News: Sturm: Why Cowboys Fans Are Victims of Their Own Memories

Victim of memories? What memories? The team hasn't done anything worth remembering since I've been a fan.

What a dumb article.

nake said:

I think Sturm laid an egg with this column, but I'll still want to know what he has to say in future columns. Well, unless this kind of stuff becomes a habit. The word "fan" is rooted in the word "fanatic", and fanatics are never going to be OK with losing. He seems to be suggesting that losing is inherently cyclical, which would mean a loss like the beatdown in New Orleans is no biggie because it was just our turn to lose.

I think Bob forgets that winning is everything, according to the guy whose name is on the trophy. In the NFL, we can't just wait for our turn to win. Clearly, some teams don't get a turn, and right now we are one of them. We have to build a team that can impose its will on other teams so we can win more than our share of the games; a team deep enough to carry us through the long season and into post season success. The fans are doing their job by supporting the team. The team management has failed to produce a quality product on the field, and that is what all of the noise is about. The only way it will ever abate is if the fans lose interest and just don't care anymore.

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No, because you're still suggesting that we're being more emotional than objective with our complaints when you put out the whole "fanatic" thing. Losing IS inherently cyclical in a salary capped NFL but like any cycle, it eventually comes around to the winning side...


...except for this team. Well, and the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders (the other two teams that haven't made it to an NFC championship games in the last however many years).

Growing up, I always said the city of Dallas did not deserve the Cowboys because they had been spoiled rotten by the team. I said Dallas should get stuck with the Saints (1980s), the Browns, or the Bengals for awhile to teach them to appreciate the Cowboys. 30+ years later, nothing has changed...

ufcrules1 said:

I am REALLY liking your postings lately. Haven't always agreed with you but we are getting closer and closer.

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Well, you can still have a positive outlook and be critical of the team. I can see pretty much any side in a debate, but I don't let any one thing drive my postings. And that might be where you and I differ. *shrug*

I like many of the individual players on the team. I actually like many of the moves the team has made to keep the team competitive. I like that the team continues to fight every week. They haven't quit even if some fans have...and that's a good thing. I also lowered my expectations to where the current talent of the team lies. Some folks suggest that they never will. I don't fault them for that, but I also know that I enjoy games a whole lot more now, too. And I don't get as upset at the team either.

Yakuza Rich said:

I'm a firm believer that fans really screw themselves over when they have some sense of undying loyalty to a team to the point where they will still claim the team as their 'favorite team' despite hating the way the team is being ran.

They would empower themselves much more by having an attitude of 'I don't like the way this team is being run anymore and I'm going to start rooting for another team.' If fans had more of that attitude, ownership would cater to the fans more and the way they would run the team is different.

Whether it's Jerry Jones or Mike Brown, owners understand this sense of loyalty and continue to run their team in the same fashion. Mike Brown knows that he's going to have a ceiling on how many Bengals fans he will have every year. Jerry understand that he's got the most popular NFL team in the world. There's no reason for them to change anything unless *they* actually *want* to change things.

So if a person keeps claiming they are a fan but can't enjoy wins because they hate Jerry so much, why not go somewhere else? The answer is they won't go anywhere else because they get more enjoyment of being miserable and like the attention it brings them from other Cowboys fans.







YR

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Beat me to the punch buddy, and you probably worded it better than I would've. Best post in this thread so far in my opinion, and a very accurate description of much of the Cowboys' fanbase.

Some people are simply happily unhappy. If you can't even enjoy the wins anymore, I don't understand what the point of watching the games is.

WoodysGirl said:

Well, you can still have a positive outlook and be critical of the team. I can see pretty much any side in a debate, but I don't let any one thing drive my postings. And that might be where you and I differ. *shrug*

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I think you need to read more of my posts. I'm nothing more than a realist. I give praise where it is deserved and I will relentlessly give hell where it is deserved. I will not blindly support any player whatsoever, which is what many posters will do here.

WoodysGirl said:

I like many of the individual players on the team. I actually like many of the moves the team has made to keep the team competitive.

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I do too. I like Carr, Beasley, Lee(Although, he is turning into a player who is always hurt), Harris, Williams, Church, Wilcox, Murray, Frederick, Smith, Selvie, Bailey and barely holding on to liking Claiborne too.

WoodysGirl said:

I like that the team continues to fight every week.

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They didn't against the Saints. I know our defense was depleted but the offense didn't help the team at all. Looked like a bunch of quitters out there.

WoodysGirl said:

They haven't quit even if some fans have...and that's a good thing. I also lowered my expectations to where the current talent of the team lies. Some folks suggest that they never will. I don't fault them for that, but I also know that I enjoy games a whole lot more now, too. And I don't get as upset at the team either.

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They have shown some quit in them. Earlier in the year I was proud of them because they weren't quitting at all out there. I loved how the defense fought for turnovers and gang tackled etc. It was refreshing. I too have lowered my expectations and agree with you that it is much easier to watch the games now. I don't get emotionally attached anymore because there is no point. I have accepted what we are and that is a .500 team. I won't believe they are better until they prove it.

ufcrules1 said:

I think you need to read more of my posts. I'm nothing more than a realist. I give praise where it is deserved and I will relentlessly give hell where it is deserved. I will not blindly support any player whatsoever, which is what many posters will do here.

