FRISCO, Texas – Give me a break, this extensive ESPN.com lengthy piece suggesting how the Cowboys tours out here at The Star are becoming a distraction for players' concentration and getting their work done.
All perspective from players no longer here, for sure laced with some sour grapes for either being let go and or not re-signed in free agency. And this tour topic first was brought to our attention by former Cowboys' franchised tight end Dalton Schultz, bitter over the team not re-signing him to a lengthy, high-priced extension when speaking up after signing a free agent deal with Houston.
Said it was distracting having people on tours staring through the windows of the weight room while he was trying to work out. Seriously, not making that up. Poor baby. And now this piece by a media member having purchased a tour ticket to gain access to the building, and in places where the everyday outside media isn't allowed to roam. Might have been even an exaggeration of where tours are not allowed.
Well, let me tell you something. Back in the 1990s, when the Cowboys were winning three Super Bowls in four years, playing in four consecutive NFC titles games (1992-95), the first three against the San Francisco 49ers the Cowboys will face Sunday night in Santa Clara, Calif., and winning five consecutive NFC East titles, the Cowboys' locker room out at The Ranch might as well have been a flea market.
There was a guy in there selling jewelry, to the point we named him Jewelry Man. There was a tailor in there peddling men's wear. An artist selling paintings. Heck, the restaurant owner catering food taking orders for smoked or fried turkeys around Thanksgiving.
And the Cowboys won. And they won. And they won. Maybe tougher players. Maybe better players. Why, from 1991 through 1996, six consecutive winning seasons, the Cowboys had players selected to the NFC Pro Bowl 51 times. Fifty-one now!
Didn't hear any whining back then that these vendors were getting in their way heading over to the lunch area. Or of these vendors hanging out outside not only the individual position meetings rooms during open locker rooms, but also the big team meeting room they had to pass by going in and out of the players' entrance into The Ranch.
Come on, it's football. Some of these fringe guys shouldn't sweat the small stuff.
Look, back in my newspaper days, there we sat courtside at like a Mavs game or a college basketball game with the game coming down to the final minutes, 18,000 screaming fans in the house while trying to bang out a story right on deadline, with just enough time to plug in the final score. And I'm going to make some lame excuse "tourists" were looking at me or someone was screaming in my ear or talking about me for why I missed deadline?
This preconceived story now has gone nationwide, seeing a headline in the San Francisco Chronicle this morning reading, "Ahead of 49ers matchup, the Cowboys sound like a complete train wreck." Cheap column in my book, relying on perception instead of fact. As if these former players sniping from afar have anything to do with the Cowboys currently having a better winning percentage than the Niners. In fact, Dante Fowler Jr. posted on X, "I didn't say that," to how he was quoted.
And if these gone guys like Jayron Kearse, Dorance Armstrong and of all people Noah Igbinoghene who managed to play all of five games and but 25 defensive snaps, like, probably seen more walking the hallways out here by those on tours than seeing him on the field, were disturbed so badly, maybe that's why they are not here anymore.
Hey, tough it out, man. As Bill Parcells would say, "Don't be a distractable player."
- Injuries Still Matter: The Cowboys still are without their top four defensive ends, three of them on injured reserve and Micah Parsons still not practicing after missing the previous two games with a high-ankle sprain. Then there is DaRon Bland, "Did Not Practice" on Wednesday, basically the Pro Bowl corner spending his time with the rehab group, nursing his surgically repaired foot (fractured fifth metatarsal) back into playing shape. At least veteran middle linebacker Eric Kendricks is listed as "Limited," which is a good sign for possibly returning after missing the Detroit game. Oh, and not kicking on Wednesday was Brandon Aubrey, out with, of all things, "jury duty." Come on, man, tell the judge who you are.
- Warner Effect: There are two sides to how this Niners linebacker Fred Warner pancake is affecting Sunday night's game. First, Warner, in his seventh season, is a really good player. Leads the Niners with 58 tackles, but also has a sack, two interceptions, five passes defensed and four forced fumbles. As Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy says, "Playing as well as anybody." Or Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle pointing out, "You've got to be alert and aware of him." Good advice. Might be among the last of those three-down middle linebackers. Then there is just his presence at MLB on the Niners, where Kendricks was going to sign as a likely backup until he discovered Cowboys now defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, his former head coach at Minnesota, wanted him here as the "starting" MLB. Again, bang for the buck, best free agent signing.
- Line It Up: Appears rookie Tyler Guyton is ready to resume his starting role at left tackle, having missed most of the past two games with a banged-up knee, causing the Cowboys to move Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith to tackle and insert inexperienced second-year guard T.J. Bass at left guard early in the Pittsburgh game and for the entire Detroit game. The Cowboys got through the Steelers but were not as effective in the loss to the Lions when playing the entire game with that realignment. And when asked what he needs to see from the Cowboys' first-round pick, McCarthy said, "I think the big thing is to take a huge step in his confidence and apply that to what he's learned over the first five weeks." And knowing how rookies tend to belabor mistakes in games, McCarthy added, "It's so important for a young player not to spend a whole lot of time in the valley." Just get in there and scrap, and get Smith back to his most powerful position at guard, especially in the run game.
