ClappingCarrot
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What is up people? The sun is out, my beer is cold, and my air conditioning is finally kicking (got a new unit installed yesterday) so that means it's time for another segment of Whispers from the Star. Let's do this:
1. JJT first wanted to follow up and see what the status is with Dak Prescott. Not the contract or anything important, but rather, have the Cowboys talked to him since his party was busted all over the media? A source says that yes, the Cowboys have talked to Dak, but they're not upset with him. It was more of a "Man, can you please keep your stuff under raps and also tell your buddy Dez to stop posting thirsty videos of you all in close proximity?" JJT and I seem to agree that, if Dak is telling the truth about him only having a dinner party of 10 or so people, it should be pretty easy to pinpoint who the rat is selling information to TMZ. Dak needs to find out who that guy is, and take him out back to the woodshed. JJT also followed up with this source and asked, has #4 changed any? Money does, after all, change people. JJT was quick to point to Tony Romo. Pre-fame and success Romo differed DRASTICALLY to Romo once he got paid. Team source seemed pretty staunch in the idea that that's ridiculous and the Dak is a "good kid." I guess we'll see once he breaks the bank in the next two months.
2. This is obvious to anyone who follows football, or specifically the draft, closely. Two names that came up on the Cowboys virtual meeting report was DeAndre Swift and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. I know what you're thinking. "Man, we got Zeke! He just got paid. He's got a good four years left in him before we have to address that position. We have bigger fish to fry on the defensive side of the ball than to look at two RB's that are going to go in the top 60!" And all of that is valid, but the Cowboys are obligated to look at EVERY player that they think can help their team win games. They have pages of notes on a hundred or so of players in this draft because it's their job. You don't know what can happen with trades, free agency, or anything in a profession as fluid as football. Likened the situation to Taco Charlton. He was a first round pick in 2017 and was gone by last season. With a player like that with some upside in FA, you could then review your notes on him from your pre-draft evaluation and decide if you like that guy or hate him. JJT also noted that we interviewed a few defensive ends in 2011 before selecting Tyron Smith in the first round. One of them, you ask? Robert Quinn.
3. Special teams was a pure and inept disaster last season. One of the worst units I've ever seen fielded in the NFL in my 25+ years of watching. So JJT asked the question: "how can you tell if Bones Fassel is going to make a difference here?" With an OC, you can tell if he has success calling plays and scheming up a game plan. With a DC, there are plenty of measurables like turnovers to determine how effective you are. ST is a little at least a little bit different. Special Teams coaches have to have a couple of attributes. The first is an innate eye for details. It's all scheming. The second is you have to understand that most of your life is spent being immersed in game tape. You have to understand how, when, and why to exploit certain weaknesses of your opponent. You have to understand that this guy on the other team does this every play and this is how we can capitalize and make a play. The third is that they absolutely have to be able to manage egos. Even the lowliest players on an NFL team are egomaniacs, and sometimes don't buy in because they think they should be a starter and not on ST. Bones Fassel has a track record of getting his guys hype and buying into what he's preaching. Keith O'Quinn had a difficult time managing egos and that was ultimately the downfall of ST. JJT dropped a nugget that there was an established veteran on our ST squad last year who did not buy in, and consequently told younger players to make "business decisions with your body" because all of those "coaches don't care about you." We had THAT kind of guy on our ST unit last year. You can't have that. JJT didn't specifically mention the player in question here for reasons he said were personal, but all indications lead me to strongly believe that it was Tavon Austin.
That's it folks. Let's do it again next week
https://www.kesn1033.com/2020/04/17/jam-whispers-from-the-staroffseason-pt-16/
1. JJT first wanted to follow up and see what the status is with Dak Prescott. Not the contract or anything important, but rather, have the Cowboys talked to him since his party was busted all over the media? A source says that yes, the Cowboys have talked to Dak, but they're not upset with him. It was more of a "Man, can you please keep your stuff under raps and also tell your buddy Dez to stop posting thirsty videos of you all in close proximity?" JJT and I seem to agree that, if Dak is telling the truth about him only having a dinner party of 10 or so people, it should be pretty easy to pinpoint who the rat is selling information to TMZ. Dak needs to find out who that guy is, and take him out back to the woodshed. JJT also followed up with this source and asked, has #4 changed any? Money does, after all, change people. JJT was quick to point to Tony Romo. Pre-fame and success Romo differed DRASTICALLY to Romo once he got paid. Team source seemed pretty staunch in the idea that that's ridiculous and the Dak is a "good kid." I guess we'll see once he breaks the bank in the next two months.
2. This is obvious to anyone who follows football, or specifically the draft, closely. Two names that came up on the Cowboys virtual meeting report was DeAndre Swift and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. I know what you're thinking. "Man, we got Zeke! He just got paid. He's got a good four years left in him before we have to address that position. We have bigger fish to fry on the defensive side of the ball than to look at two RB's that are going to go in the top 60!" And all of that is valid, but the Cowboys are obligated to look at EVERY player that they think can help their team win games. They have pages of notes on a hundred or so of players in this draft because it's their job. You don't know what can happen with trades, free agency, or anything in a profession as fluid as football. Likened the situation to Taco Charlton. He was a first round pick in 2017 and was gone by last season. With a player like that with some upside in FA, you could then review your notes on him from your pre-draft evaluation and decide if you like that guy or hate him. JJT also noted that we interviewed a few defensive ends in 2011 before selecting Tyron Smith in the first round. One of them, you ask? Robert Quinn.
3. Special teams was a pure and inept disaster last season. One of the worst units I've ever seen fielded in the NFL in my 25+ years of watching. So JJT asked the question: "how can you tell if Bones Fassel is going to make a difference here?" With an OC, you can tell if he has success calling plays and scheming up a game plan. With a DC, there are plenty of measurables like turnovers to determine how effective you are. ST is a little at least a little bit different. Special Teams coaches have to have a couple of attributes. The first is an innate eye for details. It's all scheming. The second is you have to understand that most of your life is spent being immersed in game tape. You have to understand how, when, and why to exploit certain weaknesses of your opponent. You have to understand that this guy on the other team does this every play and this is how we can capitalize and make a play. The third is that they absolutely have to be able to manage egos. Even the lowliest players on an NFL team are egomaniacs, and sometimes don't buy in because they think they should be a starter and not on ST. Bones Fassel has a track record of getting his guys hype and buying into what he's preaching. Keith O'Quinn had a difficult time managing egos and that was ultimately the downfall of ST. JJT dropped a nugget that there was an established veteran on our ST squad last year who did not buy in, and consequently told younger players to make "business decisions with your body" because all of those "coaches don't care about you." We had THAT kind of guy on our ST unit last year. You can't have that. JJT didn't specifically mention the player in question here for reasons he said were personal, but all indications lead me to strongly believe that it was Tavon Austin.
That's it folks. Let's do it again next week
https://www.kesn1033.com/2020/04/17/jam-whispers-from-the-staroffseason-pt-16/
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