A fan's letter to the Dallas Cowboys ...

It's about time I bought another hat.
Sitting for the past few years in the back of my car as a token of reverence to my team, the Dallas Cowboys,once a sharp royal blue has been sapped of its color, faded from the sun beaming on it day after day.
Similarly, the team emblazoned on it has somewhat become jaded in recent years, blinded by tales of past glory.
It almost seems like yesterday Dallas was navigating its way through the NFL, rising from the depths of a 1-15 season to the Super Bowl only a few years later.
That bright January day at Pasadena's Rose Bowl would be the first of three trips for the Cowboys to the big game, each of which were victories for the team dubbed "America's Team."
The trio of quarterback Troy Aikman, NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith and hall of fame wide receiver Michael Irvin reminded Dallas fans of the glory days in which Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett roamed freely at Texas Stadium, while coach Tom Landry roamed the sidelines.
Headed into the 1995 season, there were high hopes of a fourth championship in a five-year span. Dallas would finish 10-6 that year, just enough to get past rival Philadelphia to earn the NFC East title.
The team would start the playoffs on a high note, defeating Minnesota 40-15 and seemingly on a collision course with Green Bay in the NFC Championship game.
For Cowboys fans, that day - Dec. 28, 1996 - sticks with us even as we prepare to begin the second decade in the 21st century.
It was the last time Dallas won a playoff game. Kerry Collins and an upstart Carolina Panthers club would bounce the Cowboys out of the postseason the next week, beginning a bad trend of December and January flame outs by the team.
Going into each year, the question remains, "Can Dallas win in December?"
The calendar's final month is the most important in the NFL season, separating the real from fake and solidifying playoff positioning.
During the past 13+ years, however, the Cowboys have found ways to dismantle their hope of earning a championship ring.
Unfortunately, these are the facts the team and us fans live with everyday:
- more than 4,700 days since the team's last playoff win in 1996, losers of its last five postseason games
- Dallas has not experienced a winning December since 1996.
Tough pill to swallow, without a doubt. After last season's swoon, in particular the 44-6 drubbing at the hands of the Eagles with a playoff bid on the line, the faith a lot of us has been shaken, always wondering when the woes will end.
With each failed opportunity to rid themselves of December's past, doubt creeps into players' minds as well.
The only way to dispel the notion of flame outs in the season's final month is simple - WIN!
Dallas has three final opportunities to change its notoriety of being a team that seems to "finish first" - in the bad way.
Making it happen this year will be difficult, with games at unbeaten New Orleans in addition to renewing acquaintances with division rivals Washington and Philadelphia.
As is always the case this time of year, my Cowboys will show what they are made of.
Hopefully, the results are good, beaming radiantly like the Dallas star logo etched to the brand new cap residing in my car.