The Mighty Young

Remember the January 4, 2006 BCS championship game when the Texas Longhorns shocked the mighty USC Trojans, winning the game 41–38? Remember the great Vince Young solidifying his legend, taking over a BCS championship game like no one before or since? Remember how he completed 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and carried the ball 19 times for 200 more yards?

Remember how the mighty Vince Young refused to lose?

I do.

I remember the Vince Young that gave the Longhorns their first national championship since 1970. I remember the Vince Young that was picked third overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2006 NFL Draft.

That Vince Young has failed to achieve anything close to that level of glory in the NFL. In fact, as Young enters his seventh season in the NFL, he has gone from the hopeful savior of a franchise to journeyman quarterback looking for a place to land.

The Tennessee Titans cut ties with him before the 2011–12 season. The Philadelphia Eagles signed him to back up Michael Vick last season. They gave him just a one-year contract and did not invite him back for the coming season.

Now, according to the Dallas Morning News, Young is auditioning to be the consolation prize for the Buffalo Bills. Since they did not land a quarterback in the draft, they are taking a look at Young—not as a starter, but a backup to starter Ryan Fitzgerald.

Young is in possession of the kind of physical tools that may yet allow him to carve out his niche—or even make his mark—in the NFL. But for now,  he is a man with no team and little hope of landing a starting job in the upcoming NFL season.

For those of us who revelled in the glories of Young’s past, who cheered him on to improbable victory after victory, who watched him rise to become one of the greatest players in Big 12 history, it is sad to see how far the mighty has fallen. It is hard to see him vulnerable and expendable. We remember when he was neither.

We had hoped that he might remain invincible and might have stayed forever young.

Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com lists five players the Cowboys might take with the 14th pick in tonight’s draft: Alabama strong safety Mark Barron; Mississippi State defensive lineman Fletcher Cox; LSU defensive lineman Michael Brockers; Stanford guard David DeCastro; Alabama cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick.

Which would you most like to see the Cowboys draft?

For nearly a decade, the Dallas Cowboys defense has been without a safety net.  That should change Thursday night when Jerry Jones and company adds Alabama Crimson Tide strong safety Mark Barron to the roster.

Barron will become, by all indications, the best player at the position since Roy Willams (the young, ferocious-hitting, play-making variety). He may, in fact, become the best at the position since the great Darren Woodson, the best defensive player on the ’90s Cowboys team, the one that dominated a decade.

In his four years at the University of Alabama, Barron recorded 149 tackles. He had 13 tackles for a loss, five sacks and 12 interseptions. He also forced 12 fumbles. He helped Alabama win two national championships.

NFL.com gives Barron a 90 rating, which means they expect him to be a first-round pick, an impact player and an immediate starter. They offer the following overview of the player:

Barron was an imposing defender at Alabama. He simply looked like a professional, from the way that he prepared and warmed up to his productivity and on-field presence. A stalwart at safety, he has the size and athletic ability to contribute right away in the NFL. He has the range and ball skills to make big plays and is an active defender against the run. Barron projects as a top-50 pick.

Gerald Sensabaugh has manned the position for the Cowboys for the past three seasons. He recorded 158 tackles and eight interceptions during that time. He forced two fumbles and recovered two. He didn’t have the kind of impact blitzing you would want from a man at his position. He recorded just two sacks in three seasons.

Of course, if you watched the Cowboys during that three–year period, you know how porous the Dallas defensive backfield was, especially at critical times in close games. If Barron becomes the professional player he is projected to be, he will be an instant upgrade at a position that has been undermanned for too long.

Charlie Campbell of Walterfootball.com summarizes Barron this way:

When watching Alabama, Barron jumps out and is all over the field. He makes tackles in run support and always seems to be in the right spot in pass coverage. He is a big safety who may be the hardest-hitting player at his position in the 2012 NFL Draft class.

At 6’2, 218, Barron could be the kind of intimidator you want at the strong safety position. If he has receivers hearing footsteps, they will be first footsteps they have heard from a Cowboys’ safety in a very long time.

Despite another disappointing, middle-of-the-road finish at 8–8, despite missing the playoffs for the third time in four years, despite boasting a roster of very few defensive stars and more than a few offensive underachievers, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has remained optimistic, saying that he expected his team to be a Super Bowl contender in the 2012–13 campaign.

