Ball is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Dallas Cowboys.
Media doesn't like him. He doesn't do interviews, perhaps because he doesn't want to, but you really can't blame the guy since he gets all the caustic treatment he gets. I was listening to Kyle Youmans on yesterday's podcast once again tossing mud at Ball, having at that moment zero reason to do so given that even the first pad practice still hadn't happened. Last year at this time, I remember we had Nate Newton going on about Ball, and later in a moment of weakness, revealing he didn't actually watch the player but was going off of what he'd heard others say.
It's flat out amazing to me. I've never seen a Cowboys player receive more negativity with so little reason. It's like media and fans are carrying this collective chip on their shoulder as-if Ball did something 7 years ago when he was 18 to their daughters.
No. He didn't perform as bad last preseason as became popular to say. If you went play by play through all three games (as I did), you know I'm right when I say that. And I'm not the first person to say that. In fact, as we know, he also got some real game action last season as well. The results? Mixed is a fair term. Not all good. Not all bad.
No. He didn't get the normal grace that a rookie gets last year--and don't argue with me about "rookie" because for all intents and purposes, Waletzko is a rookie this year for the same reason that Ball is to be considered a sophomore this year. And what do I mean by "grace?" Watch how Waltezko is never maligned even though he makes rookie mistakes. And how about Tryon Smith? The very same things that happened to Ball in preseason in 2022 happened to Smith in his rookie season in 2011--google Todd Archer's story after preseason's completion and you'll learn it's true. He was noted for giving up sacks and missing blocks, but also praised for what he did do right.
Josh Ball gets no such grace.
