Question For The Old-Timers

[silver]

Been a fan since '71 and I enjoy it just the same.

 

[Ranching]

I disagree.

Diron Talbert actively stomped on Roger Staubach's finger and broke it. Harvey Martin marched with a wreath and threw it in the locker room.

That was passion.

Now, we get Earl Thomas coming and accosting Garrett wanting him to sign him.

That was just passion, not really hate. I'd stomp on you if you pissed me off, but I'd give you my size 15s after the game for your trophy case....

 

[Bob-Lillys-War]

That was just passion, not really hate. I'd stomp on you if you pissed me off, but I'd give you my size 15s after the game for your trophy case....

Yeah thats passion ... We need that passion on this team .

 

[Pantone282C]

Yeah thats passion ... We need that passion on this team .

Damn straight we do!

 

[Luther]

Thought we had the ice bowl won. Very exciting!

Loved the game then. Still loving it today.

 

[Pantone282C]

Thought we had the ice bowl won. Very exciting!

Loved the game then. Still loving it today.

You bet we do!

 

[Rockport]

When the Cowboys were on tv back in the day and on a channel the rabbit ears would pick up...I watched religiously. When they weren't on tv...I would rush to read the sports section as soon as I got up to see who won along with stats etc.

Now...I tape the games, watch them in about 45 minutes to an hour...fast forwarding through all the nonsense "feed me" and the antics the receivers make after catching a routine ball for first down. Bit ridiculous really. These clowns today need to act like they've been there before.

I also follow the Oakland Raiders since they were my team in the old AFL before the Super Bowl etc. Darryl Lamonica vs Roman Gabriel was always a great show.

And honestly...if I miss a game...no biggie.

Sad for you.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Today's athletes are physically superior in most every way to the players I grew up watching. Highlight reel plays that endured for decades are now witnessed virtually every week. The game is faster and more exciting than ever, yet my interest has waned significantly. Why? Age, changing values about what's important, and boredom caused by repeated exposure to the phenomenon are among the causes. Another important factor is my lack of identification with the players.

At one point in time, I emulated professional athletes; probably due to my ignorance of who they really were coupled with a romantic notion of their lives of wealth and fame. Now, wealth notwithstanding, I don't think I'd spend my personal time around many of them at all. Is that an indictment of their character? Probably not. I have come to the realization that I don't really want that type of life and the problems associated with it. Would I like to be set for life financially? Sure, but reports say that a large percentage of these guys don't fare that well. Would I like to be able to impact people's lives through charitable giving? Certainly, but I can do so today, albeit at a smaller scale. What I wouldn't care for are the hangers-on and all the people pulling at me wanting something.

The game became less important to me when I realized that it was just a business to the owners and the players. The post-game fraternization was the most obvious example that the players weren't really opponents. My interest declined further because of the incessant politicization by both sides, but mostly by the players.

If you act like entertainment then expect to be treated like entertainment. When you lose that special significance to me and become just entertainment, you now have to compete for my entertainment dollars against much cheaper options like movies. So be it.

 

[Pantone282C]

Thought we had the ice bowl won. Very exciting!

Loved the game then. Still loving it today.

We were all celebrating the win till the final play.

 

[Aviano90]

I miss the regular season being about determining home field advantage for the NFC Championship game.

Now it seems to be for determining our draft position.

 

[lukin2006]

I know things evolve. If I were to change anything in today's game. I would eliminate the coaches challenge and video review. The game is so much faster without it.

 

[Bob-Lillys-War]

I miss the regular season being about determining home field advantage for the NFC Championship game.

Now it seems to be for determining our draft position.

'The Garrett Era'

 

[Pantone282C]

'The Garrett Era'

At first, I was really excited about Garrett taking over for an ineffective Wade Phillips.
And then, the painful reality set in.

 

[lurkercowboy]

Media coverage is vastly different. We all know how it is today. In 1970s North Carolina, there was the NFL Today and the games themselves. There were two early games and one late game on Sunday, plus MNF and I couldn't stay up for MNF on a school night. That was it for TV coverage. Local TV sports hardly ever mentioned the NFL.

