A Touch of Hostility... Week 14

[Hostile]

I do not believe in moral victories. It is also clear that I do not see football in the same terms as many posters. I think frustration with losses simply pushes people too far. I don't even know what to think of about 75% of the stuff posted on this forum any more.

To all of you who can no longer enjoy professional football if your team loses, I am truly, deeply sorry. I wish I could take away whatever illness it is that infects your soul to the point it does. Here is something I need to tell you that I hope you will try to understand. Losses do not mean a team sucks. Losses do not mean the same to players and coaches that they do to fans. They just don't.

People are freaking out over Choice getting an autograph from Vicky? People are losing their minds over Garrett hugging Vicky and saying something to him? Thank God those doing this are not players. I'm serious. I cannot believe the mentality it takes to expect our team to be respected professionally if they act juvenile and like a bunch of spoiled rotten thugs. Yet that is exactly what a host of posters are ratifying with every blathering, lathered up explosion of disgust.

I do not like Vicky. In fact, I cannot stand him. But you can go ahead and bet your own gonads on this, if I were a player on the Dallas Cowboys and I just lost a hard fought game to that man, I would be a man and I would offer him my congratulations. I am proud to say our players have character, integrity, and tact. I am proud to say that they get it. I wish I could say the same for the fans of that team.

In honor of Dandy Don Meredith I spent the entire game making wisecracks in the game threads. I had an absolute blast doing it. My last post in the threads was a much more direct tribute. I posted the words Dandy sang to us each week as the game was over.

He was one of a kind. I know he would have loved that game. It was the third straight highly entertaining game I have watched the Cowboys play. Unfortunately two of the three were losses. I do not enjoy losses, especially to the Eagles, whom I absolutely despise, but I enjoy entertaining football games, and experience has taught me we lose some of those.

I like the way this team is playing. Are they perfect? No, and they wouldn't be even if they were blowing every team they faced out. Have any of you ever listened to Al Pacino's speech in "Any Given Sunday?" If you have and you grasp how powerful it really is I can't help but wonder how you can be upset at every loss. This is a game of inches and defeat can be snatched from the grasp of victory by mere inches. That is what makes football great. A few mere inches and Mike Jenkins knocks that pass to Desean Jackson down and it is a different game.

What could be more exciting than that? Yes, I get it, wins. Do you know how you create those? By playing with the kind of fire and intensity this team does. Are they areas to improve? Always. I mean that. Always. That too is what makes this game great.

In my not so humble opinion there has never been a greater basketball player than Michael Jordan. A fierce competitor who willed those around him to win. Who drove himself to levels we all saw as legendary. Did you ever see Michael laughing and smiling as something bad for the Bulls or him happened? Of course you did. Sometimes in athletics when that inch breaks the other guy's way instead of yours all you can do is smile.

Please stop making it anything more than the simplest form of expression. Is that really too much to ask? Have we really degenerated so far as a society that athletes loving and respecting the game is evidence that they do not care? Have you ever seen the backlash that happens when someone does not show sportsmanship after a game? The Todd Haley and Josh McDaniels incident comes immediately to mind. Is that the display you really want from our coaches and athletes?

I can't fathom that. I wish you could show me on the teddy bear where the bad man touched you that you disconnect with reality so far. I wish I could make the hurt go away. I wish I could teach you to enjoy the game. I feel like so many of you are just missing out on a tremendous thrill ride.

There will be people stung by my commentary. Their dislike of me will increase. Their judgment of me will swell with bile. Oh well. If you don't want me to speak my mind about your immature acts, don't be public with them. Throw your temper tantrums in your bedroom in private and pretend the big bad world doesn't exist.

There's no moral victory. The Eagles were favored. They are the better team. We could have beaten them and we didn't. Nothing is gained by losing.

More is lost by losing one's mind though.

I am disappointed in the loss. I saw a lot of things I just do not like. I saw nothing in the actions of my team that would make me embarrassed of the effort they gave. I didn't see anything that leads me to believe they cannot get over the next hurdle and become the Champion we all want. One failed play is not and has never been evidence that a guy does not belong in the NFL.

I am sorry that my post isn't as much about the game I did enjoy as it is about the fallout, backlash, and utter chaos in the aftermath. I speak about the things I notice. Those are the things I always feel need to be said.

The moment of silence for Jeff and Hazel's baby boy was wonderful. I still do not feel it was enough of a memorial or celebration of Don Meredith's life and value to the Dallas Cowboys. That burns me a whole lot more than a single loss in an already insignificant, disappointing season.

But I'm wired differently when it comes to football. I just don't know any other way to be. 90 thousand posts are my evidence.

 

[DavyBaby]

I agree with you totally . . . however, I suspect blogs are a bit like call-in radio shows/ A lot of crazy people call in, but they do not necessarily reflect the views of the "average" listener.

