Welcome back

Welcome back to the post-season, Dallas. It's been a while - since 2003 - but it's good to have you back. The playoffs just aren't the same without you.

Dallas Cowboys, you really do make the NFL playoffs a better viewing experience for everyone. Whether someone is a Cowboys fan or if they're anti-America's Team, viewers all across the country don't miss a playoff game when you are involved.

You are a premier NFL franchise. No one has as many Super Bowl appearances (eight) or Super Bowl MVPs (seven) as the Dallas Cowboys. Facing Dallas in the post-season is akin to facing the New York Yankees in October: you know you're in trouble. And you know it's a bigger game because it's the Yankees.

Well, when teams play the Cowboys, especially in January, it's trouble. This season looks to be no different. So just remember, Dallas, that while it may have felt like an eternity since your last playoff berth, it's felt even longer for everyone around the nation.

As you advance in the playoffs, the more hype the playoffs generate. Whether someone wants to see you win or lose, the playoffs are better off with you in than with you out. Can that be said about any other franchise in the league?

No. No, it can't.

Does anyone outside of Minnesota notice if the Vikings are in the playoffs in a given year? No. But fans remember when their team had to play the Cowboys in the playoffs. That's where all those "we came so close, until we had to play Dallas" stories come from.

January should be a interesting month, especially with you back. How 'bout them Cowboys!