They'll Be No Stopping This Nonsense Now

I'm originally from Dallas which makes me one of those rare traditional Cowboys fans. When someone asks me who I root for I just tell them I'm from Dallas and watch them bristle because they can't call me a front-runner or ask me if I like the Yankees and Lakers too.

But I'm not a blind faith fan. I don't root for laundry. Just because the Cowboys signed Pac-Man Jones doesn't mean I suddenly buy a gun and start hanging around strip clubs making it rain. I expect to enjoy rooting for my team.

With that in mind, I can safely say that the Jerry Jones Cowboys are just not the same Cowboys from my childhood. There is no longer that air of professionalism about them. Dallas used to be what New England is today. You hated them because you knew they'd somehow be in the mix every season and were always dangerous. These days, the Cowboys are just a toy for owner Jerry Jones.

Don't get me wrong, Jerry likes winning. He's not one of those lowest of low owners who only want to make profit and never intends to actually build a champion team for the city. Jerry is a visionary guy who is also a marketing genius. He is, however, completely a slave to his enormous ego and he generally refuses to ever hire someone that knows football to run his franchise. It's awful.

But I can't expect anything to change because Forbes just named the Cowboys the most valuable sports franchise in America for the third straight year. This means any constructive criticism a fan might have for the team will just carom right off management like raindrops off the gigantic new stadium they just built OUT IN B.F.E.

What have the Cowboys done to deserve this honor? There is no reason this team should be at the very top of the assets page. It hasn't won a playoff game since 1996. If you look at NFL records for the past decade you'll find the Patriots and Colts at the top of the win column followed by the Steelers and Eagles. Where are the Cowboys? Keep going....keep going...number ten? Nope. How about fifteen? Nope, keep going down..... the Cowboys are the 20th ranked teams in victories this decade. That puts them ahead of such beasts as the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, and Oakland Raiders this decade. And at least the Raiders made it to a Super Bowl a few years ago.

Yet there the Cowboys sit at the most valuable fanchise in American sports. Why change anything? Keep hiring puppet head coaches that talk like they're on their way to the ole fishin' hole in Green Acres. Keep watching the Cowboys blow drafts as the current veterans get older. Keep cheering for Jason Witten, Tony Romo, and DeMarcus Ware and realize every single one of these guys were brought in when Bill Parcells was scowling around the halls. Cheer that offensive line, none of who is under 30 years old.

Keep on cheering as the Cowboys slowly melt back into the 5-11 hell that they started the decade in. You'll keep that franchise at the top of the value chart and nothing will ever change. Hope you enjoyed those Super Bowls because they aren't coming back at the current rate.