Manster68
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Hope Springs Eternal
Manster68
Cowboys-Pride Staff Writer
Aaahh, it is that time of year. It is similar to that first new snow if you are north of the Mason-Dixon line. It means Christmas is coming with all of that joy and Yuletide cheer. Obviously, it is not Christmas I am really referring to. The Dallas Cowboys will soon be coming to a television set near you. Instead of pulling out the lights, tree, garland, holly, and Perry Como, this is the time to warm up the barka, chill the beverages, get the kids out of the house (unless they are Cowboy fans), and pray for no thunderstorms if you have a dish.
THE DALLAS COWBOYS ARE BACK YOU SONS-A-….. (Whew, thank goodness for medication).
Watching the Cowboys live on television is just special. Of course, seeing them in the stadium is better, but I just haven’t had much opportunity to do that over my 38 years of following America’s team. I was in Texas Stadium for a 2002 pre-season loss to the Falcons. Woody Dantzler took back a punt return; Marcus Steele had a pick-6; Chad Hutchison got lambasted on a corner blitz from the blind side. However, Jay Feely kicked the game-winner with no time left on the clock. Regardless, it was great to be in Texas Stadium. The Cowboys are televised so much and I do appreciate that.
Even though I grew up in New Hampshire in the 1970s, the Cowboys were on more so than the Giants. WCAX-TV Channel 3 in Burlington, VT would pre-empt the Giants on many occasions to show the Cowboys. For many CBS affiliates then, went by the rule, “When in doubt, give them Dallas!” When I first read that quote sometime in the early 1980s, which was music to my ears. In 1976 & 1977, I believe there was only one time when CBS had broadcasting rights for the Cowboys and WCAX did not televise them. I cannot speak for the rest of the nation outside of Texas, but there is a greater than average fan base in the twin states (NH & VT), upstate New York, and even Quebec, Canada.
Like many of you Cowboy fans, the season I had the most excitement going into the season was 1992. After shocking the world, as Tony Casillas said walking off the Veteran’s Stadium turf in 1991, and getting lit up by the Lions 38-6, Jimmy Johnson used the draft wisely and picked up Kevin Smith to alleviate corner weakness. When the trade for Charles Haley was announced in late August, the excitement was nauseating. You just knew Haley was the final piece of the puzzle. Getting Thomas Everett a few weeks later did not hurt either.
However, what a special time this time of year can be?
For 2007, I have not been this excited with hope of Cowboys dominance since 1995. Of course there are questions, but there were questions going into the 1992 season as well. That is particularly true when you factor in that the archrival Commanders were holding the Lombardi Trophy at the time.
(Before I go any further, don’t you dare spin this as me thinking that the 2007 Cowboys are equivalent to the 1992 Champions. They are light years apart)
The fact of the matter is, in this era of Free Agency and Salary Cap, last year’s Cowboys were a deserving playoff team despite of the December meltdown. If they didn’t deserve, they wouldn’t have been there. The Cowboys did not lose anyone of significance in the off-season, and most of the largest holes were addressed. Everybody has another year of experience, and the reports out of training camp have been quite promising. However, I will reserve that until we actually see them on Thursday and beyond.
Regardless, this team has the opportunity to be special. How special is up to them. I truly believe this team can beat anyone in this league…
…and I mean anyone.
Manster68
Cowboys-Pride Staff Writer
Aaahh, it is that time of year. It is similar to that first new snow if you are north of the Mason-Dixon line. It means Christmas is coming with all of that joy and Yuletide cheer. Obviously, it is not Christmas I am really referring to. The Dallas Cowboys will soon be coming to a television set near you. Instead of pulling out the lights, tree, garland, holly, and Perry Como, this is the time to warm up the barka, chill the beverages, get the kids out of the house (unless they are Cowboy fans), and pray for no thunderstorms if you have a dish.
THE DALLAS COWBOYS ARE BACK YOU SONS-A-….. (Whew, thank goodness for medication).
Watching the Cowboys live on television is just special. Of course, seeing them in the stadium is better, but I just haven’t had much opportunity to do that over my 38 years of following America’s team. I was in Texas Stadium for a 2002 pre-season loss to the Falcons. Woody Dantzler took back a punt return; Marcus Steele had a pick-6; Chad Hutchison got lambasted on a corner blitz from the blind side. However, Jay Feely kicked the game-winner with no time left on the clock. Regardless, it was great to be in Texas Stadium. The Cowboys are televised so much and I do appreciate that.
Even though I grew up in New Hampshire in the 1970s, the Cowboys were on more so than the Giants. WCAX-TV Channel 3 in Burlington, VT would pre-empt the Giants on many occasions to show the Cowboys. For many CBS affiliates then, went by the rule, “When in doubt, give them Dallas!” When I first read that quote sometime in the early 1980s, which was music to my ears. In 1976 & 1977, I believe there was only one time when CBS had broadcasting rights for the Cowboys and WCAX did not televise them. I cannot speak for the rest of the nation outside of Texas, but there is a greater than average fan base in the twin states (NH & VT), upstate New York, and even Quebec, Canada.
Like many of you Cowboy fans, the season I had the most excitement going into the season was 1992. After shocking the world, as Tony Casillas said walking off the Veteran’s Stadium turf in 1991, and getting lit up by the Lions 38-6, Jimmy Johnson used the draft wisely and picked up Kevin Smith to alleviate corner weakness. When the trade for Charles Haley was announced in late August, the excitement was nauseating. You just knew Haley was the final piece of the puzzle. Getting Thomas Everett a few weeks later did not hurt either.
However, what a special time this time of year can be?
For 2007, I have not been this excited with hope of Cowboys dominance since 1995. Of course there are questions, but there were questions going into the 1992 season as well. That is particularly true when you factor in that the archrival Commanders were holding the Lombardi Trophy at the time.
(Before I go any further, don’t you dare spin this as me thinking that the 2007 Cowboys are equivalent to the 1992 Champions. They are light years apart)
The fact of the matter is, in this era of Free Agency and Salary Cap, last year’s Cowboys were a deserving playoff team despite of the December meltdown. If they didn’t deserve, they wouldn’t have been there. The Cowboys did not lose anyone of significance in the off-season, and most of the largest holes were addressed. Everybody has another year of experience, and the reports out of training camp have been quite promising. However, I will reserve that until we actually see them on Thursday and beyond.
Regardless, this team has the opportunity to be special. How special is up to them. I truly believe this team can beat anyone in this league…
…and I mean anyone.
