The Dallas Cowboys, a team that has left an indelible mark on American sports history, have been known as America’s Team since their first game in 1979 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
At the beginning of the game, CBS announcer Pat Summerall introduced the team as America’s Team, a nickname that has not only stuck with them but has also become a source of pride for Cowboys fans around the nation.
The Dallas Cowboys’ fate took a turn on February 25, 1989, when Jerry Jones acquired the team. Despite a brief period of success in the 1990s, the team has been on a downward spiral ever since.
Many credit Jimmy Johnson with the brief success of the 90s dynasty, which raised Jerry Jones’s ego to a point of no return.
That also means no return to the Super Bowl since Barry Switzer led a mostly Jimmy Johnson-built team to a championship just a season after Johnson was dismissed as head coach.
It was a decision reportedly due to a power struggle between Johnson and Jerry Jones.
True old-school fans know the struggles of being a Cowboys fan with an owner and general manager like Jerry Jones. The new generation is starting to see the downfalls of an owner/general manager in a single man.
CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jones feud?
CeeDee Lamb, the superstar receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, is holding out of camp until he gets paid. Jerry Jones doesn’t seem to mind waiting to pay the receiver.
The only problem with waiting to pay CeeDee Lamb is the price tag has increased millions above what it would have been if signed sooner.
Jerry doesn’t seem to have a problem paying more and creating drama.
The drama between the star wide receiver and the owner/GM seems to be approaching a boiling point.
Following a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams, Jerry Jones told reporters he doesn’t “have a sense of urgency” about getting a contract extension done for the wide receiver.
Jones was asked whether he could imagine the season opener arriving and Lamb not being ready to go. He responded:
“Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know that we’re making great progress and I don’t think we’re losing any momentum at this point.”
This seemed to be a knock on CeeDee Lamb. Apparently, the Cowboys receiving corps is just fine without their superstar receiver.
Oh, but Jerry Jones didn’t stop there. In typical Jerry Jones fashion, he kept talking.
“Well, I don’t expect not to have CeeDee Lamb, but this camp has given … opportunities for the people who need it most, and that’s the ones that aren’t proven like CeeDee. So it’s a great plan to see your receiving corps and develop a receiving corps from the rookies.”
The response from CeeDee Lamb was just three little letters, “lol.” This could be a bad sign for things to come.
Here is the tweet from CeeDee:
Another bit of information is that Lamb took “America’s Team” off of his bio on X.
Fans can read between the lines and see that CeeDee is not happy with comments made by the owner. Until CeeDee gets paid, this could be an ugly scenario unfolding in Dallas.
Could the Cowboys wide out request a trade shortly?
It’s not likely, but not improbable either.
Dysfunction equals the Dallas Cowboys
Fans know CeeDee isn’t the only player wanting a new contract. Dak Prescott is waiting for an extension as well.
Jerry Jones could have gotten a contract offer to Dak Prescott last year. The price would have been smaller, and the gained cap space could have been used to sign *other* players.
Instead, Jerry Jones is waiting for every quarterback in the NFL to sign contracts, costing the team more and more money as the days go by.
If Dak had been signed early, the team could have been in the running for big-time players.
With the extra cap room, a running back, defensive tackle, or linebacker could have seen a significant increase in talent.
Instead, the team filled needs with bottom-of-the-barrel players. Jerry Jones has been using this strategy for years.
Where will the dysfunction end?
All the other teams around the NFL seem to be getting better, but the Dallas Cowboys seem stuck in a never-ending cycle of high hopes, killed by mediocrity from ownership.
The destruction of “America’s Team” is slowly happening.
It begins at the top of the leadership ladder, and change will not occur anytime soon. As fans, it’s challenging because this team is so close, but close seems to be good enough for Jerry Jones as long as people buy tickets.
The Dallas Cowboys soap opera will never stop until Jerry Jones takes a backseat and puts the team first, not his pockets. The fans can help stop the destruction which may have already started.
Training camp has been a ghost town in the stands in Oxnard, California. The fans seem exhausted by mediocrity, which could be a sign of things to come for the Dallas Cowboys.
If Pat Summerall were still with us, he might not have called this America’s Team, but instead let it be known that America’s team was being destroyed.