"Y'all should come to that stadium and watch us beat the Giants' ass." -- Jerry Jones, at a fan rally in July
A nice thought for Jones' team in theory, but reality has proven to be a different story.
Since their $1.2 billion stadium opened in time for the 2009 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys have never beaten the Giants' asses -- or any other part of them -- at home. In three games at Cowboys Stadium, Giants quarterback Eli Manning has a completion percentage of 64.2, he's thrown for 345.3 yards per game, he's thrown eight touchdowns to four interceptions, and he's only been sacked once.
The Cowboys hope that things will be different when the G-Men take the field today, but to date, the only times Dallas has had the upper hand on their bitter division rivals is when they leave on the road. That includes a 24-17 win at MetLife Stadium to open the 2012 NFL season, but the travails Jones' team has seen in Dallas prove that you can't buy home-field advantage, no matter how much you spend.
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The Cowboys started off hot in their new gigs, going 7-2 in the stadium in 2009, including a postseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, however, things have gone downhill. Jones' team was 2-6 at home in 2010, rebounded to go 5-3 there in 2011, and they're 1-1 this season. The Cowboys haven't played at home since October 1, due to a bye week and road games against the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers, and if there's any real hope of a playoff berth, things need to turn around.
To that end, the team recently sent out an e-mail to all season ticket holders this week, asking that what happened at the last home game -- Cowboys backers drowned out by rabid Chicago Bears fans -- doesn't happen again.
Dear [Season Ticket Holder],
Sunday we need every Dallas Cowboys fan to get on their feet, get loud and help the defense get a stop! Starting this week against the New York Giants, we will have a new third down graphic on the video board and we want you to get involved in the game.
When you see the video graphic playing on the video board, get on your feet and get LOUD! Together, we can make opposing teams dread coming to Cowboys Stadium.
If we all play our part, we can help give our Dallas Cowboys a true home field advantage.
Sincerely,
Dallas Cowboys Football Club
Here's the problem -- there are more people in that stadium with the potential to be rooting for another team than anywhere else. According to a Wall Street Journal study conducted in September, an average of 24.278 tickets at Cowboys Stadium are available on the secondary ticket market, including websites on which those tickets are sold for higher than resale value.
Compare that to the New England Patriots, who average less than 2,500 scalped tickets per game, and it becomes easier to understand why the 'Boys haven't managed to put together a home field advantage in their new home.
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