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8/1/01
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Dan
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I just got back from Cowboy camp at Wichita Falls.
Inside this gruff fantasy veteran lies the heart of a homer. I love
the Cowboys. Always have – Always will. So, as a concerned follower
of this stumbling icon, I attended this training camp in hopes of
signs from above that my Boys are on a rebound. Religion and football
are so entwined in Texas that many such connections always lay under
the surface of team lore.
Question: Why does Texas Stadium have such a large hole in the roof?
Answer: So God can see his team play.
Going into this report, I intended to focus on the most unsettled
of positions now that Troy Aikman has retired. The outstanding feature
I saw of the quarterback situation is that Quincy Carter appears
taller than Anthony Wright and Tony Banks. Quincy had a nice snap
on his throws and in the afternoon session, tossed a couple of nice
balls. A number of drops formed the second most mentally noted statistic.
Some small streaks of no completions and the occasional interception
marred the morning session. At whose feet to lay the penalty points
has been a subject of debate on the boards. From my limited vantage,
I could not give a firm decision.
Emmitt Smith was in about 20% of the morning 11 on 11 drill but
hardly was in the 3rd down 5 to go afternoon packages. Emmitt flaring
out into the flat was a standard feature of the old offense. This
caused me to pause and realize the old has already rushed away like
water down a drain. No more Number Eight steady in the heat of summer.
Double 8 is so far gone he is barely mentioned by the faithful.
I have a feeling there will be no more of a great many things.
I pondered the state of the Cowboys over the lunch-break feast.
I felt the need for something beyond the Xs and Os. Recalling some
canvas bound sideshow tent just outside the welcome gate, your reporter
decided to investigate the Cowboy Hall of Fame. My earliest memories
are of the team’s rise against the Browns and the Packers. I have
lived the history. Maybe a message for the future can be found there
too.
In the hazy heat of a strong mid-afternoon sun, the canvas door
frames gently flapped along with the soothing hum of machinery that
promised a cooler clime. I descended into the darken gallery and
paused for a second to adjust as shadows swirled around me. Ghost
of Cowboy’s past glories presented in photos and artwork graced
most of the display cases and tent walls. Heroes and games seldom
remembered but never forgotten caught me off guard. In a whirlwind
of images, I found what I did not want. A talent for sniffing out
the hidden context is the curse of the Cassandra class.
The Cowboy Hall of Fame is set up in this configuration. As you
stand just inside the tent, you see some central columns with artwork
displayed three vertically on each surface. They transformed before
me into supporting pillars of a sacred hall. Three images in vertical
perspective are the first of many clues to what unfolded in the
Mind’s Eye. I looked from side to side. On each of the three walls
stood a grouping of three cases, naves if you will, that displayed
some important theme or personality of the sacred hall. These cases
formed triptychs like displays with each group having some relationship
in the temple designer’s mind. At the opposite wall of the tent,
directly across form the opening door would be the central triad.
The hidden central focus of the entire Hall falls upon one display
case. No bigger than any other, but by the use of the triptych sacred
hall design, that position takes up high importance. The throne
of Zeus, if we continue the analogy, occupies the deepest point
of the temple and the lesser gods (or Saints) and their groupings
flank the central triad and the senior spirits. The columns rise
with minor saints and stories of past glories emblazoned in bold
colors. I approached the cases to hear their stories. This is what
they said through the hype and commercialism.
The opening triad on the left-hand side belonged to the past. Bob
Lilly, the team’s first everything. The first number one draft pick
of a new franchise that was to make its mark in NFL history. The
defensive line is a major concern this season. I was pleased to
see Bob Lilly greeting the faithful. We need a new Lilly to anchor
the center of Doomsday. The lack of number one picks that can carry
on the tradition of Lilly maybe in the process of being filled with
the two Carolina Boys, but no parades have been scheduled the last
time I checked. A note of doubt is left in my mind.
The next case displays the Man in the Hat. A Cowboy Hall of Fame
without Tom Landry is not worthy of the name so this did not surprise
me. Nether did its position. Nestled with Lilly on one side and
a case displaying the theme America’s Team on the other, its placement
revealed the mystic dynamic in this sacred hall like a rosette stone.
America’s Team focused on the Landry era and players. Between these
cases hung photos and artwork associated with the central theme
and added other odd sub- tones. A photo of Lee Roy Jordan in a dirty
mud and grass stained white jersey with a look far from approval
on his face whispered secrets to me about problems between he and
Tex Schram. It took One Man to rectify the snub that Lee Roy suffered
from his exclusion from the Ring of Honor. America’s Team has had
a number of dark stories. Some are still unfolding.
The right hand grouping seems more about the total organization.
Obvious propaganda mingles with the realities of the current edition.
The first case on the right hand side features the Cheerleaders.
