Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result.
Well, the Dallas Cowboys proved him right.
Year after year, the team does well in the regular season and gives fans hope in going into the playoffs, only to choke when it matters most. And, the cycle repeats, year after year, always ending in despair.
In their wildcard playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys displayed some of the worst and most unenthusiastic football I have ever seen. The team immediately gave up a touchdown on the first drive of the game, and didn’t put up a fight for the rest of the game. The Cowboys eventually got to a place in the second quarter where they were down 27-0, with just under two minutes remaining before halftime. However, they did score as time expired to make it 27-7.
Dak Prescott’s performance in the first half was perhaps the worst performance I have ever seen from a Cowboys Quarterback in the postseason. He threw two interceptions in the first half, and one was a pick-six. Honestly, on that performance alone, he should have been traded then and there.
Their first-half performance was the worst in franchise history, and it came at a time when a team is supposed to be playing its best. They were in front of a home crowd, a home field where they hadn’t lost a game all season, which shows how absurdly disappointing and painful this game was. The Cowboys went on to lose the game 48-32 after a late surge — which meant nothing. It was the worst postseason performance in franchise history; their early 27-point deficit was the worst postseason deficit in over half a century.
Who is to blame for this loss? Is it the players? No, because there are 10 All-Pro players on the roster, including Offensive Player of the Year candidate CeDee Lamb. Is it the front office? No, because they put together a Super Bowl worthy roster.
That only leaves one person to blame: head coach Mike McCarthy.
He had all the tools necessary to take this team to the Super Bowl, yet he still fell short, once again. Somehow, team owner Jerry Jones still thinks he should be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, as he said McCarthy will remain the head coach for next season.
As a life-long Cowboys fan, I have now officially seen it all, except for the Cowboys winning a meaningful game. I’ve seen Hall of Famers play for my beloved team, regular season dominance and down years, as well as fierce rivalries. But the one thing I have yet to see from the Cowboys is a Super Bowl appearance or even a successful playoff run.
In my 17 years of existence, the Cowboys have still not made it past the divisional round of the playoffs.
A message to my fellow Cowboys fans: Why do we keep supporting this team? Why, with year after year of continued disappointment, do we have hope that it will be different this time around? Why do we trust Jones to run things when he is clearly not interested in winning?
Well, I’ll tell you. It’s because whether we like it or not, we somehow love this franchise, even if it means embracing insanity.
