7-5. Romo loved playing in Philly and Prescott does, too. You are irrelevant. Edge Dallas.

Prescott, overall, is 8-4 against Philadelphia and says he "loves playing there."

Look, the Eagles are a quality organization that has run a quality program, especially over the past 20 years. They've had some great players and coaches, some great seasons, the team ownership has been smart and steady and they've made had some nice drafts and made some good trades. And I'm sure they've got some great guys on the team. And so let's be clear that as Cowboys fans, we can talk intelligently about the Philly team and its talents.  And though we've met some Eagles fans that can do the same regarding Dallas, it seems to be a rarity. And so as we take a look at the two fanbases, we'll try to keep it simple and without making any generalizations:

* In Dallas, fans of visiting teams are treated to Southern hospitality. They hope that you like their amazing stadium and enjoy their city. When they have won Super Bowls, they have had nice parades and everyone had fun. In Philadelphia, Eagles fans made Philly the first and only team in NFL history to actually have a magistrate placed inside the stadium during games, so that when people were arrested for disorderly behavior, they could be fined right on the spot. They've also been known to hit other fans with batteries and snowballs, including children and Santa Claus, and they provoke fights. They once cheered when a star Dallas player appeared to be paralyzed during a game and - while even Eagles players were kneeling in prayer - they rejoiced when his neck was immobilized and an ambulance was brought on the field. (I was at the game.) When, after decades of failure, they finally won their first Super Bowl, fans celebrated by overturning automobiles and setting things on fire. Prior to Super Bowl 57, which featured the Eagles vs. Chiefs, Dak Prescott was presented with the NFL's Walter Payton Award, which is considered one the league's highest honors and recognizes a player for outstanding charitable work in his community. The Eagles fans booed. Cowboy fans aren't quite sure what led to all of that bizarre behavior. How would we? We are not a Neanderthals. Maybe "It's a Philly thing." Fan edge: Dallas.

And so there you have it: Your irrelevance has been outlined and demonstrated for you by the simple facts. You have zero impact on anything. You do no scare or intimidate anyone. You spoke, back in 2009, about how the New York Yankees would be intimated by you during the World Series. Funny, by Derek Jeter, who'd by then been playing games at Fenway Park for about 15 years, didn't seem too fazed by all of the towel-waving. Nor did Hideki Matsui, who batted .615. Nor did the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks. (Ouch.)

But please, carry on with you dumb memes, your drunken violence and and your ridiculous arm-flapping. We will just quietly go about our business, stick with our team and, more often than not, we will enjoy seeing the Dallas Cowboys kick your ass. 

Sincerely,

Dallas Cowboys Fans

Some thoughts on the Cowboys and the Steelers

Larry Allen launches Greg Lloyd into orbit on Dallas first possession of Super Bowl XXX. 

Anyone that knows anything about football has to have great respect for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the entire Steelers organization, and the Rooney family. They run a great football program. They have a great tradition - at least in the modern football era - and they do smart drafting. And though the faces on the sidelines and on the field change, the winning continues. That is very difficult to do in the NFL and it should be admired. And most of their fans don’t really bother us. They are proud of their six Super Bowl wins, as they should be, and they focus on the Steelers - their team - not their hatred for their opponents, as they do in Philadelphia.

Steelers fans just really love the Steelers. And there's nothing wrong with that.

But sometimes, you will encounter a Cro-Magnon Steelers fan. A simpleton. You know the type. They seem to be obsessed with the Dallas Cowboys in a rather unhealthy way. They toss out terms such as ”Cowgirls” all the time and aren’t even aware of that fact that it makes them look like a complete tool and someone that is still in kindergarten.  (Really, you can't do better than "Cowgirls?" What are you, five?) Also, though the Cowboys and Steelers play in different conferences and rarely play one another, the Cro-Magnons often post stupid memes about the Cowboys on social media. We have never seen a Dallas fan post a meme about the Steelers. We’re usually more concerned about New York, Philadelphia and Washington. But some Steelers fans, for whatever reasons, seem fixated on the Cowboys. Perhaps they have alarmingly small penises?  No one really knows. And, frankly, no one really cares. But trust us: We're not laughing with you. We're laughing at you.

Remember a few years ago, when some Steelers fans, for some very odd reason, seemed to be take great joy in the fact that the Super Bowl was taking place in Dallas and that the Steelers were playing in the game? They acted as if it was some sort of victory over the Dallas Cowboys. It was weird. Dallas has won the Super Bowl in Pasadena, New Orleans, Arizona and Atlanta, but we've never thought of that as having anything to do with the teams that actually played their home games in those stadiums. We've never thought, "Beating the Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII in Atlanta will really stick it to the Falcons." But again, some Steelers fans, for some reason, seem to be quite fixated on the Cowboys.

(The Steelers, by the way, got their asses kicked by Green Bay in that Super Bowl in Dallas.)

Some Steelers fans also really like to point out that they have more Super Bowl trophies than Dallas. Well, for the most part, they always did. Dallas fans can't make that big of a deal about this "most Super Bowl wins thing" because the Cowboys were not the first team to win two, three, four or five Super Bowls. They were tied for most Super Bowl wins for a few short years, but it simply has not been a big part of their nearly 60-year history. Having won the most World Championships has always defined teams like the Yankees, Packers and Canadiens. Not so with the Cowboys. They became the most popular team in the NFL 40 years ago, or "America's Team," simply because they were so colorful and were led by a tough-as-nails, classy quarterback who went to serve in Vietnam for several years even though he'd just won the Heisman Trophy. And they had really cool uniforms.

When it comes to Pittsburgh, the fact is that in one of their most recent Super Bowl wins they barely got by one of the easiest opponents in Super Bowl history (Arizona) and were handed much of the game by dumb Cardinal penalties and a few questionable calls. They also got some "gifts" from the refs in their Super Bowl contest against the Seahawks and there was a huge blown call in Super Bowl XIII vs. Dallas. And yet we've never seen a bigger group of crybabies, when it comes to officiating, than Steelers fans. They've had three Super Bowl wins practically handed to them by the refs, and yet they whine all the time about how the refs are out to get them.

