It's sad, but true. The Dallas Cowboys have reached desperation mode as they try to pull the defense out of its current nosedive.
Bringing in Mike Pettine as a senior advisor to Christian Parker. Discussing Parker moving from the sideline to the coaching booth. Personnel changes. It's only Week 6, but the Cowboys are throwing the kitchen sink at this thing.
The players have also taken matters into their own hands, with DeMarvion Overshown telling reporters that a players-only meeting was called following last week's loss to the Buccaneers.
Former longtime Steelers head coach and current NBC analyst Mike Tomlin was asked for his thoughts about players-only meetings on the New Heights Podcast with Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce
"I think you're dead," Tomlin answered. "If it did occur, I'd like to not hear about it. The fact that you hear about it is what makes it B.S."
There's a lot of merit to Mike Tomlin's take on players-only meetings
Tomlin's words may be a little over the top, but I see where he's coming from. And they unequivocally raise the stakes for the Cowboys' defense ahead of a matchup with a Packers offense that loves to take deep shots to Christian Watson and Matthew Golden.
Should players-only meetings ever become public knowledge? If players genuinely feel something needs to be addressed internally, just address it. Once word gets out and the heart-to-heart becomes a storyline, it can start to feel like advertising accountability instead of actually demonstrating it.
To be clear, I am not saying that was Overshown's intent. This team is desperate for answers. It's hard to blame Overshown for trying to take ownership of a defense that is searching for any kind of spark. If anything, getting the players together and confronting their issues head-on shows initiative.
The desperation element is also what gives Tomlin's argument some credence, though.
"I think you're dead."Mike Tomlin on players-only meetings
Players-only meetings generally happen when normal channels haven't produced results. Tomlin's stance has some bite to it. Think about it.
If you've reached a point where a closed-door meeting is being presented as a potential turning point, does that not say more about how bad things have gotten than about how they're about to improve?
The time to advertise a players-only meeting is after a turnaround.
Players-only meetings happen behind closed doors and they should remain behind closed doors
Let the results speak first. Then, if you want to peel back the curtain on what helped spark the change, be my guest. Go crazy. Otherwise, you are just attaching significance to something before it has accomplished anything. It rings as hollow as winning the fourth quarter 17-0 after spending the first three quarters digging a 30-point hole.
That's ultimately where Tomlin has a point.
For what it's worth, Travis and Jason proceeded to laugh at the concept of players-only meetings. Those are two future Hall of Famers and a Super Bowl-winning head coach. Odds are they've been in players-only meetings in their careers. Their reaction would suggest those meetings don't have a particularly strong batting average.
That's the danger for Dallas. What happens if the meeting doesn't work? What happens if a player who stressed the importance of tackling watches a linebacker whiff in the open field? What happens if the secondary has another communication breakdown, or the linebackers lose their gap discipline again?
Once you've publicly acknowledged the problems, every recurrence becomes that much more magnified. That's why Tomlin's comments raise the stakes for Sunday night. There better be evidence that something resonated behind closed doors.
Or, you know, just win the football game. That would quiet the noise for another week.
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