jnday;4596023 said:
Just an honest question if you don't mind. Do you think fans shouldn't question some of the decisions that are made by the team? In fairness to all, It has been close to twenty years since the Cowboys were on top. Some of these "negative opinions" are pointing out mistakes that have been made. These are the type of post that I don't mind. Some of the Romo hate post or Garret sux post get old, but I actually like a good debate about legit problems. I don't care for the " silly sunshine pumping " post either, but some posters are quick to call you negative if you won't pump sunshine with them. Exactly where is the line that you cross that gets the negative label slapped on a poster? Does a poster have to agree with every move the team makes? You brought out some good points in your post and you always seem to be reasonable. That's why I'm asking.
Thanks. Yes, I do believe fans should be able to question some of the decisions made by the team. I've done it myself.
For example, recently Jerry made comments about Dez returning kicks. I didn't like that. I thought Jerry should have kept his mouth shut and leave it to the coaches. I also do not like that we didn't necessarily address the o-line this offseason in a way that doesn't leave us with questions. Could Livings and Bernadeau turn out to be good for us? Yes. I think they could be Kosier-type pick ups for us. But I do not feel like we have a good center on the roster at all. I am very disturbed that we didn't address that position.
The line that is crossed that gets a poster the negative label, as you say, I believe has to do with their history. Do I care if, say, SDogo or BraveHeartFan says something negative? Not really. If they say something negative, I take them seriously. They generally have good, realistic posts and strike a good balance. But if a poster is constantly negative in every single post I see, then that's a different story. I know no matter what Risen Star is going to have a gripe about anything having to do with the front office and anything having to do with a position that's not the trenches. I know that even if the thread isn't even about those things, he'll find a way to connect it. It's to the point where people laugh at him about it rather than take anything he says seriously. I know that Clove is always always going to post something negative about Romo. I know that even if it's not a thread about Romo, he'll find a way to passively aggressively indirectly take a shot at Romo. And there are many other posters that will post negative no matter what the Cowboys do. They are happy about nothing. In addition, a good majority of these "negative" posters tend to be unfriendly in general. They are quick to jump on someone about something. They are generally the first to resort to insults. They tend to not actually address the issues and instead stick to their same old lines. I've been asking Clove for years what his solution is for quarterback if we didn't have Romo. He has yet to answer.
These posters also generally do not have an avatar or sig that has anything to do with the Cowboys in a supportive way. To me, even if you're a true fan that might be on the negative side but still enjoys a win, you will at least have, say, a Star as your avatar or something. None of the haters ever show their support image-wise. I believe they'd actually be unhappy to have themselves associated with the blue and silver around here. In fact, Clove, Risen Star, KJJ, Ren, any of you,
prove me wrong. Change either your avatar or sig to something Cowboys related showing your fandom, and not something negative to prove a point. Do it for the rest of the offseason. I dare you.
Many haters like to say, "Don't defend this with stats." Well, it's because they don't have the stats to back their points up. Often they don't have evidence other than their own opinion. If they backed their negative comments with stats just like I can with my positive view, then I might listen. If Romo had a bad game, alright, he had a bad game. It's there on paper. If Romo sucked, I'd agree with them. But he doesn't, so they really have no ground to stand on.
However, in addition to all of that, there is one thing that is the most telling thing about the negative posters that generally get black listed in my book...
When we win, they disappear.
They won't show up for days after we win. You won't hear from them until maybe Wednesday, usually Thursday. That's when they'll pop up with stuff we did wrong... even though we won.
This is truly what leads me to believe that they don't enjoy winning. Like it was said a few posts back, some of them will actually be unhappy to see Jerry or Romo hoist the Lombardi over their heads. They'd be more upset that they were wrong rather than happy over the fact that we won. And so far not one of those haters has denied that.
In addition, if you have to call yourself a "realist", then you're generally not a realist. You're a hater. Realists analyze and discuss both sides of the coin. They acknowledge the good and the bad. Most self-described realists around here only talk about the bad.
Maybe I'm like this because I look at this team differently. I haven't been following this team since the 70s. I was born in 1988. I'm a Cowboys fan because my dad is a Cowboys fan. Both of my grandpas were Cowboys fans. One was a fan because, as he said while sticking out his chest and raising his head, "I moved to Texas." The other is because he was already a Texan. It's in my blood.
That being said, I honestly don't remember the good years. My first memory of the Cowboys is Jimmy Johnson's hair because it looked like my dad's. The first Super Bowl I truly remember is '94 9ers/Chargers, and I only remember seeing their logos on TV, not any of the play. I remember our '95 Super Bowl win, but I didn't understand enough to truly appreciate it or enjoy it.
I truly got into football and started to understand it when I first strapped on the pads myself. That's when I fell in love with the Cowboys and everything my dad had said was making sense. And that we when our perennial success was behind us.
To me, I've always been rooting for a bit of an underdog. I've gone through all the bad with the Cowboys because that's when I fell in love with them. Jerry Jones has always been my owner. I don't always agree with him, but he's all I've ever known. He might not have the slightest clue that I exist, but I feel like we're in this together. To me, every ounce of success the Cowboys experience is exciting to me because it's the first time I've experienced it. This is why I think I'm able to appreciate the downs and well as the ups. This is why I can cherish the journey rather than only expect success. I wasn't spoiled by the five rings before, I guess. Am I upset when we lose? Hell yes. Don't talk to me the day after and don't expect me to be happy for a bit, but that just makes the wins all that much sweeter. I know we'll get there, and when we do, it'll be more than I can ever imagine, because I don't know what it feels like. And I'll be bouncing off the walls, haters be damned.
DAL @ GB
