It was the worst of times. It was never the best of times.

The Dallas Cowboys, the team I support when they aren't playing the Houston Oilers, finished with the worst record in the NFL.

The Cowboys stumbled to a 3-13 mark, the worst record the team has posted since its first season in 1960. It's been a rough year for Dallas to put it mildly, with the media and fans criticizing the staff and players of the Cowboys. I've even read sports columns from fellow Texans criticizing the Cowboys and Coach Tom Landry.

A lot of it is deserved, but to call Dallas "the worst thing since the Black Plague" is going a little too far. Everyone likes to pick on you when you're down, and the Cowboys are at rock bottom. But the bad times are over.

You've read it here first, Dallas will make the Super Bowl next year. While you may think that I am mentally insane, there are several reasons why I'm predicting that the Cowboys will make the Super Bowl.

First of all, the Cowboys have the first pick in the NFL draft, where they will surely pick UCLA's Troy Aikman. Aikman is the piece that is missing from the puzzle.

In the Cotton Bowl in Dallas against Arkansas, Aikman showed why the Cowboys are excited about him. He led the Bruins to a 17-6 triumph over the Razorbacks.

He has a style like former Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach. He has an excellent arm, and he's mobile enough to evade an NFL-type rush. While he can't replace Roger the Dodger in our hearts, he can bring the Cowboys back to the top of the NFL.

The Cowboys aren't as bad as everyone thinks they are. Dallas had one of the toughest schedules in the league this year. At the beginning of the season, Dallas lost to the Giants by two points, Philadelphia on the last play of the game, and several other games went down to the wire.

A legitimate quarterback could have turned those games in Dallas' favor. While I don't have anything against Steve Pelluer or his family, he is a good back-up quarterback. The key word is "backup." Pelluer is like a substitute teacher--you're glad to have him--but you wouldn't want him everyday.

The Cowboys have everything going for them. They have the top running back in the league in Herschel Walker. They have outstanding receivers in Michael Irvin, Marvin Alexander and Kelvin Martin. The offensive line helped Walker run for more than 1000 yards. Everson Walls, Ron Francis and Michael Downs provide stability in the defensive secondary. The only question mark is the defensive line. They're old, but young guys like Danny Noonan and Jim Jeffcoat have already emerged as stars. And the linebackers are strong as ever.

Do You Believe This?

Dallas just played out the rest of the schedule at the end of the season. While Landry is a fine upstanding citizen, I don't think Dallas gave its all during those last games. They were definitely playing for the first draft pick.

When I went back home over the break, I walked into a sports shop to buy a Cowboys cap. After the clerk stop laughing, he showed me a stack of caps. They looked like they hadn't been touched all year. He thought a brown, paper bag would be more appropiate for Dallas' fans. Everybody's a comedian now-a-days.

My friends reminded me of those days when I used to brag about the Cowboys--how the Cowboys were the best thing since wiffle ball. They suggested that Dallas drop out of the league for two years and come back as an expansion team.

That won't be necessary. The Cowboys will make the Super Bowl next year, then everyone will say, "I knew the Cowboys were going to make the Super Bowl.

Yeah, right.

While I do believe Dallas will make the Super Bowl, I don't think they are going to win it. I think my Oilers will win the Super Bowl.

I like Dallas, but I'm a Houstonian. Luv `ya Blue.