Audio: Sham and Brown talk T.O. candidly (17 minute version)

[Boysboy]

Jordan, I think everyone here(including myself) has been very frustrated with the season as a whole thus far. Lots of talent, Super Bowl expectations, only for everything to be a roller coaster ride b/c we've underperformed.

If anything, ALOT of the coaches/players deserve criticism, but the nature of the beast in all this, I guess, is to just merely point out a few guys.

 

[Rampage]

So he trains as hard as any athlete who has ever lived...only to go on the field and not give it his all?

Call me crazy, but I don't really believe that.

Remember the play in week 3 against Green Bay where he was blocked to the ground, but got up and chased Nick Collins about 60 yards downfield to prevent a TD? How many receivers in NFL history have ever even done that once?

I guess they all just didn't try hard enough on the field. CUT THEM!!!

yeah that was a great play. remember against the steelers when he did nothing to prevent Romo's second interception?

 

[JordanTaber]

yeah that was a great play. remember against the steelers when he did nothing to prevent Romo's second interception?

How is he supposed to prevent an interception when he's beaten Ike Taylor down the sidelines and is expecting a pass over the top, but the ball is instead a wounded duck and Taylor just turns around and picks it off?

 

[Rampage]

How is he supposed to prevent an interception when he's beaten Ike Taylor down the sidelines and is expecting a pass over the top, but the ball is instead a wounded duck and Taylor just turns around and picks it off?

owens stopped. there for he should have tried to knock it down or just push or grab taylor. take a penalty if you have to atleast fight for it. why don't you just go join terrellowens.com since your just a t.o. fan and not a cowboys fan.

 

[Idgit]

Wow. This was very interesting. My problems with TO mostly have to do with his personality. I hadn't heard consistent criticism of his route running--other than that it's not really a strong suit for him. I'm going to have to think about it some more because it could change the way I think about this offense. Good stuff.

 

[dcfanatic]

FYI-he said Wade didn't play prevent at the end. It had alot to do with the lack of communication in coverages by the defense.

Sham did say that on the DFW video I put up earlier.

And I still think Wade has to take some heat for the players being confused at the end of the game.

How many times have we seen this secondary blow coverages because all of them are not on the same page about what coverage they are in.

IT'S THE COACHES RESPONSIBILITY TO GET THEM ON THE SAME PAGE!

Maybe there are too many defensive packages? Having more than one penalty on the defense for 12 men on the field is too many IMO.

Just let the players play already. Enough with all the 'cute stuff' because it's been a problem all season and it obviously continues to be a problem so it's time to change something.

 

[Ren]

So he trains as hard as any athlete who has ever lived...only to go on the field and not give it his all?

Call me crazy, but I don't really believe that.

How many times this season have you seen TO fight for a ball?

I'm sorry to break it to you but if TO had spent half the energy he spend complaining about getting the ball actually going out and getting the ball then this would be a non issue

 

[InmanRoshi]

Everyone in the organization is petrified to call him out on his nonsense because he's Jerry's pet cat/vanity project (just like PacMan) and he has a proven track record of being such a headcase and volatile personality that any confrontation from his teammates or coaches causes him to completely fly off the handles like he did with the Eagles or swallow a bottle of vicadin like he did under Parcells. And basically he gets off scott free for everything with no accountability, and everyone takes the heat around him. When he doesn't get open Garrett takes the heat for not "inventing" ways to get him open, not that TO can't get seperation. When Romo throws it to him after he's quit on a route then it's Romo's bad throw/decision. I wish there was a Charles Haley on this team that didn't give a crap if he is Jerry's pet cat or TO's sensative feelings who would tell TO where he could shove it.

 

[dcfanatic]

I don't get the complaints though. TO quits on his routes. Okay. The balls still would've been intercepted lol. The balls still were horrible. He's still not in motion. Did TO quit on routes last season when he broke Cowboy records? That's why I can't really take these complains serious. Bring up these complaints after a win for once.

Are you blind?

If T.O. didn't quit on that pass that was picked by Polamalu he may have caught the pass or at least been able to 'defend the pass' and it would have been an incompletion.

WR's also have a responsibility to their QB's to fight for the ball no matter how bad the pass is. Braylon Edwards is another guy who quits on routes.