Please hang in there. I always enjoy reading your posts--thank you.

 

[7footer]

Enjoyed your post as always Hos.

The only difference of opinion I may have from you is concerning Choice's autograph incident. While I wholeheartedly agree that too much has been made of it, I still believe it was the wrong thing for him to do. I don't care if he asks Vick for an autograph, but doing so on the field after losing to one of our biggest rivals shows a lack of consideration for the fans who take this game very seriously, and I thought it was a lapse in judgement on his part.

That said I don't hate Choice or want him cut immediately because of it, but I think he should have shown a little more consideration and respect for our team, organization, and fanbase than to make such an untimely request.

 

[ologan]

Thanks for the levity,Hos.
If I was a young,new fan,I might think what some thought regarding the whole Garrett/Choice/Vick/Reed scenario,that there is no place ON MY TEAM for any consorting with the enemy. But I'm an old Dallas Cowboys fan,and have seen a lot. I've seen enough over the years to know that things come around,sometimes in spades. Things will come around again for this team,Hos. I like what I see as Garrett builds this team to be a champion again.

 

[Jimz31]

Like I said in another post, was what they did, the smiling and the Autograph hawking any big deal? Nope, but to not admit that it's not the "right" thing to do publicly is incorrect as well.

Smiling after a win....not something you do, period. Asking for an autograph, to me, is just plain childish, especially from someone that can have the PR department do it at any time.

Big deal? Nope. Stupid on their part? Yep.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

"The moment of silence for Jeff and Hazel's baby boy was wonderful. I still do not feel it was enough of a memorial or celebration of Don Meredith's life and value to the Dallas Cowboys. That burns me a whole lot more than a single loss in an already insignificant, disappointing season."

I wasn't shocked. Just disappointed. It's amazing the lack of respect Jones has for the franchise.

 

[Picksix]

Some people just don't understand the perspective of the pro athlete/coach. I've worked as a trainer at the pro level, for the most part, they just don't get that wrapped up in losses that don't mean that much. They can't afford to. There's just way too much that goes into the season. The hours, the grind, the travel. When the game is done, they have to let it roll off them, and appreciate where they are and what they do.

Should Garrett have been smiling after a loss? Maybe not. But considering what he's been through so far this year, I don't have a problem with it. He's not Ditka, not Belichek, not Parcells. He appreciates where he is, and keeps it in perspective. Did this game really mean that much to the Cowboys? No. It probably meant a lot more to us.

Yeah, I love the guy who hates to lose. But I need the guy in charge to be able to put it aside, and move onto the next task. I guarantee Garrett didn't sleep that well last night. He tossed and turned, thinking of all the plays, decisions, bounces that, if they had gone the other way, might have given the Cowboys victory.

They prepared. They fought. They gave it all they had. One game out of 16. Really, one game out of about three hundred for Garrett. And they came up short. If it had meant the division, or the playoffs, I'm confident his demeanor would have been more serious.

For those that live and die with every game, I'm glad you're not part of the team. You'd never last.

 

[notherbob]

I very much enjoyed the game; the team did much better than I feared they would. I figured the Eagles would come in with a vengeance and simply overpower the Cowboys but that didn't happen and it was closer than I thought it would be.

The Boys were in it just about til the end and I felt proud of them for hanging in there with what is probably the best team in the conference this year.

In general, athletes respect their competitors, it's the fools in the stands who don't. Being a former championship athlete myself, I enjoy seeing them compete fiercely right up until the final whistle and then seeing them put their feelings aside and renew acquaintances with old friends. Meanwhile some of the fans are angrily yelling at each other and duking it out. Some folks just don't seem to understand that it is a game not a gang fight.

If there is football next year, I think the Cowboys are going to be fun to watch; if not, they'll be fun to watch in 2012 or whenever they resume playing.

Getting rid of Casper, the friendly Milquetoast was the best thing to happen to this team since getting rid of TO.

 

[Doomsday]

To all of you who can no longer enjoy professional football if your team loses, I am truly, deeply sorry. I wish I could take away whatever illness it is that infects your soul to the point it does.

Sorry but that comment is so far over the top it isnt funny. Just cause some people have different expectations then you, doesnt mean they need their souls saved or that they have some type of illness. You do realize that just because you have an opinion it doesnt make you right or mean your opinion carries more weight then others?

I could care less if JG is smiling or not, but it does bug me to see our players helping their players up and patting them on the back during the game. Do what you want after the game, during the game you should be focused on getting any advantage you can, not propping your opponent up. It is called a rivalry for a reason.

 

[MetalHead]

There is Hos,then there is everyone else.The bar which this board is measured by.

