The divide of the Dallas Cowboy's fandom

[Techsass]

Assume you could cut Dez & Romo without any CAP hit & by that take off their prorated bonus, etc. Romo only counts $8.5m this year in salary. What stud do we get for that price that'll take us to a SB? Dez is $14m which does give us the option of 2 really good players. So we get rid of 2 stars & replace them with 3. Given our draft/FA history are you sure that's the answer?

Unfortunately the reality is that if we cut them we get stuck with all of Tony's restructured salary/bonus hits & Dez's guaranteed money all at once.

 

[CowboyStar88]

North Hollywood, not too, too far away

I've never been a hockey fan but I know you Kings fans are super passionate.

Lakers fan I hope? Not the Clips!

 

[Trouty]

I've never been a hockey fan but I know you Kings fans are super passionate.

Lakers fan I hope? Not the Clips!

We are a rabid bunch.

Definitely not a Clippers fan, more a fan of the NBA in general. Am not vested in the Lakers, but I would pick them over the Clips any day of the week. Love the NBA, more a fan of the greatness in the sport, tho, as opposed to any particular team. Far cry from my other sports where I have one team and one team only

You a Lake fan?

 

[CowboyStar88]

We are a rabid bunch.

Definitely not a Clippers fan, more a fan of the NBA in general. Am not vested in the Lakers, but I would pick them over the Clips any day of the week. Love the NBA, more a fan of the greatness in the sport, tho, as opposed to any particular team. Far cry from my other sports where I have one team and one team only

You a Lake fan?

I get it!

Yes sir

 

[plasticman]

They booed Troy Aikman his last few years.

Witten is gold as far as I am concerned.

However, there seems to be some disagreement when it comes to the perception that Tony was a one man show. Count me in that group.

I have never been one to spout an opinion and run, that wouldnt be trolling. I beleive in qualifying my opinion which I will try to do now.

Tony Romo was given three full seasons to develop. In the meantime, a superior coaching staff that included Sean Payton and Bill Parcells built an offensive line with more Pro Bowls from 2006 to 2010 than any other team.

They brought in elite WR talent like Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson, eventually TO. They drafted a great one two punch in RB's Julius Jones and Marion Barber.

Then, with Bill Parcells and Mike Zimmer, they directed their attention towards building a defense that was in the top ten three consecutive years.

In 2007 Romo wasn't the lone Cowboy going to the Super Bowl. 12 others went.



In 2009 the defense shut out their last two opponents in the regular season to get them in the playoffs. They won their first playoff game in 15 years off the strength of 200 yards rushing and defense holding the Eagles to 56 yards running while producing 4 turnovers.

In 2014 the Cowboys had the NFL's #1 rusher lining up behind Tony Romo. They had an All Pro WR, three All Pro offensive linemen, a future Hall of Fame TE.

Tony Romo's first season as a starter had the potential of being legendary. But let's not forget that he wasn't the only pleasant surprise that year. Both WR got over a thousand yards, one RB was a thousand yard rusher, the other one of the leading scorers. Their TE made the Pro Bowl, they had one of the season's sack masters, Roy Williams was still a strong hitting Pro Bowler.

During three other seasons, they came within a game 16 victory of going to the playoffs.

The bottom line is Tony Romo had his opportunities and he played on some talented teams with the potential to win it all. It just didn't happen. Truth be told, Tony Romo played his part in that.

I hope he gets another opportunity, it would seem so unjust that his story didn't have the ultimate happy ending but the lesson for all is that a career in the NFL is short and you get limited chances to be great. You have to refuse too let the opportunity slip by.

That is the difference between the Staubach/Aikmans and the Meredith/Whites It won't be long before we discover which group Tony goes into. However, we have another ten years now to watch Dak Prescott state his case. So far, it's looking good.

 

[Trouty]

They booed Troy Aikman his last few years.

Witten is gold as far as I am concerned.

However, there seems to be some disagreement when it comes to the perception that Tony was a one man show. Count me in that group.

I have never been one to spout an opinion and run, that wouldnt be trolling. I beleive in qualifying my opinion which I will try to do now.

Tony Romo was given three full seasons to develop. In the meantime, a superior coaching staff that included Sean Payton and Bill Parcells built an offensive line with more Pro Bowls from 2006 to 2010 than any other team.

They brought in elite WR talent like Terry Glenn and Keyshawn Johnson, eventually TO. They drafted a great one two punch in RB's Julius Jones and Marion Barber.

