It’s ok to have dreams.
Everybody has them, right? I’ll tell you mine. In 10 years, I’ve got a nice home in Frisco, Texas (near The Star, of course), a girlfriend or wife properly equipped to deal with me, a job creating content for the Cowboys which allows me media access to my favorite team, and enough time during the week to enjoy a drink and a round of golf with my friends. Maybe a dog, too.
Sounds nice, right?
Dreams are what get us out of bed in the morning. And although they rarely ever work out the way we want them to, dreams get us through nonsense of the everyday variety.
I’d make the argument that the same applies for Cowboys fans as well.
Since the end of last season, we have all been enamored with the idea of Earl Thomas leaving Seattle behind and joining America’s Team to help bring home the next Super Bowl win. The past few months have not been easy for us: Between Philly winning the Super Bowl, losing Dez and Witten in a matter of weeks, the David Irving situation and so on, Cowboys Nation has been put through the ringer. Personally, outside of a great draft, the Earl Thomas rumors are the single thing that has kept the dream alive and hopes of Dallas making the leap from better-than-average to perennial badass; a goal that has been just beyond grasp for this organization for many years.
However, as dreams often go, we find ourselves making sacrifices- the dreams themselves sometimes being the thing sacrificed- for whatever reason, in order to do what is right for ourselves or those around us. And maybe in a less dramatic sense, that is exactly what the Cowboys organization has done in regard to the Earl Thomas situation.
On draft night the Cowboys had the chance to have their guy, and they passed it up. Seattle was interested in gaining assets in the second and third rounds and was open to the idea of trading up Earl Thomas in order to attain them. However, with the option of giving away their second rounder (and whatever other assets Seattle may have been looking for), Dallas stood pat and was not willing to part ways with it. Instead, they wound up taking the pick at number 50, and bringing in another former Longhorn in Connor Williams.
Passing on an elite talent like Thomas is a tough pill to swallow, especially given Dallas’ glaring need for help at the position. But it is in the pure value of the Williams pick that we see the Cowboys’ justification for walking away from a trade with Seattle. The entire team’s success rests largely on the shoulders of an overwhelming offensive line, which we saw struggle the past season due to injuries and lack of depth. Bringing in a talent like Williams adds that depth, will allow coach Alexander to possibly move La’el Collins back inside, and could help prevent any more Chaz Green- type disasters like the one we experienced in Atlanta last year. That is all without even mentioning his talent level- His game film at Texas and the way Tom Herman talks him up speaks for itself. For a team that has gotten used to being dominant on the offensive side of the ball with a powerful run game and road-grading offensive line such as Dallas, this was a “back to the basics” move, and they should be applauded for it. The Cowboys are used to coping without a lockdown pass defense, but needed to commit all-in on the offensive line in order to keep Dak and Zeke in command of the score, and their team in control of the clock. As much as we all want Earl Thomas to be wearing the star next season, its ok that he probably won’t be, because what we received instead was peace of mind. And who knows? Thomas is still holding out on the Seahawks; maybe by the end of the offseason we wind up having him on our roster anyways.
Because who doesn’t like to dream?
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