Sheriffstate

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America's Team still walking

Some now feel like Dallas (30+ years hiatus) is like a dead man walking, others don't really care. But if you look in the eyes of the players and fans, America's Team is far from fading into the sunset. Despite it's mediocrity, there's still a fire burning, & the men in silver & blue still walking!

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"I'm smelling coffee...and it's gotta be strong for the Cowboys game!"

Do any of you like coffee in the morning?.. and I don't mean "de-crap" (decaf) - No, I'm talkin' black, driveway-sealer high-test, the kind that curls toenails, got me? Good, so go grab a cup, wake up and smell the NFC East (s) Hoedown between Texas and New York!...no cream and sugar, by the way.. Picture this - you're a Dallas Cowboys fan, it's Sunday morning September 13th, 2026 and you know the New York Giants are hosting the Cowboys at 8:20 that night on NBC. You turn over and look at the clock. Slowly a smile starts on your face. You know the Giants have done well in the draft this spring, but even better - the Cowboys are poised to strike first with a shiny new Defense, a polished Head Coach and a veteran QB in his 10th season. You can already smell the morning coffee... It's the 2026 season opener at MetLife Stadium (in East Rutherford, New Jersey) It's Sunday night now and fans are already packing out the seats and channeling their TVs for SNF with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth ready to entice viewers to a true NFC East rivalry slugfest. After a quick bite you grab another strong cup of Joe and listen in to the crowd noise while the team captains approach center field and shake hands. After the Head Ref flips the coin, Cowboys win the toss and defer to start the 2nd half on offense. Man, you gulped that coffee like a wide-eyed rancher spooked by a rattler! (but wait, you're at home watching a game on an 80" OLED flat screen TV!) Calm down now, cowboy.. you gotta sip that brew, nice and easy like... And so, there ya go - the Giants start off with their up-and-coming QB Jaxson Dart and newly acquired Francis Mauigoa helping out on the front line. They end up 3 and out due to a surprising new changes on a 4-3 defense and much improved run tackling from Cowboys linebackers thanks to the new DC Christian Parker.  Next up -  Dak and the boys get busy with a couple strikes to Cee Dee Lamb and George Pickens and, with added help from Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue they quickly drive the Cowboys down to the Red Zone. A fast fade 20 yard pass to Cee Dee Lamb and the Cowboys are on the board. After a few adjustments, the Giants come back to tie things up until the end of the 1st half when Brandon Aubrey kicks a 42 yard field goal leading the Cowboys to a 10-7 lead at Halftime. Well, so the story goes like this - the Cowboys come out swinging at the start of the 2nd half with Dak throwing monster passes to George Pickens and a couple nice slant tosses to Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker. Surprisingly, Jaydon Blue becomes the star runner with whirling dervish moves that stun the Giant's run defense. At the end, and after 3 sacks and an interception from Caleb Downs, the Dallas Defense and Christian Parker's play calling prove too much for the green-team Giants, and the Cowboys pull off an impressive 28-13 win in New Jersey; Brian Schottenheimer, wearing a slight smile, walks across field to shake hands with the always grinning John Harbaugh, then heads to the Cowboys locker room for post-game team praise and "Jerry-jawing", then off to the airport for a nice flight back to Dallas.   Next stop - the Redskins, er, Commanders come to Dallas September 20. Anyone want to place bets with Jerry Jones on that outcome?? 🤠☕Jul 6, 2026

CowboysRoundtable

Jump or Stand Still

So soon it will be time for the 2026 draft and the Cowboys are in a good spot for some choice draft picks, you know, like the Dak Prescott or George Pickens ones. And fortunately for those two fellas, they've turned out to be diamond-in-the-rough  playmakers. And the best part of those choices proved statistically outstanding. What do I mean? According to the Jimmy Johnson Draft Trade Value Chart (DTVC) where a lower score is actually better, Dak and Pickens scored whoppingly low numbers (38.5 and 380 points respectively) totaling a measly 418.5 points out of a staggering 18,535 total points for the Cowboy's 2025-2026 season. The difference is remarkable. At nearly double the league average of around 10,000 points of draft capital, it blows the doors off of most other top NFL teams. For example, a Day 1, 1st Round pick (Jadeveon Clowney) was worth 3000 points. That is called an "Elite Pedigree" draft pick, yielding only moderate on-field production. Yet Dak was a 4th Round 135th pick and Pickens was a 2nd Round 52nd pick but with extremely high on-field production comparatively. The question is whether the Cowboys should just let the bucks fly and jump "all in" tossing reason to the wind, or perhaps take a step back, look at their team "as is" and go from there. There's certainly nothing wrong with taking time to assess the standings as they are today. The mindset of hyperventilating for a first round pick is good for a team that's really struggling, but not for one that's been struggling for almost 30 years. The Cowboys have immense talent and big wallets to back it up. The problem is choosing high caliber players and then not getting the same caliber results.  What if by using the DTVC chart as a guide and perhaps letting go of some high value targets being a somewhat wiser choice? For example, say that a trade for 'Mad Maxx' from the Raiders would cost the Cowboys a few spots on the draft - to like number 20 and 21 in the first round instead of a much lower number. It could turn out to be a smart move - not only for the $$ but also the strategy involved. Don't forget, Dak was a fourth round high number pick in 2016 and only cost the Cowboys 38.5 points on the DTVC chart. Following the same trajectory, it might behoove the Cowboys to relax the  seemingly dogmatic first and even second round pics for more say, less "glitzy" draft choices. In that case it would seem better to simply "stand still" as it were and play the draft for Best Available Athletes or as as Mike Fisher puts it "BAA"s 'Drafting and Developing' young players is a tried and true option and one that sometimes yields fantastic results - think Troy Aikman. But that's not always how the front office thinks - after all, the Jerry & Co. machine lives on media headlines and haven't shown a different tilt in their attitude for almost 30 years. So, will they go "all in" and Jump, or will they take a breath and Stand Still? .. I guess we'll see in April... The rock band Van Halen put it like this: (from the song 'Jump') "I get up, and nothin' gets me down You got it tough,  I've seen the toughest around And I know, baby, just how you feel You got to roll with the punches and get to what's real    Ah, can't you see me standin' here I got my back against the record machine I ain't the worst that you've seen  Ah, can't you see what I mean? Ah, might as well jump (Jump) Might as well jump Go ahead an' jump (jump) Go ahead and jump"...Feb 14, 2026