Then, with Bill Parcells and Mike Zimmer, they directed their attention towards building a defense that was in the top ten three consecutive years.

In 2007 Romo wasn't the lone Cowboy going to the Super Bowl. 12 others went.



In 2009 the defense shut out their last two opponents in the regular season to get them in the playoffs. They won their first playoff game in 15 years off the strength of 200 yards rushing and defense holding the Eagles to 56 yards running while producing 4 turnovers.

In 2014 the Cowboys had the NFL's #1 rusher lining up behind Tony Romo. They had an All Pro WR, three All Pro offensive linemen, a future Hall of Fame TE.

Tony Romo's first season as a starter had the potential of being legendary. But let's not forget that he wasn't the only pleasant surprise that year. Both WR got over a thousand yards, one RB was a thousand yard rusher, the other one of the leading scorers. Their TE made the Pro Bowl, they had one of the season's sack masters, Roy Williams was still a strong hitting Pro Bowler.

During three other seasons, they came within a game 16 victory of going to the playoffs.

The bottom line is Tony Romo had his opportunities and he played on some talented teams with the potential to win it all. It just didn't happen. Truth be told, Tony Romo played his part in that.

I hope he gets another opportunity, it would seem so unjust that his story didn't have the ultimate happy ending but the lesson for all is that a career in the NFL is short and you get limited chances to be great. You have to refuse too let the opportunity slip by.

That is the difference between the Staubach/Aikmans and the Meredith/Whites It won't be long before we discover which group Tony goes into. However, we have another ten years now to watch Dak Prescott state his case. So far, it's looking good.

What an amazing post, plasticman. Wow. Just, wow.

 

[Beast_from_East]

The age of information, driven by millennials (I am one, but don't act as such, at least I feel I don't) greatly amplifies everything you noted, Bkight.

In my opinion, I think the futility of the franchise draws the largest amount of angst from our fandom, and bleeds itself down to our players.

My LA Kings had a very angry fanbase for years and years. Ever since I started following them in '96, every year was a giant bash fest, and rightfully so. They were pathetic. They drafted pathetic, and outside of 2 or 3 oh-so-close years, were woefully bad.

Then we got Dean Lombardi (our GM), and he changed the whole foundation of the organization, and with that, fans drank ALL the kool aid, on the way to two championships in three years (having gone 45 years without one, beforehand).

The futility of our franchise is seriously hemorrhaging into our fanbase, at least partially causing this devide, me thinks. And I can't fault it. But damn, it's disheartening to see, as we all adore our team.

You hit the nail on the head my friend...............you are seeing the result of 20 years of failure come to fruition.

When your franchise only wins 2 playoff games over a 20 year period, it takes a toll on the fanbase. The problem is that most fans realize that this team is so far away from winning a championship its ridiculous. Honestly, does anybody really expect this team to compete for the NFC Championship with this defense or with this coaching staff?

Most would say no if they are being honest.

 

[Redball Express]

Dak has almost (give it a few more weeks) possibly made Romo expendable. Dez has always been a shiny toy. You don't need highest paid WRs to win, yet since he is here for awhile, the least he could do is stop acting immature. He is a veteran, not a first or second year player.

Well..

With all the ruminating over Zeke's immaturity over visiting a pot shop in Cali..

you would think Dez would have shown better judgement to not draw attention to himself like this.

But what's done is done..hopefully he can get well and make up for it with the fans.

I don't think any of us think Dez purposefully does this stuff.

It's more about his frustrations.

I would understand being scred to face another serious injury.

About a year ago..my doctor wanted me to do a stress test to diagnose some issues.

He ordered a Treadmill Stress test and I was scared to death what they would find.

I cancelled it twice because I didn't want to possibly go back in the hospital and go thru another operation.

Hate it and totally dislike rehab.

But the 3rd apt. I decided I had to go.

I just took a deep breathe and went.

And it wasn't great as I ended up with 70% blockage in my carotid artery..

which was serious and non operablle for now.

All of us as we get older deal with it.

But it scared me bad.

So after facing it, I changed diet and exercise and and kept my emotions more in check and learned a valuable lesson I really always knew but not always easily conquered.

Never never council your fears..they will hurt you more than accepting what is.

So hopefully Dez, who got good news he didn't think he was going to get..

Gets it and the rest of us do, too and we can stop crucifying him for it.

