For the 30th consecutive year, the Dallas Cowboys were sitting at home for Championship Sunday. Even the jokes that have accompanied this disastrous stretch for the NFL’s most prominent brand have turned stale, which is more an indictment of the organization's current trajectory than the world’s comedy scene.
But this is what happens, right? All the negative voodoo, from Romo’s muffed snap to Dez’s half catch, is just the football gods evening the scales for the decades of dominance post the merge. Rosters age, voices wear thin, and dynasties simply fade—if you let them, anyway.
Sunday also marked the New England Patriots' return to prominence. Six years after Tom Brady’s final outing for the franchise, the team punched their ticket to Santa Clara and a staggering 12th Super Bowl appearance—all but snatching the “America’s Team” mantra in the process.
And no, they aren’t a product of their schedule or a barren AFC landscape. This was a masterclass in evolution, and perhaps the wakeup call the Cowboys desperately needed.
The Patriots have highlighted the Cowboys' path back to prominence
Despite likely being a year or two late in their evaluation, Robert and Jonathan Kraft deserve credit for recognizing that Bill Belichick’s staunch decline in evaluating talent was rapidly eroding a once championship-level roster.
The initial succession plan in Jerod Mayo was a miserable failure, but the ability to pivot and bring in Mike Vrabel isn’t as simple as it might seem.
Despite his semi-revival of the Tennessee Titans, Vrabel had plenty of detractors in Nashville, thanks to a revolving door under center and a few late-season collapses. And despite being the anchor of a historic defense throughout his stint in New England, it was long theorized that his departure from the team stemmed from a rift with ownership after he publicly said players deserved more money following the Krafts' development of an entertainment center around Gillette Stadium.
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Hiring Vrabel after the prior rift is one thing, but the Krafts gave him the keys to the kingdom. With a few exceptions, most of the staff and braintrust in place in Foxboro are considered “Vrabel guys.” Having a 23-year-old MVP-level quarterback is one thing, but the primary reason the Patriots are competing for a Lombardi is because of Vrabel’s complete operation.
If you’re wondering why this is relevant, ask yourself this: Would Jerry and Stephen Jones relinquish this much organizational power for the betterment of the Cowboys? The collective “no” reveals the glaring problem.
The Jones’ unrelenting quest for credit has capsized this franchise and taken the decision out of the hands of those most qualified. No matter how cutting-edge Brian Schottenheimer might be schematically, it doesn’t matter if the proper personnel are never in place, thanks to incompetence from the top.
The question now is, will that change? Will the lightbulb in the back of Jerry’s mind ever flicker? Could this be the event that forces him to finally change course?
It should be, but there have never been any signs that he has it in him.