Dallas and its sister cities cannot seem to catch a break. Super Bowl XLV brought more international  media attention to the city than any other event since President John F. Kennedy came through here in 1963.

We all know how that Kennedy visit turned out.

Thanks to the shaky mental state and the steady trigger finger of Lee Harvey Oswald, Dallas got a big black eye she didn’t deserve.

Forty-eight years later, Jerry Jones, the man who some thought of as an assassin himself when he lopped off Tom Landry’s head, was all set to redeem the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. Cowboys Stadium, the 1.4 billion dollar home of America’s Team, would be the focal point of the entire world.

The Dallas Cowboys have gone to the Super Bowl eight times. But in a year Dallas could not go to the mountain, Mr. Jones, with the help of super hero Roger Staubach brought the mountain to Dallas— well, to Arlington and Dallas and Fort Worth and… The Metroplex comprises a host of host cities.

Super Bowl XLV would be redemption for Big D. Finally, that horrible monkey would be lifted from her back. The world would celebrate her and all of her conjoined sisters.

But that was before the official weather report came out. That was before the disaster dominoes began to fall.

You would have had to be in Egypt during Super Bowl week to find a place having a run of luck worse than Dallas/Fort Worth. In fact, this may as well have been Egypt and Jerry Jones could be Pharaoh,.

The plagues were descending.

Maybe there was something to that hole in Texas Stadium and God watching his favorite team play. Maybe, the marginally-talented cheap-shot writer Skip Bayless was right when he derisively dubbed Tom Landry “God’s Coach” in a book title. (See how I did that? I used my marginal talent to take a cheap shot at Skip, who has never done anything to me except tick me off with that book he wrote.)

Maybe Super Bowl XLV was not redemption for Dallas. Maybe it was Judgment Day for Jerry Jones. I only suggest that because even Jerry Jones and his deep pockets cannot rein in the weather.

To borrow from the wisdom of the late, great Ray Charles, the weather “do what it do, baby.”

Or, it does as it is commanded from on high.

It wasn’t just that Dallas–Fort Worth was paralyzed by an ice storm of historic proportions for most of Super Bowl week: There were other things going awry, as well.

1. The response to the weather. We already mentioned it, but this was Green Bay-like weather. The Metroplex was stuck in a deep freeze for four days. The roads were iced over. The sand truck crews could not keep up with the demand. Accidents everywhere. Bridges and major highway connectors were impassable at times.
2. The accident at Cowboys Stadium. Ice slid from the roof of the massive domed stadium and landed on seven people, sending them all to the hospital. One man was even listed in critical condition for awhile.
3. Twelve Hundred temporary seats were not ready in time, so fans who paid massive amounts of money to have a seat in the stadium, didn’t have a seat in the stadium.
4. Christina Aguilera. Need I say more? She was supposed to give Whitney Houston a run for her money in the Super Bowl of national anthems. Instead, she focused so much on her vocal runs, that she bungled the words and sounded like a transvestite trying to imitate Christina Aguilera.

Add to these problems the fact that the national media bitched and moaned all week about one thing or another. If it wasn’t the weather, it was that the Metroplex is too sprawled out and you have to drive too far to get from one event to another.

Here is a sampling of some of the media whining during Super Bowl week:

Peter King of Sports Illustrated tweeted, “I’m telling you: I-30 between Dallas + Fort Worth is a plow-less, snow-windswept moonscape. This is officially a debacle.”

Newsday NFL Columnist BobGlauber: “NFL owners approved NY/NJ Super Bowl at a meeting last May in … Dallas. Getting a sneak peak at what is might be like with the snow….We know snow in NY/NJ!! Super Bowl won’t be like this one, NY/NJ OWN plows, salt trucks!”

Detroit radio personality Jamie Samuelson said, “I hope some writer writes a column praising Detroit this weekend. We were totally prepared for bad weather. Dallas, clearly, is not.”

Jim Rome: “Six inches of snow? Really, Dallas? Good luck getting another Super Bowl.”

The best of the complaints was from David Ubben, an ESPN writer: “A foot of snow for All-Star Weekend? Ice and six inches of snow for the Super Bowl? What did Jerry Jones do to Mother Nature’s daughter?”

It wasn’t Mother Nature’s daughter he wronged, Dave. It was God’s Coach.

Payback is hell.

The wrath was tempered by mercy, however. The game was actually competitive and remained undecided until the last minute. And, more importantly, the hated Pittsburgh Steelers did not claim their seventh Lombardi trophy in our house.

God is good.

Besides, the Super Bowl XLV debacle will not be remembered as long as that Kennedy thing. This is the age of Twitter and FaceBook. News moves at light speed. By the time news makes the news, it is old news. Kids today cannot remember what they had for breakfast. They sure won’t remember what happened in Dallas way back in 2011.

Jerry Jones is counting on just that as he begins to put together his bid for Super Bowl L.

Think I could take him?

(Audio of full Randy White interview at the end of this article. Give it a listen. Good stuff!)

Randy White. For Cowboys fans of a certain age, the very name carries a certain mystique.

He is the Manster— half man, half monster. He is, according to our own list, one of the top five players in the 51-year history of the Dallas Cowboys.

Randy White stands 6’4″. His playing weight was 265 pounds. He was the first Cowboy ever to bench press more than 500 pounds. He was so quick, that he was actually drafted to play linebacker. It was a stroke of Landry genius to move him to defensive tackle, where he forever made his mark on the NFL.

White recorded 111 career sacks.

In his 14 year career, he was named first-team All-Pro seven times and was a nine-time Pro Bowler. He was, of course, named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

I sat down with Randy White at his barbecue place, which is aptly named Randy White’s Hall of Fame Barbecue. The food, like the man, is the real Texas deal. (No, Randy is not a Texas native, but he may as well have fought in the Alamo. He is that much Texan.)

Good stuff!

Randy, along with Fox broadcaster and former Chicago Bear Tim Ryan, was doing a promotion for Tide and their patented Acti-Lift technology— a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

I expected a five-minute interview. What I got was to sit down over coffee with one of the heroes from my youth and talk football for 25 minutes. What follows are highlights from that conversation.

SBB: It would be hard to pick two greater nemeses of the Dallas Cowboys to play in this Super Bowl, Wouldn’t it?

RW: Yeah, if you picked two teams that Dallas would not want to have playing in the Super Bowl in the new stadium, it would be the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

SBB: Jerry (Jones) said the other day that he wasn’t mad about the Steelers being here. He said the one time he went up against them in the Super Bowl, his team won. I’m guessing some old Cowboys like you, that’s probably a little different story?

RW: It really doesn’t bother me. I don’t hate the Pittsburgh Steelers in any way, shape or form. I’ve got a lot of respect for them. I had a lot of respect for the teams we played in the ’70s. Obviously, it was disappointing that we lost. You don’t like the team your playing against and there was a big rivalry there, but you have a lot of respect for those teams.

SBB: Those rivalries back then, they were a lot more intense. Whatever team you came into the league with, you were apt to stay with, if you were a quality player. You had time to build up animosity; whereas, now, with free agency, you might be on that team next year.

RW: Exactly. You might be a free agent and be on that team next year. That wasn’t the case back when we played the Steelers. You had the same guys year after year. It was the Pittsburgh Steelers with the blue collar, you know, the Steel Town against the Dallas Cowboys, America’s Team. So yeah, it made for a great rivalry.

SBB: You lost two Super Bowls to them— Super Bowls X and XIII. Was one of those more disappointing than the other?

