A Bad Pattern

[rcaldw]

I want to address something that I've noticed on our board here that bothers me. It is a personal opinion and so I welcome comments both from those who disagree with me as well as those who agree. The only thing I would ask is that you give thoughtful responses to this, not just knee jerk smart alek answers.

I see articles posted, one featuring Dale Hansen for example, others featuring other writers or media types, that criticize Bill Parcells.

*They criticize him for not talking
*They criticize him for what they view to be some questionable draft picks

Immediately I see posters who jump to Parcell's defense, say that Hansen and others are stupid, jealous, just mad at Parcells and that these people don't speak for us. WE DON'T CARE, the thought goes, WHETHER PARCELLS EVER TALKS OR NOT. Or, HE WILL TALK WHEN HE IS GOOD AND READY, HE IS THE COACH.

I've got to say that I completely disagree with that mindset. Whether I like Dale Hansen or Randy Galloway or anyone who has been critical of Parcells is beside the point.

DO THEY HAVE ANY MERIT IN WHAT THEY ARE SAYING?

I believe they do.

*I think fans DO want to hear from our head coach and further more, I think the team owes it to its fans to let us hear from the head coach.

*I think the head coach DOES have to be accountable for the decisions that he is making both in the draft and on the field. I personally don't have any problem with this year's draft, except, once again, it is heavy, heavy on defense. And, when we go offense, we still look like Bill Parcells in that we go TE, and I think it should be clear to everyone that Parcells is living in his past with almost all of his decisions, once again trying to create what he did with the Giants. If he can get it done, I have no problem with that, but I DO THINK that it is worth questioning and worth him addressing.

So, in a nutshell, I just don't understand this immediate wrath upon anyone who questions Parcells, and I don't understand fans who think that the head coach of a professional football team, a team that supposedly cares about its fans and paying customers, doesn't have any obligation to ever speak to the media.

I don't care for the media either, but they are our only conduit for information.

Your opinion?

 

[Funxva]

Hey man, I want to hear every shred of information that I can get my hands on too. I mean what could BP tell us right now about our picks or the draft that we haven't heard from other sources within the cowboys org? About the picks? We have heard from our own draft guru himself on that one. Where the club is headed this offseason? We have heard from the VP of the club on that one.

I think most of the drive by 'boys media is just salivating over the chance to try to evoke a response out of Bill in regards to TO and he isn't having it.

 

[ddh33]

Of course I want to know every single thing about this team, but I don't blame Bill for not wanting to talk to the reporters. They usually never ask the questions we really want to hear anyway. And their constant whining about Bill not talking only makes me understand Bill not talking more.

 

[rexrobinson]

I just flat out do not trust journalist. T.O. is here and they want to cash in on possible drama. They cannot do that when B.P. is silent and he knows it. He loves to toy with the media since all they ever do is stab him in the back.

 

[DallasEast]

A head coach is accountable for making decisions which will determine the fortunes or misfortunes of his team. The product which he will put on the field each Sunday will speak for him. If the media, fans, etc., don't like the fact that he's not going to answer their questions on demand, that's really tough **** for everybody else.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

*I think the head coach DOES have to be accountable for the decisions that he is making both in the draft and on the field. I personally don't have any problem with this year's draft, except, once again, it is heavy, heavy on defense. And, when we go offense, we still look like Bill Parcells in that we go TE, and I think it should be clear to everyone that Parcells is living in his past with almost all of his decisions, once again trying to create what he did with the Giants. If he can get it done, I have no problem with that, but I DO THINK that it is worth questioning and worth him addressing.

So, in a nutshell, I just don't understand this immediate wrath upon anyone who questions Parcells, and I don't understand fans who think that the head coach of a professional football team, a team that supposedly cares about its fans and paying customers, doesn't have any obligation to ever speak to the media.

I don't care for the media either, but they are our only conduit for information.

Your opinion?

Regarding the draft:
This is a Parcells team. They are built on hard nosed defense. DeMarcus Ware is our Lawrence Taylor, and the hope is that Bobby Carpenter is our Harry Carson. That pretty much explains why we went OLB in teh 1st round, and anyone who didint think it was an area of concern is kidding themselvs.

Offense was addressed in FA. Kosier was signed to get some mobility at Guard, Fabini is penciled in to start at RT. So while the OL still worries me, it was not left unattended.

TO was added. We also added Fasano to give us the 2 TE's that we need in order to run our base formation.

