Johnette Howard

What I’m about to say is a bit unusual. I should begin by pointing out that although I’m a rabid NFL fan, I come from Pittsburgh, which usually means I care about the Dallas Cowboys about as much as I care about the migratory patterns of trout or how to change the air filter on my car. The Steelers are my team. But after two years of the loud and persistent yelping surrounding the Cowboys — everything from Wade Phillips’ docile personality to Tony Romo’s streakiness to, lately, Roy Williams’ alleged sloth — I have just one thing to say:

For God’s sake, let the Cowboys win something already.

Anything to make it stop.

I haven’t spoken one-on-one with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones for what seems like at least a couple of facelifts. But if I were to run into the man, I’d tell him that he’d be doing everyone a favor if he made it all go away.

Sunday’s game between Dallas and Philadelphia is shaping up as a great, great game. Both teams are hot. The NFC East title is at stake. The conference’s No. 2 playoff seed could be won, too. The problem is, we haven’t been able to watch the Cowboys without being held hostage by the same worn-out storylines: Which way is Jones leaning regarding Phillips’ future? Is offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s stock spiking up or down? Is Romo just overhyped, or one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL, a guy who has finally licked his tendency to fold under pressure?

The next few weeks should answer a lot, including Phillips’ status. (Thank the Lord.) As we all know by now because it’s been driven into our brains with a diamond-bit drill, the Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game since 1996, back when dinosaurs such as Nate Newton roamed the earth. Jones holds a club option to bring Phillips back for a fourth season in 2010, which means we could be repeating the exact same storylines next year if, God forbid, Phillips is brought back without an extension.

Jones did say earlier this week that he doesn’t want to make a coaching change, for what that’s worth. (Is a little voice in your head screaming, “Nothing!”? Me too!)

Jones’ show of support hasn’t stopped the usual rants: Phillips is some rube who’s been given a Rolls Royce but keeps grinding the clutch; Phillips is a weak leader who doesn’t demand enough from his players; Phillips’ teams can’t win big games. The shrieks were whitecapping at an especially high level when the Cowboys marched off to face then-unbeaten New Orleans two weekends ago, following losses to the Giants and streaking Chargers. From the bleak mood around Dallas, you’d have thought pigs had a better chance of flying than the Cowboys did of beating the Saints.

Except the Cowboys won.

That’s not a typo.

They won in December, they did.

An almost cosmic chain of events has thrown the entire NFC into an unexpected muddle ever since. Frontrunner New Orleans lost again, this time to god-awful Tampa Bay. The Vikings lost for the third time in four games Monday, in Chicago. Now the Eagles and Cowboys look like the NFC’s hottest teams, and Romo is playing the best ball of his career.

Yet the talk right up to kickoff before the Saints’ game — Phillips’ chance of getting fired — has only dialed back some. It hasn’t disappeared completely.

The new “if-then” criterion is Phillips must win at least one playoff game. And there are a lot of reasons to root for Phillips to pull it off.

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Nobody this side of the Redskins’ Jim Zorn has had to put up with more than Phillips has in his three seasons in Dallas, let alone succeeded as much in such a hothouse atmosphere. His boss, Jones, is a publicity-seeking micromanager. Jones’ decision to install Garrett at $3-million-a-year as his offensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting before he even hired Phillips left Phillips as — well, what? — Head Coach for Now?