CFZ Hope vs Reality

[Roadtrip635]

But the balance of sports hope is sports reality. Reality is based on the actual results we get and nothing else. The goal of every team - its leaders, players and fan base - is to win a championship or at the very least get close. Reality is only one team wins it every year. This balance of hope versus reality is part of what makes sports fun.

The goal of every team "should" be to win a Championship, but I'm not so sure that's Jerry and Junior's primary goal, a Championship would be great, but think for them it's just a cherry on top of the sundae. Their primary goal always seem to grow the brand, marketing, raising awareness, manufacture news to make sure the brand is the center of attention, success is measured by dollars and cents not wins and losses. The reality is as long as the team is entertaining and marketable, they can sell that Hope and remain the most profitable team in the league.

 

[Flamma]

The goal of every team "should" be to win a Championship, but I'm not so sure that's Jerry and Junior's primary goal, a Championship would be great, but think for them it's just a cherry on top of the sundae. Their primary goal always seem to grow the brand, marketing, raising awareness, manufacture news to make sure the brand is the center of attention, success is measured by dollars and cents not wins and losses. The reality is as long as the team is entertaining and marketable, they can sell that Hope and remain the most profitable team in the league.

This is the reality. This is 100% spot on. As it is with most NFL teams. There are a handful every year that go the extra step. Those are the one's competing for a championship.

 

[Bobhaze]

This is the reality. This is 100% spot on. As it is with most NFL teams. There are a handful every year that go the extra step. Those are the one's competing for a championship.

Totally agree about that “extra step” you mentioned. Championship teams are often the direct result of the quality their organization’s off-season. Obviously you have win in the regular season and playoffs. But the off-season sets the table.

 

[cnuball21]

I always have hope but I also consider myself a very realistic Cowboys fans.

The reality is we had a solid but not Super Bowl caliber roster last year to consistently beat great teams.

The worse reality is this years roster is worse than last years so my expectations for a run are the lowest they’ve been in a while. The FO literally is putting Dak on another prove it year with a worse roster than last year.

Most of us know what the real problem is…the only thing that’s been consistent over the last 25 years.

 

[VaqueroTD]

I always have hope but I also consider myself a very realistic Cowboys fans.

The reality is we had a solid but not Super Bowl caliber roster last year to consistently beat great teams.

The worse reality is this years roster is worse than last years so my expectations for a run are the lowest they’ve been in a while. The FO literally is putting Dak on another prove it year with a worse roster than last year.

Most of us know what the real problem is…the only thing that’s been consistent over the last 25 years.

I wonder if the Jones Boys truly realize how much of the fanbase is disillusioned with their GM/Ownership.

 

[Flamma]

Totally agree about that “extra step” you mentioned. Championship teams are often the direct result of the quality their organization’s off-season. Obviously you have win in the regular season and playoffs. But the off-season sets the table.

Of course. It shows your commitment. This is true for any job. You commit to a goal. What are you doing to get better results? Or are you content?

 

[gtb1943]

lIved and died for the boys since 1971. I became a fan watching with my father SB 5. He was not a fan of either team but he said the only reason the colts won was getting the breaks.
I The next year I was watching and going nuts as Lilly chased Griese all over the place and the boys dominated the Fins from that time on it was set in stone.

Cried when we lost to the steelers in 75 and cursed when we lost to them in 79 as I KNEW the refs had screwed us; and also felt so sorry for Jackie Smith.

Cried again when Roger retired. Cursed again at 'The Catch'

As I got older I was able to take things more in stride, it still was great or hurt but I tried to get a perspective on things

But since 2000 I have steadily gotten more cynical; and hope comes less and less easy year after year. All because of Jethro

 

[KingintheNorth]

Do you mean "more with less" is not a sound teambuilding philosophy?

 

[cnuball21]

I wonder if the Jones Boys truly realize how much of the fanbase is disillusioned with their GM/Ownership.

They keep making money so they don’t care.

 

[fivetwos]

Of course. It shows your commitment. This is true for any job. You commit to a goal. What are you doing to get better results? Or are you content?

The players know it too.

It’s going be interesting if this team doesn’t start well considering all the lame duck situations.

They have set up a perfect scenario for Mike to lose the team.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

lIved and died for the boys since 1971. I became a fan watching with my father SB 5. He was not a fan of either team but he said the only reason the colts won was getting the breaks.
I The next year I was watching and going nuts as Lilly chased Griese all over the place and the boys dominated the Fins from that time on it was set in stone.