The draft may have been defensively heavy, but the FA period was very offense minded. If you have concerns about the age of our 2 starting WRs, Im with you a bit, but I also think that we deicded to see how far along Crayton has come. Though we will need to address WR in the future, the progress Crayton showed was good.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I have no problems with Parcells not having a press conference every time the Cowboys make a move. He deserves his time off also. It's alot better than when Campo and Avezzano would tell everyone that would listen what the Cowboys were doing.

 

[rcaldw]

A head coach is accountable for making decisions which will determine the fortunes or misfortunes of his team. The product which he will put on the field each Sunday will speak for him. If the media, fans, etc., don't like the fact that he's not going to answer their questions on demand, that's really tough **** for everybody else.

Great responses so far, and actually, I can at least see the point of view of most of them, even if I would slightly disagree. But this one is the point of view I just respectfully disagree with.

I think the head coach of a pro sports franchise, any sport, has to meet with the media. And I think he has to be there, not just after a game (which Parcells does), but also during key off season moments. Is there any other head coach who doesn't? Heck, even Bill Belichek (sp?) does it.

Parcells can think the questions are stupid all he wants (and we wouldn't disagree with him), but the way you handle that is to rephrase the question so that it isn't stupid, or give the answer that makes better sense.

I personally think that Parcells thinks too much of himself as a mind games player and in some instances hurts his team with it. That has nothing to do with media relations, but just as an aside, and I do think that he thinks he is pretty smart in not meeting with the media.

 

[Verdict]

As a fan, I'd love to hear Parcells thoughts. I do believe that can be counter productive at times, though. For instance, it might be less appropriate BEFORE the draft, than AFTER the draft, since he might not want to tip his hand.

If the team wanted to give access to Parcells' thoughts without the T.O. issue cropping up he could give a statement and not take questions.

 

[RCowboyFan]

I think you are taking this bit too extreme here. It has been noted, once the TC starts, BP is the first coach with Cowboys, who has so many PCs, more than any other coach ever did, including Landry.

Second, HC doesn't really make Draft decisions completely anyway. No matter how much media or we like to give BP the whole credit, most of the credit should go to Jeff Ireland then Jerry/BP.

Third, its one thing to critize BP for making a bad decisions about Roster/Game day decisions etc. But choosing not to talk to Media? Especially when we all heard from Jerry etc. that BP is on board with TO thing? What we are talking about here, is really, somehow you want to hear from BP and not Jerry about TO. The same with Media. I.e. they and you don't believe Jerry.

Personally, I believe Jerry. So I don't see the need for BP to talk about that. Would I like to hear more from him? Sure, but I don't see the necessity, when there is no need for it. Especially when BP is trying to make sure TO doesn't get special treatment. Having a PC about TO is giving him special treatment, which he hasn't given anyone so far.

So bottom line, I have critized BP, for some of the decisions he has made, but really in this case, I just don't see any real valid point, other than Media needing to write a story or some fans wanting confirmation from BP about TO etc.

 

[Thick 'N Hearty]

I just flat out do not trust journalist. T.O. is here and they want to cash in on possible drama. They cannot do that when B.P. is silent and he knows it. He loves to toy with the media since all they ever do is stab him in the back.

Journalists aren't dirty people. Sometimes all they can report is what is being told to them by their sources. Trust me on this one.

Most of the time – not necessarily all of them – jounalists will hear a rumor and get someone else to confirm it before they report on it. It called cooberation. Some don't do it because, right or wrong, they want the scoop.

Of course "they want to cash in on possible drama." That's what they are paid to do... get the story. For Cowboy's beat writers, the story is going to be TO and Bill all season long unless something else comes up. You have perhaps the most explosive player talent-wise and emotionally on the same team as a coach who doesn't like to mix it up. Where do you think the story is.

 

[burmafrd]

TOTALLY WRONG. BP has no need to talk to the media. JJ does plenty for everyone. What happens on the field is what is important. Just how many fans care that BP says very little now? This is not the football season.
BP will talk during TC and the season WHEN IT MATTERS. DO YOU really think that whether a coach talks to the media affects attendence or TV ratings?
NO. SO it DOES NOT MATTER. I happen to love the contempt that BP treats the media with- it has been WELL EARNED.

 

[rcaldw]

Regarding the draft:
This is a Parcells team. They are built on hard nosed defense. DeMarcus Ware is our Lawrence Taylor, and the hope is that Bobby Carpenter is our Harry Carson. That pretty much explains why we went OLB in teh 1st round, and anyone who didint think it was an area of concern is kidding themselvs.

Offense was addressed in FA. Kosier was signed to get some mobility at Guard, Fabini is penciled in to start at RT. So while the OL still worries me, it was not left unattended.

TO was added. We also added Fasano to give us the 2 TE's that we need in order to run our base formation.

