Jesse Holley on Cowboys, “People Aren’t Beating Down the Door to Get to Dallas Anymore”
For the past 28 years, the Dallas Cowboys have yet to reach the NFC Championship game. The 2023 season presented yet another heartbreak for the organization and its fans. How could this be? The Cowboys had all the tools to finally get over the hump. However, that did not come to fruition.
Once again, the Cowboys failed to show up when it truly mattered. Time and time again, that same playoff flounder happens. While they are still viewed as a premiere team in the league, it looks as if they've lost their lore a bit.
Former Cowboys WR Jesse Holley alludes to just that on the latest "Bleav in The Dallas Cowboys," Holley doesn't believe the Cowboys hold the same traction toward coaches and players as they once did.
“The Dallas Cowboys, I don’t believe are the once coveted team, place, destination, that coaches and players want to come to. People may still believe that and I know that it’s 'America’s team.' The ratings are always there to watch the games because of the fan base, but I don’t believe that Dallas is still any longer the destination or place where people covet, coaches and/or players.”
via Jesse Holley, Bleav in Dallas Cowboys Podcast
The Cowboys are still popular because of the fan base they've garnered throughout the years, but they don't have the hardware to back it up. It's been almost 30 years since their last title, and there's a sense younger people in this century view them as a 'has-been.'
Holley believes there is a substantial reason players and coaches aren't jumping at the opportunity to come to Dallas as a free agent or when a coaching position opens any longer.
"I think they use the name for leverage and contract situations, but I mean look over the last couple of years. People aren’t beating down the door to get to Dallas anymore. This place isn’t a hot destination where players are like ‘as soon as my contract is over I’m trying to get to Dallas."
via Jesse Holley, Bleav in Dallas Cowboys Podcast
It's the sad truth that many fans may not want to hear.
The top players of the NFL, many of them in their mid-20s, have no recollection of the Cowboys being successful. Holley points to that as another reason for their lack of free-agency signings.
“If we’re being truly honest, the athlete of today, today’s NFL athletes, the 25 to 26 to 27-year-olds the Cowboys have not been relevant in their lifetime.”
Being the Dallas Cowboys isn't enough anymore. They need to win and win when it matters to get back some of that lore and richness they've gained in the past.
