Something's going on, and it's gnawing at me

[Doomsday101]

Its silly IMO. Why on earth would the NFL not embrace their most profitable team in their organization? There's no agenda out to get the Cowboys. Not from the NFL. IT makes no sense.

I agree. Fans be it Dallas or anywhere else tend to think the deck is stacked against them. I once went to a Cowboys/Saints game sitting around saint fans and just busted out laughing when I heard them saying how the refs were giving the Cowboys the calls as they always do. I could not help but think of this sight and how so many feel that the deck is being stacked against us. It is not, Dallas took a chance on a player involved in a DV which just so happens to be an offense the NFL is very sensitive about since the Ray Rice deal, right or wrong and lowered the boom on Hardy but I think that would have been the case no matter where Hardy was playing. I think it will get reduced on the appeal but if by some chance Doty says no it is 10 games are we then to believe that Doty is a Giants fan or a Jerry hater? lol

Believe me there are more haters of Jerry in Dallas and in the Cowboys nation than there is through out the league. lol

 

[Dhragon]

Except they do not share merchandising revenue. Only team. This could possibly bother the other teams and the league. Cowboys do sell a lot of merchandise.

I was about to post the same thing. All of those who say it hurts the NFL if the Cowboys get screwed aren't thinking long term. The NFL would LOVE for the fan base to diversify more, particularly when it comes to the one team which doesn't profit share merchandising with the other 31 teams. The best thing long term for the NFL and most of its owners is for the Cowboys to fall back to the pack and the band-wagoners to defect to other teams which do profit share merchandising. As long as those fans stay football fans, that would be ideal for the NFL.

Also, I imagine most owners, especially Mara, Kraft, etc. have huge egos and do not like the Boys often getting more press/being more popular than their own teams. It's GOT to get into their craw. Some owners have much more power in the league than others. Jerry might be one of tose, but so are Mara and Kraft ( who have even more it seems ). If it was in their power to knock down the Boys I would wager money they would.

So the question is would the NFL risk tampering with things to achieve such a thing. How they handled Spy Gate and now Deflate Gate among other things seems to suggest they would ( seems like they don't care about being caught covering up things besides personal conduct stuff ). I hope they are not but it wouldn't shock me one way or the other.

I trust the NFL a little more than the NBA, but that's not saying much.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Not much of one for conspiracy theories, but the Cowboys are obviously the most hated team in the league.

Envied, not hated.

 

[Idgit]

One step further.

Dallas is the only team in the entire NFL to open with two division games.
1/32....or 3% chance (if at all) of that happening.

Is it necessarily a bad thing, though? They have to play us early, too. We're still healthy, and we'll have had all of camp to prepare. Neither team is dramatically changing schematically, so we'll have that going for us, too. Then they'll be out of the way and we can focus on the teams we know less well on the schedule from there on out.

Personally, I like having the key divisional games late, so I don't know why the NFL would mess that up, but I don't really see how we're getting disadvantaged other than maybe the back and forth before the GB game.

 

[USMarineVet]

The Cowboys have received the easiest strength of schedule than they have in the past 10 years. Although those are noteworthy conundrums you've mentioned, I wouldn't call it a conspiracy. Just the way the ball bounces in some way, year after year.

 

[ElGatoGrande]

I hesitate greatly to feed the trolling conspiracy theorists, but here goes.

But you still hate the fans who complain about things you feel are illegitimate,,, right?

I like the relative complaint that "everybody who drives faster than you is crazy and everybody that drives slower than you is an idiot!" lol

 

[bounce]

The NFL is a better product when the Cowboys are good. They'd be idiots to do anything to try and intentionally hold Dallas down.

 

[Dhragon]

The NFL is a better product when the Cowboys are good. They'd be idiots to do anything to try and intentionally hold Dallas down.

Doesn't mean they aren't interested in CHANGING that. Having one team hold so much sway can't make the other owners happy. If they could decrease that teams popularity and shift it over to other teams, that would be better for them. Holding Dallas down, while hurting them a little bit now, would help them later and soothe their own inflated egos to boot.

 

[tyke1doe]

It's so blatant that it really doesn't take any energy at all

But it's impossible to tie motives to it. A lot of things look "blatant." But when you look at them from a total perspective, they're not as bad as you think. That's why I don't waste the energy. It's simply impossible to prove.

 

[Doomsay]

The Cowboys have only been a relevant playoff team twice in the past two decades and the NFL experienced its largest growth by far, over that same period. The NFL benefits from the mere presence of the Cowboys, but the team doesn't necessarily have to be successful for the league to thrive. For every Cowboy fan, there are multiple fans of other teams that love nothing more than to see the Cowboys blow up in December or watch refs make criminally bad calls against the team in crucial games.

 

[Nova]

Give me some comparative stats with other teams and I will start to listen.

Gladly.

This is only the 2nd time since realignment that a team has been done with 2 division opponents by or before week 8.

The other time was the 2004 Jets.

That's twice in 448 total seasons. (0.45% of the time).

In addition, the Cowboys haven't been done with the Eagles and Giants in particular by week 8 since 1987.

I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, but holy cow what are the odds?

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

I'm ashamed.