 

[chagus]

In the recent past, certain players/personnel have drawn a predominant amount of disdain from our fanbase -- Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett (especially the last two years), Nick Hayden, JJ Wilcox, Carr (depending on the day), even Greg Hardy.

Then, there were the fringe guys that towed the line of love and hate, depending on the particular fan -- guys like TWill, McFadden, Mo, Doug Free.

Now it's spilled over to fan favorites, guys that have done all they can to help the organization, and were at one point or another almost universally loved, two players specifically -- Tony Romo and Dez Bryant.

While Romo has always had his detractors for various reasons, most fans knew this guy was our backbone and always presented us a chance to win. The sole reason why we were even remotely relevant, and a cover up of a mediocre coaching staff and front office. At the same time, Dez was the guy that was the conduit for Tony and the endzone. Our guy we could count on to grab that ball in traffic and bring it down for 6.

Now, after a series of injuries to both players, the fandom is out and very vocal in their disapproval for our two Big Name, fan favorite players.

It's almost sad to see these two guys go down this path. Is this what happens as players age, as they go through various injuries. Is this a byproduct of a team that has toiled in mediocrity for over two decades, spilling out now into our assessment of our very best.

Perhaps it's because we have two new rooks, with sky-high potential on offense in Zeke and Dak, and they are simply pushing the older stars out the door.

Injuries happen, and, especially in the case of Dez, we should excercise patience, yet we aren't. With Tony, it's a bit more problematic, as his growing amount of injuries make it hard to defend him against his now growing amount of detractors (yet, I still try).

I get it, it's sports -- and perhaps that very simplistic statement answers my own question. Yet, I want to reflect with a post, how sad it is to see things going down the way they are. Especially since I'm new to a large fanbase that can hear my rant.

That was beautiful. Profound. Go Cowboys.

 

[chagus]

Well..

With all the ruminating over Zeke's immaturity over visiting a pot shop in Cali..

you would think Dez would have shown better judgement to not draw attention to himself like this.

But what's done is done..hopefully he can get well and make up for it with the fans.

I don't think any of us think Dez purposefully does this stuff.

It's more about his frustrations.

I would understand being scred to face another serious injury.

About a year ago..my doctor wanted me to do a stress test to diagnose some issues.

He ordered a Treadmill Stress test and I was scared to death what they would find.

I cancelled it twice because I didn't want to possibly go back in the hospital and go thru another operation.

Hate it and totally dislike rehab.

But the 3rd apt. I decided I had to go.

I just took a deep breathe and went.

And it wasn't great as I ended up with 70% blockage in my carotid artery..

which was serious and non operablle for now.

All of us as we get older deal with it.

But it scared me bad.

So after facing it, I changed diet and exercise and and kept my emotions more in check and learned a valuable lesson I really always knew but not always easily conquered.

Never never council your fears..they will hurt you more than accepting what is.

So hopefully Dez, who got good news he didn't think he was going to get..

Gets it and the rest of us do, too and we can stop crucifying him for it.

Wow.

 

[Idgit]

In the recent past, certain players/personnel have drawn a predominant amount of disdain from our fanbase -- Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett (especially the last two years), Nick Hayden, JJ Wilcox, Carr (depending on the day), even Greg Hardy.

Then, there were the fringe guys that towed the line of love and hate, depending on the particular fan -- guys like TWill, McFadden, Mo, Doug Free.

Now it's spilled over to fan favorites, guys that have done all they can to help the organization, and were at one point or another almost universally loved, two players specifically -- Tony Romo and Dez Bryant.

While Romo has always had his detractors for various reasons, most fans knew this guy was our backbone and always presented us a chance to win. The sole reason why we were even remotely relevant, and a cover up of a mediocre coaching staff and front office. At the same time, Dez was the guy that was the conduit for Tony and the endzone. Our guy we could count on to grab that ball in traffic and bring it down for 6.

Now, after a series of injuries to both players, the fandom is out and very vocal in their disapproval for our two Big Name, fan favorite players.

It's almost sad to see these two guys go down this path. Is this what happens as players age, as they go through various injuries. Is this a byproduct of a team that has toiled in mediocrity for over two decades, spilling out now into our assessment of our very best.

Perhaps it's because we have two new rooks, with sky-high potential on offense in Zeke and Dak, and they are simply pushing the older stars out the door.

Injuries happen, and, especially in the case of Dez, we should excercise patience, yet we aren't. With Tony, it's a bit more problematic, as his growing amount of injuries make it hard to defend him against his now growing amount of detractors (yet, I still try).

