The focus for this blog is “Be A Fan” and right now I have to be a fan. The Dallas Cowboys are 2-0 on the season and the team looks great so far. The Cowboys offense through two weeks has been able to seemingly score at will averaging 33 points per game. If you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan you have reason to be proud and excited – with some fans clambering about the Super Bowl. We’re going to pump the brakes on that right now but the excitement is real.
A Winner in Dak
Quarterback Dak Prescott, who has been a winner in his first three seasons has looked incredible over the first two weeks. In week one, Prescott had a perfect quarterback rating and threw four touchdowns, leaving Troy Aikman, who called the game with Joe Buck, a wee bit beside himself. Prescott had a rating of 158.3 while Aikman’s best QB rating was 158.2. Prescott threw three more touchdowns in week two against the Washington Redskins completing 18 straight passes at one point. He also had a 42 yard run.
Now that’s enough to make any Cowboys fan leap for joy. But the accomplishments are not my focus. As a fan, I am a little upset with how some are reacting to Dallas’ early success. I am not one to use the term “haters” but if you are a fan of the NFL, you know that the Cowboys are either the most loved or the most hated team in all of football. The haters seem to want to put an asterisk around the two Dallas wins. What I keep hearing is, Dallas has beaten the Giants and the Redskins and those two teams are #30 and #31 on ProFootballTalk’s (PFT) power ranking.
Here’s the problem, the New England Patriots are #1 and no one is questioning their position on PFT’s power ranking. But I say, if you’re insisting on an asterisk for the Cowboys, then let’s question the Patriots wins as well. New England played the Pittsburgh Steelers in week one and dominated. The Steelers went on to lose in week 2 as well making them 0-2 for the season. New England also beat the absolute worst team in the league, maybe even in NFL history, the Miami Dolphins in week 2. Yet, no one is questioning their position and many are predicting another return to the SuperBowl for them.
Philadelphia(Eagles) also opened the season against the Redskins and were down in the first half 17-0, though they rallied in the second half to win the game. Week 2, they traveled to Atlanta and left the game with a loss. Yet they are ranked 6 on PFT’s power ranking. The Eagles are many people’s pick to win the NFC East and some have them representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. Other than two games however, during this season, the Eagles and Cowboys play the same teams.
So what’s my point with all this? It is Simply this, if you are a Dallas Cowboys hater, it is clear that it seems impossible to be objective when it comes to Dallas. Objectivity here is the key. Dallas has beaten the teams that are on their schedule. They have not struggled against either. Add to that, Dallas gets that aforementioned worst team in football this weekend and are favored by three touchdowns at home. The haters are angered by this as well and will surely say if the game ends in a blowout, that it was only Miami. Which no one is saying about the Patriots.
You’ll Never Beat Them, Until You Beat Them
I will remind every Cowboys hater that you can only play the teams on your schedule and all NFL players say – “those guys get paid too”. But the haters are now saying that Dallas is getting off easy since Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints is injured. But wait, they say…… when Aaron Rodgers comes to town, then we’ll see how good the Cowboys are. But if Dallas dominates that game what will they say then? We’ll probably hear that the Cowboys need to beat Green Bay in the playoffs which Dallas hasn’t done the past two times they’ve played. Here’s the truth – you’ll never beat them, until you beat them. 2019 is as good of a year as any!