--Gavin McDougald
?American exceptionalism? doesn?t seem to be what it used to be any more does it? The place is a mess. No confidence with folks running around with their collective tails between their legs. Millions have been unemployed literally for years, and the political wave they just sent to Washington is ready to cut the strings on their safety net and any and all of their benefits.
America the brave? No so much any more. People are scared of everything ? liberals, communists, Kenyans, water bottles, hand lotion, shoes, and now, even printer toner cartridges.
We were in D.C. last weekend and the centerpiece of the city, the National Mall, can only be described as a national embarrassment. The walkways were rutted up mud paths, the Washington Monument?s reflecting pool was duck crap filled cesspool and the Lincoln Memorial had chipped steps and weeds growing out of numerous cracks.
Once upon a time, America was that ?bright shining city upon a hill.? Now it?s low rent, or vacant, dirty and the many who live there are wistfully looking back upon the ?good old days? ? which definitely weren?t that good.
So is ?America?s Team? the perfect metaphor for the decline of ?America the Beautiful? or what?
Once upon a time, you were either a Cowboys fan or you weren?t, yet even if you hated ?em, you at least respected ?em.
In those ?good old days? guys like Roger Stauback, Randy White, Ed ?Too Tall? Jones and Tony Dorsett were national icons. Now Dallas is mostly known for its owner, Jerry Jones- who is looked upon as an inept egomaniac, who has remained hands-on as the general manager despite showing little or not talent for it since Jimmy Johnson left town in 1993.
He?s made a ton of money ? yet he has also run what was once the greatest franchise in sports, right into the ground.
Wall Street anyone?
On Monday Jones made his seventh head coaching change in 21 years as owner of the Cowboys. Wade Phillips was the latest victim. He can be called a victim because he really had no shot going into the gig. Not given sufficient reigns to run the team his way ? he wasn?t allowed to make any offensive decisions at all ? and once his defense quit on him it was over by game three of this year.
Despite his team?s terrible on-field performance, Jones admitted at the press conference that he was ?in denial? until Sunday's excruciating 45-7 massacre at the hands of their old nemesis, Green Bay.
At 1-7 the Cowboys are going nowhere this season, and new coach Jason Garrett has an eight game job audition for next year.
Can he turn it around?
The answer to that question is simple.
No.
If Jerry Jones remains in control.
Fifteen out of fifteen of the last Super Bowl winners had separation between team management and ownership. Jones doesn?t care about any of that, despite his team having won only one playoff game in the past 13 years and having missed the playoffs seven times in the past 10.
If Jones did the right thing, like hire Bill Cowher in the off-season to run his operation, he would be doing himself and Cowboy fans a HUGE favor. But he won?t because, egomaniac that he is, he can?t have a guy who knows more about winning than he does around. That?s why Jimmy Johnson left, remember?
Nope. The Cowboys will continue on as they have been.
Dysfunctional.
Delusional.
Ridiculous.
As long as Jerry Jones remains in charge of America?s team.
As for America, fixing that is just a wee bit more complex.
