Being a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, “America’s Team”, has a lot of advantages. There a plenty of prime time games, you can find Cowboys gear pretty much anywhere in the country, away games are like home games, and they are always being talked about no matter what happens on the field. Sometimes though, all that exposure reaches a boiling point. Sometimes, the same Dallas Cowboys news topics get talked about over, and over, and over again….At length, until it seems no other angle can be covered, and then it cycles back again. 2020 Has had it’s fair share of headlines and Dallas Cowboys news is still one of the hottest topics of conversation out there. It’s no wonder there are so many Dallas Cowboys haters out there…fans of other teams must be so sick of hearing about us. In any case, I decided to compile a list of the 5 most over talked about, over publicized, and downright tiresome Dallas Cowboys news topics of 2020.
HONORABLE MENTION: JASON GARRETT FIRING
The Dallas Cowboys did not renew Jason Garrett‘s contract this season and that came as no surprise after the Dallas Cowboys failed to make the playoffs in 2019. Still, for some reason Jerry Jones waited as long as humanly possible to make it official and never actually ended up firing the former coach. Instead, he allowed Garrett’s contract to expire while in the meantime Jason Garrett was permitted to carry on his duties as head coach up until that point…Awkward!!! Ultimately, Jason Garrett was a hot topic of conversation simply because everyone following the NFL was asking the same question…”Why haven’t the Dallas Cowboys fired Jason Garrett yet?”
5. BYRON JONES DEPARTURE IN FREE AGENCY
It became clear following the 2019 season that the Dallas Cowboys were not going to offer their best defensive back Bryon Jones a contract extension. Despite that implication, many Cowboys fans were holding out hope that they could work something out with the star corner. Half of the fan base was furious that the Cowboys would let their best cornerback walk in free agency while the other half proclaimed “Good riddance” believing that top free agent dollars should not be spent on a corner who doesn’t create turnovers. Further debates about the salary cap implications and/or the non-existence of the salary cap added fuel to that fire. Until the Miami Dolphins officially landed Jones as an unrestricted free agent, Byron Jones was dominating Dallas Cowboys news outlets and turning Cowboys fans against each other in the court of public opinion.
4. SIGNING JADEVEON CLOWNEY AND EVERSON GRIFFEN
Dallas Cowboys fans are always clamouring for their team to spend big money in free agency. After Robert Quinn departed to Chicago and left a hole at the right defensive end position, signing one of these two big name free agents became a hot topic amongst members of Cowboy Nation. Tied into this story line is another tiring story line which is the desire to cut ties with current DE Tyrone Crawford. Doing so would free up $8 million in dead money and therefore create cap space to sign one of either Clowney or Griffen. This type of debate over being aggressive in free agency versus loyalty to current players stirs the pot among Cowboys fans and is a Dallas Cowboys news feature that seems to never get old…except that it does.
3. JAMAL ADAMS TRADE
This story has managed to linger on for over a year now. This is after the two year Earl Thomas saga which was equally tiresome. Needless to say, Dallas Cowboys fans are well aware of the need to upgrade at the safety position. It is understandable then that when an All-Pro safety demands a trade and states that his preferred destination is the Dallas Cowboys, it generates a lot of interest and discussion. Yet, it seems that almost every players preferred destination is the Dallas Cowboys. Complicating matters here is that the New York Jets are demanding an unreasonably high asking price for Jamal Adams and the Dallas Cowboys have shown an inability to negotiate long term extensions effectively and efficiently. Those obstacles will likely prevent a deal from getting done just as it did with Earl Thomas but it certainly won’t prevent us Dallas Cowboys fans from hearing about…day after day, week after week, year after year.
2. IS DAK PRESCOTT ELITE?
This question is tied into the number one most tiresome Dallas Cowboys news item on my list but it deserves it’s own ranking. Ever since Dak Prescott stormed onto the scene and replaced Tony Romo in his rookie season, he has become as polarizing a player as has ever donned the silver and blue of the Dallas Cowboys. Those fans that love Dak Prescott will argue his merits, rank him among the games best, and make excuses for his shortcomings. Those that oppose Dak Prescott will refuse to credit him for any success, point out only his failures, and in some cases make erroneous subjective claims and state them as fact. The realists who reside somewhere in between those two groups are few and far between. The voices of reason fall on deaf ears because the noise generated from those on either extreme drowns them out completely. An extension of this topic of conversation is the comparisons between Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz. Durability versus arm talent, consistency versus ceiling, ball security versus pinpoint accuracy, wins versus losses, production versus potential, leadership versus “eye test”, supporting cast versus coaching, and on and on and on. This is not only one of the most tiresome topics of 2020 but since both players came into the league in 2016. I am sure this discussion will continue to be had for many years to come.
1. DAK PRESCOTT’S CONTRACT
It would be difficult to find another story in sports that has not lingered as long as this one has but is as divisive among Dallas Cowboys fans and NFL fans in general. The idea of paying athletes market value has always been a hot topic in sports news. There are those that side with the players and those that side with the owners. Then there is the debate over highest paid versus most deserving. In the NFL, the salary cap adds another layer to the conversation, as does the complicated nature of NFL contracts. Fully guaranteed money, and fully guaranteed money at signing are the key details often lost when contract numbers are reported only in terms of annual value and length in years. Combine that with the animosity created by the #2 most tiresome Dallas Cowboys news topic and compound that with the ongoing negotiation and smear campaign initiated by the Cowboys front office and now this story is a full on powder keg among Cowboys fans. Every single day there is another news story, article, or TV segment asking the same questions…Will the Cowboys sign Dak? Should the Cowboys sign Dak? Why haven’t the Cowboys signed Dak? Does Dak deserve to get paid? Does Dak deserve to be the highest paid? Is Dak being too greedy? Can the Cowboys win if they pay Dak? Dak, Dak, DAK, DAKKKKK!!!!! The very mention of the name “Dak” and the word “contract” will stir up such intense feelings of anger and rage among Cowboys fans that they will quickly forget that they all cheer for the same football team.
As we all know by now, Dak Prescott is currently without a long term deal. We also know that the Cowboys have placed the franchise tag on him so July 15th is the deadline for a deal to get done before the season starts. I for one have that date crossed off on my calendar because it is the last day that I will have to endure another conversation about if and when the Dallas Cowboys are going to sign Dak Prescott to a contract extension.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode