Two Cowboys fan behaviors that have always puzzled me

Whirlwin · Sep 16, 2019

Anybody who agrees with any one of those statements. Just summed up their entire life. LOL

Cowboysfan1975 · Sep 16, 2019

Funny everyone in the world is praising the Pats for beating two horrible team in a row. Same with the Ravens, but are using the Boys schedule against them.

birdwells1 · Sep 16, 2019

Whirlwin said:
Totally disagree on both accounts. It's cowardly to want to face half of an opponent

Yeah I knew someone would take the "manly" angle with this. Do you see Patriots fans begging to play in a tougher division? You guys are looking at the micro not the macro, the goal is to win a super bowl not a week 6 matchup.
Did you know that when Golden State won their first recent championship they didn't play against a starting guard in any series because all of them were hurt. How often is that brought up? Never. A win is a win.

blueblood70 · Sep 16, 2019

CATCH17 said:
#1.. I agree but there are times when playing a team at full strength is a good thing.

2014 Seattle, 2016 GB and Steelers, 2018 New Orleans... All of those games spring boarded the season and wouldn't have created the momentum without those teams being full strength.

Also, New Orleans game has became a must win game that we won't receive much credit for but will get hammered if we lose.

#2 I agree... Who cares if fans look ahead.

dont forget Saints was it 2009 or 2010 when we beat them when they were 10-0? that was awesome.. I am one of the fans that say I rather see us beat teams at full strength especially early in the season.. we are battle hardened but its more then that, it gives the team a ton of confidence going into other big games they can reach back in their memory banks and say no problem we got this..The game where romo battled Manning and the broncos blow for blow, man that would have been great t win..wasn't let down by the loss if it were manningless because he got hurt the week before and we beat them, not the same..

I realize you want the easiest road to the playoffs and SB but only beating bad teams is not something as fan you can brag about and not a player want to be known as the camp cupcake guys who got lucky..

I also dont like looking ahead but I do it anyway as fans its ok as team no , so sometimes as fan we get caught up in coach speak sending messages to players and feel we are part of it by repeating it..

nobody · Sep 16, 2019

birdwells1 said:
Yeah I knew someone would take the "manly" angle with this. Do you see Patriots fans begging to play in a tougher division? You guys are looking at the micro not the macro, the goal is to win a super bowl not a week 6 matchup.
Did you know that when Golden State won their first recent championship they didn't play against a starting guard in any series because all of them were hurt. How often is that brought up? Never. A win is a win.

The Patriots are proven playoff winners. I don't care who they play outside the playoffs. The Cowboys NEED honing and practice because since 1996 they've always failed in the playoffs...never winning a divisional round. Playing powderpuff and injury-ridden teams are not going to get them the necessary practice to beat complete teams in the playoffs. THAT is looking at the macro. You play who is on your schedule. They should dominate weaker teams. But how does that help them prepare?

xwalker · Sep 16, 2019

Red Dragon said:
In the many years that I've been a member of Cowboys message boards, I've always seen two recurring fan sentiments that baffle me:

"I would rather that our opponent be at full strength and have all of their players healthy so that they have no excuse when we beat them, than play an injury-weakened opponent" - really? You'd rather face a strong opponent and have only a 50% chance of beating them, than an injury-weakened opponent and have a 70% chance of beating them? A win is a win and a loss is a loss in the W-L column, no matter how you got there. Injuries don't factor into tiebreakers.

"We can't afford to look ahead - we need to focus on our weak opponent this week. Let's not talk about the games that lie further ahead and focus only on one game at a time." If people who say this are referring to Cowboys players and coaches, then I absolutely agree - one game at a time. But oftentimes, it seems that people who say this are referring to Cowboys fans - they seem to think that if Cowboys fans get ahead of ourselves and start talking about Thanksgiving or December or January when it's still Week 3, that somehow our behavior on an Internet message board will cause the Cowboys players and coaches to lose games by losing focus - what gives?

What I don't understand:

Why fans with uninformed opinions think their opinion has value.

They crank out opinions based on next to nothing. Not much can be learned from just watching the game. In the day of DVRs and NFL Game Pass there is no excuse to not review the games. It's fine for people that don't want to do it, but then that person should just know that his opinion is not an informed opinion.

