:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63279198/usa_today_9653202.0.jpg)
The Philadelphia Eagles versus Dallas Cowboys rivalry exists even during the NFL offseason.
The 2018 Super Bowl champions recently submitted a league resolution proposal that would attempt to rectify an unfair advantage that the Cowboys (and Detroit Lions) currently posses. Here’s the proposal (hat tip to Pro Football Talk):
Withdrawn, By Philadelphia; to continue the annual tradition of having Dallas and Detroit play on Thanksgiving, provided that one of those clubs host a home game with the other club playing away, and alternating home and away games each subsequent season.
Unfortunately, the Eagles withdrew the proposal likely due to a lack of support. But it’s absolutely a fair gripe by Philadelphia.
Since Thursday Night Football began in 2006, the Cowboys have played just two Thursday road games … and neither were on short rest because they previously played on Thanksgiving the week before.
By comparison, the Eagles have played FIVE Thursday night away games on short rest in that same span.
Zero versus five. Not exactly even!
It’s completely understandable that the Eagles wouldn’t want an NFC East division rival (the Cowboys) and an NFC conference opponent (the Lions) to have an unnecessarily unfair advantage over them. What’s so hard about Dallas and Detroit rotating home and away each season? It’d be cool to allow other cities to host Thanksgiving games more often, too.
This advantage might not seem like the biggest deal but often times a single game can swing an entire season. The NFL should strive to foster a level playing field as much as possible and yet that’s clearly not what’s happening here.
I’m sure Cowboys executive vice president, CEO, and director of player personnel Stephen Jones (Jerry’s son) — who serves on the league’s competition committee — is really sad the Eagles withdrew their proposal.