Say, Dallas Cowboys fans, do you remember Week One of the season when the 49ers trounced Dallas? Do you remember how facebook lit up with hilarious bon mot about Tony Romo throwing all those interceptions?

I ask because the Cowboys are now 3-1, but I rarely see posts about them trouncing other teams.

Several of my associates were at the game against New Orleans Sunday night. They posted quite a bit, but these were typically about the stadium and not the Cowboys. In one case, my friend, Jimmy, posted a picture with the caption, “Cowboys.” But that’s not really an editorial comment. It’s more of an observation. Also, the picture to the left was taken in the “Party Pass” section.

At my house approximately 15 miles away, I also hosted a party and we could actually see the field!

I did, however, count three of my friends posting similar messages when New Orleans got to within 14 points about how the choke was beginning.

I submit to you the following hypothesis:

Dallas Cowboys fans are happiest when they are miserable.

Listen, I wasn’t here when things were going well. I’m sure the attitude was different then. You know where I was? Ohio.

And if there’s one thing we do well back home in Ohio, it’s lose NFL football games. Every year, the Bengals would lose approximately 13 times, but we wouldn’t get down on ourselves. We’d wait until the next fall and rally around whatever cockamamie scheme the front office had come up with over the summer (Ki-Jana Carter? What could possibly go wrong?!).

I worry that the identity of the Cowboys fan is now too closely tied to the team being terrible. Perhaps the most damaging thing that could happen to the die-hard fan would be for Tony Romo to lead the team to a Super Bowl. How would you feel then? Conflicted, I bet.

Meanwhile, my Ohio brethren are happily boning up on their Ickey Shuffle because the Bengals have managed to string together three straight playoff seasons. It doesn’t matter that they’ve lost reliably in the first round each time. It’s still a source of civic pride. Also, if you noticed the pattern quickly enough, you made quite a bit of money betting against them last year. I mean, everyone probably thought you were crazy to take San Diego on the road. But the Bengals, through losing, made you proud.

Maybe the Cowboys’ recent string of success, no matter how brief, has made them harder to gamble on. I completely understand that.

Or maybe the fans focus on the negative because they’re afraid of getting hurt again. In that case, I think Cowboys fans and Jerry Jones should consider couples counseling.