Dallas Cowboys coaching staff’s biggest fears coming true
The Dallas Cowboys officials and coaching staff are losing the battle with some of their prized players off-the-field.
The Dallas Cowboys organization has had no problem taking gambles on troubled players in the past. Unfortunately, they have often paid dearly for most of those poor decisions in the win/loss column. And this offseason is no different.
On the heels of three of their defensive starters being suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, the Cowboys organization takes yet another character hit. This following a 4-12 season where they allowed a player like controversial defensive end Greg Hardy to wear the beloved Star on the side of his helmet. Hardy squandered that second chance on and off the field in Dallas last season, and now sits unemployed.
But in Hardy’s wake earlier this offseason came the suspensions of defensive ends Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence for the first four games of the regular season. And just last week, starting middle linebacker Rolando McClain had a hefty 10-game suspension levied on him. These three players currently represent the worst America’s Team has to offer.
Let’s all remember, this is not their first failed drug test. There were other warnings and fines handed down prior to their outright suspension. These individuals simply decided to continue on this destructive path. And now the team, and it’s fans, are all paying the price for their unwillingness to heed those warnings.
The actions of these three players seem counter-culture to what Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett preaches from his media-fueled pulpit during every single press conference. And likely, in every single team meeting as well.
But the Cowboys brass simply can not be expected to control or manage their players 24 hours a day. They are their employers. Not their parents.
Giving these young men, who are all worshiped as football gods, millions of dollars and the free time to do anything they want is undeniably dangerous. In fact, according to one Cowboys insider, it’s a coaching staff’s worst fear.
"“The biggest fear of a coaching staff is what happens off the field,” wrote football analyst Bryan Broaddus on the team’s official website in response to a mailbag question. “They can only control these players so much but with that being said – how they evaluate these players in the future with questionable character flaws needs to be reviewed going forward.”"
The Cowboys can only do so much. The rest is up to these young men to make the right and responsible decisions for themselves, their families and for the team they play for and represent. And young people make mistakes. It’s part of life and part of becoming adults.
But players like McClain, Gregory and Lawrence have made more than just one mistake. It’s their repeated violations that have resulted in these suspensions. And the Cowboys coaches are now left trying to somehow fill their empty voids for when the season starts in 67 days.
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No, the Cowboys can’t control and watch their players all the time. But they can control how the franchise reacts to these suspensions. They can control the message they send to the rest of the players on their roster who are actually doing things the right way.
The Cowboys get to decide which of these individuals deserve to keep the Star on their helmets. And finally, they can determine the type of players they are willing to invest in and even allow on their roster in the first place. That’s where this organization needs to start enforcing their control.