- Looking Around: While in the locker room Wednesday, just looking around, and realizing not practicing are Brandin Cooks, Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, Chuma Edoga, DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland, while veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was sitting there after his first practice since going on IR Sept. 18 with an apparent wrist injury, his 21-day return window having just begun. That's a lot.
- Sam The Man: Oh, and on Monday saw defensive end Sam Williams for the first time in the locker room since suffering a torn ACL during training camp, going on IR Aug. 6 and having reconstructive surgery when the team returned from camp. Seemed to be in good spirits, finally off crutches, actually walking around just fine with his rehab in full swing. Said it's been tough, suffering the first injury he's ever had. But vowed, "Put this in your notes, (next season) is going to be my revenge year." Gotcha down, Sam.
- Burnt Ends: The Cowboys' offensive linemen have had their hands full with these top pass-rushing defensive ends, with the likes of Myles Garrett, Kayvon Thibodeaux, T.J. Watt, Aiden Hutchinson and now the Niners Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd. Those two ends have combined for 6½ sacks in seven games. Then there is former Cowboys' 2016 third-round pick Maliek Collins, who spent four seasons with Dallas, with three sacks, along with his backup Kevin Givens with 3½ sacks. The Niners have 18 quarterback sacks in seven games to the Cowboys 14 in six games, with Lawrence still on IR leading with three sacks.
- Here We Go Again: Getting closer but yet so far for Cowboys' former cornerback Everson Walls' induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Walls has now advanced this year from 183 Senior candidates to 60 and now 31, before the blue-ribbon Seniors Committee narrows the candidates to three. There are four cornerbacks among the candidates, and Cowboys defensive end Harvey Martin, Super Bowl XII co-MVP, is also one of two defensive linemen in the group. It's beyond time for Walls' induction. Speaking of inductions, just announced Cowboys former defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones is being inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame this year.
- After The Bye: No Christian McCaffrey for the Niners, not really a problem since backup Jordon Mason has rushed for 667 yards, second in the NFL to only Derrick Henry's 873, but more than guys named Barkley, Jacobs, Hubbard and Robinson … But as Jourdan Lewis points out, don't go to sleep on quarterback Brock Purdy only throwing the ball, knowing he is the Niners second-leading rusher with 154 yards, averaging 4.5 a carry … As for the weather at practice on Wednesday, a high of 93 degrees, Lewis said, "It was burning up," and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa would agree, saying he needed an IV in October of all things … And with the pads expected to come on for Thursday's practice, once again the highs are expected to be in the lower 90s, so good luck with all that … The Cowboys lost tight end John Stephens in practice to a knee injury on Wednesday, the guy having returned from tearing his ACL during camp his rookie season … The Cowboys keep harping on their minus-6 turnover differential being a problem this season, but they were only minus-1 until turning the ball over five times in the 47-9 loss to Detroit, though three of those turnovers occurred in the fourth quarter with the Lions already leading 40-9.
So Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, very predictably after his eruption last week while answering questions during his Tuesday radio segment on flagship station 105.3 FM The Fan, was back to his cordial self on Tuesday going out of his way answering questions that might have been testy, though the hosts had the sense to tiptoe lightly as if on thin ice.
In fact, it was Jones actually bringing up the Derrick Henry question that seems as if he's been asked at least a 1,000 times since the start of training camp, having to answer why the Cowboys didn't try to sign the NFL's current leading rusher with 873 yards in just seven games, 151 of those coming against the Cowboys in Baltimore's Week 2, 28-25, beating of the Cowboys.
That means Jones gets this week's last word, and if you're sharp, read between the lines what Jerry is trying to say.
"And again, I'm not trying to put words in your mouth, but the point is that we've, in my mind, we're not playing very good football right now at all, and it's beyond whether or not we have Derrick Henry or not. Derrick Henry is having a career year. I don't know if he'd be having that career year in our situation," Jones began. "And that's really something you really do have to look at because if he had not had as many carries as our running backs have had, then he certainly probably wouldn't have attained the level of impact he's having, and then he's a real good compliment to the type of offense they run.
"We don't run that type of offense at all. Our situation is more about, frankly, it's more about holding your blocks, it's more about not making mistakes. It's more about, in my mind, the receivers running through a tough man-demand coverage and running on through it."
Let Jerry continue.
"And if you will get away from that, the types of things that we all think we should be looking at is, well, 'We're designing bad plays or we're designing bad concepts.' The facts are that there's some of that, but there's also some of execution there, some of the talent. I like our talent. I really do like our talent. I like our young talent, but young talent has a few more mistakes associated with it than if you are dealing with a veteran player, although you've got to have young talent.
"As I've said, Derrick Henry didn't fit because principally of managing the cap, of managing the cap in anticipation of the players that we were going to sign weeks later or anticipation of the players were going to be signing in the future."
Jones, if you're reading closely, is saying in my interpretation, the Ravens offense line, along with the ability of Lamar Jackson to run the ball himself (11th with 455 yards), is far ahead of how the Cowboys offensive line is playing.
And the beat goes on.
And on to San Fran, er, Santa Clara.
