Jason Garnett, a 24-year-old stand-up comedian from Boynton Beach, was so sure the Cowboys were going to win the Super Bowl this season that last month, he put it down in ink — on his right biceps.
"Super Bowl LI champions," reads his tattoo, accompanied by the Cowboys’ ubiquitous star logo.
Faster than you can say "How ‘bout dem Packers!", Garnett’s hopes were erased Sunday night when Green Bay eliminated the Cowboys in a 34-31 playoff classic.
"I cried my eyes out," Garnett said Monday.
Dry-eyed once again, Garnett decided to add an extra ‘I’ to his tattoo so it will read “Super Bowl LII champions” — an early prediction for the the 2018 Super Bowl in Minnesota.
“Obviously, I’m not that great with guarantees,” he said. “But I’ll guarantee it again: We’ll win it next year.”
Garnett said the Super Bowl Host Committee in Houston, site of this season’s title game, had promised four free tickets if the Cowboys made it. He also had commercial deals lined up.
On the plus side, Garnett does have an important stand-up gig on the horizon.
In Wisconsin. Packers country.
"I definitely will show the tattoo," Garnett said. "They’ll love it."
Garnett credits his father with turning him into a Cowboys fan in 1999. He got the star tattooed on his arm a handful of years ago, but it wasn’t until last month, amid Dallas’ 13-3 regular-season run, that Garnett had an inkling he should visit the tattoo parlor and — we can’t resist — go out on a limb.
Things looked really bad when Green Bay stormed to a 21-3 lead. Things looked pretty good when the Cowboys rallied for a 31-31 tie in the dying seconds, seemingly to force overtime. Then, Aaron Rodgers hit an improbable 36-yard pass to Jared Cook to set up Mason Crosby’s winning 51-yard field goal on the final play.
If Garnett's 2018 prediction fails, he has another fall-back: Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.
After that, problems. The 2020 title game will be at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
That’s Super Bowl LIV.