Dez Bryant Silliness; Rams Review
I am already tired of the Dez Bryant story. As with most things involving the young wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, things are blown out of proportion very quickly. I am not sure why this is the case and I hate to speculate but what the hell? I believe there are racial undertones (on both the black side and otherwise) and historical pining as well. I think Cowboy fans reminisce about the 1970s and the 1990s like it was the zenith of all things good and right about sports in America (and AMERICA’S Team); all the while forgetting we cheered for admitted coke heads (Hollywood Henderson) and out-of-control, young a**holes that stab others in the neck with scissors (Michael Irvin). Apparently, if you win we look the other way whilst players commit felonies. If you go 8-8 and miss the playoffs, we demand rules, 24/7 bodyguards and no alcohol for someone who may or may not have hit their mother with a baseball cap. Non-sequitor side note: how the hell do you assault someone with a baseball CAP? Or perhaps, we SPECULATE about ALL of it because no one knows whether Dez’s camp or Jerry’s camp made up the rules.
Here’s the deal: quit letting this crap affect your mood. Quit overreacting every time Dez Bryant goes to a club. Quit fretting over how much he owes a jeweler (unless you are Dez Bryant or said jeweler). Quit acting as though you truly care about any of these people because you do not know them. Quit thinking you can control them because you cannot, no matter how it would satisfy some misplaced desire. If you love football, then your concern should be how many TDs, receptions, blocks, yards, etc your favorite players achieve; not their personal dealings. If you just want drama, set your DVR for daytime local television. Quit assuming their off-field actions have ANY on-field consequences until they actually do. Goodell and the rest of the NFL front office do not care about morals, they care about money. This game we care about is a business. The faster we stop pretending these thug, 20-something athletes are role models for our children or OURSELVES (ugh) and begin to understand that the on-field results are all that matters, the quicker the NFL shuts down the charade as well. Or you can keep doing all these things, I don’t care.
As for me and my house, we will cheer on Sundays.
Observations from Saturday:
1) Tony Romo continues to be above it all. The man receives the most criticism of any quarterback in the league not named Tim Tebow and all he does is make Dwayne Harris and other players that have never caught a regular season pass, look like stars. Not to mention, he does it all while the pocket collapses faster than perhaps he has ever seen it do so. I know half of Cowboys Nation is nodding and half are red in the face from a face palm, but Tony Romo is the real deal. Period. If you cannot see that, I am truly sorry. Quit urinating in your own Cheerios.
2) Speaking of the offensive line, holy crap-on-a-cracker are they terrible. Listen, I understand two things. First, it’s never as bad as it looks. Second, it’s the pre-season. Third (okay, 3 things), the OL hasn’t played together all pre-season. I get all of that. Here’s the problem: on September 5th, against the World Champs, when all of the offensive lineman are healthy, it will most likely still look terrible. Fans had better hope Jason Garrett starts utilizing a ton of roll-outs for Tony.
3) The defense is solid. I think it is a stretch to claim the defense will be a Top 5 unit, but it is going to win some games that the same unit would have lost last season.
4) Putting bullets 2&3 together…. How is it possible that Jerry (successfully) attacked 2011’s awful secondary with such vengeance but failed to improve (at all) the equally horrible offensive line? Jerry is going to get Tony killed!
5) Jay Ratliff will not be missed against New York and will return against Seattle. STOP THROWING THINGS AT YOUR COMPUTER AND LISTEN!!! He has never gotten to Eli much on the pass rush anyways so if that is what you are worried about, throw that out. Sean Lissemore and company stop the run as well as Ratliff ever did… Not. Worried.
6) As I have been saying on Twitter (@MrCowboy74) all summer, this wide receiver situation is overblown. DeMarco Murray is the real deal and Jason Witten is still on this football team. That makes the 3rd wide receiver the 5th option at BEST. AAAAND Tony makes mediocre receivers look like stars. Over. Blown.
7) I like what I see from Jason Garrett. To me, it seems as though he is leading this team better than we have seen in the past. I think he has brought in people that support him well and help him to succeed. I believe in him and I think he will have a successful year.
8) Sean Lee will eat running backs this season. No lie: if you do not put an offensive lineman on the man, he will make the tackle every single time.
9) DeMarcus Ware, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten will all play against New York. An angel told me.
10) The Dallas Cowboys play a REAL game in 8 days. Hallelujah.
If you like what you see, follow Mark on Twitter (@MrCowboy74) for all your Cowboys news, updates and opinions.