This thread really struck a note for me and, at the risk of beating a dead horse, this season was a "perfect storm" for me.
Maybe my expectations were simply too high -- and not just for the Cowboys, but for the entire NFL. Beginning with the 2017 draft and Drew Pearson's call to arms, through training camp and the pre-season, I was really looking forward football on Sunday. For whatever reason, I have struggled to get into Thursday night football and, to be honest, the Monday night games never really held any special meaning. Oh, but Sunday certainly did -- the combination of a family gathering and feast made for a special day.
Unfortunately, the spark just wasn't there this year. The combination of poor officiating, the "stop/start" nature of the game from advertising time-outs, the drama and angst associated with kneeling and, of course, the NFL vs Zeke and the NFLPA. Except for the Zeke situation, everything else is long-standing issues. Notice, I didn't even mention JJ or JG. I guess I have grown immune to the FO nonsense. In the end, I didn't watch a single non-Cowboy's game and probably only watched about 2/3's of the Cowboy's games live. And, you know what, I really didn't miss the game. I certainly missed the "family feel" to the Sunday afternoon games, but not the game itself.
The sad thing, at least for me, is I really don't expect much to change next year and, to a large degree, I have made my peace with that.
I will continue to follow and watch with anticipation, the Dallas Cowboys. To recapture this fan's unbridled enthusiasm, though, I would like to see a number of fundamental changes in the Cowboys. Most of these have been mentioned endlessly on other threads -- jettison the current coaching staff, revamp the receiving corp, continue the defensive re-build. To be fair, I do think the Cowboys are doing some things right -- drafting has certainly improved over the past few years and, I believe, the organization is much better at managing the salary cap (although, if you listen to Steven Jones, the salary cap is never an issue).
This email is a bit of a catharsis for me... there is nothing new here, just a fan venting a bit of frustration. Thanks for listening