One of the realities of the salary-cap era in the NFL is that flawed teams can still win Super Bowls. The 2011 Giants lost seven games. The 2012 Ravens lost six, as did the 2010 Packers and the 2007 Giants. If a team can do one thing really, really well, league-promoted parity gives that team a pun ... More >>
If you've read anything about the 2014 Cowboys, here or elsewhere, you've seen it repeated multiple times: The Cowboys are off to their best start since 2007. That team, which at 13-3 had the club's best regular-season record since the Super Bowl-winning 1992 team, is easily forgotten. It faded down ... More >>
As the Cowboys have marched to their best seven game start since 2007, the accolades have been plentiful and plentifully spread around. DeMarco Murray has, deservedly, been lauded as the second coming of Tony Dorsett with each successive 100-yard performance. The defense is "improved" and "flying to ... More >>
It happened again. The Cowboys dominated the first two-thirds of a game, just as they did against Tennessee and Houston, and found themselves in a fistfight to the finish. This time it was against Seahawks in Seattle, a presumably impossible task, but the result was the same. The Cowboys won their f ... More >>
Unfair Park certainly hopes it isn't a mirage, that the Titans, Rams and Saints aren't just bad. We really want to believe that the Cowboys victories the last three weeks are a sign of positive things to come. But we've been down this road before. We've had our expectations soar, only to come crash ... More >>
Want to get out of the house for the big game but don't want to pay hundreds of dollars for tickets only to watch the Cowboys lose on Jerry's massive super-screen? You could go to a sports bar like Gavin suggests in his list of Dallas' best sports bars, but the food will leave you almost as sad as t ... More >>
Football-wise, it seems obvious by now that the Cowboys defense is destined to be so incredibly bad, they could use all the help they can get. By this point, you and I are viable candidates for the Cowboys defense, let alone Michael Sam, a man who, physical pending, will arrive on the Cowboys' pract ... More >>
In a small and reliably stodgy restaurant scene like Dallas', change isn't something that comes easily. At Kitchen LTO, though, change is the only thing reliably on the menu. This "permanent pop-up" concept is now in its third incarnation, with a brand new chef, Brooke Egger, who's largely unknown ... More >>
Can you hear that? It might be somewhat foreign by now, but it's the sound of the Dallas Cowboys scoring a touchdown. You know, thousands of fans cheering in Cowboys AT&T Stadium and that one song blares through the speakers. Well that song is California-based band, The Burning of Rome's, "Cowboys a ... More >>
It's Friday night, and after leaving work a bit later than you had hoped to, battling the traffic to get home, and finally making out the door again to head out for a night of steam-blowing revelry, mapping a night out is often more daunting a task than you'd prefer. It's late to the point where vis ... More >>
With Tony Romo sidelined, a last-in-the-league defense, and an innate inability to deliver in the clutch, the Cowboys' chances against the Eagles on Sunday aren't looking good. So, rather than lose money betting on Dallas, we thought it would be more productive to wager on how the Cowboys will lose. ... More >>
It started on Sunday in the closing minutes of the Eagles' 54-11 shellacking of the Chicago Bears when Philly fans filled Lincoln Financial Field with chants of "We want Dallas!" The taunts have only increased in scope and volume as Sunday's season-deciding Cowboys-Eagles grudge match has neared. C ... More >>
Dallas Cowboys fans should know better by now. Whatever cheerful confidence is inspired by an impressive quarter or two of play is destined to be crushed, swiftly and without mercy. So, the team's late-game collapse Sunday afternoon to an Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers squad was less shocking ... More >>
Sometimes a lack of tradition can be a tradition unto itself. I think there are people in my life who feel bad about that, but having no obligations during the holidays brings the same wild sense of freedom as having a vacation day while the rest of the world works. The day is your own, the streets ... More >>
Editor's Note: Shea Serrano is an award-winning music writer and goofball whose recent exploits include Bun B's Rapper Coloring and Activity Book. In his new column, he writes about his life and times. The biggest concern in my life recently is that every show on my DVR is the regular definition ve ... More >>
November 22 is still nine days away, but the eyes of the world are already turning toward Dallas in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy being gunned down in Dealey Plaza. City leaders knew this would happen. It's why Mayor Mike Rawlings has been working on his speech since Janua ... More >>
Happy Halloween, ya freaks! Our favorite holiday is officially here, and boy are there a lot of different ways to celebrate this year. Throw on your costume tonight and catch a free copy of the latest Track Meet DJ Crew compilation, one of the best local rap bills of the year, or Swamp Dogg at the K ... More >>
Why weird old rich people are so nuts over the 50th assassination anniversary.
