Stars Not Shining for Cowboys (and Other Thoughts)

Biggest disappointment of the season? The choice shouldn't be this easy, not with the perennially underachieving San Diego Chargers already at 3-5. But the Dallas Cowboys get my vote, a clear-cut winner in the loser category. They've had their injuries, of course. And they're still a game over .500. What's more, with Tony Romo due to return after a fortuitously timed bye week, you can expect them to make a run in the second half. But so what? With a record 13 Pro Bowlers returning from last year's squad, there was talk—most of it entirely reasonable—that this was Dallas' most talented team ever. The Cowboys were the consensus pick, not just to represent the NFC, but to win the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, midway though the season, "America's Team" has begun to resemble America's economy, which is to say it smells of a scam. At the helm of this caper is—what else?—an erstwhile oilman. Jerry Jones has succeeded George Steinbrenner as the star owner of American sports: an ... (link)