CowboysRoundtable

Mad Maxx of Cowboys-dom??

Maxx Crosby is in the sports news recently. It's the kind of story that Cowboys fans love to read about...I know I certainly do. Will he be traded, should he be traded? Does he like where he's at with the Raiders? Do the Raiders even want him around for the 2026 season? He's still under contract but other teams can certainly look at grabbing him and the Cowboys are short sighted to overlook the opportunity. Hmmm...  The story goes the Cowboys want to beef up the still fledgling defense even after obtaining some good players in the offseason. Problem is they're still licking their wounds from releasing one of their prized fighters Micah Parsons.  Even though the Cowboys are looking at a new Defense under ( Christian Parker ) the hangover from Matt Eberflus hasn't been forgotten. Even more so, the Cowboys leadership know the time is ripe for new blood on the roster. Enter the upcoming draft and tempting trades before things really kick in in March. If the Raiders are really "done" with Crosby and seeing that they're number 1 in draft picks this year, perhaps the Cowboys are "stop, look and listen"ing to the chance of sealing a major deal. Question is, will Jerry & Co be willing to fork out $37M or so to pick up Crosby?  If you look at Crosby, his numbers are stellar. he's a wrecking machine and has a body like a 21 year-old yet yet sporting his experienced 6'5" 247lb, 28 year-old stature. He's Pro Bowl savvy, lived up to his name 'Mad Maxx' by sheer will power and is credited with over 59.5 sacks while with the Raiders since 2020. The man is the perfect fit for the Cowboys defense. When watching him in games, he thrashes through offenses like a crazed man mowing through elephant grass with a machete. He's got long arms and latches onto players without letting go. He even helps other teams as seen by Crosby returning Travis Kelce's helmet to the head official after stuffing Kelce behind the line of scrimmage embarrassing the Chiefs back in 2023. The Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer or "Schotty" (as his team calls him) remains cautiously optimistic about the future of his Defense. And even after obtaining 2 new excellent linebackers (Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams) in 2025, the need for a true defensive end, run-stopping bulldozer would be the perfect fit for the Cowboys defense. Quinnen Williams and Mad Maxx would be a dreadful duo to any opposing team going up against the Cowboys.   So the continuing story with Mad Maxx is: 1. Is Jerry too afraid of risking 1 player and 2 first round picks if trading for the madman? 2. What if the Raiders really are done with Maxx, he's not happy with the organization, and as Mike Fisher said "the suspense that there’s a burned bridge that can’t be rebuilt" does exist - could this be the time for both parties to make a deal? We'll just have to wait and see..Feb 6, 2026