Please, just shut the fuck up. You're embarrassing yourself. 

Yes, Pittsburgh is an excellent, very well-run organization that hires fine coaches, and for the most part - with the exception of their shady "out-of court-settlements" quarterback - their players seem like good guys. But some of the stuff that comes out of the mouths of their fans is just plain dumb. Some, even on ESPN, were debating after they won their sixth Super Bowl if they were the "greatest sports franchise in history." No, that would be the Yankees, followed by the Canadiens. And the truth is they are not even the greatest franchise in the history of the NFL. Both the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have won more NFL championships. Are the Steelers "one of" the greatest sports teams ever? Certainly. Are they one-up on the Cowboys in World Championships? Yes. Are they up 2-1 when they've played each other in the Super Bowl? You bet. Dallas and Pittsburgh have played against each other three times in the Super Bowl. The team that was favored to win won all three. No surprise there. Pretty much the entire Pittsburgh team from the '70s is in the NFL Hall of Fame. And rightly so. Hell, even us Dallas fans like Terry Bradshaw.

It should also be noted, however, that the NFL did not begin with the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh came into the league in 1933. Dallas entered the league in 1960. Pittsburgh went through 43 years of losing and mediocrity before winning its first championship. Dallas, by the late '60s, under the great Tom Landry, was already one of the best teams in the NFL and won its first World Championship during the 1971-72 season, only 11 years after coming into the league. Overall, historically speaking, the Dallas franchise, in the time that it’s been in the league, has actually been better than Pittsburgh.

I've also heard some people say that the Steelers are really "America's Team" because their fans really seem to have come out of the woodwork in recent years and they seem to really get a kick out of waving those cute little yellow towels. But those fans were pretty much unseen during the entire decade of the '80s. They simply vanished. And some people that we know have actually started to root for the Steelers in recent years even though they never did before. They're called "bandwagon" fans. And every great team that wins consistently gets them. Even the Steelers. It's really not that big of a deal.

The reason the Dallas Cowboys are considered “America’s Team” is simple: It's because they consistently sell more merchandise than any other team in the NFL. If you're on this blog, you probably live in Pennsylvania, and if you're like us, you might know more Cowboys fans than Steelers and Eagles fans combined. Cowboys flags line the streets everywhere on Sunday all throughout NEPA. And while some Steelers fans seem annoyed that the Cowboys are called "America's Team," they don't know the facts, and that the Dallas Cowboys did not give itself that nickname. It was given to them in 1979 by NFL Films when the people there noticed that no matter where Dallas traveled on the road, the stands were filled with Cowboys fans. It was like nothing they'd ever seen. And again, no team in the NFL has consistently sold more merchandise, leading to the statistical fact that they are indeed the most popular NFL team in America and have been so for more than 40 years. If you go into your local K-Mart in Pennsylvania, you’ll see a display for Steelers and Eagles merchandise, and a display for Cowboys merchandise. If you do the same thing in Ohio, you’ll see Browns, Bengals and Cowboys. If you do the same thing in Florida, you’ll see Dolphins, Jaguars and Cowboys.  It’s a fact. And that merch wouldn’t be there if it didn’t sell.

And don't forget the television ratings. According to Neilsen, Dallas leads all NFL teams in that category as well. And according to the Wall Street Journal, the Cowboys also mean more to their own home region than any team in the NFL. A study looked at "each team's local and national TV rankings, how often they're mentioned on the Internet and how many visitors they attract to their official websites." And the most popular NFL team is the Dallas Cowboys. And by a big margin: 23 percent more popular than the number-two team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We do sometimes hear that Steelers fans "travel well," and it does seem to be true. Their fans like to travel to other cities to see them play, which is cool. Good for them. Following football is supposed to be fun. We hope they enjoy themselves. As we said before, they're mostly good people. But this also seems to back up the old "America's Team" name given to the Cowboys. Cowboys fans DON'T HAVE TO TRAVEL to help fill other stadiums. They already live in other cities all around the nation. That being said, we can also say "Who cares?" We don't know of one Cowboys fan that really gives a shit about the "America's Team" thing. It's fun to poke at people with it sometimes - especially Steelers fans, because they hate it - and it is statistically accurate, but we could really could not care less about who anybody else roots for. The Cowboys are our team and that's all that matters us. If someone hates the "America's Team" term that much, write a letter to NFL films, not Jerry Jones.

Seriously, saying "My team is more popular that your team" seems juvenile, but since some Steelers fans seem to like to take that stance, we'll he happy to weigh in on it. Consider this about the last time the Steelers won the Super Bowl: only 250,000 people showed up at the victory parade. You can get a card game bigger than that in Big-D. And one last thing on “America’s Team.” When it comes to merchandise and television contracts, the NFL shares all revenue, equally, with all of its teams. Thus, even though the Cowboys bury all other teams when it comes to merchandise and TV ratings, the money from that merchandise and those television contracts goes to every team. That cute little yellow football field they build in Pittsburgh? The one named after ketchup? The Dallas Cowboys helped build it.

You’re welcome.

Though it is actually very easy for us to show respect to the Steelers fans, it never seems to be reciprocated. And they've had some bumps themselves over the past 40 years. At the time that we originally posted this blog in 2011, they were actually tied for most losses in the history of the AFC Championship Game and have lost it a record of five times at home. In some of those games they were favored. They may have lost the AFC Championship Game a few more times since that time. We don’t know. And we don’t really care. But it still doesn't diminish what they have accomplished as an organization. The Steelers deserve praise. Yet I've rarely ever heard a Steelers fan say anything positive about the Cowboys.

Some facts: The Dallas Cowboys are considered to be one of the most successful NFL teams of the modern era. They have won five Super Bowls and eight NFC championships. When we first posted this blog in 2011, they have more victories (42) on "Monday Night Football" than any other NFL team and held NFL records for the most consecutive winning seasons (20) and most seasons with at least 10 wins (26). The record of 20 consecutive winning seasons is one of the longest winning streaks in all of professional sports. The Cowboys had also earned the most post-season appearances, a league record of 56 post-season games (winning 33 of them), and the most division titles with 21. They also had the most appearances in the NFC Championship Games (14), and were tied with the most Super Bowl appearances (8). Three Super Bowls were lost by a TOTAL of only 11 points. Even in defeat, they have always played well in the big games.