RW: They were both disappointing, but Super Bowl X, I was a rookie. The thing I remember most about that game and that year, the memories I take with me, is Thomas Henderson was dating one of the Pointer sisters. And we went to Joe Namath’s Bachelor III Club in Miami. So, we got to meet the Pointer sisters and Joe Namath sat right next to me at the bar, and I had a drink with him. I thought that was the biggest thing in the world.

When the game was over and we lost the game, you know, you’re not in a good mood. The buses were all full, so they put my roommate Burton Lawless and me into a police escort car.

So, I walked to the car and I saw this guy with long hair and a beard sitting in the back seat, so I said, “Burt, you get in the back.”

I never turned around. I was mad.

The Outlaw, Willie Nelson

Then the guy taps me on the shoulder and says, “Hey Randy, I’m Willie Nelson. I’m a big fan of yours.”

You know that was a highlight.

I said, “No! I’m a big fan of yours.”

Randy talked about Jimmy Buffett singing and everybody’s spirits were lifted. before the night was done, Randy was on stage, singing with Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmy Buffett.

I guess it only hurts for a little while.

Super Bowl XIII was a different story. Having been there once and knowing what it was all about, losing that game seemed to cut a little deeper.

RW: Not winning the world championship kind of sunk in on you.

SBB: Let’s talk about Super Bowl XII against the Denver Broncos. You and Harvey Martin were named co-MVPs of the game.

RW: We had a great game. Ed (“Too Tall” Jones) had a great game. Randy Hughes had two interceptions in the first half. We pretty much dominated Denver that day. There could have been a lot of most valuable players in that game.

This was the first time the league named co-MVPs of a Super Bowl. It remains the only time for it to happen to date. Randy and Harvey were also the first defensive linemen to win the award.

SBB: Harvey Martin’s been gone awhile. How special is it to you to share that with a teammate that is no longer with us?

RW: Harvey kind of drifted away awhile, but he got everything back on track and going the right direction. Then, he got sick. Every year, if I wouldn’t see him for a whole year, around Super Bowl time, we always did a promotion together. Every year around the Super Bowl, I think about Harvey and the great times we had together.

That day, when the game was over. Harvey came up—the picture was on the cover of Sports Illustrated— that wasn’t a pose, and he wrapped his arm around me and said, “Hey man, we’re the co-most valuable players of this game.

Harvey Martin, one of the greatest pass-rushing defensive ends in NFL history, died of pancreatic cancer in 2001. He is neither in the Cowboys Ring of Honor nor the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

SBB: The ’70s team went to five Super Bowls in a decade. If not for the Steelers winning all four of theirs, we are easily calling the Cowboys the team of the ’70s.

RW: Easy! If we win one of those two games, we’re the team of the ’70s.

SBB: A number of you guys are in the Hall of Fame…

RW: We got four guys into the Hall of Fame. Pittsburgh has quite a few more in the Hall of Fame. That would be us if we had won one of those two games. It wouldn’t have taken Rayfield Wright all the time it did to get in there.

SBB: Of the guys you played with who are not in the Ring of Honor and aren’t in the Hall of Fame, who do you think should be there?

RW: Well, let’s talk about guys that are in the Ring of Honor and are not in the Hall of Fame. Let’s talk about Chuck Howley. Who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more than Chuck Howley? Let’s talk about Lee Roy Jordan. Who was a more dominant linebacker on a dominant defense than Lee Roy Jordan? Lee Roy was a great middle linebacker. As good as there ever was.

My teammates we just talked about. Harvey Martin. Ed “Too Tall” Jones. Ed gets overlooked. He was one of the most dominant players at his position his whole career. His 6’9 frame up there with those big arms batting balls down, people don’t realize how much he intimidated other teams’ offenses. You talk to the guys he played against, and I guarantee you, they will say Ed belongs in the Hall of Fame.

SBB: Well, look at the Steelers. Lynn Swann is in. If Lynn belongs in the Hall of Fame, Drew Pearson does. They’re the same guy.

RW: Exactly. I would never say those Steelers don’t belong. They do. But I think we’ve got guys that belong in there, too.

SBB: I want to get some thoughts on the current Cowboys. What’s your take on Jason Garrett?

RW: I like him. When he came in as an interim coach, I liked the things that he talked about, the things he implemented: the discipline, the accountability, work hard in practice. The little things that, when I played football, that’s what you did.

That’s the way you did things, ever since I played little league football. You get there on time, you work hard in practice.

SBB: That shouldn’t be a novel idea, right?

RW: No. This isn’t reinventing the wheel. This is a foundation that you have to have at any level if you’re going to be successful.

SBB: I don’t want to go back and dig up Wade Phillips, but his was a laissez-fair approach to player management. You know, they’re men and you treat them like men. But doesn’t everything rise and fall on leadership? Doesn’t there have to be someone holding everyone’s feet to the fire?

Coffee with Randy White

RW: You just said what the key was. i think Wade is an excellent football coach, but you have to have a mature, veteran football team to operate under that pretext. You have to have good leaders on your football team and guys with a good work ethic. Wade was waiting for these guys to get it and do it on their own and come together. It just never happened.

That’s why I like Jason Garrett. He’s a very intelligent guy. He knows you have to make players work hard. You’ve got to make them accountable. You make them be there on time. Make them wear a coat and tie, like Coach Landry did. Little things like that add up at the end of the day, and it equates to winning on the field.

You don’t tell guys, “You’ve got your job.”

Every year, when I played, your job was open. You had to earn that job again the next year. It didn’t matter what you did last year. You had a great year, OK. Now, you’ve got to start all over and do it again.

Randy White was passionate about this topic.

SBB: Jerry Jones. He is such a lightning rod. You hear people say that he is a great owner but he’s not a good general manager. Is that even possible? Is it possible to be a great owner, name yourself GM, and not excel as a GM and still remain a great owner? Isn’t the first job of a great owner to hire a man that can put the best product on the field?

RW: That’s a tough question. If I was a player today, I would love to play for Jerry. He pays his guys, he takes care of them, he’s loyal to them. That’s a quality I see in him that I really like.

All of which is owner stuff; not general manager stuff.

If there’s something that has hurt the Cowboys over the last ten to twelve years, it has been their draft.

Ah! Now we are talking general manager stuff.

SBB: Which is why I come back to the general manager…

RW: I’m not sure who is advising him, but if I was him, that is what I would be looking at. He doesn’t make every decision. He takes the input from the people he’s got in place. They’re feeding him the information.

SBB: What do you know about Rob Ryan and how do you feel about that hire?

RW: I don’t know much about him, but I know his dad, Buddy Ryan, was a great defensive coach. Then, look at Rex and the job he’s done with the Jets defense. I’m sure Rob shares the same philosophy.

I really do believe he’s going to be a very positive influence on this football team. Not just the knowledge, but the energy he is going to bring here. You have to have that. Coach Landry had Ernie Stautner. Ernie was tough, hard-nosed.

SBB: Tony Romo is the other lightning rod on this team. There is a constant debate over whether he is the man that can take this team back to that championship level.

RW: That is always going to be a question mark until he does it. Look at Aaron Rodgers. he had that monkey on his back and if he goes into this Super Bowl and doesn’t play well, it’s still there.

That’s a tough one. If you’re going to put guys in the category of an Aikman and Roger Staubach and a Joe Montana and a Terry Bradshaw, you have to earn that. You can’t anoint them.

I think, in Tony’s case, people put him in that league before he got there. That puts a lot of pressure on this kid.

Somebody says, “You’re going to be our next Aikman, our next Staubach. You are going to be our savior.” That is a lot of pressure to put on a guy.

