Some ammo for your positive pistol

[Rockport]

Try rereading many of your past posts. That should fill in the blanks, possibly you just don’t realize it in the moment.

I did

 

[CowboyRoy]

Last season wasn't a letdown for me because I wasn't expecting much. New coaching staff with little time to transition and a new D system with a talent challenged D but I thought they might actually win the East because it looked so bad.

New coaching staff was a reason to be optimistic.

 

[TheMightyVanHalen]

What's the positive pistol? Why that's what you use to shoot those negative vibes to give you a better outlook on anything. In this case the 2021 Dallas Cowboys season. I find it also comes in handy in the other, real, parts of life as well.

Is it necessary to have a little self sell in you? Yes, it is but wouldn't you rather be positive now and wrong later? What's the harm? Another year to stack on the 25 Years of Misery?

First off, let's put that to rest, this team won the East 6 times in that 25 year span and 3 of the last 7 years. So, is that really 25 Years of Misery? Oh, you are Super bowl or bust? Sorry, in 60 years, they've only been to 8 so you get 52 Years of Misery.

Now, concerning the NFC East, the last time a team repeated was 2004, 17 years ago so it seems that it's up for grabs every season. Does the NFC East look greatly improved from the one a team won with a losing record and promptly lost their first playoff game? A team with one more win than the Dallas Cowboys? Do they really look that good to you?

Or can you make a case for any of the 4, and I admit PHL is a bit of a stretch, winning the East this season. Then why not the Cowboys? Their QB is back and please don't turn this into a Prescott thread. He is yards better than anyone else they could put on the field last year and the best QB in the division by far. And reports are good about the returning OL.

There have been 120 participating teams in the Super bowls to date. There have been 18 teams that missed the playoffs the previous season, including the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 7-9 record in 2019. That's 15% of the teams and in the last decade we've seen few divisions with repeat winners except for the AFC East.

There have been disappointing and surprising teams every season as well. In fact, since 1988, 10 teams have failed to make the playoffs after a trip to the Super bowl the previous season.

One thing that has developed and in this situation the Cowboys were ahead of the curve, the NFL is a year to year proposition now with teams ready to pull the triggers on GM's, HC's and QB's quicker than any time before. It is the "what have you done for me lately" game now.

So, it's our choice, the level of positivity or negativity we decide to approach this season with and valid points to be made for either and both. We all have the same ability to feel as we want to feel about this season.

If you are so down on them that you can't sell yourself, I won't argue with how you feel even though I do not feel the same. I will continue to point to the positive ammo I see and 4 really good bullets I see are Prescott, Big Smitty, Collins and Martin returning healthy because this team rides the offense and offense is necessary to compete in the NFL.

The best defensive team in the playoffs was the WFT at 7-9 and they lost their only playoff game because of the lack of offense. The paradigm was shifted by the owners and they are getting exactly what they wanted.

And your Dallas Cowboys are in the sweet spot with what should be a top 5 offense is scoring and yards.

What you've really got to sell yourself on is that this D, with a change in coaching and additions through the draft and FA, has improved enough to take the East and maybe get past that division round on the strength of the offense. I do not see a NFC team that scares me.

A little self disclosure about the author of this thread. I was a card carrying pessimist for most of my life and quick to tell anyone that I was either right or pleasantly surprised, win-win for me. But I was wrong and didn't grasp the true value of optimism and positivity, even on events over which I had no control. I learned the only thing I could truly affect was my attitude because what was going to happen was going to happen. When it did and it was not what I wanted, in fact what I feared above all other things, I was still thankful for that time when I was positive.

The value is in the here and now, not the future and not even in the outcome, the payoff for positivity happens for us in the journey, not the destination. And we choose how to make that journey. Took me 60 years to learn that.

Great post! But, you're going to need a large supply line of ammo because we a lot of people here that root against their own team because they don't like a particular player. I even read a comment saying that Dak won't last but 3 games because his ankle will break again.

 

[Redball Express]

Great post and outlook. I have been a Cowboy fan since their very first game. Have had the privilege to meet many of the greats in Don Meredith, Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, etc., etc. So I have lived with the good and the bad and been accused of being to bias for them but they are my team.

I to had to learn to be positive in light of a bad season or even in everyday life. Doctors believe that I have cancer yet they aren't sure exactly where all the spots are or how bad but that will change on June 24th with biophys and testing. Yet I have approached it as we don't know anything yet and if it is bad then I will deal with it like going into a draft and hoping the guys I pick are going to change everything for the better.

