And here is where the argument lays. We can end this right here. Show me these official comments from the NFL and HBO. Stop telling me what they said and show me. Give me a link. I know you can't do it because they don't exist. There are just articles by third parties saying that crap because that's how they feel... which doesn't matter.
When you say there was no need for the Cowboys to influence the decision or volunteer the Cowboys, that's just homer talk. It's what you say when you are under the influence of the Cowboys Kool-Aid. For those of us not under that influence, it just sounds foolish. The Cowboys are a 6-10 team that is just getting older and farther away from doing anything. They get flexed out of prime-time games and fail to win their division. This is who they presently are. How does what they presently are make them the obvious choice without being volunteered? The NY Giants finished higher in the divisional standings and were an eligible team as well. How do they get overlooked? I'll tell you how... they didn't volunteer as the Cowboys did.