In the first two days of NFL free agency, Jones put his money where his mouth was. Despite being slapped with a $10 million fine by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for salary cap transgressions during last year’s uncapped season (I know, how can you transgress against a nonexistent cap, unless you are violating a wink-wink collusion agreement?), Jones and company stepped into the batter’s box, swinging for the fences.

Two days and eight FA signings later—the most in franchise history—the Cowboys have upgraded their roster and positioned themselves to be a strong contender in the NFC East, where they were edged out by the 9–7 NY Giants last season. (You know, the Super Bowl-winning NY Giants.)

The most significant signing was CB Brandon Carr, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs. Carr was perhaps the best defensive back in the FA market. He recorded four interceptions last year and has posted eight during his four-year career. After saying goodbye to Terence Newman, the Cowboys had to address cornerback either in the draft or free agency.

Jones made Carr a rich man, signing him to a $50 million contract, $26.5 million of it guaranteed.

Jones and his Cowboys also shored up the quarterback position, signing Kyle Orton to back up Tony Romo. Besides being one more statement that this is Romo’s team for the foreseeable future, the Orton signing gives the Cowboys a quality, capable caretaker should Romo go down to injury.

On day one of free agency the Cowboys also signed fullback Lawrence Vickers. With the  one-two punch of DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones at running back, Vickers should help put the running game over the top. Vickers was easily the best fullback available on the market. He is known as a knockout blocker, which is good news for the ball carriers and for Romo.

But, Vickers insists he is more than that…

“I am a West Coast fullback. That’s what they don’t understand,” he said. He said he became typecast as a “knockout fullback” the past two years because that’s how he earned playing time. “I was on a team where they don’t even use a fullback,” he said of the Browns’ offense under former coach Eric Mangini. “Mangini’s era wasn’t really a fullback era. I played just on [the belief that] ‘this person has to be on the field.’ Everything I got wasn’t given. I took it. Our offense was based on New England’s. They don’t even have a fullback.”

Cowboys fans may be as excited about the signing of linebacker Dan Connor as any other. The 2012 edition of the Dallas Cowboys defense was among the worst in team history. They gave DoomsDay Defense new meaning, because their team was inevitably doomed any time they were asked to hold a lead or keep a game close. They failed at the most inopportune times.

The Cowboys have a legitimate game-changer at outside linebacker in DeMarcus Ware. They have a rising star at inside linebacker in Sean Lee. The ‘Boys used the franchise tag to make sure the solid, but not spectacular, Anthony Spencer remains at the other OLB position.

Veteran Connor will compete with second-year man Bruce Carter for the ILB position. Regardless of who wins that competition, the Cowboys will be younger, faster and better at linebacker in 2012.

Safety has been a position of need for the Cowboys for years. Brodney Poole, another Rob Ryan guy, may take the place of Abram Elam, last year’s Ryan guy. Whether Poole is an upgrade or not is debatable. He is younger and has proven himself a solid player, cut from the same cloth as the man whose position he may take.

Along the offensive line, the Cowboys added guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings. These signing, apparently, spell the end for Kyle Kosier as a Dallas Cowboy. With tackles Doug free and Tyron Smith swapping spots and the center position still in question, the OL could be completely revamped for the coming season.

No doubt, Tony Romo is fervently praying that revamped means improved.

The eighth—and least intriguing—signing was a re-signing. WR Kevin Ogletree is being brought back to compete for the third wideout position. Hard to get very excited about that, really.

Still, Jerry Jones & Co. have made a splash and served notice that they do not intend to take 15 years of mediocrity lying down. After months of pummeling Jones, I am prepared to give the Devil his due.

Here’s hoping that deal he once claimed, tongue-in-cheek, to have made with God for that third Super Bowl trophy has reached its statute of limitations and the curse of idiocy and ineptness can finally be lifted.

Let’s all join Romo in that that prayer meeting, shall we?

That Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is inept as a general manager in the National Football League is now so painfully obvious that it has ceased to be worthy of mention. Pointing out his management guffaws is like shooting fish in a barrel or beating your seven year old grandson in an arm wrestling match. There is just no joy in it, no sense of fulfillment.