SBB: OK, one last question. Super Bowl XLV: Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers— who are you taking?

RW: I’m taking the Steelers.

He was pretty emphatic with that answer.

SBB: Because…

RW: I think their defense is going to be the difference. I don’t think Green Bay can run the ball on them.

SBB: If Pittsburgh makes you one-dimensional, that is pretty much church, isn’t it?

RW: Aaron Rodgers is going to scramble against those guys and the way Polamalu can hurt you? I don’t think so.

On the other side of the ball, the thing that works in Green Bay’s favor is Pittsburgh’s offensive line. You got that undersized center. They have to give him some help.

The key to Pittsburgh’s success: they have to run the football. If they get Ben Roethlisberger in second and ten, third and ten, now you got that Clay Matthews kid one–on–one against Flozell Adams. Flozell hasn’t been able to block a speed rusher in the last five or six years.

But I think Pittsburgh, at the end of the day, is going to win. Big Ben, he ain’t pretty, but he’s a winner. And he makes plays when the pressure is on.

Go figure. Randy White still believes defense wins championships.

Gene is Catching the Bus

(To hear the audio version of this interview, use the player at the end of this article.)

Not more than a half mile from the spectacular new digs of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerome Bettis—a Pittsburgh Steelers legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist— is greeted like a rock star by a hundred or so privileged fans, VIPs and media.

Most of the crowd was already into the second or third of their three complementary pints when the bus carrying “the Bus” rolled in. As soon as Bettis entered the Buffalo Wild Wings to make his appearance for Guinness and their “Perfect Pour” campaign, the electric crowd began the lusty chant, “Hall of fame! Hall of fame!”

Jerome Bettis is one of 15 finalists for the 2011 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bettis played 13 years in the NFL, 10 with the Steelers. He rushed for 13,662 yards, good enough to place Bettis at fifth on the list of the NFL’s all-time leading rushers. Eight times in his career, he exceeded 1,000 yards rushing in a season.

After he lost the Guinness “perfect pour” competition against contest winner Dan Horan of Buffalo, New York, Bettis shared his thoughts on his chances of making the Hall of Fame class of 2011, why he believes the Steelers will roll over the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV, and what makes the Steelers organization the most successful NFL team of the Super Bowl era.

Here is what Jerome bettis had to say about…

Losing to some dude from Buffalo.

SBB: “Hey Jerome, do you think this contest was rigged or what?

Bettis: “Yeah, I think it was rigged. That’s why he picked that keg over there to pour from. He knew something that I didn’t know.”

SBB: “Nobody in Buffalo can win a championship. We know that, right?”

Bettis: “We definitely know that.”

SBB: “We’re in Dallas. We know Buffalo can’t win a championship here, right?”

Bettis: “Exactly! That’s why I’m upset.”

The broad smile and good-natured laughter said Bettis was anything but upset, but those Steelers never did like to lose.

On being selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 2011.

SBB: “You are up for the Hall of Fame this year. You’re one of 15 finalists. There are three running backs: you, Curtis Martin and Marshall Faulk. How do you like your chances?”

Will the Bus roll to Canton?

Bettis: “I like my chances as good as the next guy. I know it’s going to be tough, because I don’t think there is any way you’re going to get three running backs in by any stretch of the imagination. Somebody’s going to be left out and I have come to the realization that it could be me.

“At the end of the day I know that my body of work is such that it’s going to be appreciated. Maybe not now and maybe not next year, but some time.”

SBB: “We’re talking 13,662 yards rushing in your career, eight years of 1,000 yards or more. If there is one running back that ought to be a lock this year, it has to be you, right?”

Bettis: “There’s no locks in this business. But you know, I do understand that, if I don’t get in, it isn’t because I wasn’t worthy. It’s because there were five to seven other guys that were worthy.”

Jerome Bettis ranks number five on the all-time leading rushers’ list. Of the four ahead of him, three are in the Hall of Fame: Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Curtis Martin is number four on the list, and is on the ballot along with Bettis this year.

On finishing his career as a Super Bowl champion.

SBB: “Your final year, it kind of became a deal of ‘Let’s win one for Jerome.’” What did it mean to you to have your teammates put it all on the line like that for you?”

Bettis: “It meant a lot. We had gone through so much that year. For us to endure such a difficult year, but still to go out and play some road games in the playoffs and win them. To get a chance to play for a championship, and to think that they would do it for me, is an honor you could never put into words. To think that your teammates will do everything they can to make sure you become a champion.”

SBB: “That has to say something about you as a player. Obviously a selfless player gets that kind of thing back to him.”

Bettis: “I like to think I was. I did I could to help my teammates and to help us become a better football team. I like to think I did my part.”

On the Pittsburgh Steelers—Dallas Cowboys rivalry.

SBB: “You guys are playing in your eighth Super Bowl. You have already won six, which is more than anyone else. Now you are tied with the Cowboys for most appearances, and doing right here in Jerry Jones’ stadium. Is the rivalry between the Steelers and Cowboys still alive?

Bettis: “I don’t think it is. We haven’t played each other in a meaningful game like that in decades. I don’t think it’s that significant anymore.”

Actually, it only feels like decades, especially to Cowboys’ fans. In 1996, the Dallas Cowboys beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. In the ’70s, the Cowboys and Steelers met twice in the Super Bowl—Super Bowls X and XIII—with the Steelers eking out victory in both contests.

Sadly, it takes two to do the rivalry tango. Thus, Bettis can say it is dead and Jerry Jones can smile and say he isn’t mad that the Steelers are playing for their seventh Lombardi trophy in his stadium.

On why the Steelers will beat in the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV.

SBB: “What do the Steelers bring to the table that will assure their win over the Packers? What do they have that the Packers don’t?”

Bettis: “I think it’s the experience that they have. Having been in big games like this and having won those games, that’s an advantage that you can’t sweep under the rug. It’s significant. I think it will be a tough game, but they win it in the end. When the going starts getting bad, the poise on the Steelers team will win it in the end.

Do you think there is a former Steeler anywhere in the world that is picking the Packers to win? Or, vice versa?

On who really belongs in Super Bowl XLV.

SBB: “Do you think this is as good a matchup as the NFL could have put together for the Super Bowl?”

Bettis: “Absolutely! You’ve got the two best teams in the NFL and you can’t argue about it. It’s undeniable: You have the two best teams in the NFL and that’s all you want.”

How about? Any arguments?

On how the Steelers manage to stay on top decade after decade.

SBB: “I am a Dallas writer. The Cowboys have had their success in the past, but it has been a long draught. The Steelers have been to eight Super Bowls in three different decades. In your estimation, what is it that keeps the Steelers that close to the top and keeps them competing for championships decade after decade?

Bettis: “It’s the ownership’s pilosophy of how this team is going to play football. The way they designed this team is with great defense, a great running game and and timely play from the quarterback position.

“That’s the recipe. It doesn’t change from coach to coach. It’s the coach that has to blend his ideas into the system. Because of that, they are able to draft the same type of players and insert them without having to start over because the coach wants a whole different system. The system is in place from ownership. The coach’s job is to mandate that system and make it work.”

There can be little doubt that the Rooney family is the driving force behind the longterm success of their team. They have committed themselves to a program that works and do not deviate from it.

The Rooneys do their diligence when hiring a head coach. Consequently, the Steelers have had but three head coaches in 42 years. They are about to compete for their seventh Lombardi trophy.