Even on the TD pass T.O. caught on Clements he had slowed up after he go by Clements on the double move. Then he saw the ball in the air and kicked it into another gear to go get it.

And did he quit on routes last season when he broke Cowboys records?

Of course he did. A tiger can't change his stripes.

 

[dcfanatic]

That's what I've been trying to say-IF we had hung onto our 13-3 lead in the 4th w/ the Steelers O struggling big time, then all Larry Brown and Brad Sham would be talking about tonight is how our win in Pittsburgh was the best thing since sliced breat, how TO made a great acrobatic catch in the endzone, etc, etc.

Now-I'm shocked that they're not going as for as blaming TO for blowing the 13-3 lead in the 4th!

You have no clue. Larry Brown has been saying this about T.O. for weeks now.

 

[Tusan_Homichi]

TO is a big time player, but all this other stuff does get old. We watched the Giants get rid of a questionable locker room guy in Shockey and then actually improve. I wonder if, since we do actually have good receivers including a number 1 behind TO, we'd be better off doing something similar.

The question is if his play on the field is worth more to you than the stuff you have to put up with off the field. The thing is, it's not his off the field stuff that is bothering me right now. When he was kicking *** all the time and not quitting on routes and pouting, it was worth it. Now? I'm not so sure.

 

[dcfanatic]

Everyone in the organization is petrified to call him out on his nonsense because he's such a headcase and volatile personality everyone has to tip toe around it or just roll their eyes and walk away as he's throwing his tantrums. They don't want him completely flying off the reservation like he did with the Eagles or swallowing a bottle of vicadin like he did under Parcells. And basically he gets off scott free for everything with no accountability, and everyone takes the heat around him. When he doesn't get open Garrett takes the heat for not "inventing" ways to get him open. When Romo throws it to him when he's covered (typically after he's thrown a hissy on the sidelines because he believes he's getting open every play), then it's Romo's fault for making the bad decision/throw, not TO's fault that he didn't get any seperation. I wish there was a Charles Haley on this team that didn't give a crap if he is Jerry's pet cat or TO's sensative feelings who would tell TO where he could shove it. Until then, I guess we just have to bide time until we can close this dark chapter in the organization and the lowest common denominator of fandom can find a new megalomaniac to rally around.

Exactly! But how long is Romo going to put up with that BS?

 

[Hoofbite]

Exactly! But how long is Romo going to put up with that BS?

As long as Tony turns the ball over like he does, I don't think Romo has a lot of room to be telling anything to anybody.

 

[Doomsday]

Wow. This was very interesting. My problems with TO mostly have to do with his personality. I hadn't heard consistent criticism of his route running--other than that it's not really a strong suit for him. I'm going to have to think about it some more because it could change the way I think about this offense. Good stuff.

You see it all the time he runs lazy routes. He doesnt try to sell his man deep before running a comeback or slant, he runs it half hearted routes pretty frequently. It is irritating, but then you see a play like the TD yesterday where he is running back and forth in the end zone trying to get free for a TD.

 

[theebs]

Exactly! But how long is Romo going to put up with that BS?

Romo is an ego-less player who will do whatever it takes for the team to win.

and that fits the mold of this team and how they were put together.

You will never see romo-witten-barber-flozell etc...call anyone out because they are hard working, self respecting adults who can admit mistake and go forward.

Laufenberg has been using game film as proof and talking about this since the guy showed up. Its nothing new. IN the past month he has quit on more routes than usual though and since we are teetering on missing the playoffs, I fully expect the driveway situps soon where he blames garrett and romo.

Then in turn the sheep, blame garrett and romo.

We had a guy who stood up to him, Todd Haley, but he had to go and we all know who ordered him out of here. No one can stand up to 81. In his mind he is the best player on this team and everyone and everything goes through him and he never makes mistakes. And the guys in this locker room know, if you question the almighty, the head buffoon will remove you, see Todd Haley.

 

[khiladi]

TO is a big time player, but all this other stuff does get old. We watched the Giants get rid of a questionable locker room guy in Shockey and then actually improve. I wonder if, since we do actually have good receivers including a number 1 behind TO, we'd be better off doing something similar.

The question is if his play on the field is worth more to you than the stuff you have to put up with off the field. The thing is, it's not his off the field stuff that is bothering me right now. When he was kicking *** all the time and not quitting on routes and pouting, it was worth it. Now? I'm not so sure.