The Cowboys couldn't break the Broncos yesterday, despite what some are calling Tony Romo's career-best performance. No doubt you spent the afternoon glued to your television with a pile of pizza crusts building beneath your feet. Or maybe you were at your favorite sports bar eating nachos and burge ... More >>
Parkland can't quite honor life after JFK.
Irving's leaders take exception to Jim Schutze's allegory of Valley Ranch -- and, by extension, the city as a whole -- as the washed-up hag in the corner of a seedy bar, her sobs wreathed in cigarette smoke. They haven't addressed it directly, but the narrative they're spinning is starkly different. ... More >>
Burgers get so much attention that the french fries served alongside them seem to get a cursory mention at best. That's a shame, because when cooked properly they are probably the most delicious way to eat a potato. When the insides are soft and pillowy, the outer crust has a little snap and the pla ... More >>
In this week's Dallas Observer we profile 30 of the metro area's most interesting characters, with new portraits of each from local photographer Stanton Stephens. See the entire Dallas Observer People Issue here. When you walk into the Black Swan Saloon, a shoebox-sized bar in Deep Ellum, Gabe San ... More >>
All right, maybe it wasn't enormously helpful of me to suggest last July that we bulldoze Fair Park, the 277-acre dilapidated wasteland one mile southeast of downtown that once housed 1936 Texas Centennial Exhibition. But, c'mon. Why would we just let it just sit there and molder into the ground? ... More >>
The couple started arguing on Saturday, around 3 in the morning, in a house near Fair Park. The man told the woman he hadn't forgotten their past arguments, all the times she had "disrespected" him. He shoved his palm hard against her face and forced her down against a desk. She fought him, pushing ... More >>
We didn't get around to watching J.R.'s funeral on "Dallas" last night nor, if last week's ratings are any predictor, did the rest of the city. But we were curious to appraise Mayor Mike Rawlings' acting chops, which, we're proud to say, are totally on par with noted thespians Mark Cuban and Jerry J ... More >>
The current iteration of the debate began when Larry McMurtry, writing in Texas Monthly, ranked Dallas well below Fort Worth among Texas cities, dismissing it as "a second-rate city that wishes it were first-rate." That sentiment wasn't particularly surprising. Anyone who's read his books knows tha ... More >>
This morning at the Dallas Museum of Art, Mayor Mike Rawlings, along with about 1,000 other men in suits sharing the stage, announced a new campaign dubbed "Men Against Abuse." The next stop on this tour of well-meaning gestures will be a celebrity-packed rally on March 23, which the mayor wants 10, ... More >>
When, in the lead-up to the final game of the Cowboys 2012 season, the rest of America unanimously threw its support behind the Washington Redskins, haters everywhere gleefully declared the death of "America's Team." That assessment seemed to be borne out on the field, where Tony Romo and the Cowb ... More >>
Domestic violence killings were on the rise in Dallas last year, which might be one reason why Mayor Mike Rawlings called a presser Monday afternoon. Another could be the fact that exactly a month has passed since a deeply troubled young man slaughtered 26 people in Newtown, Connecticut, most of the ... More >>
Yesterday morning whoever handles the Dallas Cowboys official Twitter feed (probably Jerry Jones) let their feelings be known about the return of NHL hockey. They quickly deleted the Tweet, but not before it was captured by @D_LEED Whoops. This did not please the Stars, who responded in kind.