The draft may have been defensively heavy, but the FA period was very offense minded. If you have concerns about the age of our 2 starting WRs, Im with you a bit, but I also think that we deicded to see how far along Crayton has come. Though we will need to address WR in the future, the progress Crayton showed was good.

These are some great points Billy, and I don't take issue with any of them.

So far the other reasons that have been given for Parcell's silence are:

*Nothing to say that we haven’t heard from someone else
*Not giving the media a chance to blow up the T.O. situation
*The media doesn’t ask good questions and whines
*If he stays silent the media can’t do anything with the T.O. situation
*A head coach doesn’t have to answer to the media or fans just put a good product on the field

I think that each of these has SOME merit (except the last one), but I think that each can also be countered, and if you took that attitude to its end result a head coach would never meet with the press, even after games.

 

[Chief]

I want to address something that I've noticed on our board here that bothers me. It is a personal opinion and so I welcome comments both from those who disagree with me as well as those who agree. The only thing I would ask is that you give thoughtful responses to this, not just knee jerk smart alek answers.

I see articles posted, one featuring Dale Hansen for example, others featuring other writers or media types, that criticize Bill Parcells.

*They criticize him for not talking
*They criticize him for what they view to be some questionable draft picks

Immediately I see posters who jump to Parcell's defense, say that Hansen and others are stupid, jealous, just mad at Parcells and that these people don't speak for us. WE DON'T CARE, the thought goes, WHETHER PARCELLS EVER TALKS OR NOT. Or, HE WILL TALK WHEN HE IS GOOD AND READY, HE IS THE COACH.

I've got to say that I completely disagree with that mindset. Whether I like Dale Hansen or Randy Galloway or anyone who has been critical of Parcells is beside the point.

DO THEY HAVE ANY MERIT IN WHAT THEY ARE SAYING?

I believe they do.

*I think fans DO want to hear from our head coach and further more, I think the team owes it to its fans to let us hear from the head coach.

*I think the head coach DOES have to be accountable for the decisions that he is making both in the draft and on the field. I personally don't have any problem with this year's draft, except, once again, it is heavy, heavy on defense. And, when we go offense, we still look like Bill Parcells in that we go TE, and I think it should be clear to everyone that Parcells is living in his past with almost all of his decisions, once again trying to create what he did with the Giants. If he can get it done, I have no problem with that, but I DO THINK that it is worth questioning and worth him addressing.

So, in a nutshell, I just don't understand this immediate wrath upon anyone who questions Parcells, and I don't understand fans who think that the head coach of a professional football team, a team that supposedly cares about its fans and paying customers, doesn't have any obligation to ever speak to the media.

I don't care for the media either, but they are our only conduit for information.

Your opinion?

Outstanding, well thought-out post.

I've posted similar thoughts in recent days.

 

[Crown Royal]

As a fan, though I would love to hear from him, I don't feel it is his duty.

As a fan, I feel it is his obligation to win us games - the media has nothing to do with us winning, so it doesn't factor into his duties, as far as I am concerned.

 

[jimmy40]

I want to address something that I've noticed on our board here that bothers me. It is a personal opinion and so I welcome comments both from those who disagree with me as well as those who agree. The only thing I would ask is that you give thoughtful responses to this, not just knee jerk smart alek answers.

I see articles posted, one featuring Dale Hansen for example, others featuring other writers or media types, that criticize Bill Parcells.

*They criticize him for not talking
*They criticize him for what they view to be some questionable draft picks

Immediately I see posters who jump to Parcell's defense, say that Hansen and others are stupid, jealous, just mad at Parcells and that these people don't speak for us. WE DON'T CARE, the thought goes, WHETHER PARCELLS EVER TALKS OR NOT. Or, HE WILL TALK WHEN HE IS GOOD AND READY, HE IS THE COACH.

I've got to say that I completely disagree with that mindset. Whether I like Dale Hansen or Randy Galloway or anyone who has been critical of Parcells is beside the point.

DO THEY HAVE ANY MERIT IN WHAT THEY ARE SAYING?

I believe they do.

*I think fans DO want to hear from our head coach and further more, I think the team owes it to its fans to let us hear from the head coach.

*I think the head coach DOES have to be accountable for the decisions that he is making both in the draft and on the field. I personally don't have any problem with this year's draft, except, once again, it is heavy, heavy on defense. And, when we go offense, we still look like Bill Parcells in that we go TE, and I think it should be clear to everyone that Parcells is living in his past with almost all of his decisions, once again trying to create what he did with the Giants. If he can get it done, I have no problem with that, but I DO THINK that it is worth questioning and worth him addressing.

