Curious Cowboys training camp decision a front office fumble?

The Dallas Cowboys have said all the right things when it comes to player safety but the biggest decision shouldn’t have been an option.

The Dallas Cowboys are usually in front of the line when it comes to player accommodations. If any of you have toured the Star in Frisco, you will instantly realize that owner Jerry Jones did not spare a single expense when they constructed this marvel.

Every aspect of their headquarters was designed with football as it’s main attraction surrounded by beauty and elegance mixed into one. From the artwork to the convenience of a football pad designed for instant position group training, it truly is a remarkable place to visit. One of the best things about the Star in Frisco is the ability to stay with the luxurious OMNI hotel on the premises.

Even with all of these amenities at their disposal, I find it absurd that the Dallas Cowboys did not create their own bubble and focus solely on football. When players report to training camp, there is an understanding that they will be away from their families to train. A great example of this is the training camp Denzel Washington had in the movie Remember the Titans.

If you have not seen the movie, HBO’s Hard Knocks series usually starts with players either enjoying last moments with their families while also gathering supplies for their eventual seclusion at training camp. It goes without saying that players know they will be separated to compete for their jobs.

It was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that a large number of Dallas Cowboys players have moved into the hotel to create a bubble-like atmosphere but why should it have been an option at all? I am grateful that the reported that 90% of players have taken residence at the hotel but it should have been a mandatory lockdown at the hotel for training camp.

Most veteran players were probably surprised that there was an option to go home after work but took the initiative to do what’s supposed to be done in the absence of official orders. If the Dallas Cowboys rookies were required to stay at the hotel, why wasn’t everyone else?

So what will it take for everyone associated the Dallas Cowboys to bubble in place?

I admire quarterback Dak Prescott who always seems to take charge. His statements in yesterday’s training camp annual opening showed a person that is leading from the front. He also acknowledged that the healthiest team will be the last team standing which no doubt will be an issue for the NFL.

It is not out of the norm for teams to secure entire hotels or at least sections of hotels to conduct regular business. I know first hand as I have tried for years to stay at the same hotel as the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, California.

I initially thought upon first seeing the concept pictures of the Dallas Cowboys’ new headquarters was designed to have training camp without leaving home. Now that they have to stay, it’s alarming that it was not taken advantage of.

The NFL is all about having an advantage over their opponents. The Dallas Cowboys headquarters is certainly an advantage as well as their open-air fields and stadium. If the Cowboys want to stay healthy and keep their focus, this opening of camp certainly did not convince me that their focus is entirely on football.

I find that this Dallas Cowboys team is rectifying itself in terms of player safety. But I do have to say that the absence of a training camp bubble to start the season was a fumble by the front office.