I get it, it's sports -- and perhaps that very simplistic statement answers my own question. Yet, I want to reflect with a post, how sad it is to see things going down the way they are. Especially since I'm new to a large fanbase that can hear my rant.

There's no good reason for any Cowboys fan to turn on either Romo or Dez.

In Tony's case, it's easy to see why people are concerned. In Dez' case, less so, but for whatever reason some people didn't want him extended in the first place, so that resentment is going to bubble up with each new immature decision Dez makes.

But concern and disrespect are two completely different things. Many fans can discuss concerns or frustration while maintaining a basic level of respect. Some can't. That's the reason for the divide in the fan base.

 

[DogFace]

With the largest fanbase naturally comes the largest bandwagon/fair-weather fanbase as well. I don't think our proportion is larger than average. Just larger.

 

[DogFace]

I think football fans in general are somewhat prone to mirroring the aggressive mindset of the sport and tend to say exactly what they feel, however they might feel at the time. It oftentimes makes little difference whether the subject matter is the sport of football itself, the staff, the players or other fans that come up in conversation, what we hear is simply what is being felt at that moment in time.

There's such a noticeable difference in the posts we see here, after a win as opposed to a loss (or vice-versa) that it's totally predictable. Oftentimes, the same players that are great after wins suddenly become bums after a loss. Football fans can be loyal after wins and fickle as all hell after losses.

There's also a predictable ebb and flow to our opinions, depending upon what been done for us lately. Like pro football itself, it's basically pretty much of a rough experience in general. Better get used to it if you're not yet -- it's not likely to change anytime soon.

In Texas, especially, emotions are incredibly amplified in keeping with the state's fans having such an intense passion for football. Emotions are routinely sent rocketing sky high accordingly. In short, it's always a madcap trip.

Excellent post. It sums it all up well.

One thing I've noticed about the posts after a win vs a loss that directly relates to the positivity vs negativity rationis that some posters don't post as much after a win as they do a loss. I know one very "I'm not a FAN" poster that didn't post at all during our 2014 long win streak.

 

[Dodger12]

Excellent post. It sums it all up well.

One thing I've noticed about the posts after a win vs a loss that directly relates to the positivity vs negativity rationis that some posters don't post as much after a win as they do a loss. I know one very "I'm not a FAN" poster that didn't post at all during our 2014 long win streak.

I've seen some posters completely disappear during and after 2015. You know.....no "thoughts" on the game, no film breakdown, no defending the coaching staff, no defending our drafting prowess of McClay and company, etc. All those eat crow threads during the 2014 season seemed to disappear. It cuts both ways......

 

[DogFace]

I've seen some posters completely disappear during and after 2015. You know.....no "thoughts" on the game, no film breakdown, no defending the coaching staff, no defending our drafting prowess of McClay and company, etc. All those eat crow threads during the 2014 season seemed to disappear. It cuts both ways......

Cool story!!

So you're saying being disappointed over losses for a team you root for and not posting because of disappointment and being disappointed over wins for a team you root for and not posting are the same?

Thanks for helping me make my point.

 

[Trouty]

There's no good reason for any Cowboys fan to turn on either Romo or Dez.

In Tony's case, it's easy to see why people are concerned. In Dez' case, less so, but for whatever reason some people didn't want him extended in the first place, so that resentment is going to bubble up with each new immature decision Dez makes.

But concern and disrespect are two completely different things. Many fans can discuss concerns or frustration while maintaining a basic level of respect. Some can't. That's the reason for the divide in the fan base.

So perfectly well put, Idgit. Your third paragraph, especially, really hit it on the head for me and had yet to be brought up.

Also a wonderful point about Dez re: contract negotiations and fans already not wanting him re-signed, I (for whatever reason) had completely forgotten that little nugget (also to consider, their spite of his holdout -- but that's all part of his contract extension fiasco that you bring up).

Thanks for contributing to the thread, Idgit.

 

[percyhoward]

Then, with Bill Parcells and Mike Zimmer, they directed their attention towards building a defense that was in the top ten three consecutive years.

This is an extremely misleading statement. The Cowboys have not had a top ten defense in points allowed for three consecutive years since 1994-96. There have never been even two consecutive seasons with the defense ranked higher than 20th and Romo playing any significant time. Those top 10's you're referring to were in total yards, which is a metric with no correlation to wins in the NFL.

