Rambling... I am a Cowboys fan

[DallasDW00ds0n]

im only 20, im in the same boat as you

 

[SkinsandTerps]

Why, oh why, am I posting on this topic...

Hypothetically: Lets assume that Crayton, Ware, Jones, Witten, Pettiti, etc., all become potentially All-Pro, dependable, fan favorite players.

At least 2 of them wont be on the roster 5 years from now.

Infuse youth. But at the same time realize that the team needs to win for these players to remain with the team (and the players need to perform at a high level). They will look for the bucks. Take NE as a perfect example. I cant imagine that if you match current rosters with NE, any of you would say that the Cowboys dont have a better nucleus (both potentially and youthful). Yet the Pats are the team that everyone seems to be still so in awe with. If Lil' Bill is worth his hype, the Pats will make it to at least the AFCCG this season.

The way of the salary cap. The way of free agency.

Key, Allen, etc. Have been victims of the cap and victims of FA.

 

[BARRYRAY]

You just wait dude, I promise you TO will give you some memories this year, we got a kicker, retooled the 0-line, playoffs baby.....

 

[superpunk]

The time you put in when the team is down is what keeps you from being a bandwagon fan. A true fan can remember what number Anthony Wright or Wayne McGarity wore while Cowboys. Heck, I can even remember Paul Palmer's number and the backflip he did upon scoring his first NFL touchdown.

Things can change quickly in the NFL. I distinctly remember the shock expressed in the media when the 1991 Cowboys finished the season strong and made it into the playoffs as a wildcard (11-5). The Cowboys were considered up-and-coming, but no one could have predicted the dominance they would display over the next 4 seasons.

The joy experienced by the long-suffering fan when that transformation finally occurs, when that final piece of the puzzle snaps in, is incomparable.

I'm more than ready for things to change. These damn Skins fans are gettin WAY too cocky, LOL. I live way too close to Philly, too.

 

[BigDFan5]

Super here are some books I recommend

Stadium Stories: Dallas Cowboys: Colorful Tales of America's Team By Brad Sham


Ledgends of the Dallas Cowboys by Cody Monk

Tales from the Dallas Cowboys by Cliff Harris

Where Have All Our Cowboys Gone by brian Jensen



DVDs

Dallas Cowboys super bowl collection

Dallas Cowboys complete history

and a must the making of the Cowboys Cheerleaders 2004 Swimsuit Calendar

 

[Rockytop6]

If you want to endear yourself to the early Cowboys personality-wise... like Don Meredith (without a doubt the coolest man to ever play in the NFL), Bob Lilly, Dan Reeves, Mike Ditka, Tom Landry and many others, I HIGHLY recommend "Once a Cowboy" by the great Walt Garrison. It is among the funniest books I have ever read.

Front Jacket Excerpt:
"Walt Garrison was an integral part of the most complex human machine in
pro football, the Dallas Cowboys of the sixties and seventies, and his
chronicle of the baddest bunch of good ole boys ever to play the game will
have readers hooting out loud. Walt Garrison could manufacture four yards
out of nothing. He could ride a bull, tell a tale and raise hell in the
time-honoured Texas tradition. He had smarts and savvy and a ferocious will
to win, even if it meant living with pain."
​

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0394576853/sr=8-1/qid=1143124887/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3020866-0892907?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Walt was one of my favorites. He was tough as nails and set a standard for the rest of the team. He never was afflicted by the "me me me " attitude and never seemed to take himself too seriously but he sure did take the game seriously.

I have great memories of the Cowboys. I remember when the Cowboys and the Texans (KC Chiefs) were new franchises starting in Dallas. I remember the ice bowl before there was a SB. I remember the SB when Namath confounded all conventional wisdom and put it to the Colts. I was for the Colts.

I remember the great rivalry with George Allen and with Dick Vermeil. Yep. Those were the good old days. Then after 20 consecutive years of winning records and being crowned "America's Team", I remember the drought and then Jimmy came, and the fortunes changed. I remember attending the draft at Valley Ranch when Irvin was drafted. The 3 SBs in 4 years.

Now the drought again which has been the longest in Cowboys' history. But hope springs eternal. I really like the young nucleus of this team. I am disappointed that Dallas has not found the young super star QB for the team and the fans to rally around. Hopefully, Bledsoe will take us to the promised land but we still need the star QB. The QB is the leader of the team. Leadership has to come from the team. It doesn't come from the owner nor the coach--it comes from the leader of the team. You need also that engine that fires up the team, ala Irvin. Oh well, I am optimistic, even though Jerry has the ability to take you to the top of the mountain one day and plunge you to the abyss the next day.

 

[windward]

I'm about the same age (23), but growing up, I was a major Cowboys nut. I learned how to read by reading Cowboys and pro football books.The first season I can remember watching football every week to see if the Cowboys won was in 1988 when I was 5 (Yeah, great time, I know) But luckily enough,I had enough of a head start to appreciate the three Super Bowl wins in the 90's. It's easy to get spoiled when you win three Super Bowl's when you are aged 9, 10, and 12 years old respectively.

So I'm trying to say, that I'm ready for some new memories too!

 

[cowboyeric8]

Speaking of books, if your interested and like Dat Nguyen his book Dat: Tackling life and the NFL is good. Also Bill Bates's book if also very good, but I can't remember the title.

 

[dwmyers]

My mistake.

Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes.

Peter is correct. It's early.

This is an excellent book, highly recommended. The one caveat I have is that it seems a little JJ leaning about the period when Landry was fired, but the way the media acted through that period isn't entirely innocent. Read what you can about the firing and make up your own mind.

As for me, I've been a fan since about 1970. Before then I didn't pay much attention to football. Soon after my family moved to the Shreveport area, near Haughton, and we could get Cowboys games on TV.

The first Cowboys game I ever saw live was this game in Texas Stadium, against the Commanders, where Staubach was knocked out and this kid named Clint Longley came in to replace him..

David.