I find it weird that people don't seek the truth about really happens in games or the truth about how players performed.

Is it low IQ or emotion that drives the most uninformed to complain the most about the team or about specific players or to anoint other players based on minimal info?

Where do some narratives come from?

We know the Heath narrative started when he was a rookie trying to cover Megatron.

The Connor Williams sucks narrative is still around.

The most comical narrative is that Jourdan Lewis is super mega awesome. In reality he has been a very good 4th CB and maybe he does have starter ability BUT there is no proof of that anywhere. There is just something about his on field demeanor that appeals to fans and they translate that into him being great. I have not found anybody in that fan group that has tried to study the CBs to really see which ones are better. Maybe a lot of fans have short man complex and identify with Lewis.

The Dak haters have been quieted but are anxiously awaiting a bad game from him. What drives that group of knuckleheads?

There is the decade long narrative that the Cowboys need a mega fat guy in the middle of the DL. I could understand wanting a top talent a DT added but the obsession with getting a mega heavy weight DT is getting absurd. There was 1 starting inside DL on any of the playoff teams over 320 pounds if I recall correctly (Cowboys starters are 311 & 318).

FYI, Grady Jarrett is 6-0, 305 and is a 1 gap penetrating 3-tech DT that is uber quick twitch. He is exactly the type of DT Marinelli prefers.

This season people are seeking to start more narratives.

There are issues with the LBs.
Crawford can't play the run at DE.
DLaw is dogging it.
The defense is bad.
Cooper is regressing.

Why are these narratives so important to people why do they not care that most of them are wrong?

Whirlwin · Sep 17, 2019

birdwells1 said:
Yeah I knew someone would take the "manly" angle with this. Do you see Patriots fans begging to play in a tougher division? You guys are looking at the micro not the macro, the goal is to win a super bowl not a week 6 matchup.
Did you know that when Golden State won their first recent championship they didn't play against a starting guard in any series because all of them were hurt. How often is that brought up? Never. A win is a win.

Do you really think I care what all the people around the league do or think. I worry about myself. Again it's cowardly to want to play a less of a team

Whirlwin · Sep 17, 2019

xwalker said:
What I don't understand:

Why fans with uninformed opinions think their opinion has value.

They crank out opinions based on next to nothing. Not much can be learned from just watching the game. In the day of DVRs and NFL Game Pass there is no excuse to not review the games. It's fine for people that don't want to do it, but then that person should just know that his opinion is not an informed opinion.
I can't give you enough likes
I find it weird that people don't seek the truth about really happens in games or the truth about how players performed.

Is it low IQ or emotion that drives the most uninformed to complain the most about the team or about specific players or to anoint other players based on minimal info?

Where do some narratives come from?

We know the Heath narrative started when he was a rookie trying to cover Megatron.

The Connor Williams sucks narrative is still around.

The most comical narrative is that Jourdan Lewis is super mega awesome. In reality he has been a very good 4th CB and maybe he does have starter ability BUT there is no proof of that anywhere. There is just something about his on field demeanor that appeals to fans and they translate that into him being great. I have not found anybody in that fan group that has tried to study the CBs to really see which ones are better. Maybe a lot of fans have short man complex and identify with Lewis.

The Dak haters have been quieted but are anxiously awaiting a bad game from him. What drives that group of knuckleheads?

There is the decade long narrative that the Cowboys need a mega fat guy in the middle of the DL. I could understand wanting a top talent a DT added but the obsession with getting a mega heavy weight DT is getting absurd. There was 1 starting inside DL on any of the playoff teams over 320 pounds if I recall correctly (Cowboys starters are 311 & 318).

FYI, Grady Jarrett is 6-0, 305 and is a 1 gap penetrating 3-tech DT that is uber quick twitch. He is exactly the type of DT Marinelli prefers.

This season people are seeking to start more narratives.

There are issues with the LBs.
Crawford can't play the run at DE.
DLaw is dogging it.
The defense is bad.
Cooper is regressing.

Why are these narratives so important to people why do they not care that most of them are wrong?

Whirlwin · Sep 17, 2019

xwalker said:
What I don't understand:

Why fans with uninformed opinions think their opinion has value.