I just happen to be joyous and fulfilled enough to do it anyway.

The announcement that kicker David Buehler has been cut brought to mind the worst draft in the history of the Dallas Cowboys, and one of the worst in the history of professional football.

If you remain unconvinced that Jerry Jones is lost as a GM, unless he has his hand held by an actual football man like Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells, I give you (drum roll, please) your Dallas Cowboys’ 2009 NFL Draft extravaganza.

You be the judge, the jury and the helpless fan.

Round by round, here we go…

Round One

Your Heroes had no pick. Jerry had already used it to acquire—wait for it!—wideout Roy Williams. Yes, that Roy Williams. The Lions used the Cowboys’ 20th pick on TE Brandon Pettigrew. Still on the board to be taken later in round one: Clay Matthews (Packers, 26th overall) and Hakeem Nicks (Giants, 29th overall).

I would give this a grade, but I do not want to insult teachers.

Round Two

The Cowboys had the 19th pick and traded it to the Buffalo Bills for the number two third round picks and a fourth rounder. Let’s withhold judgment until we see how this turns out.

Round Three

With the fifth pick (from the Browns), the cowboys take LB Jason Williams out of Western Illinois. In his first three years in the league, Williams has amassed an astounding 20 tackles. (Yes, my tongue was in my cheek there.) He has never worked his way into the starting lineup. He’s a bit player at best; a two-bit player at worst.

With the 11th pick of the third round (from the Bills), the Cowboys take OT Robert Brewster. If you do not know anything about him, don’t bother. He was hurt his rookie season and when he healed, they discovered he couldn’t play. He’s no longer with the team.

Round Four

With the first pick in the fourth round (from the Lions), the Cowboys select QB Stephen McGee out of Texas A&M. McGee was a fabulous high school quarterback, a decent college quarterback on a team that had no real passing game, and has been—and shall forever remain—a backup at best in the NFL.

The 10th pick in the fourth round is spent on LB Victor Butler from Oregon State, because, in a three-four defense, you can never have too many quality linebackers. Butler is a quality backup linebacker. In three years, however, he has managed just 30 tackles and 15 assists. Not the worst mid-round pick ever, but not the man you want to hang your hat on as the best pick of your 2009 draft, which he probably is.

The Cowboys traded for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 20th pick in the fourth to snag DE/LB Brandon Williams—a brilliant move. (Again, facetious.) Williams recorded three tackles in 2010, then moved on to Arizona, where he did nothing at all.

Fifth Round

The Cowboys traded with the Oakland Raiders to get the seventh pick in the fifth round. They saw something they liked in CB DeAngelo Smith, out of Cincinatti. DeAngelo ended up playing in Detroit in 2009, recording six tackles. That’s it. Nothing since.

With the 30th pick in round five, the Cowboys took FS Michael Hamlin. Hamlin made it through the ’09 season and part of 2010 before he was set free. His numbers were nil.

Number 36 in the fifth was spent on K David Buehler, the strong-footed, linebacker-looking kicker our of USC, whom the Cowboys cut yesterday. He was supposed to be for the purpose of kicking the ball too deep to return on kickoffs and for kicking the ridiculously long field goals. He was a luxury the Cowboys could not afford. And he was not that luxurious anyway.

Sixth Round

In this round, the Cowboys picked up SS Stephen Hodge,TCU, and TE John Phillips, Virginia. Hodge is another bust. John Phillips has proved himself a player, especially in the blocking game. He has shown potential as a receiver, as well. That’s good, because the second round pick from the 2008 draft, Martellus “Marty B” Bennett, another colossal bust, is likely on his way out.

Seventh Round

Here, the Cowboys picked up CB Mike Mickens from Cincinatti and WR Manuel Johnson from Oklahoma. For some reason, the Cowboys were completely enamored with the Cincinatti Bearcats’ backfield. They took two players from that unit. One has worked out about as well as the other. If you don’t remember Mickens or Johnson, it is likely because you are not family or a close personal friend to either of them.

I would offer insightful commentary on the lost draft of 2009. I would mention how a team cannot afford to just skip entire years of drafting and developing quality players. I would talk about Jerry Jones and company and how overmatched they are in the NFL.

