We are approaching a week spent in Oxnard for the Dallas Cowboys and there are several buzzwords that have already become synonymous with the 2024 season.
One of them is inarguably “flare” (more on that in a little bit) but the other seems to be apathy. Through all of the press conferences, interviews and really any session behind a microphone and in front of a camera (why do we call those behind and in front if they are the same thing, effectively?) Dallas Cowboys brass has been asked if they sense the apathy that seems to be percolating among the fans of the team.
I’m not interested in writing a dissertation so I will TL;DR the apathy:
- It has been almost 30 years since the Cowboys won the Super Bowl
- Or the NFC Championship Game
- Or even appeared in it
- Their most recent playoff game was a colossal failure
- The following offseason saw them add very little
- While losing important role players
- At present time the team’s three most critical players are all in need of extensions, matters that could have been tended to over the last six or so months
Got it? Got it.
Jerry Jones does not believe fans are apathetic but frustrated
As noted the subject of apathy has come about because everywhere you turn it feels like there are one or two Cowboys fans upset with the way the team has gone about this offseason.
Some are upset about the lack of free agency acquisitions. Others are bothered by no long-term extensions for the big three. Ultimately you would be hard pressed to find someone who feels like this has all gone according to a plan that they agree with.
If you were unaware, Jerry Jones does a series of sit down interviews with the local markets in the initial days of everyone being in Oxnard. This also includes a conversation with the mothership.
Jerry sat down with Nick Harris and I highly recommend watching it in its entirety.
Here is Jerry Jones on the idea of fan apathy and why fans should have confidence that the team can win a Super Bowl:
“Well let me just say this. I think our fan base is frustrated. And I think they want to beat a Green Bay and I think they want to beat the next one that comes up. Now we were the second seed in the whole NFC and we were as healthy as any club that has been in the playoffs in many years. Not just the Cowboys, any club. We were healthy. We should have gone further. And we had a quarterback that arguably was the Most Valuable Player in the league last year. We should have gone further. Now my read from our fan base is frustration. Apathy? Not when you are so far ahead of the rest of the league. By this is league that takes every 32 clubs… we are eons ahead of other clubs when it comes to our ticket renewal, season tickets, timing of season tickets. When you look at television and you look at the teams that they watch on tv, we’re going away number one. That’s not apathy. They may be hot, they may be wanting more, but they’re not apathetic.”
Both Jerry and Stephen Jones talked about season ticket sales and the rate of renewals during the team’s opening press conference last week and that caused some eyes to roll. We noted in the recap of that presser and will again here that it was brought up specifically to combat the idea of fan apathy. This hardly feels good or cool to see as a fan, but in a literal way what Jerry is saying makes sense. Obviously no fans benefit from that, though.
Jerry also touched on a variety of other topics throughout the interview.
On wanting the team to carry motivation from last season’s playoff loss into 2024 but how to do so without ensuring a hangover, so to speak:
“Candidly, I want there to be a scar there. And I say that figuratively. But I’ve found in my life that remembering how bad it hurts helps, as long as it doesn’t limit you in terms of your productivity. I want all of the reminders to be there. I don’t want anybody to have a hangover, okay? I want everybody to be wanting, if given that opportunity… now I knew when we didn’t beat Green Bay that it was going to be almost a year before we got another chance. Now that’s a long time to stew in it. And a lot of what you’ve seen in the offseason is part of the stewing. You have to go through a lot to get where we were. We were healthy, we had our best players out there, we were ready to go and we were ready to win some more ball games than we won. I remember that here in August and I know they do, too. To me it’s productive to be reminded of a heavy disappointment.”
On how a big reason the team did not step out and add free agents was because of faith in younger players, particularly replacing exits from the likes of Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, etc.:
“We had several younger players last year that should have played more, normally. But you had those players. We call that progress stoppers, but of course Tyron Smith is a progress but he isn’t. You want him on your team. You want Biadasz on your team. But the facts are we had a lot of players, a lot handful of players, that should have played more and can play more. They’ll get their chance this year. It’s a lot of the reason why we didn’t step out and do more in free agency because we wanted those young players to get on the field and play this year.”
Jerry was asked about the history of getting deals done with players while the team is in Oxnard and offered this:
“Well let me put it like this.
Dealing with Contracts and Player Negotiations in the NFL
When it comes to contracts with players in the NFL, it’s important to remember that having a contract doesn’t guarantee that a player will actually play under that contract. Life is unpredictable, and things don’t always go according to plan. It’s essential to work through any challenges that arise and make necessary adjustments. In the world of pro football, such situations are common, and it’s all part of the game.
For instance, Dak Prescott, who is in the last year of his contract with the Dallas Cowboys, has shown great leadership by continuing to play and not holding out like some other quarterbacks have done with their teams. This speaks volumes about his dedication and commitment to the team.
The Importance of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s Partnership
Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have put in a lot of work together during the offseason, which is promising for their future as a duo on the field. Despite missing a few practices at the start of the year, there is still plenty of time for them to continue building their chemistry. CeeDee Lamb has proven to be a valuable asset to the team, and the Cowboys are keen on keeping this dynamic duo intact.
Reflecting on the frustration felt by fans, it’s clear that there is a desire to see the Cowboys succeed after coming close to playoff success last season. While Jerry Jones may have his critics, he is not the one playing on the field, and ultimately, the team’s performance rests on the players themselves.
As the new season begins, there is a sense of optimism and anticipation for what lies ahead. The Cowboys have a fresh opportunity to script their own success story, and it will be interesting to see how they seize this chance.