Playoffs, none if one and done?

[VACowboy]

I agree our drafts have greatly improved under McClay but what good is that if the improved talent can’t be molded into a team that wins in the playoffs?

Kind of leaves no room to answer the original question. Don't wanna do the playoffs cuz we're just gonna be one and done. Don't wanna not do the playoffs cuz drafting better players isn't gonna help us not be one and done.

 

[aikemirv]

Something happens to some fans with a team with repetitive behavior and some are purely results driven for the season, it is all about the destination, the journey is inconsequential. And there is no good or bad to it, it's just how you view the season.

If the Cowboys were to make the playoffs, and right now it looks like winning the division is the only way they would, and they were to lose out in that first round, would you rather they didn't make it at all?

Would the disappointment and frustration of that be to the point you'd rather just have the season end after 16 games?

Those are your only two choices, none of that "anything can happen in the playoffs", the choice is simple. End the season after 16 or end it after 17 games?

Easy answer:

It is more frustrating not make the playoffs to lose in the playoffs .

Now if their is an ulterior motive that's a whole different thing....

 

[OmerV]

Lol, well that clarifies things.

at least he didn't say yes or no.

 

[sunalsorises]

In the playoff loss, you can have your choice of "it's a catch/it's not a catch" or the PI in NO.

Nice twist. What bothered me about the catch/no catch play was that it got improperly overturned (lack of conclusive evidence should have caused the play to stand). The Saints PI call was just missed. I guess I would rather have the catch/no catch call. A missed call is just a missed call but a controversial call lives on forever.

 

[GMO415]

I'll never turn down a Cowboys victory. In other words "keep fighting and winning till it's done."

 

[CowboyFanInLexKy]

That's the sentiment I've seen from quite a few, the all or nothing and while I don't share it, I surely do understand it and see nothing wrong with that approach. I don't see anything wrong with the SB or bust approach either. I try not to define fanhood through my own filter.

I used to watch the Cowboys to watch them win. If they lost, that was poorly invested time. Now, I watch them to see them play, not as invested in the winning part of it and I am not certain that's just an aging process or a conditioning process.

I do know one thing, I watch with fewer expectations of winning than I used to and that Jets game certainly helped that along.

I will always take an additional game, even knowing it would be a loss, to watch my team play. But then I know whatever the outcome of this season has 0 effect on my life. Win it all or miss the playoffs, in the grand scheme, this just doesn't matter in real life. And in a twisted sort of way, this place is a hell of a lot more fun when they're not playing well and falling on their butts. Posters be funny when they're mad.

I understand the sentiment as we can't manage to get past the first round. Tell me again, what year was it when we last made it to the superbowl (let alone win it)? I'll answer that... It was 1996 that we last appeared in the Superbowl.

If it's only been a couple years since we made the Superbowl, I can take the 1 and done games but 23 years? Come on man... Especially with the talent that we've had all these years?

 

[OmerV]

Easy answer:

It is more frustrating to lose in the playoffs than not make the playoffs.

Now if their is an ulterior motive that's a whole different thing....

I'm not sure that's true, but even if it is for some, it's also more exciting to be in the playoffs than to not be. And there is more hope and anticipation being in the playoffs than to not be. You have to be in the playoffs to feel you have a chance, and it's much more enjoyable to feel you have a chance than to know you didn't even pass the first step.

 

[glimmerman]

Something happens to some fans with a team with repetitive behavior and some are purely results driven for the season, it is all about the destination, the journey is inconsequential. And there is no good or bad to it, it's just how you view the season.

If the Cowboys were to make the playoffs, and right now it looks like winning the division is the only way they would, and they were to lose out in that first round, would you rather they didn't make it at all?

Would the disappointment and frustration of that be to the point you'd rather just have the season end after 16 games?

Those are your only two choices, none of that "anything can happen in the playoffs", the choice is simple. End the season after 16 or end it after 17 games?

Only half the season is done. Just because it’s a hard a second half of the schedule don’t mean nothing. The games have to be played and we can play with any team. Of we make the playoffs then we deserve to make it. And it means we beat the hard teams and hard teams are the only ones that will be in the playoffs. We make the playoffs and anything can happen.

