At night, AT&T Amphitheater glows like the moon. During the day, as the Texas sun glints off its 800-foot bottle exterior, it shines like one of Jerry Jones' Super Bowl rings. Both of those actualization are, I presume, intentional.
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After all, this is Jerry World; 140 acreage of egoistic splendor, with the amphitheater – one of the bigger domed structures in the apple – at its epicenter. It was congenital in allotment as a accolade to the man himself, and, to a bottom extent, the aggregation he owns: "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys.
When I accustomed on Sunday, that aggregation was 2-1, admitting you apparently couldn't tell; as is consistently the case with the Cowboys, there were added questions than answers. Six hours afore they kicked off adjoin the New Orleans Saints, I wandered about the grounds, apprehensive if I was conceivably walking through the age-old charcoal of a once-dominant dynasty. The automatic articulation of Jerry Jones abounding the air and a Texas-sized bronze of above drillmaster Tom Landry accustomed visitors to this football palace, yet both aswell brought on affliction of nostalgia. Afterwards four afterwards seasons of mediocrity, one had to admiration if "America's Team" could acceleration already again.
As they'd prove that night, the acknowledgment was assuredly "Yes." The Cowboys handled the Saints 38-17, authoritative it bright that this aggregation was altered from the abounding awry iterations that accept taken the acreage aback the franchise's endure championship about 20 years ago. Conceivably this one was in actuality good.
Maybe this is the aggregation admirers accept been cat-and-mouse for.
For the aboriginal time aback 2008 – and the aboriginal time in AT&T Amphitheater – the Cowboys are 3-1. Sunday's win over the Saints was a statement, to be sure, both for their much-maligned aegis and new "offensive playcaller" Scott Linehan (the third man to authority the job in three seasons). The aegis balked the Saints' Drew Brees throughout and affected three turnovers, bringing their absolute to eight in the endure three games. And abaft the solid active of DeMarco Murray – conceivably one of alone a few accurate "single back" runners larboard in the NFL – and a spotless achievement from Tony Romo, Dallas appears to be a accepted blackmail in a appointment area stalwarts like Green Bay, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Seattle accept seemed vulnerable.
But there is still a means to go. Aback their endure championship in 1995, the Cowboys accept won absolutely two playoff games. It's been 18 years aback Dallas has fabricated the NFC Championship and Jason Garrett is their fifth arch drillmaster aback Barry Switzer's abandonment in 1997. All of the acceptable will the authorization becoming with admirers if Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin took them to three titles in four years has evaporated, replaced instead with a beginning pessimism. Surely, admirers believe, Garrett and Romo will acquisition a way to spiral this up.
But maybe this year they won't. Are the Cowboys back? Well, in Dallas, they never absolutely left. Despite seasons of disappointment, they've remained the brilliant of the Jerry Apple show…but like their stadium, this year, the Cowboys accept an befalling not just to be better, but to be bigger.
Five Quick Q's:
Has Andrew Luck arrived?
It's absolutely possible. Through four games, Luck is now the considerable baton in yardage and touchdowns, while advancement his passer appraisement to 108. That's a huge advance for a amateur who, up until this point, alone had two individual games area he had acquaint a appraisement college than 108 in his career.
Andrew Luck throws a canyon during the bold adjoin the Tennessee Titans in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 28, 2014. (Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty)
I've had a aggregation of humans appear afterwards me for my assessment that Luck is overrated, but there's a huge aberration amid getting overrated and getting bad. I'm accomplished with it if Luck becomes as abundant as anybody thinks he is – it's abundant for the action – I just hadn't apparent annihilation like this affectionate of ascendancy until now.
But now, he's got to do it adjoin teams that aren't terrible. The Colts get the Ravens, Texans and Bengals (arguably the best aegis in football) over the next three. Let's allocution afresh afterwards he gets through that slate.
Did the Jags win?
Nope, and they still ability go 0-16. Jacksonville has accustomed up 152 credibility through four games, added than any aggregation over that aeon of the division since 1961.
Did the Eagles lose?
Yes, and the amount one hasty breach from a year ago was captivated to just 22 yards on 12 carries. In fact, Philly has rushed for just 76 yards over their endure two amateur combined, and Chip Kelly's breach is now be beneath blaze for getting "figured out" beneath than a year-and-a-half into his career in the pros. Whether or not that's in actuality accurate charcoal to be seen, but it's a affair that's now clearly accessible to be bandied.
Will a aggregation go undefeated?
Hell no. The alone two teams after a accident are the Bengals and Cardinals, which is a actuality that's as fun as it is ironic. Cincinnati has alone won 12 amateur already in authorization history, aback in 1988, and Arizona has never won 12 games. In fact, the Cardinals accept alone won 11 amateur three times: 1925, 1948 and 1975.
Is there even one ascendant aggregation anymore?
After Anniversary 4, it absolutely doesn't assume like there is. The Eagles looked less-than-pedestrian adjoin a 49ers aggregation that was just 1-2. The Panthers "dominant defense" has accustomed up 75 credibility over their endure two games, both losses. The Saints are now 1-3, accepting been destroyed out by a Cowboys aggregation that was about destroyed out by the Rams a anniversary earlier. And the Patriots looked absolutely absent adjoin the Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
So unless you apprehend the Chargers, Cowboys, Lions, Texans and Cardinals – 5 franchises that accept accumulated for one Super Bowl actualization aback 1996 – to be the ascendant NFL forces, it looks like the alliance is advanced accessible in 2014.
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