Since 2011, when we first posted this blog, Dallas has won the NFC East three more times (2014, 2016 and 2018.) And so, when a Cro-Magnon Steeler fan says "Dallas sucks," you look like an idiot. They don't suck. But then again, you also probably say "New England sucks." They don't suck either. 

Again, we're not laughing with you. We're laughing you.    

The Cowboys also played in two NFL championship games before the NFL's 1970 merger with the American Football League. They were also the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in just four years. An article from Forbes Magazine listed the Cowboys as the highest valued sports franchise in the history of the United States. They are also the wealthiest team in the NFL, generating almost $269 million in annual revenue. And, again,  considering how much "revenue sharing" takes place in the NFL, it's safe to say that the rest of the NFL owners love the Dallas Cowboys because they make more money for everybody than any other team.

(Again, you're welcome.)  

We can respect the Steelers, but we really don't like them. And we really love the photo posted with this blog. If you asked for our favorite Super Bowl memory, Larry Allen's block on Greg Lloyd of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX just might be it. On Dallas' very first possession of the game, Allen hit Lloyd so hard he knocked him right off his feet. Emmitt Smith picked up about 25 yards on the play, and to this day, the body of Greg Lloyd has never been found. Seriously, all we heard about for two weeks prior to that game was Greg Lloyd and what he was going to do to the Cowboys. And he did ZERO. He got smacked around like a little rag doll. On Dallas' very first possession, he got knocked flat on his ass a few times and never recovered. We mean TORCHED. CRUSHED. POUNDED. HUMILIATED.  We've always imagined the Dallas offensive line breaking huddle on the first possession of that game, lining up at the line of scrimmage, looking over at Greg Lloyd, and Larry Allen saying "You're small." We've never seen a star defensive player totally manhandled like that. Larry Allen, Nate Newton ... they literally hit him like a freight train. It was absolutely beautiful. Savage. Complete emasculation. We think even Lloyd's wife filed for divorce right after the game. Even his kids never spoke to him again. 

(Just kidding.)

Steelers fans whined badly after the loss. Some said, "If our quarterback didn't suck, we could have won" or "Only the interceptions killed us." It was laughable. The play of the quarterback IS a part of the game. They also seemed to take some moral victory over the fact that they didn't get killed and were still in the game in the fourth quarter. You're not supposed to get killed. It's the Super Bowl. You're supposed to play well. We found it all to be very funny. Just as, two years ago, in 2016, we found Dallas’ last-minute comeback at Ketchup Field to be enjoyable. Remember that one? Big Ben gives Pittsburgh the lead with a last minute touchdown. And then Dak takes Dallas right back down the field to steal the win. It was a great day for the "Teflon Curtain."

Again, we're not really a Steelers "haters." We save that for Philadelphia and Washington. But we are pretty good at returning some smack when it comes our way. You post memes. We post facts. If you’re a Steelers fan, we suggest just leaving Dallas alone. We don't think about you nearly as much as you think about us.  What you do does not affect our draft picks, our schedule next year, or what happens when we play the Eagles, Giants and Redskins. All we know is that the last time we played you in a really big game - in the Super Bowl - we kicked your ass.

Don't remember it?

Ask Greg Lloyd.

AN ODE TO THE OBNOXIOUS EAGLES FAN

DALLAS COWBOYS FANS OF NEPA BLOG

December 1, 2014

The obnoxious Eagles fan is, by his or her very nature, a Neanderthal. There are many of them. And they are, quite frankly, stupid people. I don’t mean that in a fun, light-hearted and teasing kind of way. They really are quite dumb. And since I assume some of them might be reading this, I will try not to use any really big words or get too deep in thought. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, we’ll keep things simple for all of you simpletons.

Though as an organization, the Eagles often put quality teams on the field, it is, sadly, their Cro-Magnon fans that usually get the most attention. Of course, that’s probably because the team itself has never won a Super Bowl and has not won an NFL Championship in 54 years. Thus, in order to get some sort of recognition as a franchise, their small-minded fans, who often lack even the most basic of social graces, look to become the center of attention. And, being that they are fully aware that are perceived by civilized society as boorish clowns , they try to prove people wrong by:

1) Proving that they can spell at the first-grade level.  (See:  ”E-A-G-L-E-S.”)

2) Coming up with lame-ass expressions such as “Fly Eagles Fly.”  Because, you know, nothing says “NFL tough” more than the image of a grown man flapping his arms like a bird.

If it wasn’t so damn pathetic, it would be funny.

(Well, OK, it’s still funny.)

I was at a Philadelphia/Dallas game once at the old Veterans Stadium and saw this guy in his twenties marching towards the stadium, alone, wearing an Eagles helmet. The look on his face was intense. He looked as if he was ready to get on the field and play. I’m sure he thought he was cool, or perhaps even intimidating.

He looked like a moron.

But perhaps that’s why he also seemed to fit right in.

Just like life itself, social media has also been unkind to the obnoxious Eagle fan. Many still feel it is perfectly acceptable to refer to the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys as “Homo.”  It is a weak, feeble and pathetic attempt at making a humorous play on words, because his last name is actually Romo. But, because they use the “H” word as an intended insult, all they do is reveal who and what they really are, and that they are unaware that it is a bigoted and hurtful word to millions of Americans. Most people in the 21^st century know this. The obnoxious Eagle fan, of course, does not.

The obnoxious Eagle fan will also use the term “Cowgirls” to describe the Dallas Cowboys.  That one seems innocent enough. But, man, it’s just so damn weak. It lacks any creativity or pizzazz. My initial thought when I see it is, “C’mon, man. You can do better.”  But then I realize the sad truth, and that when your mind is permanently stunted at the kindergarten level, you really can’t do any better. Still, I do find it annoying, and whenever I see someone use the “Romo/Homo” thing on Facebook, or “Cowgirls,” I delete them from my friends list. And the reason is simple: I probably like the Dallas Cowboys much more than I like them. I don’t really like ignorant Archie Bunker-type people, and so, if you are one of them, and you read this, and you want to delete me, knock yourself out.