The only newspaper available in our area was the Sunday Virginian Pilot where the NFL coverage was 90% Commanders. My school library had a subscription to SI which sometimes had Cowboys articles. For the 1979 season, I bought a football magazine and memorized the whole thing just about, but for some reason it lacked the season schedule and rosters. Most Sundays, I did not know who Dallas was playing until I saw it in the newspaper that morning. For the rosters, I would cut out those TV Guide "close ups" that would have the team rosters for selected games. I still have a stack of those somewhere.

The next few seasons were much the same except the football magazines included rosters and schedules, which were a big help. I wouldn't hear anything at all about the draft until the magazines came out in July. The only info sources on the UDFAs were the preseason games. When USA Today appeared in my area in 1984, it was a big deal getting a few paragraphs on the Cowboys in the sports page, also a little more draft info in April. It went on like this for a while until finally cable TV came to my area in 1993. That meant ESPN! Then the early online services, then the Internet, then Sunday Ticket, then so on.

But, I think that even in the 70s and 80s, I knew the Cowboys and the NFL much better than I do now. I don't know how that can be possible. I think in a way, less was more.

 

[cowboyec]

One of the things that irks me now, is when players laugh it up with the opposing players. I don't think you dared to do that back in the day. Imagine if you did that in front of Chuck Noll, Landry, or Ditka.

remember Roger Staubach not shaking hands with Commanders after the game.
he said..."why should I shake their hand when we gotta play'em again".

 

[Pantone282C]

The variety of answers show that we are still passionate about the game. There are no right or wrong opinions - just the voices of fandom.

 

[Pantone282C]

Jeeze, I haven't been assimilated by the Borg have I?

 

[staubach24]

Back in the 60s and 70s, you played because you loved the game. Players had no voice and the owners ruled.

Obviously, I was a Staubach fan. To be honest, I hated the Captain America moniker. I just thought he was a great player. As a fan, you just always thought you had a chance with him in there, regardless of the score. Most older Cowboys fans have happy memories of the 60s and 70s with Dandy Don and Roger. The results weren't always positive, but we were in the conversation every year.

Like all sports, money changes everything. Back in the day, alot of players had to work in the offseason. Now, they are much bigger, stronger, and faster. On field collisions are like car accidents. People can say all they want to about todays players being diva like because of they're behavior and contract demands. But until those people take a blind side hit from someone like Aaron Donald or Myles Garrett, they should just shut up.

In a perfect world, we could have the enthusiasm of yesterday's player combined with the talent of todays, but that's to much too hope for.

 

[Pantone282C]

Back in the 60s and 70s, you played because you loved the game. Players had no voice and the owners ruled.

Obviously, I was a Staubach fan. To be honest, I hated the Captain America moniker. I just thought he was a great player. As a fan, you just always thought you had a chance with him in there, regardless of the score. Most older Cowboys fans have happy memories of the 60s and 70s with Dandy Don and Roger. The results weren't always positive, but we were in the conversation every year.

Like all sports, money changes everything. Back in the day, alot of players had to work in the offseason. Now, they are much bigger, stronger, and faster. On field collisions are like car accidents. People can say all they want to about todays players being diva like because of they're behavior and contract demands. But until those people take a blind side hit from someone like Aaron Donald or Myles Garrett, they should just shut up.

In a perfect world, we could have the enthusiasm of yesterday's player combined with the talent of todays, but that's to much too hope for.

I can relate. I didn't care for the America's Team moniker. Still don't.

 

[ESisback]

With the ways the game has changed so dramatically, beginning decades ago with the "Bump & Run" rule, then moving on to free agency, Salary Cap and finally, hamstringing defenses, my question is this; How much do you enjoy today's game vs back in "The Day?"

Personally, although the modern players are bigger and faster, there's an attitude of check cashing and individualism that has eroded my enjoyment of the NFL. Even with the increased athleticism, I do not believe the game is as fierce and hard fought as it once was.

In answering this question, I'm not asking you to allow any of the political crap that has infected the league to enter in ... just the game on the field and how it's played ... and if you're a "Youngster", you really don't have anything to base your remarks on. ... So, help me out, Old Dudes ...

I’m one of the old dudes, and I’m with you! The game isn’t as good. More specialists, less team play, dumb rule changes, etc., and that’s not even including the greed and politics.

My interest isn’t NEAR as intense.