But the facts do not need me. They speak for themselves.

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It is that time of year, folks. Spring is upon us, the football season is behind us. And a fresh, new season of hope is before us.

It is an annual ritual. One team’s fans celebrate their team’s ascent to the glory of a world championship, while fans of the other 31 teams try to figure out which player should be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft in order to catapult their team to the post-Super Bowl podium for the presentation of next year’s Lombardi trophy.

Ah. Spring. Hope. And the eternal spring of hope.

So, who will it be for your Dallas Cowboys? They hold the 14th pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Upon whom will they spend it? Well, I have gone searching for the answer.

First, I went to Confucius. Confucius say, “Better a Diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

That somehow made sense to me, but did not answer the burning question. So, I sought the wisdom of five other philosophers and forecasters of all things football.

Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says that Jerry Jones and his merry band of brown-nosers will select David DeCastro (OG) out of Stanford. Williams states flatly, “Cowboys find the next Larry Allen.”

I do not know about all of that, but if he is 50% of the next Larry Allen, he would be a darn good choice.

Walter Cherepinsky of walterfootball.com has the Cowboys taking Janoris Jenkins (CB) out of Northern Alabama.

Says the smartest Walter since Kronkite:

“I’ve always had reservations about putting Janoris Jenkins in the first round because of his multiple arrests, but he seems to have turned his life around. He hasn’t gotten into trouble at North Alabama, and he even recently told the media that he doesn’t even hang around people who smoke weed anymore. It’s an issue that he has four children already (all with baseborn last names of “Orange”), but it seems that as with Phil Taylor, getting kicked out of school served as a wake-up call for Jenkins.”

Great! Another guy named Jenkins at cornerback and an outlaw to boot. Sounds like a perfect fit for the Jonestown Owlhoots.

Steve Wyche of NFL.com offers Dre Kirkpatrick (CB) for the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide, for your consideration.

NFL.com offers the following analysis of Kirkpatrick:

“Athletes like Kirkpatrick are able to defy the perception that taller skill players don’t have the footwork and agility that shorter players do. Kirkpatrick will thrive initially within a zone scheme, where he can use his burst and length to cover ground and remain active in plays. He is so talented athletically that he could likely be tested early on an island in man coverage and excel, and he possesses the confidence and field presence necessary to take on such a task.”

Dre might be just the ticket to spiff up an otherwise dreadful defensive backfield.

Rob Rang and Dane Brugler, a couple of household names of whom you have never heard, of CBSSports.com agree with Wyche and say Dre Kirkpatrick will play for the Good Guys next season.

(I know I promised only five forecasters’ predictions, but I am counting Rang and Brugler as one. Since they are on the same web page and offered the same opinion, one of them seems superfluous to me. Just call it the Rang-Brugler prediction.)

Finally, we get to the widely read and well-respected NationalFootballPost.com, which has the Cowboys taking Peter Konz (C) out of Wisconsin at number 14.

Oddly enough, on the same page, the NFP has Konz on their Big Board as the 15th ranked player with the arrow pointing downward, indicating his stock is dropping.

The NFP offers the following analysis of the player they chose to be one of Jerry’s Kids:

“For a taller center showcases impressive flexibility, as he typically gains leverage on contact and uses his length to gain proper hand placement. Has some limitations because of his height and will allow defenders to get under him at times.

“However, for the most part is able to quickly re-set his hands, sink his hips and keep the inside of the pocket clean in pass protection.

“Showcases an [sic] good snap through the hips in the run game, is routinely able to create a push inside and drive opposing nose tackles away from the play and/or seal. Looks like a “plus” run blocker in the NFL in more of an angle scheme. “

So, there you have it in a nutshell. What the experts are unanimously predicting for the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.

I work for Allstate, and I predict “Mayhem.”

I like my pick because I have seen what Jerry Jones can do. And I have learned what he cannot do.

But my ol’ daddy, the Confucius of Texas, say, “Even blind hog find acorn every now and then.”

Here’s hoping…

There may be trouble in Jonestown. And for long-suffering Cowboys fans, that is the good news.

