Should real die-hard Dallas Cowboys fans want to win these last two games regardless or lose to get higher draft picks in 2016?
The 4-10 Dallas Cowboys are playing the final two games with nothing to win or lose, but maybe two things. Winning could help sooth the terrible outcome of the season and set a good precedent going into 2016. Losing will likely improve the Cowboys draft selections in every round of the upcoming NFL Draft. For me, it’s a battle between a die hard Cowboy fan’s head and heart.
This discussion came to a forefront this week on the DallasCowboys.com podcast The Cowboys Break. After taking a caller’s question about losing the next two games so the team might increase their draft status, hosts Nick Eatman, Derek Eagleton, Bryan Broaddus, and Taylor Stern got into a heated discussion about die-hard fans.
"“If you are a real die-hard fan, you want to win every game,” Eatman responded during Wednesday’s show. “…yeah you want a better draft pick…but get down to it. Get to the game. Turn on the T.V. The team’s driving. Tell me that their not going to cheer for their team to go win. Tell me when [Dan] Bailey has a 52-yard field goal in Buffalo to win the game that they don’t want him to make it. You can’t think that.”"
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As a fan since birth, it goes against my every instinct to root against my favorite team. I’d personally never actively root against the Cowboys or even want them to lose. But that is exactly how a fan’s heart should work. Eatman was right in saying that the very definition of die-hard means you die hard with every loss. Although higher draft picks are a great consultation prize, winning should always be the goal.
But a fan’s mind says something different. These final two games are all but meaningless in this lost season for Dallas. And fans who truly want the best for this Cowboys team know that higher draft picks give Dallas a better chance at improving the team. A fan’s head says why win two meaningless games when losing could set up the foundation for a future dynasty? It worked for the San Antonio Spurs back in 1996-97.
The Spurs made seven straight playoff appearances prior to that season. But injuries to their top two stars (sound familiar?), center David Robinson and small forward Sean Elliott, sent the team spiraling down to a 20–62 record. They landed the top selection in the following NBA Draft and selected center/power forward Tim Duncan out of Wake Forest. Ever since, the Spurs have yet to miss a postseason. They’ve also won five league championships with Duncan as their star. The point being, higher draft selections do matter. These final two games do not.
But what do you think? Should real die-hard Dallas Cowboys fans want to win these last two games regardless or lose to get higher draft picks in 2016? Give us your answer in the poll question below.
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