So, in a nutshell, I just don't understand this immediate wrath upon anyone who questions Parcells, and I don't understand fans who think that the head coach of a professional football team, a team that supposedly cares about its fans and paying customers, doesn't have any obligation to ever speak to the media.

I don't care for the media either, but they are our only conduit for information.

Your opinion?

As the average age of the posters on this forum goes down the % of homers will go up.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

It's offseason . I'll expect reports during training camp , but not before .

 

[Shake_Tiller]

As someone who really likes Randy Galloway, personally, and who has been in the media -- business, not sports -- my entire adult life, I'm not quite so cynical about journalism, though I so have problems with the road it has taken, maybe most particularly on the sports side.

But I do think that many journalists -- certainly not all -- have gotten complacent and maybe somewhat lazy in their dealings with the subjects they cover. Now I am no great shakes journalist, but where the industry I cover is concerned, I absolutely hate getting press releases or being invited to participate in press conferences. I have little or no opportunity, through those venues, to "scoop" my competitors. I would much rather use whatever skills I might have to convince sources to talk with me privately. No, I don't deal with celebrities such as Parcells, but I do deal with CEOs who are paid many millions of dollars annually, and some of them do talk with me privately, both for attribution and not for attribution. It requires a great deal of work to get those interviews, and it's one reason I don't post here more often.

I would like to see the folks that cover the Cowboys spend much less time complaining about Parcells' inaccessibility and much more time attempting to convince him to talk with them. I'm sure it would be a difficult task, but in my mind, it's their job.

As for whether Parcells somehow "cheats" the fans or the franchise by choosing to forego opportunities for press conferences, I think it's for his employer to decide. If Jerry Jones thinks Parcells should talk, say, following the draft or following the Owens acquisition, it should be part of the coach's job description. Frankly, I don't think Jones feels that it hurts the Cowboys, financially or otherwise, for Parcells to keep silent, and I think Jones likes the fact that it makes the general manager -- in this case, the owner -- more the off-season face of the franchise.

I don't pretend to understand Parcells' reasoning behind this recent silent period -- though I think I and many others here could make very good guesses -- but it doesn't particularly concern me. I know others disagree, and I respect that.

 

[DallasEast]

I think the head coach of a pro sports franchise, any sport, has to meet with the media. And I think he has to be there, not just after a game (which Parcells does), but also during key off season moments. Is there any other head coach who doesn't? Heck, even Bill Belichek (sp?) does it.

Why must every head coach be the same as the next? Must a head coach be a carbon copy of his peers?

No, he doesn't and Parcells certainly isn't. Never has been. He has enjoyed past success and does not have to change simply because there are some who want him to change for their benefit.

Parcells can think the questions are stupid all he wants (and we wouldn't disagree with him), but the way you handle that is to rephrase the question so that it isn't stupid, or give the answer that makes better sense.

Or he can simply handle his business the same as always. No one has ever died from his silence.

I personally think that Parcells thinks too much of himself as a mind games player and in some instances hurts his team with it. That has nothing to do with media relations, but just as an aside, and I do think that he thinks he is pretty smart in not meeting with the media.

[EDIT] His silence doesn't hurt the team. He doesn't coach the media. He doesn't coach the fans. He coaches teams. If his coaching methods do not push his players to exhibit their best capabilities on the field, then he has failed as a coach.

It's really a shame that some must hang on a head coach's every utterance to justify their own insecurities about their team and/or players.

 

[rcaldw]

As a fan, though I would love to hear from him, I don't feel it is his duty.

As a fan, I feel it is his obligation to win us games - the media has nothing to do with us winning, so it doesn't factor into his duties, as far as I am concerned.

Crown,

This is the one I don't understand, and I would love for you to elaborate on it.

There are jobs all of the time that have PR responsibilities as well as the basic duties of the position.

If it was established principle that a head coach of a sports franchise didn't have PR responsibilities, then I could understand Parcells opting out.

Having said that, RCowboyfan had a point I had not considered. If it is indeed true that Parcells meets with the media more than other head coaches have during training camp, etc. That is, if he is truly accessible to the media, and this is just a time when he and other head coaches don't meet with the media, then it is all a fuss about nothing.

But while he might meet regularly during training camp, is he alone in that? Do other head coaches not do that? And do other head coaches not meet with the media during draft time? Is that a pretty normal practice?

My point is that I believe that public relations IS A PART OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION of a head coach. It is the norm. It is expected, not just in football, but in all sports.

Granted, Jerry is his boss and can allow him to opt out if he wants, but it is the fans who don't get to hear from him as a result.