But it's really creepy right now.

the truth shall set you free

 

[percyhoward]

Here's the img:

This will be interesting to watch as the year goes on.

Dallas is one of just four teams (Sea, NE, Was) that has to face an opponent that will have at least a 3-day rest advantage four different times. Below is the team's rest disadvantage in days, followed by their opponents' combined record in 2014.

New England
-13 days W 34 L30 (.567)
Seattle
-24 days W 32 L 31 T 1 (.508)
Washington
-24 days W 24 L 40 (.375)
Dallas
-21 days W 46 L 18 (.719)

Obviously, position scheduling means any division winner will always face four division winners the next season. This year, three of the four division winners from 2014 (NE, Sea, GB) who face the Cowboys will have a rest advantage. Dallas has five games against 10-win teams from last year. In four of those games, Dallas' 10-win opponent will have at least 3 more days' rest before the game.

 

[Arkyvarminter]

I don't think the schedule is biased but I do know the media and analysts are. Don't really care about the media but analysts and commentators are making games hard to watch with their hatred. They don't have any class anymore. Bring back Pat Summerall please....

 

[percyhoward]

Rest Advantage
Games vs. 10+win teams from 2014

among NFC East teams
Dallas
5 games (3 home 2 away) -20 days
Philadelphia
4 games (2 home, 3 away) +6 days
N.Y. Giants
4 games (3 home, 2 away) -9 days
Washington
4 games (2 home, 3 away) +1 day

among NFC 2014 playoff teams
Seattle
8 games (3 home 5 away) -5 days
Green Bay
6 games (3 home 3 away) -3 days
Dallas
5 games (3 home 2 away) -20 days
Carolina
5 games (3 home 2 away) +7 days
Arizona
8 games (4 home, 4 away) +6 days
Detroit
6 games (4 home, 2 away) +3 days

With the major caveat that you don't play this year's schedule against last year's teams, that 20-day disadvantage is extreme. For Dallas' average game against a 10+win team from last year, that team will have 4 more days of rest than the Cowboys. This is slightly mitigated by the fact that the Cowboys will average a 4-day rest advantage for their road games in the division.

And it's definitely worth noting that 10+win teams were only 7-5 after a bye last year.

 

[Cowboy84]

Then again I don't believe in Santa Clause, Easter Bunny or the Tooth fairy either.

What about Toledo?

 

[Toruk_Makto]

I was about to post the same thing. All of those who say it hurts the NFL if the Cowboys get screwed aren't thinking long term. The NFL would LOVE for the fan base to diversify more, particularly when it comes to the one team which doesn't profit share merchandising with the other 31 teams. The best thing long term for the NFL and most of its owners is for the Cowboys to fall back to the pack and the band-wagoners to defect to other teams which do profit share merchandising. As long as those fans stay football fans, that would be ideal for the NFL.

Also, I imagine most owners, especially Mara, Kraft, etc. have huge egos and do not like the Boys often getting more press/being more popular than their own teams. It's GOT to get into their craw. Some owners have much more power in the league than others. Jerry might be one of tose, but so are Mara and Kraft ( who have even more it seems ). If it was in their power to knock down the Boys I would wager money they would.

So the question is would the NFL risk tampering with things to achieve such a thing. How they handled Spy Gate and now Deflate Gate among other things seems to suggest they would ( seems like they don't care about being caught covering up things besides personal conduct stuff ). I hope they are not but it wouldn't shock me one way or the other.

I trust the NFL a little more than the NBA, but that's not saying much.

Merchandising revenue is a drop in the bucket.

 

[Rogah]

I hesitate greatly to feed the trolling conspiracy theorists, but here goes.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the "everybody is out to get us" nonsense of homers and crybaby fans. I hate it. The same can be heard in all 32 cities every year without fail. You can set your calendar by it.

It's actually pretty funny, and you're right. Everybody thinks the league is out to get them, the media is out to get them, everybody hates them, etc.

Again, is this by chance, or intentional? Has Jerry so ticked off Goodell, Mara, Kraft, etc, with his whiskey-dripping arrogance that they sit in circles to stick it to him? Did 12-4 and the chance of another so shock and disgust the eastern blowhards that they felt the need to take action?

I think Dallas got a short straw this year, but I just don't see any pattern of unfair treatment. People in NY are complaining that their 2nd game against Dallas is a short week for them, but Dallas had the bye the previous week. The Commanders fans are complaining that Dallas has 11 days rest prior to their game in Maryland.

Peter King wrote an interesting article about how the schedule is made. Dallas is a prime draw so the league can't exactly give them 13 Sunday noon games like Jacksonville has (and I am being serious - Jacksonville has 13 of 15 games played in the U.S. on Sunday at 1:00 local, 12 central). Is it fair? Probably not. But I'd rather be relevant than play 13 at 12 noon.

 

[Rogah]

Here's the img:

This is a fantastic spreadsheet. Looks to me like Seattle and Washington have far and away the most to complain about.

 

[Cowboy84]

What about Toledo?

Sorry, really vague old joke.
There's an old Stan Freberg comedy record where one character says what you said about Santa, etc.
When asked about Toledo, the character replies he hasn't made up his mind about Toledo.