Had the opportunity to watch America's Got Talent last night as she loves that show and the final contestant last night was a 30 year old gal who has beat cancer three times and she was quite a good singer for a fragile person. She confirmed afterward that she has a 2 percent chance of surviving the new cancers and doctors have given her six months. Her attitude is basically I am not the sum of the bad things but much more of the good things, she is determine to see positives and let life happen. Had to admire that because frankly been a bit down with my news so still working on that positive attitude and the good things.

Will Dallas be better this year? I believe they will be. If they can stay healthy then they could do great things. A Super Bowl? Who knows because fate always plays into things but like every year, I will be going into the year with high hopes of great things and frankly it won't change until they are either Champs or eliminated.

Being a Cowboy fan is difficult sometimes but really would you rather be a Bengal or Brown or Jet fan. Might think about that one.

Interesting viewpoints. I just do not think of this team as life or death..good or bad. It's just a game. Do not make it more than it is. An escape that is man made. The Romans started it centuries ago. If following this team entertains you..fine. Jerrah knows what football is..its a business. So understand nobody controls it or directs it. It's randem. So just be careful what you allow yourself to be addicted to.

 

[MyFairLady]

That's on you for letting him do that to you.

Yeah true I should have benched him when it was clear that he was checked out.

 

[xwalker]

What's the positive pistol? Why that's what you use to shoot those negative vibes to give you a better outlook on anything. In this case the 2021 Dallas Cowboys season. I find it also comes in handy in the other, real, parts of life as well.

Is it necessary to have a little self sell in you? Yes, it is but wouldn't you rather be positive now and wrong later? What's the harm? Another year to stack on the 25 Years of Misery?

First off, let's put that to rest, this team won the East 6 times in that 25 year span and 3 of the last 7 years. So, is that really 25 Years of Misery? Oh, you are Super bowl or bust? Sorry, in 60 years, they've only been to 8 so you get 52 Years of Misery.

Now, concerning the NFC East, the last time a team repeated was 2004, 17 years ago so it seems that it's up for grabs every season. Does the NFC East look greatly improved from the one a team won with a losing record and promptly lost their first playoff game? A team with one more win than the Dallas Cowboys? Do they really look that good to you?

Or can you make a case for any of the 4, and I admit PHL is a bit of a stretch, winning the East this season. Then why not the Cowboys? Their QB is back and please don't turn this into a Prescott thread. He is yards better than anyone else they could put on the field last year and the best QB in the division by far. And reports are good about the returning OL.

There have been 120 participating teams in the Super bowls to date. There have been 18 teams that missed the playoffs the previous season, including the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 7-9 record in 2019. That's 15% of the teams and in the last decade we've seen few divisions with repeat winners except for the AFC East.

There have been disappointing and surprising teams every season as well. In fact, since 1988, 10 teams have failed to make the playoffs after a trip to the Super bowl the previous season.

One thing that has developed and in this situation the Cowboys were ahead of the curve, the NFL is a year to year proposition now with teams ready to pull the triggers on GM's, HC's and QB's quicker than any time before. It is the "what have you done for me lately" game now.

So, it's our choice, the level of positivity or negativity we decide to approach this season with and valid points to be made for either and both. We all have the same ability to feel as we want to feel about this season.

If you are so down on them that you can't sell yourself, I won't argue with how you feel even though I do not feel the same. I will continue to point to the positive ammo I see and 4 really good bullets I see are Prescott, Big Smitty, Collins and Martin returning healthy because this team rides the offense and offense is necessary to compete in the NFL.

The best defensive team in the playoffs was the WFT at 7-9 and they lost their only playoff game because of the lack of offense. The paradigm was shifted by the owners and they are getting exactly what they wanted.

And your Dallas Cowboys are in the sweet spot with what should be a top 5 offense is scoring and yards.

What you've really got to sell yourself on is that this D, with a change in coaching and additions through the draft and FA, has improved enough to take the East and maybe get past that division round on the strength of the offense. I do not see a NFC team that scares me.

A little self disclosure about the author of this thread. I was a card carrying pessimist for most of my life and quick to tell anyone that I was either right or pleasantly surprised, win-win for me. But I was wrong and didn't grasp the true value of optimism and positivity, even on events over which I had no control. I learned the only thing I could truly affect was my attitude because what was going to happen was going to happen. When it did and it was not what I wanted, in fact what I feared above all other things, I was still thankful for that time when I was positive.

The value is in the here and now, not the future and not even in the outcome, the payoff for positivity happens for us in the journey, not the destination. And we choose how to make that journey. Took me 60 years to learn that.

What I took from this:

The other teams in the NFC East are not that good. The Cowboys have an opportunity.

The Cowboys offense was really good last year with Dak despite an mess on the OL and should be a top 5 offense this year, especially if Tyron/Martin/La'el are healthy.

If you believe that the new D-Coordinator and new players on Defense can get the defense to middle of the pack status, then the Cowboys should win the NFCE.