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I read your posts...Actually, I read most of everyone's posts.I think we all consider ourselves realists. Your perception of the team doesn't make you anymore right than anyone else. You give hell when you think they deserve it. Someone else may throw flowers for their effort. So what if they blindly support any player...if your opinion is to blindly dislike a player where nothing they do is right. I just don't find those kind of discussions worth battling over.

They didn't against the Saints. I know our defense was depleted but the offense didn't help the team at all. Looked like a bunch of quitters out there.



They have shown some quit in them. Earlier in the year I was proud of them because they weren't quitting at all out there. I loved how the defense fought for turnovers and gang tackled etc. It was refreshing. I too have lowered my expectations and agree with you that it is much easier to watch the games now. I don't get emotionally attached anymore because there is no point. I have accepted what we are and that is a .500 team. I won't believe they are better until they prove it.

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I consider the Saints game a one-off. I've reffed many a game where it's a blowout and after awhile you can see it in both coaches where they're just trying to finish the game and get out of there. If the Cowboys spit the bit in these next two games, then I believe that will the tell the tale of whether they've quit on Garrett or not.

WoodysGirl..

Thanks for posting that blog. It was an excellent read and I can't disagree with many of the guy's points. My only thing I would add is this:

Some of us arent disgusted because we think a .500 season is horrendous. We are disgusted because living around .500 is truly no-man's land. I believe there are many of us that would sign right now for the following:

football guy comes in to run the organization
the gutting of the franchise begins (with a few exceptions)
we go 2-14...and have a good draft
we go 5-11 and have a good draft
we go 7-9 and all the young guys are starting to blossom

I would sign for that right this minute. There is a good 7-9 and a bad 7-9 in my opinion. A good 7-9 is in my example above. A bad 7-9 or 8-8 is where the Cowboys are today.

cowboys2233 said:

No, because you're still suggesting that we're being more emotional than objective with our complaints when you put out the whole "fanatic" thing. Losing IS inherently cyclical in a salary capped NFL but like any cycle, it eventually comes around to the winning side...


...except for this team. Well, and the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders (the other two teams that haven't made it to an NFC championship games in the last however many years).

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Wouldn't you agree that if losing is cyclical, winning has to be cyclical, too? Yet, we have teams that don't win, like us. I would say the league is designed for losing to be cyclical, but good management can circumvent losing cycles, which are then slurped up by teams with bad management.

All I can say about my use of "fanatics" is check out the post Saints game comments in here last week. There are emotional complaints, objective complaints, and some that are both emotional and objective. My main point remains that fans will not accept losing and go quietly into the night.

fan
2 [fan] Show IPA
noun
an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.: a baseball fan; a great fan of Charlie Chaplin.
Origin:
1885–90, Americanism; short for fanatic

dupree89 said:

WoodysGirl..

Thanks for posting that blog. It was an excellent read and I can't disagree with many of the guy's points. My only thing I would add is this:

Some of us arent disgusted because we think a .500 season is horrendous. We are disgusted because living around .500 is truly no-man's land. I believe there are many of us that would sign right now for the following:

football guy comes in to run the organization
the gutting of the franchise begins (with a few exceptions)
we go 2-14...and have a good draft
we go 5-11 and have a good draft
we go 7-9 and all the young guys are starting to blossom

I would sign for that right this minute. There is a good 7-9 and a bad 7-9 in my opinion. A good 7-9 is in my example above. A bad 7-9 or 8-8 is where the Cowboys are today.

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Agreed. Just like our 1989-1991 teams. 1-15 to 7-9 to 9-7 (and a playoff win). So much more fun to watch than this freak show.

I don't know many fans looking to be "energized!!!!!!". The fans I know and read want to see meaningful games in January that we have a chance to win. That's what energizes me as a fan. Some gimic like a backup QB who wins a game or two exciting fans, or a new OC with a shiny new offensive system accomplishes absolutely nothing in the long term. It's mostly about the players, and we don't have enough.

Sturm's argument that .500 is normal is just hogwash. There have been long periods where some teams don't even try (just look at the pitiful payroll some of them have had compared to the Cowboys or NYG over the last several years). Of course a team like that is generally going to be sub .500, meaning the free-spending Jones (subsidized by the good people of Arlington), is usually going to outdo the NFL's cheapskates. That has allowed him to hold on to his perennial 9-7 team and it's overpriced stars.

Jason Garrett has failed as a coach and after Jones fires him, probably after this season, he won't get another HC gig for a long time, if ever. But he's not the problem. No one could do much more than maybe sneak in the backdoor to the playoffs with this roster. The league's best teams have 2 or 3x the number of good players that we have, and in almost all cases, a far better salary cap situation.