 

[RCowboyFan]

I personally wasn't too dissappointed with loss, becuase I didn't expect a win. I hade hopes or high hopes till end of third Quarter or so. I.e. till Kitna last Int. Pretty at that point I knew Cowboys couldn't win. All I was hoping for that point is, that they now don't compound it by getting beat far worse than they should.

Last Drive Eagles did grate on me. TC thing didn't bother me, neither did Garrett. The fact is, every game, I have seen players laughing and or smiling as they talk to opposing players, who might be their buddies. Second, this game was not of great consequence to Cowboys.

Some fans lives seem to depend way too much on their team wins and losses, no matter the situation or state the team is in. I probably fall in line with some fans, if this team was like 8-4 or 7-5 and lost that game like that. It woudl have infuriated me too, by TC's gesture or any players/coaches smiling etc with opposing players or coaches.

 

[jobberone]

Garrett should be reserved after a loss and IMO make the team uncomfortable losing. "Winning isn't the most important thing. It's the only thing." As I grow older I'm not certain I completely agree with Lombardi but I lean that way. Otherwise I agree with the OP completely.

 

[Joe Realist]

I do not believe in moral victories. It is also clear that I do not see football in the same terms as many posters. I think frustration with losses simply pushes people too far. I don't even know what to think of about 75% of the stuff posted on this forum any more.

To all of you who can no longer enjoy professional football if your team loses, I am truly, deeply sorry. I wish I could take away whatever illness it is that infects your soul to the point it does. Here is something I need to tell you that I hope you will try to understand. Losses do not mean a team sucks. Losses do not mean the same to players and coaches that they do to fans. They just don't.

People are freaking out over Choice getting an autograph from Vicky? People are losing their minds over Garrett hugging Vicky and saying something to him? Thank God those doing this are not players. I'm serious. I cannot believe the mentality it takes to expect our team to be respected professionally if they act juvenile and like a bunch of spoiled rotten thugs. Yet that is exactly what a host of posters are ratifying with every blathering, lathered up explosion of disgust.

I do not like Vicky. In fact, I cannot stand him. But you can go ahead and bet your own gonads on this, if I were a player on the Dallas Cowboys and I just lost a hard fought game to that man, I would be a man and I would offer him my congratulations. I am proud to say our players have character, integrity, and tact. I am proud to say that they get it. I wish I could say the same for the fans of that team.

In honor of Dandy Don Meredith I spent the entire game making wisecracks in the game threads. I had an absolute blast doing it. My last post in the threads was a much more direct tribute. I posted the words Dandy sang to us each week as the game was over.

He was one of a kind. I know he would have loved that game. It was the third straight highly entertaining game I have watched the Cowboys play. Unfortunately two of the three were losses. I do not enjoy losses, especially to the Eagles, whom I absolutely despise, but I enjoy entertaining football games, and experience has taught me we lose some of those.

I like the way this team is playing. Are they perfect? No, and they wouldn't be even if they were blowing every team they faced out. Have any of you ever listened to Al Pacino's speech in "Any Given Sunday?" If you have and you grasp how powerful it really is I can't help but wonder how you can be upset at every loss. This is a game of inches and defeat can be snatched from the grasp of victory by mere inches. That is what makes football great. A few mere inches and Mike Jenkins knocks that pass to Desean Jackson down and it is a different game.

What could be more exciting than that? Yes, I get it, wins. Do you know how you create those? By playing with the kind of fire and intensity this team does. Are they areas to improve? Always. I mean that. Always. That too is what makes this game great.

In my not so humble opinion there has never been a greater basketball player than Michael Jordan. A fierce competitor who willed those around him to win. Who drove himself to levels we all saw as legendary. Did you ever see Michael laughing and smiling as something bad for the Bulls or him happened? Of course you did. Sometimes in athletics when that inch breaks the other guy's way instead of yours all you can do is smile.

Please stop making it anything more than the simplest form of expression. Is that really too much to ask? Have we really degenerated so far as a society that athletes loving and respecting the game is evidence that they do not care? Have you ever seen the backlash that happens when someone does not show sportsmanship after a game? The Todd Haley and Josh McDaniels incident comes immediately to mind. Is that the display you really want from our coaches and athletes?

I can't fathom that. I wish you could show me on the teddy bear where the bad man touched you that you disconnect with reality so far. I wish I could make the hurt go away. I wish I could teach you to enjoy the game. I feel like so many of you are just missing out on a tremendous thrill ride.

There will be people stung by my commentary. Their dislike of me will increase. Their judgment of me will swell with bile. Oh well. If you don't want me to speak my mind about your immature acts, don't be public with them. Throw your temper tantrums in your bedroom in private and pretend the big bad world doesn't exist.