 

[Jipper]

Pew pew

 

[Ranched]

If you believe that the new D-Coordinator and new players on Defense can get the defense to middle of the pack status, then the Cowboys should win the NFCE.

It was 4th & goal w/game & division on the line in Philly but Moore decides to bench our 2 top WR's & call the same run play. Egals seen it coming, stopped Dallas & they lost.

Instead, Dak got the blame as well as McCarthy. Why Moore gets a pass for his idiotic play calling is beyond comprehension.

 

[CouchCoach]

What I took from this:

The other teams in the NFC East are not that good. The Cowboys have an opportunity.

The Cowboys offense was really good last year with Dak despite an mess on the OL and should be a top 5 offense this year, especially if Tyron/Martin/La'el are healthy.

If you believe that the new D-Coordinator and new players on Defense can get the defense to middle of the pack status, then the Cowboys should win the NFCE.

OK, x man, this is the Classic Illustrated version of my post.

 

[Ranching]

Nothing wrong with being positive when you have a blow out on the highway and know your abilities.

But some day you'll be napping while your daughter drives and she'll suddenly shake you awake and ask, "What do I do now?"
As your eyes open you'll find yourself in the middle of nowhere with cows and fences asking, "Did you follow the GPS?"
And she'll reply, "Yes dad, it said turn right in 110 feet. This is 110 feet. Where do I turn?"

Suddenly all your positivity will be tested and you'll be somewhere between "Who gave this kid a license?" and "Why don't we go another 50 yard to that stop sign and turn right?"

My daughter is smarter than that, maybe that's why I'm so positive...hmmm?

 

[garyo1954]

My daughter is smarter than that, maybe that's why I'm so positive...hmmm?

Girls are always smarter. They have boys figured out by 13 - 14.
And boys spend the rest of their life trying to figure out girls!

 

[Typhus]

------For the life of me I don't understand why if you're a fan of a team like the Cowboys whom haven't won much but show some good promise, why not get behind them and try to explore optimism? Through the years we've all seen teams that were suppose to fail succeed, and we've seen teams that were suppose to succeed fail. The negativity with our fans on this forum that bothers me the most is the unwillingness to really look at the big picture. I mean, it's okay to decide you don't think Dak is a great QB, or you think he can't win the big one, but in your nut rolling agenda, you might want to consider that this is a team sport and all pieces need to come together to win. We've all seen Qb's like Trent Dilfer win the big one even though he was a pretty suspect talent. I think logic would go along way to creating a much more pleasurable experience. My gun is loaded with optimism, I'm ready to embrace hope for a nice season.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Still wears a Bill Bates jersey on game days

Bates was the man, Kenny Gant was good to.

 

[Redball Express]

It was 4th & goal w/game & division on the line in Philly but Moore decides to bench our 2 top WR's & call the same run play. Egals seen it coming, stopped Dallas & they lost.

Instead, Dak got the blame as well as McCarthy. Why Moore gets a pass for his idiotic play calling is beyond comprehension.

Defending Moore is the mantra the FO is invested in..i realize we want him to exceed just like we wanted Others before him to succeed..but not. Moore is just retooled as the answer because we do not have one..same reason McCarthy is here now..to support Moore succeed. It's how Jones works. His minions do it for him. Remember Richard was the creator of legion of Boom..now it's Quinn's turn. Remember Richards was supposed to be the next DC.? and Marinelli is gone and Moore is next to get the torch passed to them to get this team to win. Just watch.

 

[GMO415]

This is a team that just can't get out of its own way. They waisted some very talented teams under a decade of Jason Garrett. Why? So, Jerry could boast that he discovered the next Landry?

This is the reality. It ain't good. We need a POSITIVE TACTICAL NUKE.

 

[jnday]

The Cowboys played in 16 conference championship games in a 30 year stretch. They won a total of 31 playoff games during that time.

The last 25 years? Zero conference championship games and 4 playoff wins. That's not anywhere close to a "Super Bowl or bust" mentality.

No reasonable person expects to repeat the 30 year run, but to go from that to the last 25 years is a massive decline.

Until this team actually does something again "hope" is just wishful thinking. It obviously works for some people, and that's okay, but it doesn't work for some of us.

This is about as good as it gets. Fool me once, shame on you . Fool me twice , shame on me. Fool me 25 times , it tends to make it hard to have any hopes or expectations. I don’t get excited at all until I see it happen on the field. OTAs , preseason, etc, means nothing to me. I only get excited when it happens in a regular season game and it takes repeated success for me to believe it. I was never a rah-rah guy when I played and I am not a rah-rah fan. I would actually go crazy if I bought into what Jerry is selling every year only to be disappointed year after year.