The Dallas Cowboys aren’t just any NFL team – they’re the epicenter of football attention in America. This spotlight is precisely why their three-decade Super Bowl drought remains such a persistent talking point among fans and media alike. Netflix’s upcoming documentary series, “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” is about to pour gasoline on that particular fire.
Speaking on Tuesday’s “DLLS Cowboys Podcast,” veteran Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. didn’t mince words about how the documentary will impact public perception. Hill, who has covered the team longer than any current reporter, believes the series will only intensify questions about Dallas’s championship drought.
“They’re selling this trailer. They’re selling the gambler and the making of the Cowboys,” Hill said. “Michael (Irvin), Deion (Sanders), Troy (Aikman), Nate (Newton), Jerry (Jones) … They’re talking about the ’90s and firing Tom Landry and they’ve got all this stuff. They’re selling this thing to the public.”
It’s all about nostalgia, not the present.
“They’re selling history,” Hill continued. “They’re not selling what’s happening now. They’re selling about the ’90s. That’s all that’s prominent they’re selling. They’re not selling Dak (Prescott), they’re not selling Dez (Bryant), they’re not selling CeeDee (Lamb), they’re not selling (Tony) Romo.”
The players Hill mentioned have all tried—and ultimately failed—to return the Cowboys to Super Bowl glory. Prescott and Lamb will take another crack at it this season, but the hard truth remains: Dallas hasn’t even reached an NFC Championship game since winning Super Bowl XXX following the 1995 season.
Hill believes this obsession with past glory creates an impossible standard for current players. “The ’90s don’t matter, have no impact on this team and what they’re doing,” he explained. “These players are different. Yes, that’s the specter that hangs over this organization. Everything they do, everything they’ve gotten is about what happened in the ’90s. They’re thinking Frisco, they’re thinking Arlington. It’s about the ’90s.”
The weight of history creates a burden that’s difficult to escape. “To think that you can walk into that building and think, ‘It’s just about us?’ No, it’s about the ’90s. That’s the standard. That’s what’s held over their head and, to me, this documentary proves that even more. They have this thing hanging over their head, this 30-year drought, because of the championships of the past.”
Inside Netflix’s Cowboys Documentary
Set to drop on August 19, America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys features an impressive lineup of Dallas legends. Fans will hear directly from the “Triplets” of Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin, plus Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. The coaching perspective comes from Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, who led those championship teams. Adding even more star power, former President George W. Bush and Nike co-founder Phil Knight also make appearances.
Netflix promises exclusive interviews and previously unseen footage that “unravels the dramatic twists and turns on the road to the ’90s Cowboys becoming football legends.”