Todd Archer, Cowboys reporter for ESPN.com on February 26, quoted Jerry Jones:

“I see the talent level being able to put us in a competitive situation for the Super Bowl,” Jones said in a 90-plus-minute session with reporters on the team’s luxury bus Friday afternoon from the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. “I saw it at the start of that [2010] season and I see it with what we had last year, that there’s a talent level that can compete for a Super Bowl.”

All indications are that, despite the Cowboys’ defense reaching historic lows and offensively finding new and creative ways to blow games they had won, Jerry Jones believes his team is positioned, as is, to do something they have not done in 16 years; namely, compete for a Super Bowl.

While Jerry remains a true believer, son Stephen Jones is not drinking daddy’s Kool-Aid.

The day after Jerry made his annual proclamation that all is well and the Cowboys are positioned to compete, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram quoted Stephen as saying,

“Obviously we are not pleased with where we are on defense. We got to get better over there. I don’t know that we got good enough talent to win over there. We have to improve it.”

Some may see this as troubling, as a sign of front office disintegration and family infighting. I, however, as a lifelong Cowboys follower and Jonestown nonbeliever, find it hopeful. I resigned myself a couple years ago to the notion that Jerry Jones has lost his sense of direction and grip on reality where the Cowboys are concerned.

People who understand the dynamics of the constant pursuit of excellence and success will tell you that you have to forget the past. You have to forget past failure, lest you become paralyzed with fear or self-doubt. But you also have to forget past success or you will grow complacent or conceited and the competition will catch and surpass you.

You have to get your ass out of the past before you can set foot in the future. And you can quote me on that.

Jones built a Super Bowl dynasty shortly after buying the Cowboys. His team won three Super Bowls in four years. At least, that is how he remembers it. Most everyone else remembers that he hired Jimmy Johnson, who built Jones a football juggernaut. Then, he fired Johnson for not sharing the limelight enough, and he has been ignorantly but systematically dismantling and destroying a once-proud franchise ever since.

Jerry Jones will never see it that way. He will always believe in himself because he remembers how good he used to be. He is too ignorant, apparently, to understand that if his evaluation of the team’s talent is accurate, then this team’s problems are far deeper than even the most harsh Jones critic can imagine.

If this team has the talent to win a Super Bowl, then they lack something else. Maybe it is heart. Maybe it is chemistry. Maybe it is direction. Talent can be acquired. But you cannot give a group of gutless wonders the heart or will to win.

I, for one, believe the guys on this team have heart, for the most part. I believe they have the will to win. I even believe they have the coaching staff that can get them to the Promised Land. I do not believe they have the personnel.

I am with Stephen Jones in this debate. What the Cowboys need is more impact players, especially on defense. They have one in DeMarcus Ware. They potentially have another in Sean Lee. And that is it.

In this family debate, survey says…

At 6’7″, 248 pounds, Martellus Bennett is a physical specimen. He is the prototypical athletic tight end today’s NFL game features. Athletic, quick. agile, strong… Bennett appeared to be a solid choice when the Cowboys took him near the end of the second round in the 2008 NFL draft with the 61st overall pick.

His first year in the league, while playing behind Jason Witten, Bennett put up solid numbers. He caught 20 passes for 283 yards and, most impressively, scored four touchdowns. That, for the mathematically challenged, equates to a touchdown every fifth pass caught. Not bad. Very promising.

The trouble is that, after four complete seasons, those remain the best numbers Bennett has put up. Since his rookie season, he has failed to catch a single touchdown pass. In four seasons, he has caught 85 passes for 846 yards.

Those would be good numbers for a season, but are barely pedestrian as a four-year veteran’s career numbers.

Bennett came to the Dallas Cowboys as a highly-touted tight end. According to his Wikipedia page, “In his three seasons at Texas A&M University, Bennett caught 105 passes for 1,246 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 105 receptions equal the school record of most receptions by a tight end.”

So, what has gone wrong? Why has Bennett been mostly a nonfactor on a Dallas Cowboys team that seemingly could really use his talents?

The answer may be found in a single word: Focus.

While the truly great athletes work at their craft with a single-mindedness that borders on Obsessive Compulsion Disorder, Marty B (as he calls himself on his YouTube channel) has been about other things from day one.

With an affable personality and a certain magnetism that flourished in front of a camera, Marty B has been a social media darling. His Twitter handle was Jupiter’s Crunch when he first burst onto the professional football scene. Now he goes by the more sensible handle of MartellusB.