 You will not be missed.

We’ve all heard all of the stories about the obnoxious Eagles fans, and how they helped make the Eagles the first and only team in NFL history to actually have a magistrate placed inside the stadium during games, so that when people were arrested for disorderly behavior, they could be fined on the spot. We’ve also heard about hitting other fans with batteries and snowballs, including children. I’m not sure what leads to all of that. How would I? I am a human being. They are not. But I do think being 0-48 since the start of the Super Bowl has something to with it. The obnoxious Eagle fan is, in some ways, like a 19 year-old young man, bristling with testosterone, but never gets laid. And over the course of five decades, it’s turned him into a raging lunatic. Derek Jeter recently said that he noticed a big change with the fans in Boston after they finally won a few championships. But the obnoxious Eagles fan still waits. And waits. And waits. I’d like to say I wish they’d just win a damn championship already, but it’s not true. I enjoy the anguish. I enjoy the suffering.

The funny thing is, for many obnoxious Eagles fans, their bark is much worse than their bite. I once went into old Vet wearing all of my Dallas attire. I was warned by some people not do  it, but I wasn’t about to change my way of doing things because of a bunch of people who, for some reason, seem to take great pride in the fact they know how to make cheese steak sandwiches. (I mean really people, it’s a cheese steak. I knew how to make them when I was 12.) Oddly, I had no problems at the Vet that day. Perhaps their not so bad-ass when you’re 6’2 and have a look on your face that says, “Don’t even think about it you pathetic piece of filth.”

Losers.

That same day was the day that Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin played for the last time. A long pre-existing neck issue, which he never knew anything about, was aggravated during the game. I was watching him on the very play that it happened. It was not because of any fierce hit put on him by an Eagle. He simply came down on his neck on a short cross route in an awkward way, and for quite some time, he lay motionless on the field.  An ambulance was brought out, his neck was immobilized, and players from both the Eagles and Cowboys knelt in prayer. It was pretty much the most frightening thing that can happen to a football player. And as it was happening, the Eagles fans cheered.

This, I can 100-percent guarantee, would not happen in any other city in the NFL.

Again, I go back to that word: Neanderthals.

What’s that old joke?

Question:  “What did Charles Darwin say when he attended an Eagles game?”

Answer:  “See, I told ya.”

I also wrote this one:

Question: Two obnoxious Eagles fans are both tossed from the top of a building in downtown Philadelphia at the same time. Which one hits the ground first?

Answer: “Who cares?”

After the Michael Irvin game, I wrote an editorial for the newspaper about the Eagles and their fans. The headline read: “Losers for losers.”

It may have been too kind.  

Sometimes, I think the aggression that Philly fans sometimes show towards fans of opposing teams really reveals a lot about what they think about themselves. Think about it: If you went to a Giants or Jets game in New York wearing another team’s colors, you’d have few problems, if any. Why? Because a New Yorker would probably think that you were originally from the city of the team you were rooting for, but that you now live in New York, or are visiting New York, and who wouldn’t want to be in New York? So they see you as a welcome guest, or a transplant. It is expected there, and it’s no big deal. But in Philadelphia, they can’t seem to fathom the idea that someone that wasn’t from there would want to be there. And hey, maybe they – and W.C. Fields - are right on that one.

(Some of you slower Eagles fans will have to Google that reference. Type in “W.C. Fields Philadelphia.”)  

It is still funny to me how some of these pinheads think they’re cute by posting these anti-Dallas memes all over Facebook on game day. Newsflash: They’re everywhere for pretty much every team. It doesn’t make you clever to have found one. In fact, I posted a few here about the Eagles just to irritate you. Three of them, I made myself. It’s not that hard, or that impressive. Get over yourself. I know it’s tough when the greatest sports figure in your city’s history is fictional (sorry “Rocky”), but if you want to play with the big boys (Cowboys, Giants, Redskins – 11 Super Bowl titles) you need to bring better game than a meme.  

Oh yes, history. There is nothing the obnoxious Eagles fan hates more that when you talk about NFL history. Understandable, especially since Dallas has won the NFC East 17 times, nearly twice as many as Philadelphia, and has played in eight super Bowls, as compared to the Eagles two. And then there’s that big one: Dallas – five Super Bowl rings. Eagles – none. It stings. We know that. And since you’re already taking such a savage beating in this little blog, we’ll let it go at that. And hey, it’s not like you don’t have some of your own “glory years” to reflect on. You had that great 1980 team (first team in history to lose the Super Bowl to a wild card team), that great Buddy Ryan team from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s (which essentially won nothing), and that great Donavan McNabb team from the early 2000s, known best for frequently losing the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl.

Be prideful of such things. They suit you well. 

I remember the day after Philly lost that Super Bowl to New England, it was a bright and unseasonably warm winter morning in Pennsylvania. This disappointed me, as I had imagined all of those demoralized and downtrodden Philly fans heading to work the next morning under gloomy gray skies and in the bitter cold. Oh well, you can’t have everything.   

Unless, of course, you’re an obnoxious Eagle fan. Then, you always have everything. Just ask them. Not only do they always have a great quarterback, but they usually have two. And they are always squabbling among themselves over which one should start. It has been going on for about 25 years now. It’s funny. Also, every time they win three or four games in a row, they are “going to the Super Bowl.” Until, of course, they drop two in a row. Then, they’re all off the bandwagon.