You were corrected on this point before, but you must have missed it.

http://cowboyszone.com/threads/older-parcells-video-on-romo.355830/page-6#post-6802730

 

[Trouty]

@Idgit, to highlight your point about concern vs. disrespect, @boysfanindc and myself had a nice little debate about Dez in the "phone" thread where he made wonderful points, many of which I couldn't defend, but was still able to engage with him.

Others were outrile vile (big shocker!), on the other hand, and led me to be adversarial, which I hate to be.

 

[Diehardblues]

In the recent past, certain players/personnel have drawn a predominant amount of disdain from our fanbase -- Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett (especially the last two years), Nick Hayden, JJ Wilcox, Carr (depending on the day), even Greg Hardy.

Then, there were the fringe guys that towed the line of love and hate, depending on the particular fan -- guys like TWill, McFadden, Mo, Doug Free.

Now it's spilled over to fan favorites, guys that have done all they can to help the organization, and were at one point or another almost universally loved, two players specifically -- Tony Romo and Dez Bryant.

While Romo has always had his detractors for various reasons, most fans knew this guy was our backbone and always presented us a chance to win. The sole reason why we were even remotely relevant, and a cover up of a mediocre coaching staff and front office. At the same time, Dez was the guy that was the conduit for Tony and the endzone. Our guy we could count on to grab that ball in traffic and bring it down for 6.

Now, after a series of injuries to both players, the fandom is out and very vocal in their disapproval for our two Big Name, fan favorite players.

It's almost sad to see these two guys go down this path. Is this what happens as players age, as they go through various injuries. Is this a byproduct of a team that has toiled in mediocrity for over two decades, spilling out now into our assessment of our very best.

Perhaps it's because we have two new rooks, with sky-high potential on offense in Zeke and Dak, and they are simply pushing the older stars out the door.

Injuries happen, and, especially in the case of Dez, we should excercise patience, yet we aren't. With Tony, it's a bit more problematic, as his growing amount of injuries make it hard to defend him against his now growing amount of detractors (yet, I still try).

I get it, it's sports -- and perhaps that very simplistic statement answers my own question. Yet, I want to reflect with a post, how sad it is to see things going down the way they are. Especially since I'm new to a large fanbase that can hear my rant.

My father told me early on that Legends never die and new ones are born everyday.

We always have to make room in our hearts for these new players and it's always difficult letting go or shoving the old ones out the door but as much fun as the NFL is a game to us it's a business first. A sports entertainment business.

As far as the criticism that falls more on individual perspectives and perceptions of events that occur and the results of the game. There's also certain characters which are targeted which is usually the marquee names. It comes with the territory of stardom and celebrity status like we see in mainstream society.

There's always going to be a divide in fandoms much like we see in societal issues because of the opinions and beliefs we have coming into the discussion and why most aren't influenced much by facts and evidence .

I've always felt there's room for all types of fans . Half empty and full glass , homers , apathetic , etc. In the past I've used attending a game as a good example. They all have a right within the law and in this case the rules to conduct themselves however they choose. Many times I've sat next to Cowboy fans I'd just as soon shoot but unless they violate my space breaking the rules of law they have every right with the money they spent.

We really need to learn to have more tolerance and communication with those with different opinions and beliefs. Compromise is what our countries democratic process was built on.
Peace and Love Cowboy fans!!!

 

[Trouty]

My father told me early on that Legends never die and new ones are born everyday.

We always have to make room in our hearts for these new players and it's always difficult letting go or shoving the old ones out the door but as much fun as the NFL is a game to us it's a business first. A sports entertainment business.

As far as the criticism that falls more on individual perspectives and perceptions of events that occur and the results of the game. There's also certain characters which are targeted which is usually the marquee names. It comes with the territory of stardom and celebrity status like we see in mainstream society.

There's always going to be a divide in fandoms much like we see in societal issues because of the opinions and beliefs we have coming into the discussion and why most aren't influenced much by facts and evidence .

I've always felt there's room for all types of fans . Half empty and full glass , homers , apathetic , etc. In the past I've used attending a game as a good example. There are all types of fans. They all have a right within the law and in this case the rules to conduct themselves however they choose. Many times I've sat next to Cowboy fans I'd just as soon shoot but unless they violate my space breaking the rules of law they have every right with the money they spent.

We really need to learn to have more tolerance and communication with those with different opinions and beliefs. Compromise is what our countries democratic process was built on.
Peace and Love Cowboy fans!!!

Great post, Blues! I agree with everything you said, brother. Thanks for taking the time to give such a heartfelt response.