Or it could just be Shockey is nowhere on the level of TO... He is replaceable... We saw what happened to this offense when TO didn't play last year... TO makes life easy...BTW, TO is getting open...Romo either doesn't see him or the OL can't block worth crap...

 

[Boysboy]

Or it could just be Shockey is nowhere on the level of TO... He is replaceable... We saw what happened to this offense when TO didn't play last year... TO makes life easy...BTW, TO is getting open...Romo either doesn't see him or the OL can't block worth crap...

Shockey is a very talented player-why he doesn't produce, I don't know. When Fassell/Payton were in NY, he was playing out of his mind.

 

[khiladi]

Shockey is a very talented player-why he doesn't produce, I don't know. When Fassell/Payton were in NY, he was playing out of his mind.

No he wasn't... He is one of the most over-rated players in the league. I believe it was Joyner that rated him as such... If he wasn't on such a high-profile team as the Giants, nobody would have given him any props...The point though, he is not even the dust on TOs shoes... The analogy is ridiculous...

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Everyone in the organization is petrified to call him out on his nonsense because he's Jerry's pet cat/vanity project (just like PacMan) and he has a proven track record of being such a headcase and volatile personality that any confrontation from his teammates or coaches causes him to completely fly off the handles like he did with the Eagles or swallow a bottle of vicadin like he did under Parcells. And basically he gets off scott free for everything with no accountability, and everyone takes the heat around him. When he doesn't get open Garrett takes the heat for not "inventing" ways to get him open, not that TO can't get seperation. When Romo throws it to him after he's quit on a route then it's Romo's bad throw/decision. I wish there was a Charles Haley on this team that didn't give a crap if he is Jerry's pet cat or TO's sensative feelings who would tell TO where he could shove it.

Bingo...

And the real danger with TO is that he's such a polarizing personality that if he goes off, some people will take his side. You can see it on the board -- there are some people who defend his every action no matter what. And I have no doubt it's that way in the locker room, too... Just like it was in Philly.

The good news is that with Roy here, we wouldn't be completely shut down if he did go off. At Philly and later in his SF career, he was so far above the next WR, they really were hamstrung. So at least we aren't in that position anymore.

And as far as his routes and so forth, theebs is right. Laufenberg has been saying for a couple of years now that he's lousy at beating the press and he does get frustrated and runs very imprecise routes. Even Galloway has said that you can't see it unless you're at the stadium and can see the entire field (which TV doesn't show), but he really does get pushed around in press coverage and runs these "mystery meat" routes where he seems to freelance as he goes. That's why he was so good with Garcia and McNabb and Romo -- because they can buy time and by then it's a freelance situation anyway. TO wouldn't be nearly as good playing with a timing based, precision offense and QB like Aikman.

 

[Boysboy]

Bingo...

And the real danger with TO is that he's such a polarizing personality that if he goes off, some people will take his side. You can see it on the board -- there are some people who defend his every action no matter what. And I have no doubt it's that way in the locker room, too... Just like it was in Philly.

The good news is that with Roy here, we wouldn't be completely shut down if he did go off. At Philly and later in his SF career, he was so far above the next WR, they really were hamstrung. So at least we aren't in that position anymore.

And as far as his routes and so forth, theebs is right. Laufenberg has been saying for a couple of years now that he's lousy at beating the press and he does get frustrated and runs very imprecise routes. Even Galloway has said that you can't see it unless you're at the stadium and can see the entire field (which TV doesn't show), but he really does get pushed around in press coverage and runs these "mystery meat" routes where he seems to freelance as he goes. That's why he was so good with Garcia and McNabb and Romo -- because they can buy time and by then it's a freelance situation anyway. TO would be lousy under a timing based precision offense and QB like Aikman.

TO doesn't have many friends here to boot-whenever he has his annual bday party, lots of his Eagles buddies come, but VERY few of his Cowboys buddies do. I guess that's a good thing b/c the locker room division is/won't be that bad.

BTW-whenever we play the Eagles, it's been reported that he hangs out at the Eagles hotel with his buddies here in Dallas. It sounds to me like he *misses* Philly. And for that matter, I myself am starting to get suspicious.