The Cowboys and Eagles are in the same division. Unless that changes, they will always play each other twice a year. They’re often big games, but you’ll never see me countering those “Dallas Sucks” posts by Eagles fans with “Eagles Suck” posts. Why? Because, for one, it’s not true. For the most part, over the years, the Eagles have run a quality football program. And also, it’s just a simpleton-type thing to do. Kind of like questioning the toughness of a guy like Romo who has played with broken ribs, a punctured lung and fractures in his back. And as a player? Coming into this season, which has been one of his best, Romo had the highest fourth quarter passer rating of any quarterback in the NFL since 2000. Higher than Tom Brady. Higher than Peyton Manning. Higher than Drew Brees. Higher than Aaron Rodgers. Coming into this season, he had 18 fourth quarter comebacks and had led 19 game-winning drives. He's already tacked on some more this year. And he has beat the Eagles many times, including in the playoffs.

Those are the facts. And those are the things the obnoxious Eagles fan doesn't deal with very well.

I don’t hate all Eagles fans. I know plenty of them that are great people. If you noticed throughout this blog, I used the words “the obnoxious Eagle fan” several times, because that’s who these words are meant for, not some of the fine people I know that love their birds. But for the obnoxious Eagle fan, life just sucks. It has been nothing but a litany of soul crushing defeats, epic fails and demoralizing humiliation. You have been brushed aside and kicked to the curb, again and again. You have been emasculated, and for all of your loud mouth tough talk, you are, in the end, a feeble little blowhard that doesn't scare anyone. I once compared an obnoxious Eagle fan to a bucket of cat feces, but I then apologized and realized it was not a fair comparison, and I understood why the bucket of cat feces had been highly insulted.   

The obnoxious Eagles fan probably wouldn't even get that joke.  

But hey, at least we know they can spell. (See “E-A-G-L-E-S”)

Neanderthals. 


(And I mean no offense to Neanderthals.)

TONY ROMO: HEART, GUTS, CLASS AND TALENT

 

 

 

By ALAN K. STOUT
DALLAS COWBOYS FANS OF NEPA
 
When Tony Romo took the reigns as the starting quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys seven years ago, I was one of those fans that was leery of all of the early hoopla. Though he played very well right of the gate, he also seemed to become an off the field celebrity awfully fast, and when he started dating Carrie Underwood that season, I had an uneasy feeling that this guy might be getting a little too distracted to be at the helm of the most popular sports team in America. In Dallas, the likes of Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman had set the bar pretty high for quarterbacks, and even those that did not win championships - such as Don Meredith and Danny White - played some pretty damn good football in their day.

“Put away the anointing oil,” said coach Bill Parcells back in 2006, when he sensed that some may have, quite prematurely, predicted that Romo would be the next in a long line of Cowboy greats. And that wasn’t to disrespect his quarterback. It was reality. Romo hadn’t, at that point, really proved anything yet, though one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL did now trust him to help steer his football team.

Seven years later, Cowboys fans are still waiting to use that oil. We like Tony Romo. And we know, based on everything we’ve heard and read, that he’s a good guy. He’s easy to root for. At least that’s how I feel. And we have certainly seen him light it up on the football field many times, where he has often looked just as good as anyone to ever put on a Dallas Cowboys uniform. And maybe that’s why I got a little pissed off this week when the Romo haters came out of the woodwork after Dallas’ 51-48 loss to the Denver Broncos. Did Romo throw a foolish interception late in the fourth quarter, where if he simply could have gotten Dallas into field goal range, it probably would have resulted in victory? You bet. In looking at the replay, it seems as though it may have been a forced attempt into coverage, but it was also a hell of a play by the defender. Have Dallas fans – and haters – seen this before? You bet. Romo grew up watching football in Wisconsin, and he certainly has some Brett Favre gunslinger in him. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

But pinning a loss on the quarterback in which his team scores 48 points and in which he passes for five touchdowns and for more than 500 yards is asinine. And though - while listening to commentary on ESPN Radio, WFAN in New York and The Ticket in Dallas - I didn’t really hear anyone that knows anything about football do that, the clowns, the clueless and the classless sure did show up on social media. Perhaps, in an attempt to distract themselves from the utter futility that their own teams have shown on the field this season (Giants, Eagles, Redskins, Steelers) they thought they’d have some fun at our quarterback’s expense.

For the record:

1. Romo threw for more yards in the game than Peyton Manning.

 
2. Romo threw for more touchdowns in the game than Peyton Manning.
 
3. Manning threw an interception, his first of the year, that led to points for Dallas. Romo threw an interception, his first of the year, that led to points for Denver. It was an even draw on that one, but because Romo’s pick came later, it was more magnified. But the fact is, not only did Romo match the performance of Manning during the game, he surpassed it. He outplayed Mr. First-Ballot-Hall-of-Famer and the guy who many are predicting might go 19-0 this year.

 And so all of the smug bullshit on social media from all of the uniformed and all of  haters has inspired me to defend Tony Romo. And truthfully, despite my initial leeriness about him seven years ago, I find that to be an easy thing to do. Here is why:

 
1. Some people say that Tony Romo is not a winner. The only problem with that is that his record, despite playing on a few mediocre teams in recent years, is 14 games above .500. He has taken the Cowboys to the playoffs three times. During one season, he led the team to a 13-3 record.

2. Some people say Romo can’t win the NFC East, which is usually the toughest division in football. The only problem with that is that Romo’s Cowboys have won the NFC East. Twice.

 
3. Some people say Romo can’t play under pressure. The only problem with that is that he has the highest fourth quarter passer rating of any quarterback in the NFL since 2000. Higher than Tom Brady. Higher than Peyton Manning. Higher than Drew Brees. Higher than Aaron Rodgers. Coming into this season, he’s had 18 fourth quarter comebacks and has led 19 game-winning drives.

4. Some people say Romo can’t win in the playoffs. The only problem with that is that he has won in the playoffs. In fact, he beat the Eagles in the playoffs. You know, those Eagles whose fans – though not all – always seem to think of themselves as so intimidating, yet their team pretty much sucks at home. Those chest-thumping idiots who quickly cower into the fetal position when met with the slightest resistance. Those drunks that have no team to embrace and no history to be proud of, so they lash out and try to be the biggest, nastiest bully on the block, yet are not aware of the fact that they do not scare anyone and they are not taken seriously by anyone. Those fools that like to see themselves as the main rival to all of the other teams in the NFC East, yet they are the only team in the division to have never won a Super Bowl in 47 years. Those clowns that long to be recognized as a peer, yet are mostly dismissed as nonsense and ignored. You know. Those people.