 

[VACowboy]

That's not your option. It is either the season is over after 16 or 17 games, which do you want?

Well, the fact is that we can't tell the future so it's a useless question. When do I find out that we're one and done anyway? Right now? The day before the game? Before the season starts? Here's one for you: If in any given preseason you know that the team isn't going to the conference championship come playoff time, do you want the team to lose every game?

 

[cern]

Something happens to some fans with a team with repetitive behavior and some are purely results driven for the season, it is all about the destination, the journey is inconsequential. And there is no good or bad to it, it's just how you view the season.

If the Cowboys were to make the playoffs, and right now it looks like winning the division is the only way they would, and they were to lose out in that first round, would you rather they didn't make it at all?

Would the disappointment and frustration of that be to the point you'd rather just have the season end after 16 games?

Those are your only two choices, none of that "anything can happen in the playoffs", the choice is simple. End the season after 16 or end it after 17 games?

once the season begins, every team's record is 0-0. ergo, i'd prefer to make the playoffs.

 

[aikemirv]

I'm not sure that's true, but even if it is for some, it's also more exciting to be in the playoffs than to not be. And there is more hope and anticipation being in the playoffs than to not be. You have to be in the playoffs to feel you have a chance, and it's much more enjoyable to feel you have a chance than to know you didn't even pass the first step.

Yeah me neither. Not sure why I typed the exact opposite of what I meant! I will have to fix that! Little brain dislexia

 

[CouchCoach]

Sure it's the exception, but what's the point of playing the games at all if the exception never occurs - if the unexpected never happens? Athletic competition has no purpose if the competitors have no belief in the ability to overcome adversity. Fandom either for that matter.

Bullet summarized a lot of the thinking up above. Some do not want to go to the theme park if they can't ride all the rides.

There's nothing wrong with that, it's bridesmaid mentality and after so many trips, they'd rather sit home. There's also that element of higher expectations once a team gets in and that's just human nature.

There are quite a few fans here that disappointment has not only become habit but they even prepare for it in advance. Galvanizing themselves against dashed hopes.

I removed that "anything can happen" in this thread because I wanted to know how many are at that point of not wanting a 17th game if it's not going anywhere. There are not many teams that have fans that feel that way and I think we have more at that "Lucy's just going to pull the football away at the last moment" fans than any other team in any sport.

 

[OmerV]

Bullet summarized a lot of the thinking up above. Some do not want to go to the theme park if they can't ride all the rides.

There's nothing wrong with that, it's bridesmaid mentality and after so many trips, they'd rather sit home. There's also that element of higher expectations once a team gets in and that's just human nature.

There are quite a few fans here that disappointment has not only become habit but they even prepare for it in advance. Galvanizing themselves against dashed hopes.

I removed that "anything can happen" in this thread because I wanted to know how many are at that point of not wanting a 17th game if it's not going anywhere. There are not many teams that have fans that feel that way and I think we have more at that "Lucy's just going to pull the football away at the last moment" fans than any other team in any sport.

Very clearly some fans do that, and I certainly understand the disappointment. I just don't think I could continue to be a fan if I were to make the blanket decision to never have hope. I wouldn't see the point if I did that.

By the way, did you see my other question - it was a late addition to the post you quoted so you may not have seen it. The question was …

As for the either/or choice, are you asking how we would choose if we had a crystal ball and knew in advance when we would be eliminated, or are you asking if, after knowing we were one and done, we would rather have not been in the playoffs at all? That's an important distinction because under one scenario you know in advance there is no hope of going deeper in the playoffs, and in the other, you get to at least hold out hope and enjoy the anticipation up to the point of getting beat.

 

[Pantone282C]

Something happens to some fans with a team with repetitive behavior and some are purely results driven for the season, it is all about the destination, the journey is inconsequential. And there is no good or bad to it, it's just how you view the season.

If the Cowboys were to make the playoffs, and right now it looks like winning the division is the only way they would, and they were to lose out in that first round, would you rather they didn't make it at all?

Would the disappointment and frustration of that be to the point you'd rather just have the season end after 16 games?

