[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Thursday, June 19, 1997

Cowboys Perspectives, Past and Future

By MARK SELPH / Guest Columnist

To wax poetic and philosophic for a moment, consider the state of the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL, Summer/1997.

Indulge me.

-- There's the April draft, a crapshoot for rebuilding teams, and Dallas' usual pinpointing draft choices based on dire need, with the obligatory reaches in later rounds.

-- The program instituted by Jerry Jones' (hiring Calvin Hill), a remedial or reclamation project for the moral good and in the extreme view, the survival of the team.

-- A major distraction to the team, the ongoing saga of mercurial Michael Irvin, who suffers increasing scrutiny from the public (and law enforcement) as he leaves his own doorstep each day. Does Mike want to play football, retire, or hold press conferences du jour?

-- Fans are guardedly optimistic of Emmitt Smith's comeback from last year's injuries and the disappointing season, although such seasons are the stuff of dreams for many NFL running backs.

-- Lack of linebacker depth, and does anyone know what happens if Deion extends his season with the Reds into October?

Football reflects life; life is a reflection of football. The cyclicity of it, and the nature of most things to deteriorate, gradually, oftentimes, suddenly, championship football teams included. Change cannot be avoided, nor can it be denied.

1990's clubs are now more than ever in a state of flux. Players, age and lose a step here or there, leap to another club, retire, suffer debilitating/career ending injuries, simply walk away from the controlled mayhem, and, in the rockin', rollin' 90's, endure long suspensions for league substance abuse violations.

Yesterday's Cowboys are todays Packers, and beware, Packer brethren, winning begets higher expectations. Collective bargaining, Salary Cap skulduggery in 1997 and TV contracts are not what they once were, and we thought "Plan B" was a revolutionary concept way back in 1990.

Ditka and Vermeil return to the madness-why?

So many questions, concerns and wondering, devoted Cowboys fans, fretting over so much beyond their control, before the first day of training camp ...and no answers provided to 1997 until next year, 1998.

Come to think of it, in the halcyon days of under-capacity Cotton Bowl crowds, strong but silent, camera-shy owners, Landry, Schramm, Lilly, Pugh, Meredith, Howley, Renfro, Reeves, Staubach, Too Tall, Perkins, Hays, Rentzel, Gent, Jordan, Pearson, Cosbie, and Randy White and Dorsett, did we worry so much about the Cowboys before opening day? Probably not.

Time to sort it all out.