They crank out opinions based on next to nothing. Not much can be learned from just watching the game. In the day of DVRs and NFL Game Pass there is no excuse to not review the games. It's fine for people that don't want to do it, but then that person should just know that his opinion is not an informed opinion.

I find it weird that people don't seek the truth about really happens in games or the truth about how players performed.

Is it low IQ or emotion that drives the most uninformed to complain the most about the team or about specific players or to anoint other players based on minimal info?

Where do some narratives come from?

We know the Heath narrative started when he was a rookie trying to cover Megatron.

The Connor Williams sucks narrative is still around.

The most comical narrative is that Jourdan Lewis is super mega awesome. In reality he has been a very good 4th CB and maybe he does have starter ability BUT there is no proof of that anywhere. There is just something about his on field demeanor that appeals to fans and they translate that into him being great. I have not found anybody in that fan group that has tried to study the CBs to really see which ones are better. Maybe a lot of fans have short man complex and identify with Lewis.

The Dak haters have been quieted but are anxiously awaiting a bad game from him. What drives that group of knuckleheads?

There is the decade long narrative that the Cowboys need a mega fat guy in the middle of the DL. I could understand wanting a top talent a DT added but the obsession with getting a mega heavy weight DT is getting absurd. There was 1 starting inside DL on any of the playoff teams over 320 pounds if I recall correctly (Cowboys starters are 311 & 318).

FYI, Grady Jarrett is 6-0, 305 and is a 1 gap penetrating 3-tech DT that is uber quick twitch. He is exactly the type of DT Marinelli prefers.

This season people are seeking to start more narratives.

There are issues with the LBs.
Crawford can't play the run at DE.
DLaw is dogging it.
The defense is bad.
Cooper is regressing.

Why are these narratives so important to people why do they not care that most of them are wrong?

Hey I like the big ugly. That doesn't mean he's going to play any better in some pretty boy in great shape. I understand that. I like the wilfork's of the world.

Red Dragon · Sep 17, 2019

Whirlwin said:
You always want to face the best opponent you possibly can. How do you expect to react in the playoffs if you don't play the best during the season. Reversal baffle. You can't be serious

Whirlwin said:
Do you really think I care what all the people around the league do or think. I worry about myself. Again it's cowardly to want to play a less of a team

Let's take your logic to its logical extreme. Since "stronger opponent is always better", how would you like it if the Cowboys' schedule always consisted of nothing but the absolute best teams in the league? And each opponent was always led by a Brady-like QB and Belichick-like coach? And had a dozen Pro Bowlers?

Tough is better, right?

Fastpitch Dad · Sep 17, 2019

GenoT said:
Here’s what I find puzzling...

1) The idea that various approaches to being a sports fan other than one’s own can — although different or even opposing — be equally valid really seems to bother the hell outta some people.

2) The above is especially puzzling when it concerns something as relatively frivolous as sports fandom.

Post of the day.

Well said. There's enough in everyday life to worry or get irritated about.

Aviano90 · Sep 17, 2019

xwalker said:
What I don't understand:

Why fans with uninformed opinions think their opinion has value.

They crank out opinions based on next to nothing. Not much can be learned from just watching the game. In the day of DVRs and NFL Game Pass there is no excuse to not review the games. It's fine for people that don't want to do it, but then that person should just know that his opinion is not an informed opinion.

I find it weird that people don't seek the truth about really happens in games or the truth about how players performed.

Is it low IQ or emotion that drives the most uninformed to complain the most about the team or about specific players or to anoint other players based on minimal info?

Where do some narratives come from?

We know the Heath narrative started when he was a rookie trying to cover Megatron.

The Connor Williams sucks narrative is still around.

The most comical narrative is that Jourdan Lewis is super mega awesome. In reality he has been a very good 4th CB and maybe he does have starter ability BUT there is no proof of that anywhere. There is just something about his on field demeanor that appeals to fans and they translate that into him being great. I have not found anybody in that fan group that has tried to study the CBs to really see which ones are better. Maybe a lot of fans have short man complex and identify with Lewis.

The Dak haters have been quieted but are anxiously awaiting a bad game from him. What drives that group of knuckleheads?