Those are your only two choices, none of that "anything can happen in the playoffs", the choice is simple. End the season after 16 or end it after 17 games?

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea? I'll take door # 2.

 

[jazzcat22]

We have 11 or 12 games left. Plenty of football left to be watched.

8 regular season games and 2 or 3 playoff games depending if we get a bye or not
And ONE Super Bowl game to play.

I am not sure what all this one and done stuff is all about. I am not conceding.

 

[CouchCoach]

once the season begins, every team's record is 0-0. ergo, i'd prefer to make the playoffs.

But once the regular season ends, they are not the same. The team, unless it is the Cowboys, with homefield

Very clearly some fans do that, and I certainly understand the disappointment. I just don't think I could continue to be a fan if I just made the blanket decision to never have hope. I wouldn't see the point if I did that.

By the way, did you see my other question - it was a late addition to the post you quoted so you may not have seen it. The question was …

As for the either/or choice, are you asking how we would choose if we had a crystal ball and knew in advance when we would be eliminated, or are you asking if, after knowing we were one and done, we would rather have not been in the playoffs at all? That's an important distinction because under one scenario you know in advance there is no hope of going deeper in the playoffs, and in the other, you get to at least hold out hope and enjoy the anticipation up to the point of getting beat.

You know in advance that the team will not advance because that's what I've seen quite a few write here.

If it were the unknown, I would assume everyone would want to go then but I keep seeing this frustration level with going but not going anywhere. Why go at all?

I think it is a very remote possibility that every fan doesn't get up for the playoffs. How could one not get jazzed after a 16 game season to get to that point. Your team is 1 of 12.

Omer, I'll tell you what got me to thinking about this. This time last year, the team was 3-5 and there was no one thinking we were going anywhere but they go 7-1 and actually win a playoff game and are 1 of 8 teams left standing and is that good enough? From 3-5 to that and still many are pissed about the run D against the eventual NFC rep team in their stadium.

I think the best thing any Cowboys fan can do for themselves is to ask themselves these questions. Am I an entitled fan? What made me an entitled fan? Are the same things that led to my feelings of entitlement still a factor?

 

[charron]

Unless your doing a firesale like Miami and going for multitudes of draft picks then you win as many games as you can, play as many as you can because you never know you might get a lucky bounce or non call to win a game.

 

[CouchCoach]

We have 11 or 12 games left. Plenty of football left to be watched.

8 regular season games and 2 or 3 playoff games depending if we get a bye or not
And ONE Super Bowl game to play.

I am not sure what all this one and done stuff is all about. I am not conceding.

Anyone ask you to concede? This is hypothetical and for sure, we have 8 games left. You want a 9th if you know that's going to be your last or are you good with 8?

 

[CowboyFanInLexKy]

But once the regular season ends, they are not the same. The team, unless it is the Cowboys, with homefield
You know in advance that the team will not advance because that's what I've seen quite a few write here.

If it were the unknown, I would assume everyone would want to go then but I keep seeing this frustration level with going but not going anywhere. Why go at all?

I think it is a very remote possibility that every fan doesn't get up for the playoffs. How could one not get jazzed after a 16 game season to get to that point. Your team is 1 of 12.

Omer, I'll tell you what got me to thinking about this. This time last year, the team was 3-5 and there was no one thinking we were going anywhere but they go 7-1 and actually win a playoff game and are 1 of 8 teams left standing and is that good enough? From 3-5 to that and still many are pissed about the run D against the eventual NFC rep team in their stadium.

I think the best thing any Cowboys fan can do for themselves is to ask themselves these questions. Am I an entitled fan? What made me an entitled fan? Are the same things that led to my feelings of entitlement still a factor?

in reply to the bold, Entitled fan? I am not... Frustrated fan (that hasn't seen us go better than one and done for how long)? I am very...… Night and day difference...

 

[CouchCoach]

in reply to the bold, Entitled fan? I am not... Frustrated fan (that hasn't seen us go better than one and done for how long)? I am very......

Yep and there is a big difference but some do not realize they were conditioned to entitlement. Some don't like that word, I didn't right up until I realized that entitled is exactly what I used to be.