Trying to psychoanalyze or whatever some of you are trying to accomplish is foolish. Fans are down on the organization because it hasn't even sniffed a championship since 1995. It's been said a million times, but the one common denominator in that heritage of failure is Jerry Jones and his family. Not Jason Garrett. Not Tony Romo. Not Demarcus Ware. Not Dave Campo. Not Larry Lacewell. Jerry Jones. Quit beating around the bush and pretending that what Dallas is in is just a funk that a few good acquisitions could turn around. Or that it's just cyclical. The reason it appears "cyclical" as some try to argue is that when teams fail, the GM hires a new coach. And if that doesn't work out, the GM gets shown the door with the coach he hired.

That's what usually happens in the NFL. Except in Dallas.

dupree89 said:

WoodysGirl..

Thanks for posting that blog. It was an excellent read and I can't disagree with many of the guy's points. My only thing I would add is this:

Some of us arent disgusted because we think a .500 season is horrendous. We are disgusted because living around .500 is truly no-man's land. I believe there are many of us that would sign right now for the following:

football guy comes in to run the organization
the gutting of the franchise begins (with a few exceptions)
we go 2-14...and have a good draft
we go 5-11 and have a good draft
we go 7-9 and all the young guys are starting to blossom

I would sign for that right this minute. There is a good 7-9 and a bad 7-9 in my opinion. A good 7-9 is in my example above. A bad 7-9 or 8-8 is where the Cowboys are today.

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Right.

That is more fun to watch actually.......

And no. There is no guarantee it will work!

But what we have now is....lipstick on a pig.

I had to stop reading that garbage. Sturm is a Packers fan. He is in no place to even speak. His has Aaron Rodgers and a recent Super Bowl and his team isn’t driven to the ground by Jerry Jones. Hey Sturm, shove your opinion up your rear end!

Everlastingxxx said:

I had to stop reading that garbage. Sturm is a Packers fan. He is in no place to even speak. His has Aaron Rodgers and a recent Super Bowl and his team isn’t driven to the ground by Jerry Jones. Hey Sturm, shove your opinion up your rear end!

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LOL You tell 'em!!!

Bob, of course, is correct. This SB or bust mentality doesn't allow a lot of fans to enjoy the wins. It's like a lot of fans live in the past and watch with such negativity that it makes you wonder why they put themselves through such misery?

beevomav said:

Bob, of course, is correct. This SB or bust mentality doesn't allow a lot of fans to enjoy the wins. It's like a lot of fans live in the past and watch with such negativity that it makes you wonder why they put themselves through such misery?

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Bob is wrong, it's the fact that only 5 other teams have fewer playoff wins than this once proud franchise since 1996.

I completely disagree with Bob. Fanbases have to hold teams to high expectations. Fans should never apologize for high expectations.

I am an Ohio State Buckeye and after one single 6-6 season the fanbase revolted. The university fired or demoted all the coaches, hired the best highest-profile one they could find in Urban Meyer, and gave him complete and absolute control to turn it around. Since then they've been on a 22-game win streak without a single loss. The fanbase had high expectations and would not settle for even a single .500 season.

If anything the problem with the Dallas Cowboys is that their fans give them a free pass too often. Fans fill up the Jerry-dome despite this team's poor performance. This team is dysfunctional and the "the last 15 years sucked but next year is definitely our year" mentality perpetuates the dysfunction.

Seven said:

This team IS bad.

Competitive? They're eeking out losses instead of wins.

Did we not see Stafford place the ball across the goal line while 'our' guys were standing around? That's school yard stuff. I was more embarrassed than Leon Lett in the SB.

Denver? Another Romo oopsie.

Couldn't muster up the 'man' in the athletes to stop one single drive in KC.

We lose a game due to a penalty. Which is like the sun rising in Dallas, BTW.

Dude, this .500 record is leanin haevily on the generous side of the suckness of this team as a whole.

We iced our own kicker for God's sake. It hasn't gotten any better. Every year. Can we not see the pattern and consistency with ineptitude?

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This is almost exactly what Sturm is talking about, by the way. You might not agree, but, I think the guy has a great point.

WoodysGirl said:

I read your posts...Actually, I read most of everyone's posts.I think we all consider ourselves realists. Your perception of the team doesn't make you anymore right than anyone else. You give hell when you think they deserve it. Someone else may throw flowers for their effort. So what if they blindly support any player...if your opinion is to blindly dislike a player where nothing they do is right. I just don't find those kind of discussions worth battling over.

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No, we don't all consider ourselves realists. There are many here who specifically consider themselves homers/happy fans. I have seen them call themselves that. A realists is not overly loyal to any player and just calls it as he sees it (of course it is just that persons opinion.. did anyone say it wasn't?).

I would say you are much closer to a homer.. although, lately I have seen you be more and more critical of the negative things you see on the field. That is why I am starting to like your posts more and more.

WoodysGirl said:

I consider the Saints game a one-off..

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A one off? Or maybe a moral loss? lol...I get where you are coming from but there was ZERO reason that offense should have given up like that out there. Heck, there was a point where the offense started to come to life a little bit and then just quit altogether. That gave us zero chance of winning that game.

beevomav said:

Bob, of course, is correct. This SB or bust mentality doesn't allow a lot of fans to enjoy the wins. It's like a lot of fans live in the past and watch with such negativity that it makes you wonder why they put themselves through such misery?

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It is Super Bowl or bust............

There is no other way....