There's no moral victory. The Eagles were favored. They are the better team. We could have beaten them and we didn't. Nothing is gained by losing.

More is lost by losing one's mind though.

I am disappointed in the loss. I saw a lot of things I just do not like. I saw nothing in the actions of my team that would make me embarrassed of the effort they gave. I didn't see anything that leads me to believe they cannot get over the next hurdle and become the Champion we all want. One failed play is not and has never been evidence that a guy does not belong in the NFL.

I am sorry that my post isn't as much about the game I did enjoy as it is about the fallout, backlash, and utter chaos in the aftermath. I speak about the things I notice. Those are the things I always feel need to be said.

The moment of silence for Jeff and Hazel's baby boy was wonderful. I still do not feel it was enough of a memorial or celebration of Don Meredith's life and value to the Dallas Cowboys. That burns me a whole lot more than a single loss in an already insignificant, disappointing season.

But I'm wired differently when it comes to football. I just don't know any other way to be. 90 thousand posts are my evidence.

ahh you strategically saved this for your 90,000 post. I knew the Eagles would win, was happy to see us pound Vick. I want a better defense...

 

[jgboys1]

I don't even know what to think of about 75% of the stuff posted on this forum any more.

I think it is closer to 90%.

 

[theebs]

Garrett should be reserved after a loss and IMO make the team uncomfortable losing. "Winning isn't the most important thing. It's the only thing." As I grow older I'm not certain I completely agree with Lombardi but I lean that way. Otherwise I agree with the OP completely.

actually if you watch the new lombardi documentary he didnt even believe that and wished he hadnt said it like that.

 

[Kaika]

I think it is closer to 90%.

Excuse us.


This holier than thou attitude isn't very attractive .

 

[Venger]

People are freaking out over Choice getting an autograph from Vicky?

First - freaking out? Really? It's a football forum, people are here because they have an far greater than average passion for the team - they are going to react strongly when good, and bad, things happen. I "freaked out" when we signed Owens. Doesn't mean I was wrong in the least. Feeling strongly that Choice made a hugely boneheaded move isn't freaking out. Calling it that just signals that you are going to be just as unreasonable as those you accuse of overreaction.

Second - have you ever seen the likes? Never. It was extraordinary. You could hear Al Michaels snicker when he saw it. Vick said that had never happened to him before. It is, to my understanding, the first time it has happened on an NFL field after a game. If it is, why is it so surprising to have so much buzz about it? Our player stood after a loss at midfield looking for an autograph from an Eagle's QB like a fan at a practice. If you don't see the time and place problem with that, and can't even admit that it was not the time and place, then there isn't much ground to find common between you and those who disagree.

I cannot believe the mentality it takes to expect our team to be respected professionally if they act juvenile and like a bunch of spoiled rotten thugs. Yet that is exactly what a host of posters are ratifying with every blathering, lathered up explosion of disgust.

Fallacious logic, you've created a false dichotomy - there are more choices than either a) getting Vick's autograph at midfield and b) to "act juvenile and like a bunch of spoiled rotten thugs". We managed to shake hands with the other team every game, every year, without notable incident - except, say, Jimmy Johnson telling a certain Eagles coach what to do with himself after putting a hit on our player. I think that's closer to most fans mindsets than asking please please for an autograph.

Please stop making it anything more than the simplest form of expression. Is that really too much to ask?

You seem to be reacting to those who aren't really happy with Garrett yucking it up with Reid after the game. Question - who are the two greatest coaches this team has had, and did you ever see them, following a loss at home, play grabass at midfield with the coach of our division rival?

Mind you, I don't have near as big a problem with smiling and shaking hands with Reid as I would if Jason had asked for his bleeping autograph... and curiously, would that have been okay with you? Or does it say something odd about a coach who would? Welcome to what I think others would call "our point".

There will be people stung by my commentary. Their dislike of me will increase. Their judgment of me will swell with bile. Oh well. If you don't want me to speak my mind about your immature acts, don't be public with them. Throw your temper tantrums in your bedroom in private and pretend the big bad world doesn't exist.

This is a little bit too self aware, too full-of-oneself, don't you think?

 

[Reality]

Well said, Hostile!

I do find it funny to hear "I agree with you completely, Hostile" from users only to then see them comment "but I don't like what Choice/Garrett did after the game" which goes against the majority of your post and further proves exactly what you were talking about.

-Reality

 

[jgboys1]

Excuse us.


This holier than thou attitude isn't very attractive .

Sorry. I meant 89%:

 

[casmith07]

One failed play is not and has never been evidence that a guy does not belong in the NFL.

Overall great post, Hos...I just wish more people would realize the above statement is true. If this was the case, there would be no NFL, hell, no sports. Everyone fails at some point or another.

Congratulations on 90K. Only 10K more!