I live in San Antonio, but have spent a lot of time in Dallas over the last four years. Whenever I'm up there, all I listen to on the radio is The Ticket...and I've yet to ever hear one caller reference the Houston Texans in all that time. Yet routinely the Houstonites who are Cowboys fans that post here seem to indicate that the Cowboys regularly come up several times a week in Houston.
It's quite clear the 'rivalry' means more to the Texans than Cowboys, and I think there are a number of reasons for this.
First of all, the Texans only get a sniff of the air time on television in the state. Take Fox Sports Southwest, for instance. Cowboys news always -- always -- leads over Texans news. The Texans are the "other" team in Texas, and it clearly gets to their fan base.
Locally here in San Antonio, it's the same way. They did a somewhat extensive recap of the Cowboys' draft on the various networks, showing highlights of prospects, etc. Toward the tail end of the sports segment they flash up on the screen the Texans' top three picks in passing.
They've done some polls here on whether it's unfair the Texans get pushed aside due to the fact the Texans fans that are here have complained. Again, just illustrating the 'red-headed step child' syndrome gets to them.
Realistically, they shouldn't be offended by this fact. They're an upstart franchise that is a blip on the radar, though seems to be headed in the right direction. The Cowboys are one of the most storied and winningest franchises in sports that have been on the scene for more than four decades.
Lastly, for Cowboys fans, we have our established rivals -- of course the Commanders primarily, along with the rest of the divisional teams. The 49ers have developed as a rival due to the high-profile games the two teams have been involved in, some of which the Cowboys have won, while others the 9ers have taken. The Packers can also be added to the list for similar reasons.
Honestly, the Texans remind me a little of the Arizona Cardinals in terms of a rivalry with them. For years, the Cardinals were the closest team to Dallas, and they built up the rivalry because it drew money for them. For Cowboys fans, it meant nothing -- but ask any Cardinals fan and I bet they relish in that playoff victory since it came against a 'rival', just like the Texans remember that season opener in 2002. Does anyone think the first time the Cowboys beat the Texans will be remembered by anyone as anything special?
The Texans need the Cowboys. They don't have any established rivals unless you consider their divisional opponents. They want and need a rivalary with the Cowboys, which is why they hype it up so much. Again, for the Cowboys though, they don't need it. I often find myself forgetting there's even another in-state team after all those years with no franchise in Houston.
Personally, I think it'd be great if the two teams were able to one day have a genuine rivalry, but that unfortunately seems unlikely due to the lack of frequency with which the teams play one another. The Texans have a passionate fanbase, and that's good for the league. It'll be interesting to see if they stand by their team for the longhaul, or if they'll eventually lose interest if they don't become a dominant franchise within the next decade.
Early signs are positive though. Passionate fans, great stadium, some nice building blocks and a classy organization.
Football-wise, their offseason has perplexed me.
I think Buchanon has been a career underachiever, yet they essntially traded away a 2nd, 3rd and Glenn for the guy. Morlon Greenwood avoids big plays like the plague, yet they hand him a considerable sized contract and release Jamie Sharper. It'll be interesting to see how it all pans out for them. I visited the Texans site at HoustonTexans.com when the Glenn news originally broke, and there are a lot of pessimistic Texans fans emerging.
They've been given a free pass due to their expansion status, but they really need to break the .500 mark this season. The Panthers and Jaguars both enjoyed quick success, and if you recall there were some bandwagoners who actually thought the Texans could make the playoffs in their first two years. This is a critical year for their coaching staff and the overall development of their franchise.
They certainly have the offensive talent, that's for sure. I think Andre Johnson might be my favorite wideout in the NFL, and Dominack Davis is nothing to sneeze at.