Cried when we lost to the steelers in 75 and cursed when we lost to them in 79 as I KNEW the refs had screwed us; and also felt so sorry for Jackie Smith.

Cried again when Roger retired. Cursed again at 'The Catch'

As I got older I was able to take things more in stride, it still was great or hurt but I tried to get a perspective on things

But since 2000 I have steadily gotten more cynical; and hope comes less and less easy year after year. All because of Jethro

Jerry and Stephen made us the way we are. You can only be positive so long when every year the same thing happens.

 

[shabazz]

Jerry and Stephen made us the way we are. You can only be positive so long when every year the same thing happens.

The last time I had REAL hope was before the 2016 season but Tony got injured and it's been a crapfest in the playoffs ever since......damn, that was a great Oline we had that year.

Now it's just watch the FO procede in this new direction and see where the chips fall

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

Hope is a good thing. Being a Cowboys fanatic like we all are here requires that we have some level of hope every year. We all hope “this is our year”, or hope things will different for us this year.

Nothing symbolizes that hope more than the draft. Every year the draft is analyzed, dissected and graded before a single player has played a down of NFL football. Draft experts and fans look at the players we acquire and project their impact in a positive light. Nothing wrong with that because as the saying goes, “Hope springs eternal.” Hope is good. For example, I think we have a good draft this year. I hope so anyway.

But the balance of sports hope is sports reality. Reality is based on the actual results we get and nothing else. The goal of every team - its leaders, players and fan base - is to win a championship or at the very least get close. Reality is only one team wins it every year. This balance of hope versus reality is part of what makes sports fun.

After the last three decades as a Cowboys fan, reality has been harsh. We’ve had some good seasons, like the last three where we won 36 games - three straight 12 win seasons. We’ve made the playoffs all three of those seasons, for the first time since the 90s. The reality staring at us is we have one wild card win to show for the last three seasons. An even stronger dose of reality, we have 5 wild card wins in the last three decades. And the same GM and son pulling all the levers of power. That’s also a harsh reality.

This time of year it’s a good thing to have hope. Optimism is the cornerstone of sports fandom. But the results we get is the ultimate reality - the bottom line at least for me as a fan.

Someday, we all hope that the results we get will line up with the hope we have. When hope and reality happen together, it’s the greatest feeling as a sports fan. As a long time Cowboys fan, I still remember when hope and reality happened. I hope someday it will happen again.

So I hope we can all be tolerant of any fan here who has hope going into the next season. And I also hope that hyper-hopeful fans will also be tolerant of those whose hopes have been crushed so many times by reality that it’s hard to have much hope again. I understand both. I hope we can all allow the balance of hope and reality to exist together.

Go Cowboys!

it is much simpler for me. I understand and accept that my team will not win the Super Bowl every year. All I have ever is for the team to be managed in a way where it is OBVIOUS that winning is the number one priority. If I felt that was the case, and we lose.....I could live with that.

We get too blinded by the 12-win seasons. How we perform against good teams is the best indicator of how we will fare in the playoffs. And if we paid attention to that, none of us would be surprised when we don't have postseason success.

The postseason represents the best teams, coaches and gameplans. Our lack of postseason success is a reflection of a team that does not prioritize winning. It is almost IMPOSSIBLE to not make the NFCG once in 30 years...which is why Dallas and another poorly run organization (the Commanders) are the only 2 that have not done it. Dan Snyders primary focus was beating Dallas. They could go 1 - 15....but if they beat Dallas....the year was pretty good. How do I know this? I live in the DC area...and they were more happy to witness a Dallas loss than a Washington win. Over the years that approach has taken a toll on Washington football and it led to Dan being forced to sell the team. Dallas primary focus is making money...and we do that better than anybody...so no matter what happens on the field....Dallas has already won BEFORE the kickoff

I won't even go over the history of the last 30 years. I will just focus on the last 3. The 49ers have been the team to beat. Prior to the playoff game in Dallas 3 years ago...REAL football pundits predicted SF would beat Dallas AND how they would do it. MANY laughed it off because there was no way Jimmy G would beat Dallas. Unfortunately for us fans....the many that laughed it off were the Dallas Cowboys brain trust. How do we know this? Witness what they did the offseason following that home playoff loss. I remember coming on this forum after that loss and I said the 49ers would beat us 7 out of 10 times. Anyway, we proceeded to DOWNGRADE the talent on this roster...and the 49ers beat us AGAIN. This time with a different QB and the beat down was even worse than before. Then they beat us again.....

