When it comes to an NFL team in Texas, we have two (terrible) choices with one (awful) winner
To be a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, or that of the Houston Texans. That is the question.
A child born today in Texas has these two choices, and as you will soon see there is but one answer, which will break your heart.
Don’t let your kid pick the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, or some other hot out-of-town team.
In the words of Jerry Jones, “I’m not tryin’ to be trite.” Candidly, people who pick out-of-town teams with no ties are cowardly, and the worst kinds of sports fans who should be deported.
The Dallas Cowboys are “celebrating” their 60th anniversary season with a year that looks increasingly similar to that first campaign in 1960 when they finished 0-11-1. In 1960, they played three quarterbacks, and this year the 2-7 Cowboys are up to four QBs.
An expected Cowboys promotion to generate interest is the team will sell lottery tickets and the winner will start at QB when the team hosts the San Francisco 49ers on December 20.
However, four hours south on I-45 the Houston Texans celebrate their 19th season by playing like the Oilers, minus Earl Campbell and Luv Ya Blue.
Kids, these are your choices. Because of COVID, you can’t move.
As nearly all of us bemoan our respective years in 2020, the continued state of the two professional football teams in Texas embodies the crazy uncle who used to have money but show up on Thanksgiving boasting of his wealth while asking you for $100.
Neither the Cowboys nor Texans are embarrassing. They’re just sad.
Both franchises have had periods of inept management and personnel decisions that defy science fiction. For every Bill O’ Brien decision with the Texans there is a Jerry Jones’ Pu-Pu platter of Wade Phillips, or trading for Roy Williams.
Any rational person who supports these teams is within their right mind if they ask themselves, “Maybe drinking the entire bottle isn’t such a bad idea.”
“If I’m picking a football team in Texas, it’s the TCU Horned Frogs. My son is there,” Texans president Jamey Rootes said in a phone interview this week.
Rootes has a new book out, “The Winning Game Plan: A Proven Leadership Playbook for Continued Business Success.”
“The way the league is set up, everybody is 8-8, so I hope my franchise means more than wins and losses. It’s a cultural institution. It’s quality of life enhancements. Win or lose, the one thing that is sustainable is the relationship between the team and the community.
“So if I’m picking a team to root for in Texas, pick the Texans.”
Quite the sales pitch, and while there is undeniable truth in what Rootes’ says, people want to identify with a winner.
In this century, the Texans, which started in 2002, are 133-163 and 4-6 in the playoffs.
Any expansion team gets a pass for about the first five years, but it’s not as if the Texans have been that much better since their grace period expired.
And the Cowboys are just tick better than the Texans’ gold standard.
Since 2000, the Cowboys are now 170-159 with seven playoff appearances, and a 3-7 postseason record.
They are still the Dallas Cowboys not because of anything they are currently doing, but rather because of what Tom Landry, Tex Schramm, Gil Brandt, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Bob Lilly built and then Jerry rebuilt with Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, et al.
Neither the Cowboys nor the Texans can boast of anything more than a division title this century, which considering the priority we Texas natives and residents place on winning football games is no longer embarrassing. It’s just sad.
For kids who are born in Texas in 2020, and they want to do the right thing and pick a local pro football team to support, these are their choices.
If you are born in Texas, go with the Cowboys only because it’s better to be a loser than a coward.