I certainly would not trade Tony Romo for the Eagles quarterback. Not only is Romo tougher and plays hurt – including once having played with broken ribs and a punctured lung - but I also think he’s simply a much better player. And as a person? Well, though he did not seek out the attention, Tony Romo once made off the field news by inviting a homeless man that he encountered outside a movie theater to join he and his friend at the movie.  Michael Vick once made off the field news for drowning, electrocuting and strangling dogs. He went to jail.

 I’ll take our guy.

 Of course I also noticed that some Steelers fans, some of whom have always been unusually preoccupied with the Cowboys, were also taking some shots at Romo after the Denver game. First of all, let’s just put this out there: You can’t try to be tough while waving a yellow towel. It just looks silly. I know you like to say that they are gold, but they are not. They are yellow. Second, your team sucks this year. Third, I wouldn’t trade Romo for your quarterback, either. Granted, he did get a couple of big referee gift-wrapped wins a few years back, but that dude is just way, way too creepy for me. Isn’t he the guy that made off the field headlines for actually being suspended by the NFL for allegedly raping a college student in the bathroom at a bar, and the guy who later had to settle in court with another woman after also allegedly raping her? Why yes, that’s the guy. Seedy suspensions and court settlements. Quite the ladies man you’ve got there in Pittsburgh. Though he did not seek out the attention, Tony Romo once made off the field news because he stopped his car on a dangerous and busy highway and - after countless other cars had passed them by - helped an older couple change a flat tire.
 

I’ll take our guy.

And let’s not forget about the legendary Brett Favre, the one who held his teams hostage every August for the last few years of his career by waffling about whether or not he still wanted to play. The one who thought the best way to go about cheating on his wife and approaching a woman that he did not even know was to text message her a photo of his penis.

Roethlisberger, Vick, Favre … yep, they’re all real poster boys for the NFL.

 
Again, I’ll take our guy.   

Giants fans also took some shots at Romo this week. I don’t really care about Giants fans, but I do know that when you are 0-5, you should probably just shut up. And in fairness, most of the smart ones that I know did. Same with Washington, who have their own mess to deal with and, along with Miami, might be the two most dysfunctional franchises in the NFL that were once greatly respected and of a championship caliber. I know some people like to say that about the Cowboys, but they’re a competitive team, and guys like Jason Witten and DeMarcus Ware just might end up in Canton. And at least, unlike Miami, you don’t have to go back to the pre-Watergate Nixon administration to find a championship. Hell, even the Raiders played in a Super Bowl only 10 years ago.  

But I digress. This blog entry is about Tony Romo and how I continue to root for him and have faith in him. He’s a very good quarterback who is sometimes great, and as a person off the field, he's the type of player that I have no problem with my son wearing a jersey bearing his name.  He will not embarrass himself off the field, nor will he embarrass the NFL or the Dallas Cowboys.

Sometimes. I think the Dallas offense under Tony Romo’s guidance can be the most explosive of an offense as the team has ever had. And though he’s already played for three different coaches and with an array of wide receivers, and though he hasn’t had the luxury of playing for a Tom Landry or a Jimmy Johnson, nor has he been handing the ball to a Tony Dorsett or an Emmitt Smith, he keeps winning a lot of football games. I know that he hasn’t won two Super Bowls, like Staubach did, nor three, as Aikman did, and maybe when it’s all said and done, he won't win any. But I still think he might. And I know, if surrounded by enough talent and a defense that doesn’t give up 52 points, that he is quite capable of it.

I am a Dallas Cowboys fan. I stick with our guy. And as a fan, I can take any other fans' shots and shoot them right back at them with 10 times the venom, and yet also support my points with solid facts.

And with Tony Romo – a good dude and a fine football player - that’s a very easy thing to do.

 

Some thoughts on the Cowboys and the Steelers

Here's the deal: We should all have great respect for the Pittsburgh Steelers organization and the Rooney family. They have a true football program that really works. They have a great tradition - at least in the modern football era - and they do smart drafting. And though the faces on the sidelines and on the field change, the winning continues. That is very difficult to do and it should be admired. And even their fans shouldn't really bother us. They are proud of their six Super Bowl wins, as they should be, and they focus on the Steelers - their team - not their hatred for their opponents, as they do in Philadelphia.

Steelers fans just really love the Steelers. And there's nothing wrong with that.

But sometimes, one of them will poke at me for some reason. And I will poke back. You can count on it. In fact, I will unload with force and with some venom.

We'll start with the fact that some Steelers fans, for some very odd reason, seem to be taking great joy in the fact that this year's Super Bowl is in Dallas, as if it's some sort of victory over the Cowboys. It's very weird. Dallas has won the Super Bowl in Pasadena, New Orleans, Arizona and Atlanta, but I never thought of that as having anything to do with the teams that actually played their home games in those stadiums. I never thought, "Beating the Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII in Atlanta will really stick it to the Falcons." But some Steelers fans, for some reason, seem to be quite fixated on the Cowboys.

The fact is the Super Bowl will probably now be held in Dallas every couple of years. Maybe the Cowboys will play in it and win it there someday. Maybe they won't. No other team has done it in 45 years. What we do know is that Jerry Jones and the entire Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington area will make sure that all of the Packers and Steelers fans have a wonderful time in Texas. I've been there, and that whole "southern hospitality" thing is really true. They will be very prideful of this event and make sure it's a great day for the NFL.

Some Steelers fans also really like to point out that they have more Super Bowl trophies than Dallas. Well, for the most part, they always did. Dallas fans can't make that big of a deal about this "most Super Bowl wins thing" because the Cowboys were not the first team to win two, three, four or five Super Bowls. It's something that they were tied with - for a few short years - but it simply has not been a big part of their 50-year history. Having won the most World Championships has always defined teams like the Yankees, Packers and Canadiens. Not so with the Cowboys. They became the most popular team in the NFL 35 years ago, or "America's Team," simply because they were so colorful and were led by a tough-as-nails, classy quarterback who went to serve in Vietnam for several years even though he'd just won the Heisman Trophy. And they had really cool uniforms.

