Pity the Dallas Cowboys, one of the worst teams in the National Football League.
Yes, the team crushed the New York Giants on Sunday, but I doubt that anybody in Dallas this week will walk around crowing, How 'bout them 2-7 Cowboys!
As former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells is fond of saying, "You are what your record says you are."
For decades by now, the Dallas Cowboys have reveled in their self-appointed designation as America's team. This handle has seemed odd for a team that hasn't won a championship in 15 years — heck, when was the last time that the Cowboys actually won a playoff game? Your guess is as good as mine.
Which leads us to Jerry Jones. He used to be America's owner. Now he is America's punching bag. It's all about hype.
Jones built a billion-dollar palace for his team in Dallas and hyped the hell out of it. Jones looks more than a bit foolish by now, as the Cowboys have crumbled this season. The only way Jones' dream to see the Cowboys in the next Super Bowl, which will be played in Dallas, will come true is if they can somehow wangle a guest pass from Jones himself.
The lesson here is that it takes more than hype to produce a success. It's about blocking and tackling, doing the basics, not shooting your mouth off.
Come to think of it, the Republican Party would be wise to adhere to this low-key strategy. The GOP has been doing a lot of crowing about the midterm election results. Yes, the Republicans had a strong showing, but heck, it's merely halftime in the big picture of 2012. The Republicans are fully capable of blowing a lead, just as much as the lowly Cowboys.
If the Republicans take their eyes off the ball in the next two years, they'll know how it feels to be chokers. I wouldn't bet against this result. Barack Obama is very savvy and he may well be preparing a brilliant halftime strategy.
What's the moral here? Don't take your victory lap until the race is over.
Just ask Jerry Jones. By the way, he'll have a lot of time on his hands at the time of the Super Bowl.
Jon Friedman writes the Media Web column for MarketWatch.com. Click here to read his latest column.
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