The Dallas Cowboys must learn to get out of their own way

Between PED suspensions, arrests, and alleged violent crimes, the Cowboys have had their hands full being on the wrong side of the news headlines.

Besides a seemingly quality 2017 draft, the Dallas Cowboys have had a horrendous offseason. And all for a clustered conundrum of mistakes that could have been easily avoided if only the players had just been more aware of the potential effect of their poor decisions.

Where do we even begin?

First off, David Irving has been suspended for the first four games of the season for testing positive for PED’s. He apparently took some questionable supplements that were provided for him by a former marketing deal. Players around the league have been getting suspended left and right for PED’s, so Irving has to be aware by now of how serious the league is with this stuff.

So why take a supplement that you’re not a million percent positive is approved by the league? I don’t have an answer for that because there is no legitimate answer for that in today’s NFL. It was just stupid and could have easily been avoided if Irving would have just got confirmation that the supplement was clean.

Next up we have defensive back Nolan Carroll‘s bone head DWI, which is painfully ironic because he was arrested after leaving his own signing party. To make matters worse, the Cowboys offer free rides to their players who feel they are incapable of driving. It’s just inexcusable and once again easily avoidable.

Just over a month later, linebacker Damien Wilson was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a weapon for backing up into a tailgater with his truck in the Toyota Stadium parking lot. His excuse was he just went through a heat of road rage. The weapon was an AR-15 rifle to be exact. Come on man, seriously? Why is that thing even in your truck?

That’s one definite and two highly likely suspensions of probable starters on the defense.

By far the most scrutinized of all the antics are surrounding running back Ezekiel Elliott. Zeke decided it would be a good idea to make a late night visit to a bar during the week he is supposed to issue a response to the NFL’s report on his alleged domestic violence case from last year.

That decision put him in the wrong place at the wrong time and he’s now being investigated for potentially punching out a 30-year-old man. The witness accounts are very blurry and the police did not arrest anyone or even list Elliott in their report, but Zeke is failing to walk the walk after he said last month that he would stay of the way.

Even if innocent, it was just awful timing and judgment on Zeke’s part.

Owner Jerry Jones has talked with the young running back about the incident and there’s one particular quote he says that I cannot agree more with.

"“I think the biggest message is not one that has to be stated, and that is your actions impact an entire team, it impacts an entire fan base.” – Jerry Jones from July 18, 2017 on the issues surrounding his player’s questionable behavior via ESPN.com."

Now, there’s a ton of stuff that Mr. Jones says that makes me scratch my head at times, but he absolutely nailed this one. If you’re expected to be a starter and major contributor on the Dallas Cowboys, you better believe your actions impact the other guys in that locker room. Even more so if you’re the reigning rushing champion and a monumental piece to the success of the organization.

It’s human nature to make mistakes. However, these men are given a ton of responsibility when they sign their contracts to don the Star. That responsibility goes beyond knowing your assignments on the field, watching film, or racking up stats.

They’re responsible for making themselves as available as possible.

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The decisions these guys make off the field can very easily prevent them from suiting up, and that’s letting the team and fans down. I understand the next man up concept and that opportunities open when other guys aren’t available. But the goal of this team is to win Super Bowls and these players have done a poor job realizing how their off field decisions hinder that goal.