I don't need to keep going. But my point is this, we didn't make the changes to ATTEMPT to beat them...which means beating them was NOT the priority

So I just watch with fire in my eyes as the organization I rooted for WAY before I knew who Jerry Jones was treats this team and its fanbase as a means to make as much money as possible (and I am not against people making money) and PRETENDS like winning is the priority. And I am on record years ago stating that Stephen is going to be worse than his father....and I've seen nothing that changes my mind about that prediction.

 

[Jarv]

Hope is a good thing. Being a Cowboys fanatic like we all are here requires that we have some level of hope every year. We all hope “this is our year”, or hope things will different for us this year.

Nothing symbolizes that hope more than the draft. Every year the draft is analyzed, dissected and graded before a single player has played a down of NFL football. Draft experts and fans look at the players we acquire and project their impact in a positive light. Nothing wrong with that because as the saying goes, “Hope springs eternal.” Hope is good. For example, I think we have a good draft this year. I hope so anyway.

But the balance of sports hope is sports reality. Reality is based on the actual results we get and nothing else. The goal of every team - its leaders, players and fan base - is to win a championship or at the very least get close. Reality is only one team wins it every year. This balance of hope versus reality is part of what makes sports fun.

After the last three decades as a Cowboys fan, reality has been harsh. We’ve had some good seasons, like the last three where we won 36 games - three straight 12 win seasons. We’ve made the playoffs all three of those seasons, for the first time since the 90s. The reality staring at us is we have one wild card win to show for the last three seasons. An even stronger dose of reality, we have 5 wild card wins in the last three decades. And the same GM and son pulling all the levers of power. That’s also a harsh reality.

This time of year it’s a good thing to have hope. Optimism is the cornerstone of sports fandom. But the results we get is the ultimate reality - the bottom line at least for me as a fan.

Someday, we all hope that the results we get will line up with the hope we have. When hope and reality happen together, it’s the greatest feeling as a sports fan. As a long time Cowboys fan, I still remember when hope and reality happened. I hope someday it will happen again.

So I hope we can all be tolerant of any fan here who has hope going into the next season. And I also hope that hyper-hopeful fans will also be tolerant of those whose hopes have been crushed so many times by reality that it’s hard to have much hope again. I understand both. I hope we can all allow the balance of hope and reality to exist together.

Go Cowboys!

Like Jack Reacher says...hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

[Rockport]

The goal of every team "should" be to win a Championship, but I'm not so sure that's Jerry and Junior's primary goal, a Championship would be great, but think for them it's just a cherry on top of the sundae. Their primary goal always seem to grow the brand, marketing, raising awareness, manufacture news to make sure the brand is the center of attention, success is measured by dollars and cents not wins and losses. The reality is as long as the team is entertaining and marketable, they can sell that Hope and remain the most profitable team in the league.

The best way to grow the brand, marketing and raising awareness is BY WINNING!

 

[IrishAnto]

I believe you're right and that's what's crushing my hope right now. There is certainly an aspect of luck in football, but I don't think this league is as luck based on these guys think it is. Teams that prepare their rosters for deep playoff pushes are typically the ones that make those runs.

Luck is where opportunity meets preparation!

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Gerald, at last has reconciled himself with the thought that The Cowboys are a moneymaker, nothing else.
He is not a stupid chap. He knows his time is limited on the earth and a Super Bowl is not in the picture for at least another decade, if that.
For at least 5 years Cowboys will excite but as always will fall in the wild card game.
There is nothing else for fans.
This bunch has 2 superstars on the O and maybe 3 stars if Diggs rebounds.
That's it.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

The best way to grow the brand, marketing and raising awareness is BY WINNING!

Relax. Gerald already has a moneymaker to rival some countries' GNP.
That is all you should expect.

 

[Rockport]

Relax. Gerald already has a moneymaker to rival some countries' GNP.
That is all you should expect.

Maybe all you expect.

 

[ColoradoCowboy]

This board isn't big enough for the two of us, Captain Boldfont.

Dude... Voting yourself off the Island? LOL