There is the decade long narrative that the Cowboys need a mega fat guy in the middle of the DL. I could understand wanting a top talent a DT added but the obsession with getting a mega heavy weight DT is getting absurd. There was 1 starting inside DL on any of the playoff teams over 320 pounds if I recall correctly (Cowboys starters are 311 & 318).

FYI, Grady Jarrett is 6-0, 305 and is a 1 gap penetrating 3-tech DT that is uber quick twitch. He is exactly the type of DT Marinelli prefers.

This season people are seeking to start more narratives.

There are issues with the LBs.
Crawford can't play the run at DE.
DLaw is dogging it.
The defense is bad.
Cooper is regressing.

Why are these narratives so important to people why do they not care that most of them are wrong?

I've never understood how someone can be so married yo their eye ball test when objective data clearly shows their perception is flat out wrong.

kskboys · Sep 17, 2019

Red Dragon said:
Let's take your logic to its logical extreme. Since "stronger opponent is always better", how would you like it if the Cowboys' schedule always consisted of nothing but the absolute best teams in the league? And each opponent was always led by a Brady-like QB and Belichick-like coach? And had a dozen Pro Bowlers?

Tough is better, right?

If we have two dozen pro bowlers and our own Brady and Belly, bring 'em on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To me, hoping for injuries so you can win is cheap and quite unsportsmanlike.

kskboys · Sep 17, 2019

Aviano90 said:
I've never understood how someone can be so married yo their eye ball test when objective data clearly shows their perception is flat out wrong.

Most of the data being presented is not objective. The data can often be misconstrued, and often the people compiling the data are questionable compilers at best.

However, I've seen many many people try to use the eyeball test as the endall conclusion, and that is also often incorrect.

Jake · Sep 17, 2019

Red Dragon said:
In the many years that I've been a member of Cowboys message boards, I've always seen two recurring fan sentiments that baffle me:

"I would rather that our opponent be at full strength and have all of their players healthy so that they have no excuse when we beat them, than play an injury-weakened opponent" - really? You'd rather face a strong opponent and have only a 50% chance of beating them, than an injury-weakened opponent and have a 70% chance of beating them? A win is a win and a loss is a loss in the W-L column, no matter how you got there. Injuries don't factor into tiebreakers.

"We can't afford to look ahead - we need to focus on our weak opponent this week. Let's not talk about the games that lie further ahead and focus only on one game at a time." If people who say this are referring to Cowboys players and coaches, then I absolutely agree - one game at a time. But oftentimes, it seems that people who say this are referring to Cowboys fans - they seem to think that if Cowboys fans get ahead of ourselves and start talking about Thanksgiving or December or January when it's still Week 3, that somehow our behavior on an Internet message board will cause the Cowboys players and coaches to lose games by losing focus - what gives?

3. Once an opinion has been formed about a player no amount of contrary evidence shall be allowed to penetrate that opinion, and perhaps even change it. The original opinion, no matter how rash and/or uninformed, must be defended at all costs. It's better to double down on the original opinion, no matter how foolish it becomes, than to ever admit you may have misjudged the guy or to even give him credit on a particular day.

kskboys · Sep 17, 2019

xwalker said:
What I don't understand:

Why fans with uninformed opinions think their opinion has value.

They crank out opinions based on next to nothing. Not much can be learned from just watching the game. In the day of DVRs and NFL Game Pass there is no excuse to not review the games. It's fine for people that don't want to do it, but then that person should just know that his opinion is not an informed opinion.

I find it weird that people don't seek the truth about really happens in games or the truth about how players performed.

Is it low IQ or emotion that drives the most uninformed to complain the most about the team or about specific players or to anoint other players based on minimal info?

Where do some narratives come from?

We know the Heath narrative started when he was a rookie trying to cover Megatron.

The Connor Williams sucks narrative is still around.

The most comical narrative is that Jourdan Lewis is super mega awesome. In reality he has been a very good 4th CB and maybe he does have starter ability BUT there is no proof of that anywhere. There is just something about his on field demeanor that appeals to fans and they translate that into him being great. I have not found anybody in that fan group that has tried to study the CBs to really see which ones are better. Maybe a lot of fans have short man complex and identify with Lewis.