Meanwhile, Jerry Jones has plowed through six head coaches in 22 years and is now on his seventh. Each coach has come with a different blueprint for success. Each one since the first one, Jimmy Johnson, has been, more often than not, unsuccessful.

It may be hard to accept that the Steelers are playing for another world championship in the home of the Dallas Cowboys. It may be hard to accept that the Cowboys’ old nemesis doesn’t even consider them a factor anymore. It may be hard to accept that the Cowboys are having to re-group and rebuild once again while the Steelers just reload.

It may be hard to accept. But it isn’t hard to understand.

Jerry Jones is right where he has always wanted to be: In the center of the universe.

The whole world has turned its attention to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and more particularly to Arlington and the the shiny new home of the Dallas Cowboys.

That new home has not been particularly kind to the Cowboys. In their first two seasons there, they have forged a forgettable 8–8 record. This year was particularly bad. The Cowboys were only 2–6 at home in 2010.

For Jerry, the stadium story is quite different. The place that will likely be remembered as the crowning achievement of his life has afforded Jones that for which he so obviously thirsts: Notoriety, acclaim, attention.

While Cowboys’ fans suffer miserably over two of their archenemies vying for another Lombardi trophy in their own backyard, Jones is all smiles. The Cowboys’ owner and general manager has no problem celebrating a Packers–Steelers Super Bowl in Cowboys Stadium, even if those two teams are among the most reviled by longtime Cowboys’ fans.

They are reviled for good reason, too. In the 1960s, the Packers beat the Cowboys in two consecutive NFL championship games, keeping Dallas out of the first two Super Bowls. In the ’70s, the Steelers beat the Cowboys twice in the Super Bowl, claiming for themselves the acclaim as “the team of the decade.”

The Packers and Steelers, for Cowboy loyalists in their mid–40s or older, represent bitter disappointment and heartbreak. But not Jones, who has only been associated with the team for 22 years.

Jones said, “I’m not mad at the Pittsburgh Steelers. We beat them in the Super bowl (referring to Super Bowl XXX, which the Cowboys won, 27–17). Roger Staubach is madder about it than I am, and rightfully so.”

In other words, Jones has no appreciation for the team’s history and no empathy for the fans who lived it. Jones could not care less if the Steelers are a tough pill for other people to swallow. They represent nothing more than a great Super Bowl match-up and an opportunity for Jerry to shine more brightly than ever.

As for the Packers, Jerry shrugged and said, “Why not? They haven’t been here in 15 years.”

Out there somewhere in that throng of beaten down Cowboys fans, I think I see an anonymous fan raise his hand:

“Um, Mr. Jones? Your team—our team— has only won one playoff game in 15 years.

“And what have you done about it? What have you done to put the Cowboys back into the mix, back into the conversation as a serious Super Bowl contender? You did what any man after P.T. Barnum’s heart would do: You created a billion-dollar diversion.

“Distract the world’s attention from the under-achievement of the team you thought had a real chance to be something special in 2010. Right, Jerry?”

On a local radio sports talk show the other day, the hosts were debating which of Jones’s achievements would mean the most to him. They settled on two possibilities: Winning that first Super Bowl or hosting Super Bowl XLV. One said it had to be the Super Bowl win, because of Jerry’s competitive nature; the other argued for hosting the Super Bowl in his own stadium.

There is no way to know for sure, because, if you ask Jerry point-blank, he is going to tell you what he wants you to believe. Then, you have to determine if it is the truth or not. I suppose you could get him drunk. That has been a pretty good ploy in the past for getting Jerry to say what he really thinks.

I believe this is it. Super Bowl XLV is Jerry Jones’ one shining moment. This time, he doesn’t have to share the glory with Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer or any other coach. He doesn’t have to share the glory with Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith. He doesn’t have to share the glory with anyone.

Heck, one of the most popular names for Cowboys Stadium is “Jerry World.” He gets full credit, and he deserves it.

Meanwhile, the fans he claims to cherish get a royal kick in the posterior. The poor slobs whose disposable incomes helped to make Jerry a billionaire—and whose taxes paid a sizable chunk of the construction of Jones Mahal— will just have to wait until building a winning team is the best way for him to once again feed his insatiable ego.

Right now, he doesn’t need a winning team to be the man. But when the ESPN boys thaw out, roll up their canvas walls and head back to Connecticut; when the circus leaves town and take their cameras with them; when the lights go out and the world once more goes about its business…

Then, the Cowboys will get Jerry Jones’ full attention.

I will let you decide for yourself whether you think that is a good thing or not.

This is Texas, baby

Today, I went on a field trip for silverandblueblood.com to check out the scene in Cowtown. I am happy to report that Super Bowl XLV fever is alive and well in Sundance Square.

Fort Worth, the Super Bowl home of the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers, has done an outstanding job of preparing for the craziness that is the Super Bowl. The square at the heart of Sundance Square is the mobile home of ESPN for the week. The large SportsCenter stage is the focal point, with a slightly smaller stage to the side where Sports Nation is broadcasting live. Traffic flow is pretty good, all things considered, and the law enforcement presence is…well, a real presence.

The Cradle of Champions sculpture is a real work of art, a thing of beauty. I was told by a police officer that, when the Super Bowl celebration is done, it will find a home somewhere around TCU’s Amon Carter stadium. It will serve as a reminder of Super Bowl XLV for generations to come.

I was a little bummed that I had just missed seeing Tony Dorsett on the stage of ESPN’s Sports Nation. I did, however, get to see Cowboys great Darren Woodson, Texas natives Akin and Remi Ayodele, and TCU quarterback Andy Dalton. The show was entertaining and energetic and the crowd was into it.

Local media outlets like KTXA 21 and ESPN radio 103.3 were also on hand. Randy Galloway and company interviewed Cowboys’ legendary middle linebacker Lee Roy Jordan while I was there. Unfortunately, Jordan was interviewed by phone, so I got to hear the interview, but did not get to see him.

There were plenty of Steelers and Packers fans on hand, with the Steelers fans a bit more numerous and much more vocal. I am happy to report, however, that, if you combined the folks sporting Steelers and Packers gear, they would have still been outnumbered by those sporting the jerseys and caps of the Dallas Cowboys.

There is some debate as to whether the Cowboys remain America’s team. (I think they are. No other NFL team transcends borders and remains popular among fans nationwide— even when they are not playing the best football— the way the Cowboys do.) There is no doubt they remain Fort Worth’s team.

On Thursday morning, I will be traveling to Frisco to interview Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White, reverently called “The Manster” by millions of Cowboys fans. Later that evening, I will go to Arlington to sit down with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ legendary running back, Jerome “the Bus” Bettis.

Stay tuned for these special reports.

Gettin' Ready

Current estimates have the Dallas/Fort Worth population swelling by as many as 300,000 during Super Bowl week. That is a whole bunch of cheese heads and, um, whatever you call Steelers fans. Towel-Wavers? Steel-Toes?  I don’t know.

With many of our visitors coming in a few days early to take in the sights and sounds of the Metroplex (I am renting out my beach front property: call me), we will have tons of mouths to feed. And, since so many of you will be coming from so far away, I thought it good form for a native Texan and citizen of Arlington to share some ideas on the best places to eat.

Now, I am a football writer, not a food critic. I am also a red-blooded, middle-class male; not a foo-foo, wine-and-cheese, extended-pinkie connoisseur. I like to eat and I know some good places around Dallas/Fort Worth to do just that.

