It’s the day after Christmas, and while the wrapping paper is still on the floor, Norm is already wondering about the one gift Cowboys fans didn’t ask for: finishing the season 8-8-1.

After questioning why the NFL insists on hijacking Christmas Day (nothing says “holiday spirit” like wall-to-wall broadcasts), Norm dives into a Cowboys win that somehow felt like every other Cowboys game. A fast start, long scoring droughts, penalty problems, defensive issues, and just enough competence to keep everyone arguing about whether this team is “close.”

Dallas beats a battered Washington team, but not convincingly enough to feel good about it. Dak shines. The running game shows promise. Penalties pile up. The defense remains allergic to takeaways. And the big question lingers: if the offense is elite and the defense is awful… isn’t .500 exactly where you’d expect to land?

Norm breaks it all down with stats, context, and his usual brand of dry realism—then wraps things up with the truth Cowboys fans may not want to hear, but probably already know.

Chapters

00:00:00 - Merry Christmas… Now About That 8-8-1 Record

00:01:24 - Can the NFL Leave Christmas Alone for One Day?

00:01:57 - A Familiar Cowboys Script (This Time With a Win)

00:02:32 - Fast Start, Then the Scoring Vanishes Again

00:03:47 - Dallas Finally Bows Its Neck Late

00:04:22 - Dominating the Stats, Confusing the Result

00:05:04 - Six Sacks, Eleven Penalties, and Self-Inflicted Wounds

00:06:27 - Takeaways? Still Missing in Action

00:07:08 - Dak Prescott Continues His Excellent Season

00:07:40 - Malik Davis Steps Up in the Run Game

00:08:11 - Young Defenders Show Flashes

00:08:36 - Free Agents, Futures, and Tough Decisions

00:09:15 - George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, and Offensive Reality

00:09:45 - Are the Cowboys Underachievers… or Exactly What They Are?

00:10:26 - A Quick Word From Our Sponsors

00:12:02 - Final Thoughts on a Perfectly Average Season

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t’s Wednesday, December 24th, and Norm Hitzges is in a festive mood—by which he means grateful, reflective, mildly alarmed, and just a little concerned about the future of local sports.

Norm opens with an invitation to one of the most meaningful traditions in DFW radio history: the 25th annual Normathon, raising money for Austin Street Center for the Homeless. Twenty-five years, more than $10 million raised, and a full day of broadcasting fueled by generosity, great guests, and some truly ridiculous auction items (yes, including a racehorse stake and a Pat Green house concert).

After that, Norm pivots—because of course he does—to three quick sports hits:

• a gut-punch playoff loss for Texas A&M

• the end (hopefully) of Jake Paul’s cosplay boxing career

• and a Rangers bullpen decision that has Norm quietly clutching the armrests

It’s Christmas Eve. There’s goodwill. There’s charity. There’s also concern. Welcome to Just Wondering.

CHAPTERS

00:01:31 – The Normathon Returns: Year 25 at The Ticket

00:02:13 – Why Austin Street Matters (And Why We Keep Doing This)

00:02:59 – 25 Years, $10+ Million Raised, and Counting

00:03:51 – The Auction Lineup: Trips, Racehorses, and Once-in-a-Lifetime Experiences

00:05:23 – Pat Green at Your House, Lone Star Park Suite, and Lunch With the Musers

00:06:46 – The Crown Jewel: Signed Cowboys Legends Lithograph Set

00:07:26 – How to Join In: On Air, In Person, or In Spirit

00:08:08 – Bob’s Steak & Chop House Sponsor Read

00:08:37 – Full Moon Healing Balm Sponsor Read

00:09:54 – Sports Hit #1: Texas A&M’s Playoff Heartbreak

00:11:24 – From No. 3 in the Nation to “Did That Really Happen?”

00:12:03 – Sports Hit #2: Jake Paul Finally Fights the Wrong Guy

00:13:08 – Anthony Joshua Ends the Gimmick (For $96 Million)

00:14:16 – Sports Hit #3: Why Norm Is Alarmed About the Rangers

00:15:00 – Sean Armstrong Leaves for Cleveland… For Cheap

00:15:38 – If You Can’t Pay $5.5M for Your Best Reliever, That’s a Problem

00:16:21 – Sponsor Close: Fluent Financial & Bob’s

00:16:43 – Wrap-Up: Follow, Share, and Merry Christmas

00:17:24 – Stolen Water Media Sign-Off

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Norm tips the cap to Cooper Flagg turning 19 and casually dropping 40 in the NBA—then immediately pivots to something far less impressive: the Dallas Cowboys doing the exact same thing again.

If this season feels familiar, that’s because it is. Early points, a brief lead, then the defense opens the floodgates while the offense stalls out like it hit an invisible wall. Norm walks through the Chargers loss, the Vikings loss, the Lions loss—pick a week, it’s the same movie with a different jersey color.

The numbers are brutal: 112 points allowed in three weeks, one sack, five punts forced, and a defense threatening to challenge 1960 for the worst in franchise history. Yet the reflex response still seems to be “fire the coordinator and move on,” rather than confronting the uncomfortable truth that a lot of these players simply aren’t good enough.

Norm asks the question no one in the front office seems eager to answer: does Jerry Jones actually understand how mediocre this team is—or are we about to spin the coordinator wheel one more time and hope for a miracle?

CHAPTERS

00:00:00 – Happy Birthday, Cooper Flagg (And Welcome Back to Cowboys Reality)

00:00:41 – Fluent Financial Sponsor Read

00:01:45 – Cowboys Groundhog Day: Same Game, Same Ending

00:02:36 – 6–8–1 and Stuck in the Middle of the Draft Again

00:03:18 – “It’s the Scheme” vs. “It Might Be the Players”

00:03:56 – McCarthy Gone, Zimmer Gone, Schottenheimer Here… Same Results

00:04:39 – Chargers Game Recap: Fast Start, Zero Finish

00:05:33 – Three-Week Stretch of Defensive Horror

00:06:29 – One Sack, Five Punts, and 20 Opponent Scores

00:07:11 – No Pressure on Goff, McCarthy, or Herbert

00:08:03 – Diggs Back, Revel Struggling, and No Answers

00:09:01 – Chargers’ Backup Offensive Line Still Runs Wild

00:09:57 – Defensive Box Score: Who Showed Up… and Who Didn’t

00:10:37 – How Many New Starters Does This Defense Need?

00:11:01 – Bob’s Steak & Chop House Sponsor Read

00:12:01 – Full Moon Healing Balm Sponsor Read

00:12:57 – Sponsor Close

00:13:19 – Follow, Share, and Keep Wondering

00:14:00 – Stolen Water Media Sign-Off

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