The fact is, in their last Super Bowl, the Steelers barely got by one of the easiest opponents in Super Bowl history and were handed much of the game by dumb Arizona penalties and a few questionable calls. They also got some "gifts" in their Super Bowl contest against the Seahawks and in Super Bowl XIII vs. Dallas. Yes, they are an excellent, very well-run organization that hires fine coaches, and for the most part - with the exception of their shady quarterback - their players seem like good guys. But some of the stuff that comes out of the mouths of their fans is just plain dumb. Some, even on ESPN, were debating after they won their sixth Super Bowl if they were the "greatest sports franchise in history." No, that would be the Yankees, followed by the Canadiens. And the truth is they are not even the greatest franchise in the history of the NFL. Both the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears have won more championships. Are the Steelers "one of" the greatest sports teams ever? Certainly. Are they one-up on the Cowboys in World Championships? Yes. Are they up 2-1 when they've played each other in the Super Bowl? You bet. But Pittsburgh came into the league in 1933. Dallas entered the league in 1960. Pittsburgh went through 43 years of losing and mediocrity before winning its first championship. Dallas, by the late '60s, was already one of the best teams in the NFL and won its first World Championship during the 1971-72 season, only 11 years after coming into the league. Overall, the Dallas franchise has actually been much better.

I've also heard some people say that the Steelers are really "America's Team" because their fans really seem to have come out of the woodwork in recent years and they seem to really get a kick out of waving towels. But those fans were pretty much unseen during the entire decade of the '80s and some people I know have actually started to root for them in recent years even though they never did before. They're called "bandwagon" fans. And every great team that wins consistently gets them. Even the Steelers.

The fact is, even with the dysfunctional mess they've put on the field in recent years, the Dallas Cowboys still sell more merchandise than any other team in the NFL. If you're on this blog, you probably live in Pennsylvania, and if you're like me, you might know more Cowboys fans than Steelers and Eagles fans combined. Cowboys flags line the streets everywhere on Sunday. And while some Steelers fans seem annoyed that the Cowboys are called "America's Team," they don't know the facts, and that the Dallas Cowboys did not give itself that nickname. It was given to them in 1979 by NFL Films when the people there noticed that no matter where the Cowboys traveled on the road, the stands were filled with Cowboys fans. It was like nothing they'd ever seen. And again, no team in the NFL has consistently sold more merchandise, leading to the statistical fact that they are indeed the most popular NFL team in America and have been so for nearly 40 years.

And don't forget the television ratings. Dallas leads all NFL teams in that category as well. And according to the Neilsen Company, the Cowboys also mean more to their own home region than any team in the NFL. A recent study, according to the Wall Street Journal, examined "each team's local and national TV rankings, how often they're mentioned on the Internet and how many visitors they attract to their official websites." And the most popular NFL team is the Dallas Cowboys. And by a big margin: 23 percent more popular than the number-two team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We do sometimes hear that Steelers fans "travel well," and it does seem to be true. Their fans like to travel to other cities to see them play, which is cool. Good for them. As I said before, they're mostly good people. But this also seems to back up the old "America's Team" name given to the Cowboys. Cowboys fans don't have to travel. They already live all around the nation. That being said, I can also say "Who cares?" I don't know of one Cowboys fan that really cares that much about the "America's Team" thing. It's fun to poke at people with it sometimes - especially Steelers fans, because they hate it - and it is statistically accurate, but I have an entire shrine in my house built to the Cowboys featuring championship plaques, steins and framed photos, and not one thing says "America's Team" on it. I could care less who anybody else roots for. The Cowboys are my team and that's all that matters to me. If someone hates the term that much, write a letter to Steve Sabol at NFL films, not Jerry Jones.

Seriously, saying "My team is more popular that your team" seems juvenile to me, but since some Steelers fans seem to like to take that stance, I'll he happy to weigh in on it. Consider this about the last time the Steelers won the Super Bowl: only 250,000 people showed up at the victory parade. You can get a card game bigger than that in Big-D.

Though it is actually very easy for me to show some respect to the Steelers, it never seems to be reciprocated. And they've had some bumps themselves over the past 40 years. They're actually tied for most losses in the history of the AFC Championship Game and have lost it a record of five times at home. In some of those games they were favored. But that doesn't diminish what they have accomplished as an organization. They deserve praise. Yet I've rarely ever heard a Steelers fan say anything positive about the Cowboys.

Some facts: The Dallas Cowboys are considered to be one of the most successful NFL teams of the modern era. They have won five Super Bowls and eight NFC championships. They have more victories (42) on "Monday Night Football" than any other NFL team and hold NFL records for the most consecutive winning seasons (20) and most seasons with at least 10 wins (26). The record of 20 consecutive winning seasons is one of the longest winning streaks in all of professional sports. The Cowboys have also earned the most post-season appearances, a league record of 56 post-season games (winning 33 of them), and the most division titles with 21. They also have the most appearances in the NFC Championship Games (14), and are tied with the most Super Bowl appearances (8). Three Super Bowls were lost by a total of only 11 points. Even in defeat, they have always played well in the big games.

The Cowboys also played in two NFL championship games before the NFL's 1970 merger with the American Football League. They were also the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in just four years. An article from Forbes Magazine, dated September 2, 2009, lists the Cowboys as the highest valued sports franchise in the history of the United States. They are also the wealthiest team in the NFL, generating almost $269 million in annual revenue. And considering how much "revenue sharing" takes place in the NFL, it's safe to say that the rest of the NFL owners love the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones because they make more money for everybody than any other team.