I was tempted to misguide you, seeing as how you are likely a fan of the Packers or Steelers, and therefore, an enemy to all that is righteous and God-fearing. Or, at least an enemy to all that is silver and blue. But I cannot bring myself to be so cruel, even to you. I don’t mind offending your sensibilities, but I refuse to torment your digestive system. You people are already going to place an undue burden on the waste management systems around here as it is.

So, listen up. I am going to help you find some good grub at affordable prices. And that is important, when parking spaces are going for a grand and game tickets on StubHub are ranging from $2200 to $23,000. Not to mention the high price of attending a celebrity party or two.

My list is designed to get you into some of the best eating joints around and to give you a sample of our delightful cuisine. So, of course, there will be barbecue, steak and Tex-Mex involved.

These restaurants range in price from around $10 per plate to about $50. I present them to you in no particular order, as this is not a ranking, just a heads-up.

Kincaid’s (various locations throughout the Metroplex)

I said no particular order, didn’t I? I lied. I am listing Kincaid’s first. Sure, it is a burger joint, but it is not just a burger joint. It is listed among the best in the country, and has been for decades. By whom? Well, almost everyone. Visit a Kincaid’s and take some time to read the random articles and awards adorning the walls. Then bite into the best burger you have ever sunk your teeth into.

Kincaid’s began as a grocery store and meat market on Camp Bowie Street in Fort Worth in 1946. O.R Gentry, the meat-cutter, began cooking burgers and selling them. Without so much as tables to sit at, people soon began to flock to Kincaid’s for lunch by the dozens, then the hundreds.

Just go there. Have a burger. Oh, and their chili burger: incredible.

Bob’s Steak and Chophouse

Bob’s is consistently ranked among the top ten steakhouses in America. If you read the American Airlines magazine on the way in, I am willing to bet that somewhere in there that fact is mentioned. Bob’s is classy and elegant, but not stuffy. The food is incredible and the portions are what one would expect them to be in a city named Dallas.

The original Bob’s is on Lemmon Avenue in Dallas, but there are now locations in Plano, Grapevine, and Fort Worth, as well.

Babe’s Chicken

Served family-style, Babe’s Chicken delivers home cookin’ like you probably won’t even get at home. Their fried chicken might make you slap your grandma. And the chicken-fried steak…words escape me.

Babe’s was begun in 1993 in Roanoke, a little ‘burb northeast of Fort Worth. Now they are springing up, quite conveniently, all around the Metroplex, including just a couple miles from Cowboys’ Stadium in Arlington.

They may have only been around since 1993, but that taste has been around since 1893, at least. It is food that takes you back.

If you don’t eat at Babe’s, don’t blame me, boy. I didn’t raise ya.

Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant

You will have to go to the Stockyards area to experience this one, folks. But you were going there anyway, right?

Joe T’s, as we natives reverently call the place, is also a family-style restaurant. It is wildly popular and deservedly so. The place began in an old house, which is still part of the over-all scheme, but the restaurant has expanded many times over the years in order to accommodate burgeoning crowds.

In 1935, when Mr. and Mrs. Garcia established the restaurant, Joe T’s only seated 16 people.  They seat well over 1,000 now. Go claim your seat.

Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse

Looking to mix fine dining with a mean Texas steak? Del Frisco’s will do. Heck, it will more than do. Their aged USDA prime beef will get your mouth watering and then satisfy those troubled taste buds until they are quiet and content.

Del Frisco’s began in Dallas, but they are there in Fort Worth, too, so don’t fret, you AFC folks. Just dress nice and leave that ridiculous yellow towel in the rental car.

Sonny Bryan’s Smokehouse

This is another Dallas original, since 1910. The Bryan family has taken their family recipe for Texas barbecue and parlayed it into national and international acclaim. You can parlay it into a fine eating experience.

Be sure and try the onion rings.

Mi Cocina Restaurant

Mi Cocina has only been around since 1991, which seems impossible. I feel like I have eaten there at least a thousand times.

Hm. Maybe I have.

They serve both Tex-Mex and traditional Mexican food. And they excel at both. My daughters swear by a plate called “Ernie’s Chicken.” I say that you have to try those brisket tacos.

Mexican Inn Cafe

The Mexican Inn is far from Mi Cocina in tone and type of food. Mi Cocina has a higher-toned atmosphere, but the Mexican Inn has those home-made corn chips.

That’s right! The chips and salsa they bring you…those are like light, airy, homemade, still warm Fritos.

I love them; my wife does not. But she isn’t writing this piece. I am.

The Mexican Inn is a Fort Worth institution. They have been around since 1936. They are still around for a reason. They have several locations in Fort worth and the mid-cities area.

For a relaxed evening, go there and get your grub on.

Riscky’s Barbecue

Another Fort Worth institution, Riscky’s dates back to 1911 and a Polish immigrant named Joe Riscky (which has to be an Americanized version of the name, right?).

Riscky’s has several Fort Worth locations, including Sundance Square, where ESPN is setting up their broadcast headquarters. But go to the Stockyards, if you can, and eat at the one there. It just feels right.

Whataburger

OK. I am throwing in a fast food joint because you know you are going to want a midnight snack or a quick, inexpensive meal, especially after you realize you are so broke that you will need to take a Greyhound home.

Whataburger is a fastfood hamburger joint, like McDonald’s or Burger King…only not. They are better.

Way better.

Locations? Just keep looking. Probably one on the next exit.

Outlaw’s Barbecue

Grand Prairie butts right up to Arlington, on the east side. Drive down I-30 or I-20 to the Beltline Road exit in Grand Prairie. If you are on I-20, head north. If you are coming off of I-30, go south.

Outlaw’s is a well-kept secret. You won’t find them on the typical lists of where to eat in Dallas. They are my secret, and I am sharing them with you. Their baked potatoes are huge and their barbecue is great.

………………………………………

Now, you don’t owe me a dime for all of this inside information. You could check out my eStore and get yourself a nice coffee mug or bumper sticker, but no obligation. This is a public service to my fellow man. My way of volunteering for Jerry’s Troops (a very different organization than Jerry’s Kids).

When you visit one of these place and it is everything I said it would be, tell them Gene from SilverAndBlueBlood.com sent you.

If they look at you confused and ask, “Who?”—Just make that “tsk” sound and tell them what a shame it is that they are so ill-informed. Then repeat the name of my site slowly.

Enjoy yourself while you are here. Just don’t forget to leave.

Happy eating.

Ready for some Football?

The Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex has waited 45 years to host its first Super Bowl. It only took a tenacious, aggressive megalomaniac owner and a billion bucks to get it here. And now that the attention of the world is turned to our little corner of it, some old-school Cowboys fans would just as soon the two teams coming to Dallas didn’t. They would be just as happy if their annoying fans stayed home, too.

No sooner had Ben Roethlisberger completed the pass that became the dagger in the heart of Jets’ fans than my cell phone rang. It was my father-in-law, who is navigating his way through his seventh decade in this world, and who happens to be a day-one, dyed-in-the-wool Dallas Cowboys fan.

“Well, it is the worst-case scenario,” he sighed.

I did not have to ask what he meant. He has been around long enough to hate the Packers for what they kept the Cowboys from becoming in the 1960s and the Steelers for stealing the ’70s.

Don’t get me wrong: the Cowboys have had their successes against Green Bay and Pittsburgh. From 1993–’95, Troy Aikman’s Cowboys knocked Brett Favre’s Packers out of the playoffs three consecutive times. All of those games were played in Dallas and none of them were close. The Cowboys also beat the Steelers 27–17 in Super Bowl XXX. They were clearly the superior team in that contest.

All of that notwithstanding, the most heart-breaking, agonizing losses in Cowboys’ history have come at the hands of the Packers and the Steelers.