CowboysRoundtable

Troy and a Legend

It's not every quarterback who admits to being brutally honest after a 1-11 season, but Troy Aikman is one of those quarterbacks "I don't know how those (quarterbacks) make it 10 years," he said to his agent Leigh Steinberg. Leigh fired back "Troy, quarterbacks don't get hit the way you did for 10 years," Steinberg was referring to the physical and emotional toll it was for the 0-11 starting QB back in that year. Indeed, after suffering from a broken finger, concussion, 18 interceptions and a weak offensive line, one would think this is the makeup of a loser. But... ..Not so fast. When Troy was speaking with Joe Buck about their 0-1 season opener he said Jimmy Johnson said to the team "Let me tell you guys something - this losing shit is over, it is over! Tomorrow we're gunna go out there and we're gunna whip their ass!" To which Troy said laughing to Joe "Well, little did he know, that losing shit was far from over!" We, we'd lose 14 more times before that year was over - yeah, that was the year we were 1-15!" Troy would go on later and say "I know how difficult my rookie year in the NFL was and I know how competitive this sport is" This was the start of Troy learning from his mistakes and making corrections, eventually leading him and his team mates to 3 Super Bowl Wins. "Losing doesn't eat at me the way it used to. I just get ready for the next play, the next game, the next season" But there were also some 'fumbles' along the way as well. In 2022 on Monday Night Football Troy said "Just make a decision and this is what stops all of these games... this is ridiculous what we're watching right now" - referring to the over sensitivity to "roughing the passer" Then in 2023 he said "My hope is the Competition Committee looks at this in the next set of meetings and, you know, we take the dresses off" - ouch! Not the softest thing to say on MNF, but I don't disagree with him either. There's the other side of Troy that makes me pause, that of the disciplined, wiser and more purposed man I've always admired. Always the gentleman, inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 some feel he is one of the best Cowboy QBs ever (outside of Roger Staubach, that is, wink) And when asked what other quarterbacks Troy likes he answered right away "Joe Burrow" , aside from admiring Burrow's "old school" approach and a never-giving-up attitude Troy said he (Burrow) was probably even his favorite player. When asked about who he would select for the NFL's MVP award he said "I will just say that no disrespect to anyone and the great years that they've had. If I had a vote, it would go to Joe Burrow. What he has done has been terrific" When looking ahead and seeing Troy Aikman's involvement and commitment to the sport of the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys team.  It's been said Troy would be the quintessential GM of the Cowboys - wow, if it were only the case. Unfortunately Mr. Jones would never fire himself and just let someone else take over. Yes, Troy fills the shoes of what a disciplined GM would look like and above all, Troy does have an affinity towards the Dallas Cowboys team and Jerry Jones as well. The only reason Aikman could never become the GM is the totality of Jerry and Steven Jones Empire being too possessive for them to ever give up the reins - but Troy would be the perfect man for the job!Jan 9, 2026

CowboysRoundtable

"Dandy" Don Meredith - One Of The Dallas Greats

"Dandy" Don as he was known, was more than an amazing Dallas quarterback. Back in his 9 seasons with the Cowboys, he set the stage for what would become 'America's Team' and had Dallas won the two championship games in 1966 & 1967 he arguably would have been nominated to the NFL Hall of Fame. Even so, he was inducted in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor in 1976. But by that time he left the Cowboys and began his famous broadcasting career as an announcer on Monday Night Football. He also was an accomplished actor, was in over a dozen films and several TV series, one in which he starred as Bert Jameson in Police Story.  When Dallas acquired Meredith from Chicago through a trade in 1960 he was noted to be a tough, dependable player who ended up starting as the team's leading QB until his somewhat unexpected retirement in 1969. After several broken bones, punctured lungs and even seen coughing up blood after obtaining a first down, Don was the kind of player who fought his way to winning. Indeed, after 3 Pro Bowl nominations. named the 1966 NFL Player of the Year, over 17,000 passing yards, 135 TDs and a Passer Rating of 74.8, this guy was not your average little fuzz ball, but instead a serious football hero to many, like myself. Granted, his picture wasn't placed on the cover of Time Magazine (like Y A Tittle's)  kneeling in the end zone, helmet off, blood running down his head, but he wasn't afraid to get that way if needed. A tough guy with a soft heart.   Known for his quirky sense of humor, always jabbing with Howard Cosell about his attire on Monday Night Football, he would always start singing "Turn out the lights, the party's over" when the game was in garbage play mode. In contrast to his stoic coach Tom Landry, Meredith once said "Tom Landry is a perfectionist. If he was married to Raquel Welch, he'd expect her to cook" Another time he said to Cosell "I've missed you" and kissed Howard Cosell on the cheek, to which Cosell said "I didn't know you cared"..."Ich!" Meredith winced.  Just another great name in the Dallas Cowboys list of many, Don Meredith lives on - even to this day, a pioneer in what eventually turned out Staubach, Aikman and yes, even Prescott into America's Team. How 'Bout Them Cowboys!Dec 21, 2025

CowboysRoundtable

No, they're NOT done...yet, let's get to 10-6-1 first!

I'd be surprised if the Dallas Cowboys were to just shrink back and 'go home' at this point in the season. The one thing standing in their way is . . . well, I think it's themselves. Like many have noticed before, during and after so many games - they psych themselves out before getting serious. First it's the lack of concentration, then it's over compensating (trying too hard), then they draw the flags, and finally, showing lack of confidence and confusion. Any opposing team will smell blood in the water and pounce on the weakness. Some times they try and 'catch-up' by putting their best efforts toward the end of the game instead of at the beginning, but by then it's sometimes too late. An example would be how Dallas was able to make it a 27-30 game (thanks to Brandon Aubrey) - after being so far behind in the first half. But alas, giving a hungry Detroit team the slightest edge when the score was so close spelled defeat to the Cowboys.  Perhaps it's the hyper-publicity, advertising and emotions pumped into the team day in and day out that are to blame. After all, they "have to" live up to being America's Team. And rightly so, given the exorbitant salaries paid to these men.  Still, it's no wonder some have said "The Cowboys are an ad agency who sometimes play football" (Mike Fisher) Maybe so, but I still have hope they will get out of their own way and just play football. Here's believing they CAN make it to 10-6-1. Are you a "believe" r like Dak said? Dec 6, 2025

CowboysRoundtable