I can respect the Steelers, but I really don't like them. And I really love the photo posted with this blog. If you asked for my favorite Super Bowl memory, Larry Allen's block on Greg Lloyd of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX might be it. On Dallas' very first possession of the game, Allen hit Lloyd so hard he knocked him right off his feet. Emmitt Smith picked up about 25 yards on the play, and to this day, the body of Greg Lloyd has never been found. Seriously, all I heard about for two weeks prior to that game was Greg Lloyd and what he was going to do to the Cowboys. And he did ZERO. He got smacked around like a rag doll. On the very first possession, he got knocked flat on his ass a few times and never recovered. I mean he got TORCHED. CRUSHED. POUNDED. I've always imagined the Dallas offensive line breaking huddle on the first possession of that game, lining up at the line of scrimmage, looking over at Greg Lloyd, and Larry Allen saying "You're small." I'd never seen a star defensive player totally manhandled like that. Larry Allen, Nate Newton ... they literally hit him like a freight train. It was absolutely beautiful. Savage. Complete emasculation. I think even Lloyd's wife filed for divorce right after the game. Even his kids never spoke to him again. (Just kidding.)

Steelers fans whined badly after this loss. Some said, "If our quarterback didn't suck, we could have won" or "Only the interceptions killed us." It was laughable. The play of the quarterback IS a part of the game. They also seemed to take some moral victory over the fact they didn't get killed and were still in the game in the fourth quarter. You're not supposed to get killed. It's the Super Bowl. You're supposed to play well. I found it all to be very funny.

Again, I'm not really a Steelers "hater." I save that for Philadelphia. But I am very good at returning some smack when it comes my way. You can count on it. If you poke at me, I will poke back. I will unload with force and with some venom. If you're a Steelers fan, please just leave us Dallas fans alone. We don't think about you nearly as much as you think about us. I'd suspect most of us are rooting for the Packers in this year's Super Bowl, but if you win "#7," it won't affect our draft picks, our schedule next year, or what happens when we play the Eagles, Giants and Redskins. All we know is that the last time we played you in a really big game, we kicked your ass. Don't remember it?

Ask Greg Lloyd.

Lincoln Financial Field ... the proud home of The Philadelphia Eagles:

Please note that this image is by no means meant to be offensive. If you are a Cro-magnon person or a Neanderthal, and you are offended by being compared to an Eagles fan, we apologize.

Talking Cowboys on Facebook

After nearly two years of running this blog, we've decided to now take most of our Cowboys discussions over to Facebook. We've found Facebook to be a very fast and easy way to post breaking news regarding the Cowboys, as well as links to good Cowboys-related newspaper and magazine articles. It also allows us to talk Dallas with each other in the "comments" section below each post. In fact, the nice thing about Facebook is that, should you post a comment on a topic, and others also post comments on that topic, you should get a notification, so it's an easier way to have discussions. We'll still post things here from time to time on the blog, but if you haven't yet done so, please join the "Dallas Cowboys Fans of NEPA" page on Facebook. Thanks!

Wade Phillips coming back for two years

Not only is Wade Phillips coming back to coach the Cowboys next year, but he's been given a new contract that will keep him on the job for 2011 as well. Some are questioning the move, but I like it. I explain why in the "comments" below. What are your thoughts?

NFL playoffs: Vikings - 34, Cowboys - 3

The Vikings crushed the Cowboys on Sunday in Minnesota in the second round of the NFL playoffs, ending the season and what was a great month of football in Dallas. The Cowboys offensive line folded, Romo was in trouble all day and was sacked six times, they turned over the ball and the Cowboys came away with no points from several early drives that should have resulted in points. If there is any consolation, some people on ESPN last night compared this team to the 1991 Cowboys. That team also went 11-5 and got killed in the playoffs, but came back to win three Super Bowls. This team is not THAT good, but by cleaning up the locker room, winning the division, discovering that Romo can be a leader and Phillips can win a playoff game, and with the emergence of Miles Austin, they seem to be on the right track. Looking forward to the 2010 season.

NFL playoffs: Cowboys - 34, Eagles - 14

The Cowboys once again kicked the hell out of The Eagles on Saturday, defeating them for the third time this season. Running game and passing game looked good and the defense continued to shine. First playoff win since the Aikman-Smith-Irvin era and the team's biggest win in more than a decade. On the Minnesota ...

Week 17: Cowboys-24, Eagles - 0

The Cowboys kicked the hell out of the Eagles today at Cowboys Stadium, 24-0, to win the NFC East title. It was the first time in team history the defense has put up two shutouts in a row and Romo became the first quarterback in Dallas history to take every single snap of an entire season. Running game looked good, as did the passing game. Next week, we tango with Philly again in the first round of the playoffs. Nothing at all negative about this win, though I think Romo should have been pulled in the fourth quarter rather than go for a pretty meaningless team record. Other than that, a perfect day.

Congratulations to the 2009 Cowboys!

Week 16: Cowboys - 17, Redskins - 0

The Cowboys clinched a playoff spot on Sunday with a nice 17-0 pounding of the Redskins. Romo certainly looks a bit different this December and has got some fire in his eyes. If they can beat Philly this week, they are NFC East Champs for 17th time. Let's go!

Week 15: Cowboys - 24, Saints - 17

The Cowboys defeated the undefeated Saints on Saturday in what was, so far, the team's biggest win of the season. In fact, though the Saints came on and made a game of it in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys really kicked the shit of them for most of the game. Who knows? Maybe this will be the year they get hot down the stretch, rather than fold.
On a related note, though I have never kicked a field goal in my life, I am considering flying down to Dallas later today and giving it a shot. Though they aren't holding tryouts, I really can't imagine them turning anyone away.

Week 14: Chargers - 20, Cowboys - 17

It must be December. The games are more intense and more important, and the Cowboys can't seem to win them. Barber gets stuffed three times on the three and the field-goal/kicking situation is ridiculous. Aren't any of those 60-year old Barr brothers still around that we can call in and take a shot at the kicking job? The Boys still have a shot at playoffs, but this in not a championship caliber team.

Week 13: Giants - 31, Cowboys - 24

The Cowboys lost to the Giants again on Sunday, 31-24. It certainly seems like the G-Men have our number. They knocked us out of the playoffs two years ago, ruined the opening of the new stadium this year, and now have us once again thinking about all of our December woes over the past few seasons. Not even going to get into the details and stats of this game. Let's just say fumbles and no running game will always kill you.