For the benefit of those too young to know and those too old to remember, I will break down the championship rivalries between the Cowboys and the Steelers/Packers, which may as well be a single entity for all anybody around here cares.

So Close...

1966 NFL Championship Game: Green Bay Packers versus Dallas Cowboys

The Green Bay Packers were already owners of nine NFL Championships by January 1, 1967. Their opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, had only been around since 1960, but had risen fast under the steady guidance of coach Tom Landry.

The ’67 meeting would take place at the Cotton Bowl, the home of the Cowboys, and would determine the NFL participant in the game dubbed Super Bowl I. The Super Bowl was to be the contest between the rival professional football leagues, the NFL and the AFL.

Though a merger was imminent, it would not take place until 1970.

The Dallas Cowboys had emerged as an up-coming power by 1966. With names like Don Meredith, Bob Hayes, Bob Lilly, Dan Reeves, and Lee Roy Jordan on the team roster, it was little wonder.

The championship game would be a shootout, too, with the Packers emerging victors, 34–27. The Cowboys had a chance to complete a comeback after being down 34–20 in the third, but fell just short. On fourth and goal from the Packers’ two yard line, quarterback Don Meredith rolled out to pass, but was under heavy pressure and threw an interception in the end zone.

Game over.

Ice Bowl: Cold-Hearted

1967 NFL Championship Game: Green Bay Packers versus Dallas Cowboys

This is the famous “Ice Bowl” game, about which so much has been written, it hardly seems necessary for me to add my voice to din. Here is what Wikipedia says about it:

The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. Popularly known as the Ice Bowl, it is widely considered one of the greatest games in NFL history, due to the hostile conditions in which it was played, the importance of the game, the rivalry between the teams, the duel between two future Hall of Fame head coaches, and the dramatic conclusion.

The game was played at Lambeau field and with an actual game-time temperature of -13°, it is the coldest on record. It was also a brutal battle between Vince Lombardi’s Packers and Tom Landry’s Cowboys. The two legendary coaches had once been coordinators together with the New York Giants. By 1967, they were bitter rivals, vying for the championship and the right to represent the NFL in Super Bowl II.

As it had the year before in Dallas, the championship game came down to a final play on the goal line. This time it was the Packers with the ball and the Cowboys clinging to a narrow 17–14 lead. With 16 seconds remaining, it was third and goal at the Cowboys’ one yard line. Quarterback Bart Starr called his own number. He followed guard Jerry Kramer, who pushed Cowboys defensive tackle Jethro Pugh just enough to let Starr sneak the ball over the goal line. The Packers won, 21–17.

For the Dallas Cowboys, 1967 ended the way it had begun. On January 1st, the Cowboys lost the ’66 championship to the Pack and on December 31st, they lost the ’67 championship to that same ugly, green machine and their gap-toothed coach. (Not that anyone was bitter about it.)

And now the taunts were beginning. The Dallas Cowboys were called “the bridesmaids of the NFL,” or “Next Year’s Champions.”

(See a highlight video of the “Ice Bowl” here.)

Swann Dive into Immortality

Super Bowl X: Dallas Cowboys versus Pittsburgh Steelers

The Dallas Cowboys would meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl twice in four years. It was inevitable, really, since the Cowboys were to make five trips to the big game and the Steelers four during the course of the 1970s.

The first of these meetings was on January 18, 1976 in Super Bowl X. The game featured two of the the most storied defenses in NFL history. Pittsburgh’s Steel Curtain defense boasted eight Pro Bowl players that year. The Steel Curtain featured “Mean” Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood on the line; two future Hall of Fame linebackers in Jack Lambert and Jack Ham, and future Hall of Fame defensive back Mel Blount.

The Cowboys’ DoomsDay II defense used Tom Landry’s innovative “Flex” formation and was fearsome in its own right, with Harvey Martin and Ed “Too Tall” Jones anchoring the line and future Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Renfro joining the two best safeties in the league, Charlie Waters and Cliff Harris, in the defensive backfield.

Each offense was led by a Hall of Fame quarterback and NFL legend: Terry Bradshaw for the Steelers; Roger Staubach for the Cowboys. Of course, there was also coaching legends and hall of famers Chuck Knoll and Tom Landry on the sideline.

Befitting two storied franchises, the game itself was a nail-biter and was not decided for sure until the final gun sounded. On the game’s last play, Staubach was throwing for the end zone and the win, but the ball was tipped and intercepted by safety Glen Edwards.

The Steelers won, 21–17. Lynn Swann, another future of Hall of Famer, caught four passes for 161 yards and a touchdown. He was also named the game’s MVP, becoming the first wide receiver to receive the honor.

Super Bowl X was the Cowboys’ third trip to the Super Bowl and their second loss. It was the Steelers’ second consecutive Super Bowl victory.

Just stay down, Jackie

Super Bowl XIII: Pittsburgh Steelers versus Dallas Cowboys

Played on January 21, 1979, in Miami, Super Bowl XIII would mark the third time the Cowboys had been to the championship in four years, and their fifth trip in nine years. It was the Steelers’ third trip in five years. Pittsburgh would return for a fourth time the following year.

Imagine that: In a single decade, the NFC had been represented five times by the same team and the AFC had sent the same team to the contest four times. Yet, only one of those dynasties would emerge as the team of the ’70s. That team would be determined in the fairest way possible: two head-to-head meetings.

Had the Cowboys won just one of those games against the Steelers, they would have had bragging rights for the 1970s by virtue of their remarkable five trips to the Super Bowl. Alas, it was not to be. Though the games against the Steelers were among the most exciting Super Bowls ever played, the Cowboys came up short both times.

Super Bowl XIII was the one where Dallas linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson famously said that Terry Bradshaw could not spell “cat” if you spotted him the “c” and the “a.” Bradshaw responded by throwing for 318 yards and four touchdowns, both Super Bowl records at the time. The Pittsburgh QB was named the game’s MVP despite throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble on the day.

Bradshaw’s heroics may have won the game, but his miscues very nearly cost his team the game. He might have as easily been the goat as the hero, had it not been for one of the Super Bowl’s all-time notable goats, Jackie Smith.

The Cowboys had lured Smith, a Hall of Fame-bound tight end, formerly of the Cardinals, out of retirement when the injury bug hit them. It was the third quarter and Smith was wide open in the middle of the end zone. Quarterback Roger Staubach hit him in the chest with a pass. Smith dropped it. The Cowboys settled for a field goal.

The rest is history…and still a raw memory for so many Cowboys’ fans.

The Steelers won the game, 35–31.

(See the Jackie Smith drop on video here.)

Four times the Dallas Cowboys have been within inches of a championship, only to be denied, either by the Packers or the Steelers. So, forgive the locals a little long in the tooth if they don’t offer a friendly smile or hearty handshake while you foul their beloved Cowboys’ home with your Green and Gold or Black and Gold.

And pay no attention at all to the bumper sticker that reads, “Welcome to Texas. Now, go home.”

Dateline: January 28, 1996 – Super Bowl XXX featured the two greatest NFL franchises of the Super Bowl era: the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the third time the two organizations had collided in the championship game. The Steelers won the first two, Super Bowls X and XIII, claiming their place as the “team of the ’70.” The Cowboys got a measure of revenge in Super Bowl XXX, winning that one 27–17.

That clash of titans marked the Cowboys’ eighth trip to the big game and their fifth win. They were the kings of the hill.

