The Cowboys don't like to put money on the credit card for player acquisition, while others like the Eagles and Rams do it, and have won Super Bowls.
The Dallas Cowboys and their approach to roster building could easily be seen as laughable compared to other teams.
We know that the Cowboys like to be "around the rim," meaning always in with a shot at the Super Bowl if everything goes right, without actually going "all-in."
Most know that part of the reason for the Cowboys' struggles is their reluctance to spend big in free agency. They are good, but even good enough.
They don't like kicking the can down the road, as our Mike Fisher says.
Yet the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams are two teams that do exactly that, and have won Super Bowls.
Go figure.
Dallas always brings up that the teams that push their financials down the road will eventually have to "pay the piper" and everything will come crashing down.
But that couldn't be further from the truth.
"I've told Jerry and Stephen to their face, they always bring it up about the Eagles," Fish said. "The Eagles keep moving their money. They're gonna have to pay the Piper. Yeah, I know. But they also keep going to the Super Bowl.
"The newest and best example now is the Rams. Well, the Rams are going to have to pay the Piper. When? Because they're back in the NFC Championship game again ...
"Consider: In the last nine years, the Rams have been in the playoffs seven times. They've been in the NFC Championship Game now three times. They've been to the Super Bowl twice, with one win.
"And cap-wise? Let me put it this way: Even now, they're still paying $10 million in dead money on Aaron Donald, who retired in 2023. And they're paying the 2025 cap $22 million on Cooper Kupp, who now plays for their rivals in Seattle.
"Oh, and at QB? Matthew Stafford is at almost $50 million - and for a while there, the cap was being paid $22 million for the QB he got traded for, Jared Goff! ... and yet the Rams keep winning!''
Yup. Fish is right.
Will fans really care if the team has a down year or two if it makes and wins a Super Bowl? Absolutely not.
But apparently, it matters to the Cowboys and their front office.
The fear of having to pay the credit card bill in 2029 is so terrifying to the Joneses that they end up playing it safe and never really going after a Super Bowl.
They stay around the rim.
And Fish says the Rams are a classic example of how you can push the chips all the way in and still compete most years.
"They're finding a way," Fish added on the Rams. "There is no piper to pay. You just keep pushing. And in their case, you just keep winning. Whereas the Cowboys are saying, we don't want to put it on a credit card, it's going to come back to haunt us.
"It doesn't come back to haunt the Rams or the Eagles or the 49ers. Why does it only come back to haunt the Cowboys? They are wrong."
And it is that mentality and approach that is the biggest reason the Cowboys haven't won a Super Bowl in three decades.
They are scared to go all-in like the Eagles and Rams, for fear of having to pay it all back down the road.
So what? Just like the Rams and Eagles do year after year, with L.A still paying money to Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald, both of whom aren't on the roster.
But who cares? It's another NFC Championship appearance with a shot at the Super Bowl, right?
Jerry's famous quote, "It would be embarrassing, it would be shocking if you knew the size of the check I would write if it guaranteed me a Super Bowl," rings in our ears.
Because nothing could be further from the truth.
And Fish just explained why.
They don't want to pay the piper.
Even if it means a Super Bowl trophy.