CHRIS KEATING
VICTORIA, TX
Drew Brees has to be dreaming about all of the passing records he can set this weekend. Is there any way this defense can at least slow down Brees?
Nick: Yeah, run the football. As great as Brees is, he is terrible on the sidelines, meaning keep it him there and off the field.
Rowan: I would expect another 400-plus yard passing performance. It's been the norm so far against good quarterbacks, the trick is whether or not the defense can get a solid rush on a few plays to have Brees make the two or three mistakes that have helped the Cowboys' defense generate turnovers consistently this year. As long as the Cowboys' defense continues to force fumbles and pick off passes, it will give the offense a chance.
PRINCE THOMAS
HOUSTON, TX
In the light of the recent events on the Miami Dolphins, I would like to ask your thoughts on the importance of hazing to create bonds within a team? Is there a place for hazing as it seems to have occurred in Miami? Should football players be accountable in the workforce like anyone else or do we set up two sets of standards - those for players and those for everyone else?
Nick:I bet there are forms of hazing in all places. The difference is "Hard Knocks" usually doesn't come to cover the inner circles of Wal-Mart corporate offices or the random law firm downtown. But I bet the "new guy" gets his [embedded_ad] share of hazing in all work forms. Is it right? Depends on how far it goes. I think there's a time a place for jokes and pranks but it's that proverbial line that usually gets crossed that becomes a problem. As for what happened in Miami, we're getting so many variations of the story that it seems irresponsible to even attempt to have a comment on the matter, at least from my standpoint.
Rowan: As Nick noted, it's a tough situation to comment on with so many different reports coming out seemingly every day. It doesn't look good from the outside though, particularly with the apparent victim getting blamed in some form or fashion. That's perplexing and troubling. There are versions of light hazing I don't think are a problem in locker rooms. A football team is different from the typical workforce, and making a player sing at training camp or having a rookie buy fast food on the way to a plane for his position group can help with camaraderie and is light on the wallet and the player's psyche. But what's happened in Miami seems to be in a whole different ballpark of unacceptable hazing.