No more. What has happened to these two franchises in the intervening years has been the story of two ownerships. One that knows what it takes to achieve and maintain excellence and one that knows what it takes to let ego and ignorance destroy a once-proud legacy.

In one corner, you have football royalty in the Rooney family. In the other, you have Jerry Jones, the Arkansas wildcatter.

A quick comparison of the two franchises’ fortunes since their meeting in Super Bowl XXX will illustrate what I mean:

Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision

Jerry Jones hired coaches like Barry Switzer, Dave Campo, Chan Gailey and Wade Phillips, men he felt he could control; men that, if successful, would not detract from the glory he desired the way Jimmy Johnson had. The Rooneys stuck with the model they believed in, hiring coaches Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin.

Cowher and Tomlin are not just football men; they are leaders of men.

The Rooneys, apparently, believe there is glory enough to go around when your team wins, even if they are delegating responsibilities. Jerry Jones still smarts from never getting his just desserts for the three Super Bowl wins in the early ’90s.

Jerry Jones did hire Bill Parcells, but that was only after three consecutive 5–11 seasons under Campo. He needed someone to resurrect the franchise from the ruins his ego had put it in. And, as he confessed in a drunken rant that was recorded without his knowledge, bringing in Parcells was a ploy to shut up the media and fans so he could get his precious new stadium built.

Jones quickly replaced Parcells with the most puppet-like coach ever to wear the Cowboys’ head coach headset: Wade Phillips. It was not until the Phillips experiment imploded mid-season this year, with the Cowboys at 1–7, that Jones finally admitted failure and hired Jason Garrett.

Garrett, by all appearances, will be a strong leader, but that is conjecture—and history not yet written.

The Steelers will be bringing with them one of the heroes of the AFC championship game, running back Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall was available when Jerry Jones listened to his Arkansas Razorback roots and selected Felix Jones in the first round of the 2008 draft. In his three seasons with the Cowboys, Felix has run for 1751 yards and seven touchdowns. He has caught passes for 579 yards and one touchdown. He has failed to establish himself as a consistent starter in that period.

Mendenhall, meanwhile, has run for 2,439 and 20 touchdowns and caught passes for 445 yards and one TD. He is renowned as a battering ram kind of back that can tote the rock on a regular basis.

Don’t get me wrong. I like Felix Jones. I love his big-play potential. I do wonder, however, why we are still talking about potential when he is already a three-year veteran, especially when you consider the relatively short shelf-life of an NFL running back.

So, here we are. Fifteen years after the Cowboys and Steelers last met in a Super Bowl and they are set to meet again: the Steelers as participants in Super Bowl XLV and the Cowboys as their unhappy hosts.

The Steelers already have the most Super Bowl wins with six. The Cowboys are tied with the San Francisco 49ers with five. Now, the Steelers and Cowboys share the lead in appearances with eight apiece.

There is hardly any argument left about which team is the greatest of the Super Bowl era. If the Steelers beat the Green Bay Packers in Arlington, they will, for the moment, end the argument altogether.

And all the Cowboys’ fans said in unison, “Thanks, Jerry.”

Get ready for an understatement or two, starting…now.

Sports betting is big business. Super Bowl betting is the biggest of that very big business. It is also risky business: more so now because of free agency and because of the way the NFL schedules the toughest teams from the prior year against one another, giving the teams with poor records an easier path to contention because their non-divisional games are played against other weaker teams.

2011 Super Bowl betting has been made precarious by the unexpected implosion of favorites like the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings and the unforeseen meteoric rise of the Atlanta Falcons.

But you know what they say: No risk, no reward.

Who could have guessed 16 weeks ago that the current favorite to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XLV would be the Atlanta Falcons while the Cowboys would have fallen to 5–10 and in contention for a top ten draft pick, but not in contention to play in the Super Bowl they will host in a few weeks?

A quick check of the odds this morning shows Tom Brady’s New England Patriots leading the pack at 5/2 odds. The Falcons come in at 11/2, while the Philadelphia Eagles (the NFC East team that was supposed to be in a bit of a rebuilding season) come in at 6/1, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers at 7/1.

Besides going 2–6 in their billion-dollar home stadium, what do you suppose is the worst nightmare for Cowboys fans? How about waiting 45 years to host their first Super Bowl and, when it finally arrives, it features two of their most hated rivals over the years? Imagine how irksome to Jerry Jones and all of north Texas if the Philadelphia Eagles should face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Jerry World!

It is not very far-fetched, is it?

(I just threw up a little in my mouth.)

Back to 2011 Super bowl betting. As of this writing, the current AFC divisional leaders are as follows: The New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Jacksonville is tied with the Colts, record-wise and San Diego is only a game back of the Chiefs. The Baltimore Ravens are 1/2 game back of the Steelers in the standings in the AFC North.

The NFC shakes out like this. The divisional leaders are the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chicago Bears, the Atlanta Falcons, and the St. Louis Rams. The Bears have clinched their division, while their bunk mates, the Packers and the Vikings—the two teams that were supposed to duke it out for the Black and Blue Division—are slumping toward elimination altogether.

The ridiculous West Division is lead by two 6–8 teams, the Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. This may well be the first time in NFL history that a team in a non-strike season wins a division with a losing record.

The New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants seem to be the best bet to secure wild card spots in the NFC.

So, who will win Super Bowl XLV?

I do not know. Check back with me after week 17, when the playoffs are set and I will give you my fool-proof predictions. Not one minute sooner.

Sorry. This Super Bowl prediction business is tougher than it looks. Odds are the current odds will be different before this day is done.

I like to hedge my bet by at least knowing who the contestants will be; therefore, I will give my predictions when the playoff picture is set, thank you very much.

The one sad thing I know with absolute certainty is this: it will not be the Dallas Cowboys. To the heart that pumps silver and blue blood, that is a tough pill to swallow.

In an exclusive interview with SilverandBlueBlood.com, former Dallas Cowboys coach and two-time Super Bowl winner Jimmy Johnson opened up about Super Bowl XLV, the mess known as the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, Jason Garrett, Tony Romo, Brett Favre and more.

Who will make it to the Super Bowl? Are the Atlanta Falcons the real deal?

Which team is a bigger mess right now? The Vikings or the Cowboys?

Does Jason Garrett have a legitimate shot at being the permanent head coach of the Dallas Cowboys?

Is Jerry Jones a good general manager?

How would Jimmy Johnson go about turning the Dallas Cowboys around?

Any chance Jimmy Johnson returns to coach the Dallas Cowboys?

We got the answers right….here:

Dateline: 10:45am Central Time, Tuesday, November 23, 2010

SBB: I understand we have this opportunity thanks to Crown Royal. In addition to Super Bowl XLV, we are getting ready for Jimmy Bowl I. Is that right?

Jimmy Johnson: That’s it, and they can go to CrownRoyal.com, and they can see some videos that I’ve put together to give them some inspiration to put together a short video or a short essay to convince me that they should win the contest. If they win, it will mean an all-expenses paid for an adult and four friends to Dallas and Cowboys Stadium to be coached in the game by me. It will be quite a trip for somebody.

SBB: Oh, man. That sounds like a great time. So, you’re the judge and jury. They have to tailor this thing to impress Jimmy Johnson.

JJ: Exactly right. If they will watch those videos on CrownRoyal.com, I think it will give them some inspiration.

SBB: Alright. We will pass that word along. Speaking of the Super Bowl, we’re through week 11 now. Things are starting to shape up a little bit. Teams are starting to separate themselves. Right now, who are your favorites to represent the two conferences?

