America's (TV) Team: Irvin Signs New Contract, Continues Cowboys Dominance
Number of days since the Dallas Cowboys played in a Super Bowl: Almost 10,000.
Number of former Cowboys on your TV talking about football: Same.
Or so it seems.
With Ring-of-Honor receiver Michael Irvin this week signing a new contract to both stay at NFL Network and moonlight on ESPN, the Cowboys' proliferation of broadcast booths and analyst chairs is as strong as ever.
Then: America's Team. Now: America's TV Team.
Fans often bemoan a perceived "Cowboys bias" when it comes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but on TV there is seemingly "Cowboys favoritism."
Irvin, 56, signed a new deal that allows him to stay at NFL Network - where he's been since 2009 - on shows such as GameDay Morning and Total Access. He'll also continue to join ESPN's First Take on Mondays throughout the season debating Stephen A. Smith.
With his unique, passionate and affable communication style, Irvin is a coveted commodity in the world of TV talking heads. Likewise with his former teammates and, in general, his former team.
The Cowboys don't consistently win, but they remain consistently popular off the field.
Despite only one playoff win during his six-year career, quarterback Dak Prescott has the NFL’s sixth-best selling jersey. Last season the Cowboys had five of the league’s Top 50, leading them to again be No. 1 in merchandising revenue. Who did DirecTV hire for its new commercial featuring the Real Housewives taking on football players? Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb.
For a regular player to join its Undisputed debate show this season, Fox hand-picked linebacker Micah Parsons.
Last year owner Jerry Jones got the Cowboys on HBO’s Hard Knocks. This year he held a “blue carpet” soiree at the team’s plush headquarters, attracting high-profile media members to attend, ogle and gush to their respective audiences.
Smith makes a living pretending to despise the Cowboys. Fox TV personality Skip Bayless makes his pretending to adore them. They continue to be the league’s biggest TV attraction, again earning the maximum six prime-time TV appearances including a coveted Thanksgiving afternoon slot no team dares to challenge.
Turn on your TV this season to practically any sports network - even Monday Night Football - and see a talking head with Cowboys connections:
CBS: Tony Romo, Steve Beuerlein (college)
NBC: Jason Garrett
Fox: Jimmy Johnson, Daryl Johnston, Mark Sanchez, Marcellus Wiley, Micah Parsons, DeMarco Murray (college)
ESPN: Troy Aikman, Marcus Spears, Chris Canty
NFL Network: Irvin, Brian Baldinger
If you want to listen closer - and dig a little deeper for Dallas ties - one of NFL Network's top reporters (Jane Slater) hosted a radio show on The Fan, Fox NFL studio host Curt Menefee hosted a radio show on The Ticket, and ESPN MNF pre-game host Suzy Kolber anchored a TV show called Cowboys Special Edition with Jerry Jones in the early 1990s.
