According to various polls and studies, the Cowboys are at once the most despised, most popular, most profitable franchise in the NFL. They are easily the most visible, which might explain, in part, why they are so thoroughly hated and loved, depending on who you ask.
But apparently, for the average NFL player, it's good to be a Cowboy.
In a poll conducted by Sports Illustrated (Per the Dallas Morning News), the Cowboys were named as the team players would most like to play for, with 11.1 percent of 296 players participating. The San Diego Chargers came in second with 8.5 percent, followed by Pittsburgh, with 7 percent.
With the question, "which team would you most like to play for?" locale seemed to influence decisions as much as winning, with the aforementioned San Diego beating out the reigning Super Bowl champion Steelers for second, and Miami (6.6 percent) beating out perennial contender New England Patriots (5.9 percent) for third. It's better to be middling in comfort than winning in the frigid cold of the North, I suppose.
As far as Dallas is concerned, this poll could point to any number of factors: a winning tradition perhaps, history galore or Jerry Jones' long standing policy of taking care of his players. Maybe it's a combination of the three; but it is somewhat remarkable that Dallas sits atop the NFLer's wish-list after 12 plus seasons without a playoff victory.