Most telling on Bennett’s Twitter account is the way he describes himself: “Patio Junkie, Rooftop Hippie, Professional Brainstormer, Super Ninja, Genius, married to a Gypsy… Creative Director for Rockit Dope Clothing.”

Nothing in there about being a Dallas Cowboys or even a football player.

While his compatriots try to figure out how to lift themselves out of the mire of mediocrity and compete for a championship, Marty B concerns himself with launching his Rockit Dope™ clothing line, entertaining the masses via social media and making music.

I do not mean to indicate that no successful athletes have such outside interests. Without doubt, they do, almost without exception. The key here is that they were first successful at their craft. They built a name for on-field accomplishment before they built a brand.

Martellus Bennett has gotten his hip-hop cart before his football horse. While super-cool Marty B builds his brand, he is in danger of being branded an NFL bust.

Tweet that.

Ahmad Bradshaw had just made a major contribution to his New York Giants’ upset victory over the mighty New England Patriots. He and his teammates had just been crowned world champions for the second time in four years.

So, what did the folks at the NFL Network want him to talk about? The Dallas Cowboys!

The world over, the city of New York is seen as the great American city. Football is the great American sport. The NFL is the great American sports league. The New York Giants are one of the storied franchises of the NFL.

But the New York Giants still cannot escape the shadow of America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys. Despite the Giants having won two Super Bowls in four years, despite the Cowboys having been a nonfactor in the Super Bowl hunt for 15 years, Bradshaw was asked what he thought about the Cowboys chances of winning it all.

“I don’t see it happening,” Bradshaw told the NFL Network when asked if the Cowboys will ever win a Super Bowl with Romo at the helm. “I don’t think they believe it, and they’re America’s Team. If America don’t believe it . . .”

Bradshaw was asked to clear his comment, about whether he was referring to the team itself or the fans.

“It all comes together,” Bradshaw said. “If the fans don’t believe it, the team doesn’t. They’re kinda doubtful with Romo.”

How frustrating must that be for the Giants? They have owned the Dallas Cowboys, winning six of the past eight meetings with them. They are 3–0 in Cowboys Stadium. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has more Super Bowl rings than big brother Peyton.

But the talking heads at the NFL Network don’t want to talk about those things. They just want to know whether Tony Romo is the man to get the job done in Dallas.

As frustrating as the America’s Team thing is for the Cowboys’ NFC East bunkmates (Note Bradshaw was not asked about the Eagles or Redskins), it should be equally embarrassing to the Cowboys themselves. I am sure the boys with the stars on their helmets would be just as happy if that bullseye was taken off their chests.

No matter how badly the Cowboys may want folks to just forget about that whole America’s Team thing, no matter how badly the Giants may want to be the team everybody either loves or loves to hate, neither franchise can escape the fact that the mediocre Cowboys are still America’s Team, or so says Gary West of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

The Thanksgiving Day victory over the Dolphins was the most-watched game of the regular season; in fact, with 31 million viewers, it was the most-watched program. Three of the 10 most popular programs were indeed Cowboys’ games. With 27.6 million viewers according to Nielsen, the finale against the Giants was the most-watched regular-season primetime game in 15 years and the most-watched primetime game ever on NBC. And with 17.1 million viewers, the Cowboys’ Monday night game against the Redskins was the most-watched program on cable television.

As for embracing bold innovation, these Cowboys could be the most American of America’s Teams. They play, after all, in the largest air-conditioned space in the world, beneath the largest television in the world, in a $1.2 billion monument to boldness.

And so don’t accept impostors or substitutes. Don’t consign the nickname to the trash, or put it in the freezer or hide it in a drawer beneath the old socks. The Cowboys, Staubach said, are still America’s Team. And America’s quarterback is right. Yes, amid dubious poll results and pullulating flapdoodle and perennial piffle, America’s Team still stands out.

Bradshaw himself referred to the Cowboys as America’s Team, as if there were no arguing the matter, as if winning a Super Bowl, or  a couple of Super Bowls, or every Super Bowl from now one would not be enough to change it.

He may be right about that.

But, more importantly, he may also be right about Romo.

What do you think?