JJ: The way this season has gone, every week it’s been new teams. Right now, I think the Green Bay Packers are playing extremely well. I like what they’re doing. They have been able to overcome a lot of injuries. And the New England Patriots, even though they are really young on defense, they have shown they can go out and win the big game.

SBB: What about these Atlanta Falcons sitting at 8-2? Are you buying into this? Do you think they have the mettle to make a deep run?

JJ: Yeah, I think Atlanta, they have been very consistent. Their quarterback has played very well. They’ve got a good defense. Plus, they play extremely well at home. I think it would be very important for Atlanta, if they could get enough victories to where they could have home field advantage, then they could make a run at this thing.

SBB: What about a dark horse? Is there any team that is maybe flying under the radar that you have your eyes on?

JJ: Well, I don’t know about under the radar. I think Philadelphia with Michael Vick, if he stays healthy, you know, he’s going to be a factor. Who knows about the AFC? You’ve got San Diego that looked great last night. You’ve got Indianapolis, who know if they can get some of their people back and healthy? Then you’ve got the Pittsburgh Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger. So, it’s a wide-open race, really in both conferences.

SBB: Obviously, there is a couple of teams that are bitterly disappointed in the way their season has gone thus far and both of them have made coaching changes. Minnesota and Dallas. Which of those two do you think is in the bigger mess right now?

JJ: I think Minnesota’s in a huge mess. You know, they’ve got problems at the quarterback position. Brett Favre is turning the ball over and obviously his career is about done. You really don’t know what (Tavaris) Jackson can do. He did take them to the playoffs a few years ago, but he’s still not on the field. Then you’ve got the coaching change. And then you’ve got a lot of veterans that seem to be sniping at one another. You look at the broadcast last week and there’s arguments with coaches, arguments among players. So, right now, I think that’s a bigger problem.

With the Cowboys, I think Jason Garrett has gone in and turned some things around, he’s added some discipline. He’s a highly-intelligent, organized coach. I think he’s going to do a nice job. Plus, they’ve got the players in place. Even though Tony Romo is injured, you know, for the future, he’s an outstanding quarterback.

SBB: I don’t know how much you know about what we do here, but I am in the Dallas area and primarily write about the Dallas Cowboys, so our audience is really focused on the Cowboys.

JJ: Right.

SBB: What do you think Jason Garrett has to do to convince Jerry to name him the permanent head coach?

JJ: I think Jerry Jones really is a hundred percent behind Jason. I think he really would love for him to be the head coach. Obviously, Jason has to show that he can do it. I think the first couple of games have been a good start for him. I think if he can get a few more wins and establish that the team is going to play well for him, that they’re going to be efficient, and they are going to give great effort, I think he has an excellent chance of winning that job.

SBB: Obviously, you know Jerry really well. So, do you think in his heart of hearts, he’s really pulling for Garrett to win this thing, or is he wanting to go out and make one of those Jerry Jones splashes in the offseason and grab a Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden or someone else, and kind of jerk the attention back to the Cowboys?

JJ: In my personal opinion, and this is an opinion, I just think he’s a hundred percent for Jason Garrett. He would love for Jason Garrett to prove that he should be the guy.

SBB: I have always been a Cowboys fan and you certainly brought a lot of excitement to this area when you were here. I remember how excited I was to get my hands on your book, “Turning the Thing Around,” which you wrote, I think, after you won the first Super Bowl.

JJ: After the first Super Bowl, right.

SBB: Let’s say this responsibility was yours again, to turn this organization around, which obviously it would be a different job this time, because, as you indicated, they have talent in place which you really didn’t have then. Let’s say you are in Jerry’s shoes or Jason’s shoes: What is the top priority to get this thing on the right track?

JJ: The number one thing is making sure everyone in the organization—the players and everybody working there—believes that they’re going to get it done. And then they work at it. You’ve got to make sure that every body’s putting in the work and you’ve got to have the discipline to go out there and get the job done.

I think the Cowboys got soft. They got soft physically and they got soft mentally. And you just can’t go out there and execute and make mistakes. They were a sloppy football team the last two or three years. You can’t be a sloppy football team and be successful in the NFL.

SBB: Obviously, coming into the season, a lot of people were picking the Cowboys as a favorite to at least be in the hunt for playing the Super Bowl that they host. Did we overestimate the talent or did we just underestimate the importance of having strong leadership?

JJ: I still believe—I don’t think anybody disagrees with me—that they’re a talented football team. The talent’s there, but the talent was not performing.

SBB: Jerry Jones has been the General Manager as well as the owner for 22 years. For about 16 of those years, it probably started the day you walked out, there’s been a raging debate about whether Jerry Jones is a good general manager. Obviously, he has the three Super Bowl rings and a lot of success early on. And then we had the struggles through three 5-11 seasons, and then the Bill Parcells era…is Jerry Jones a good general manager in your opinion?

JJ: First of all, when I was there, it was in my contract that I had complete control over personnel and football operations: personnel, players and coaches. That caused a little bit of a conflict there at the end. So, once I left, Jerry wanted to make sure it was a group decision. It would be Jerry and his family, Stephen in particular, along with the personnel director Tom Ciskowksi, and then also the head coach.

People have a misconception about Jerry meddling and making sure that he’s making all the decisions. He’s part of the decision-making just like the whole group. But Jerry does not meddle as much as people think. I don’t think he’s ever going to change that structure of the decision-making. Like I said, after I left he changed that.

Now, having said that, as long as he has a strong personality as the head coach, like when he had Parcells, Jerry’s going to listen to the strong personality. So, really, the strong personality as a head coach is going to get done what he wants done. So, I don’t see it being a conflict.

SBB: Well, Garrett seems to have that type of personality, from what we see. Of course, we don’t know him the way you do and the way Jerry does. Do you think he has the type personality to be able to manage Jerry? I don’t know if that’s really the right way to put it. The right personality to manage to work with Jerry and have the kind of success he wants to have?

JJ: I really think so. Of course, it’s hard to predict how an assistant coach is going to fare as a head coach, because it is a different role. But I think he’s got the qualities to be successful.

SBB: I’m glad you brought that up, because that segues into my next thing. I am not a big Survivor fan, but my wife watches every episode since day one. But when I learned you were going to be on it, obviously, I was in. So, I watched every episode until they voted you off…

JJ: (Laughter)

SBB: I wasn’t entirely sure you didn’t orchestrate that, too. I told my wife, “Look, he knows how to get things done. He’ll leave when he’s ready to leave.

JJ: (More laughter, but no admission.)

SBB: It would have been obvious to anyone watching that you are a leader, whether they knew who you were or not. There’s no question, leaders lead. In my opinion, leadership skills are at least as important, if not more important than X’s and O’s skills in being a successful head coach. Do you agree with that?

JJ: Without question. In fact, one of the conversations I had with Jason Garrett, you know, sometimes X’s and O’s get so complicated, and a coach gets so into that that he forgets the most important thing is players win ballgames. Make sure that the players are properly equipped and motivated to do their jobs. A head coach has to be able to oversee all facets of the team and of the game.

SBB: One final question every Cowboys fan wants me to ask. Is there any chance Jerry Jones makes the biggest splash of his football life and announces that Jimmy Johnson is returning to coach the Dallas Cowboys?

JJ: (laughter) Well, I am happy with my life and my lifestyle. I’m happy doing the work I do for Fox Network. So, no. Probably not.

The audio file for this interview is below. Just hit the “Play” button.
[Note: A technical glitch caused the interview to cut off prematurely, so about three minutes of a 15 minute interview is missing. Still, Jimmy was greatness. Enjoy!]