The Dallas Cowboys Are Still “America’s Team”

By Sean Jensen @seankjensen on October 31, 2014

I have an admission: I didn’t like the Dallas Cowboys.

When I first came to the United States, I lived in California, and the San Francisco 49ers absolutely captivated me. Later, during high school, I lived in a suburb of Washington, D.C.

So you can see why I resented the nickname, “America’s Team.”

But after 15 years of covering the NFL, I can admit this now: The Cowboys make a compelling argument.

On Monday, I tuned into the Cowboys’ 20-17 overtime loss.

It was mayhem, with Washington constantly blitzing and sacking Tony Romo five times and, ultimately, knocking him out of the game for a while with an apparent back injury; owner Jerry Jones providing head coach Jason Garrett an update on the sideline; and Colt McCoy channeling his brilliant collegiate play while at the University of Texas.

There were many important numbers from the game, but the most meaningful emerged Tuesday morning.

It was ESPN’s highest-rated Monday Night Football game since 2010, scoring a 12.1 overnight rating. Sure, the Cowboys were playing an NFC East rival, but Washington entered as a sub-.500 club without quarterback Robert Griffin III, the 2nd  overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Remember all the World Series excitement from Wednesday’s dramatic Game 7? It registered a 15.2, according to Fox.

So whatever you or I may think, the bottom line is, the Cowboys are the most popular franchise in our nation’s most popular sport.

Parity is one of the NFL’s greatest advantages, highlighted by the fact that credible former players and coaches now analyzing the sport for CBS and ESPN unanimously picked the Cowboys to win Monday Night. In fact, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher laughed at the notion the Redskins could possibly win.

“You say ‘Colt McCoy’ as if they have a chance….” Cowher said on air. “I mean, with all due respect, do you really believe that?”

That’s because the Cowboys got off to a surprisingly strong 6-1 start, with impressive wins over the New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

After years of mediocrity (6-10 in 2010, followed by three consecutive 8-8 seasons), the Cowboys are a contender – and that’s good news for the NFL.

Jones has been criticized for many things, from his gargantuan, over-the-top stadium nicknamed “Jerry’s World” (yes, it’s THAT impressive) to his insistence to serve as the team’s general manager.

But he truly is the NFL’s P.T. Barnum, the ringleader of the always-entertaining Cowboys.

In addition to being the most polarizing owner, he also employs the most polarizing quarterback, and one of the most polarizing star receivers. He’s not afraid to sign – or keep – players with questionable character, such as middle linebacker Rolando McClain and defensive tackle Josh Brent.

So while a Detroit Lions vs. Cincinnati Bengals Super Bowl may have compelling storylines – two moribund franchises that rebounded – anyone whose income depends on the NFL will benefit from the Cowboys staying in contention.

And they don’t look like a fluke.

The Cowboys have the 4th rated offense in the NFL, in terms of yards, and a defense ranked a respectable 14th. With DeMarco Murray on pace to top 2,000 rushing yards, the Cowboys have more than enough playmakers on offense to produce against any defense.

Knowing the Cowboys, though, there will lots of twists and turns remaining in the second half of this season.

And Jerry Jones will be cashing big checks and loving every minute of it all.