Even the direst Cowboy hater may give pause for the beauties that
this collection displays. A great bunch of professional quality
performers, if the on field product matched the standards of the
Cheerleaders, the laughed at barking of One Man about a 10 and 6
season would have been taken seriously. The Cheerleaders make another
worthy greeter to match Lilly for the neophyte to encounter.
The far case of this group proudly displayed trinkets and programs
from all 5 of the franchise’s Super Bowl victories. Most of these
items were or are currently for sale. I have my own collection of
shirts, hats, mugs and pendants. Every Cowboy fan has one. Good
marketing is a central strength of the team. Self-marketing is the
new dynamic. There was One Man who championed the current economic
model of the NFL. The father of the salary cap. This renegade, self-promoting
private licensor, has become the central figure of a ghastly bloated
corpse of dead money totaling an NFL record $23.4 million, One Man
is running this franchise in deficit levels that may equal or exceed
the standards of the Federal Government. The salary cap stripped
what was arguably the most talented team of the 90’s and blunted
that team’s Super Bowl run. The voices tell me the coming years
will bring high draft picks, not the hallmark of championships.
The flanking positions labeled World Championships and the Cheerleaders
hold up a weak collection of jerseys labeled the Players. My brain
buzzed with the revelation of the chosen: Tony Banks; Dat Nguyen;
and Joey Galloway. None of which has any impressive skins on the
wall. To the diehard homer, this must speak volumes about the current
state of the team. This could only be the handy-work of One Man.
Maybe these jerseys rotate; I weakly pondered as I turned to the
central grouping for a meaning to all of this.
But, before I could cross the small distance to the central mystery,
I stumbled upon another display. Not of pictures of our heroes in
action or pose, before me sat an employee of the One Man who is
responsible for everything that is the Cowboys. Propped back in
one chair with feet comfortably planted on another, he was absorbed
in some paperback pastime. Also noted was his location directly
in front of the cooling exhaust vents. Lounging across two chairs,
this guardian occupied a highly prized location. No interaction
with the wandering fan base was offered or encouraged by pleasant
greeting or eye contact. Probably sentenced to this chamber to keep
the little people from carrying off the religious icons precariously
attached to temporary supports. A program of subtle discouragement
to stand in front of the cooling breeze placed within the grouping
that represents the current organization seemed gothic in its foreshadowing
about people in custodial rolls who abuse the power of their position.
Triplets, triplets, triplets. I hear the hidden theme and feel tuned
into this temple. The left side of the hall featured the Landry
era and their accomplishments. The right hand side tried to bolster
the current collection of suspects with proven supports. What would
the central grouping be?
The left triptych display presented us with the Man, Emmitt Smith.
Surely a lock for the NFL Hall of Fame and the current main offensive
star, it was good to see a dusty glove tossed in with other minor
collectibles. The next 1500 rushing yards will be accompanied with
about 20 miles of my own nervous pacing. Emmitt deserves all the
credit he gets and more. One of less than a half dozen males I would
give up my seat in a crowded assembly for. Emmitt’s heart, honor,
and demeanor have earned family statue to this homer.
The other supporting case featured the recently and dearly departed
Troy Aikman. Another guy who did not receive his full fair share
of credit. The final stages of his career wasted trying to work
with one pretender or another; his effectiveness was undercut by
team dynamics. The voices whisper that One Man miscalculated on
multiple moves concerning Troy Aikman. Not only the salary hits
for large bonuses supposedly to string out from now until the end
of the world, but the trade for Joey Galloway and the 2 lost first
round picks are based on a miscalculation of Troy’s future. But
Troy is done with all that now. He will be a NFL Hall of Fame member
and Ring of Honor inductee. His future is much brighter than the
team he leaves behind.
Troy was the original member of the Triplets but not the first to
retire. Michael Irvin was represented in a number of very fine pieces
of art. A fierce warrior and unsung heart of the Championship Teams,
I would not think Irvin would hold the point of honor of the entire
temple. This led me to conclude this grouping could be a trial balloon
of a possible place in the Ring of Honor for Mike. Now that the
One Man has decided to rectify another wrong, the induction of Bob
“the Bullet” Hayes, Irvin has not been completely cut off from a
number of honors and inductions.
No, the most honored place in the nave was not Irvin’s. As much
as I like Mike, I already knew who the central figure would be.
He spoke through much of the montage I had just seen. Like some
50’s Black and White cult horror flick, I turn and face the truth
that One Man is and will be responsible for the fate of my favorite
team. No, I did not fall down fleeing and twist my ankle at the
sight, but I am sure I am not alone in my feelings about the One
Man, the Only Man allowed to occupy the Throne of Zeus – Jerry Jones.
People started moving. The Gates had opened to herald the start
of the afternoon practice. I staggered out into the heat to witness
the coming debacle.
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