Even after the Cowboys capped off another disappointingly mediocre season on Sunday, there were some things to be thankful for. The team stayed in the playoff chase and kept things entertaining until the very end with an impressive string of come-from-behind victories. Dez Bryant exorcised his demon ... More >>
Man. How could it have ended any other way? It was such a familiar outcome that looking back on it seems disgustingly routine. Just when you put your tiny heart into hoping for this team to do well, it gets crushed as it has so many, many times before. One playoff victory isn't nearly accurate e ... More >>
If you find yourself in the soul-sucking portal of travel delays and cancellations at DFW Airport soon, well, happy holidays! While you channel Steve Martin in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, you can now have a spot o' tea at the new tea emporium Teavana, located in Terminal A. If you're feeling a ... More >>
We're going streaking! For the first time in many years, the Dallas Cowboys are on a roll. After gutting out a few wins against mediocre teams, the Cowboys have now claimed back-to-back victories against AFC playoff contenders. Anything can happen in the final two games of the season, but for now ... More >>
It's impossible to understand what happens behind the scenes in the NFL. Sure, there are NFL films and Hard Knocks, but even those get filtered down and provide a minute glimpse into the heart of an NFL team. Knowing how a group of athletes handle the death of one teammate and the jailing of another ... More >>
Confirmed: #Cowboys' receiver Dez Bryant has torn ligaments in his finger and will have season-ending surgery, be placed on IR.— Richie Whitt (@richiewhitt) December 10, 2012 Our old pal Richie Whitt is among those reporting that the Cowboys' star receiver is out for the season, which would ... More >>
There are only so many times one can look at a football game and say "A win is a win." Early in the season, when a team is getting its bearings, scrappy victories can be a bit charming. In Week 12, against a team that dragged in a seven-game losing streak? Hideous. Jason Garrett and company are t ... More >>
Driving over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and across the west bank of the Trinity River, one quickly enters the Trinity Groves Project. If you're not heads-up about it, you could easily miss the sign announcing it. But, most likely you'll sense a revival in a part of Dallas that has been left to i ... More >>
Two things to start. 1) Don't know much about architecture. 2) Tim Rogers and his wife probably are not cannibals. Or anything like that. You know what I mean. Rogers, the editor of D Magazine, and his wife, Christine, part owner of a public relations company that has done work for the Nasher Scul ... More >>
Through nearly three quarters, it seemed as though this would be the final blow to a season barely halfway over. Michael Vick was knocked out of the game in the second quarter, unable to return for postgame autographs. Rookie Nick Foles then took the helm and put the Eagles in position to slam the ... More >>
It was the result everyone was expecting: Cowboys go on the road against an undefeated, incredibly disciplined team and get beat, exchanging a shovel for a backhoe as they try to quickly dig the grave for the 2012 season. For a while, though, it seemed as if the Gauchos might actually have a shot ... More >>
This year for Halloween, instead of playing on current trends like the Presidential race or zombies, the Cowboys decided to dress up like something tried and true: the Dallas Cowboys. In a game that bordered on parody, the Cowboys went to their old bag of fail and pulled out a gut-melter. It wasn't ... More >>
Friday afternoon, tragedy struck. America laughed while Big Tex smoldered, fairgoers having no free hands to wipe the tears as they double-fisted turkey legs and corn dogs. With the memory of the deep-fried deity lighting a fire in their collective boots, the Cowboys stormed out of the locker room ... More >>
When people look back on the Cowboys' 2012 season, there are only two things they will be concerned with: wins and losses. Yesterday's game falls into the latter column, but only because the Pokes violently shoved it out of the former. See also: Ravens Cornerback Tells Dez Bryant to "Be a Man," ... More >>
It seems to have become a routine occurrence for the Cowboys in the Garrett Era: win one game, lose the next. One step forward, two drunken stumbles into the hot tub. Don't heap too much praise on any one player, lest you're prepared to be let down the following week. This time, it was the Bears wh ... More >>
A week after being thoroughly handled by the Seattle Seahawks, the Cowboys returned to Dallas to be thoroughly handled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fortunately for Dallas, Tampa didn't have a running back near the caliber of Marshawn Lynch, and their punt coverage team couldn't resist going for Cow ... More >>
Yesterday, still irrationally giddy from the beatdown their Seahawks delivered on Sunday ( I for one blame the replacement refs for Felix Jones' fumble on the opening kickoff. And the subsequent blocked punt. And the Romo interception right after. And -- oh screw it, the Cowboys blew.) , our colleag ... More >>
The Cowboys' 27-7 pasting at the hands of the Seahawks was about as brutal as the final score indicates. From the opening kickoff (literally!), Seattle simply played with a level of physicality that the Cowboys could not match. Every Dallas ball carrier was getting plowed, while Seahawks running b ... More >>