The Dak haters have been quieted but are anxiously awaiting a bad game from him. What drives that group of knuckleheads?

There is the decade long narrative that the Cowboys need a mega fat guy in the middle of the DL. I could understand wanting a top talent a DT added but the obsession with getting a mega heavy weight DT is getting absurd. There was 1 starting inside DL on any of the playoff teams over 320 pounds if I recall correctly (Cowboys starters are 311 & 318).

FYI, Grady Jarrett is 6-0, 305 and is a 1 gap penetrating 3-tech DT that is uber quick twitch. He is exactly the type of DT Marinelli prefers.

This season people are seeking to start more narratives.

There are issues with the LBs.
Crawford can't play the run at DE.
DLaw is dogging it.
The defense is bad.
Cooper is regressing.

Why are these narratives so important to people why do they not care that most of them are wrong?

While I'm on the train of needing the guy in the middle who cannot be moved, it's not a big fatty that's needed, and size is not the most important aspect. It's build.

Out of all the teams/guys being presented, the majority had at least one guy who shored up the middle and didn't let anyone pass, often requiring a double team.

Here's the objective data on the other side of this argument, Walks. Super bowl participants pretty much always have a middle stuffer on staff, and I can't think of a recent winner that didn't employ one. It's not size, and it's not even always build. Barry Cofield filled this job admirably for the Gnats super bowl winner, and he was like 6-4/320.

So, it all depends on what you're arguing. Size? Doesn't matter. Having two slashers at DT? Matters a ton. Because while this strategy may work against bad/mediocre teams during the season, when it comes to the big show, it mostly does not. Teams who have tried the two 3 tech types at DT that I know of offhand that didn't work out: DEN, MINN, OAK. DEN and MINN in the past, and they always got run over in the playoffs. OAK tried it w/ two stud in Seymour/Kelly, and it just doesn't work.

IMO, Walks, this strategy leads to inconsistent play, which is a huge factor in teams getting bounced from the playoffs.

kskboys · Sep 17, 2019

Jake said:
3. Once an opinion has been formed about a player no amount of contrary evidence shall be allowed to penetrate that opinion, and perhaps even change it. The original opinion, no matter how rash and/or uninformed, must be defended at all costs. It's better to double down on the original opinion, no matter how foolish it becomes, than to ever admit you may have misjudged the guy or to even give him credit on a particular day.

Ooooh, good one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I see this all the time.

For instance, by 2013, Scandrick had become one of the best corners on our team, and one of the best in the league, and yet people couldn't get over his play as a youngster and kept on screaming to dump him.

ItzKelz · Sep 17, 2019

Nav22 said:
1) They want to be able to talk trash to their buddies about a Cowboys win, and they know a key injury to the opponent will be used by their buddies as an excuse.

2) They like pretending they’re on this journey with the players/coaches and their fandom somehow contributes to the team’s success.

1) Totally agree. I know for a fact that my trash talking is legendary and definitely helps my team win.
2) Pretend?

kskboys · Sep 17, 2019

Here's another:

Thinking that just because they haven't heard of a player that the said player is not good.

DallasEast · Sep 17, 2019

Jake said:
3. Once an opinion has been formed about a player no amount of contrary evidence shall be allowed to penetrate that opinion, and perhaps even change it. The original opinion, no matter how rash and/or uninformed, must be defended at all costs. It's better to double down on the original opinion, no matter how foolish it becomes, than to ever admit you may have misjudged the guy or to even give him credit on a particular day.

Truth. Additional evidence could involve what other players, both on the team or on the opponent's team, did or did not do on the field during a certain play or series of plays, coaching decisions, down and distance, actual field position, weather, injury, officiating conclusions, etc. Whatever tangibles or even intangibles involved are automatically dismissed as factual. The 'only' factor of importance is what is thought as true for that one individual player alone.

That is fundamentally sound thinking for any observer, especially in regards to formulating any opinions pertaining to any team sport. /overly thick sarcasm

Two Cowboys fan behaviors that have always puzzled me

Cowboy , It’s a way of life.

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Cowboy , It’s a way of life.

Cowboy , It’s a way of life.

Cowboy , It’s a way of life.

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Go Seahawks!!!

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Beyond tired of Jerry

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Cowboys 24/7/365