Cowboys legend White coming to Valley

[Alexander]

Cowboys legend White coming to Valley

July 16, 2009 - 7:45 PM
Brian Sandalow
The Monitor

Like most knowledgeable Dallas Cowboys fans, NFL Hall of Fame defensive tackle Randy White saw that something was wrong with last year’s team. And it had nothing to do with the talent.

“What I’m looking for this year, I’m just a fan like everybody else, I’m looking for them to come together as a team,” White said. “I think that’s something that’s been lacking. I think last year that was lacking. You had a bunch of guys pulling in different directions. That’s not a key to success.”

White, who was a member of the Cowboys from 1975 to 1988 and part of co-MVP of Dallas’ Super Bowl XII victory over the Denver Broncos, will be in the Valley today and Saturday. On Saturday, he will conduct the Randy White Big Man Camp, starting at 10 a.m. at PSJA Memorial High School in Alamo. The camp, which teaches players how to integrate martial arts into their football training, costs $90 and is open to players age 13 to 18.

Many of the players who turn out for the camp would certainly crave a chance to be with teams as good as White was. What they probably wouldn’t crave is an experience like last year’s Cowboys debacle, when expectations weren’t met because of injuries and a questionable locker room chemistry.

White of course was part of Cowboys teams filled with huge personalities and egos. But those teams accomplished more than what the current group has. After all, they didn’t go 13 seasons (and counting) between playoff victories.

“The one thing I would say is talk doesn’t get it done. You can say all the right things in the paper and in interviews but the measuring stick is what you do on the football field,” White said. “That’s something these guys have got to realize. You can do all the talking you want and all the articles and all the supposed accolades people give you before you’ve ever done everything, don’t mean one iota.

“If they learned anything last year, hopefully they learned that one thing.”

One of the players most commonly blamed for what happened last year was wide receiver Terrell Owens. Now in Buffalo, many don’t seem to miss T.O. because at age 36, his antics were starting to come with diminished production.

Though White seemed to be critical of how Cowboys players spoke openly about the team, he wasn’t specifically critical of Owens.

“He wasn’t the only one. He received a lot of publicity, but there was other examples of that throughout the year,” White said. “I don’t think Terrell Owens was the Cowboys’ only problem. I don’t think Terrell Owens leaving is going to solve all the Cowboys’ problems by any stretch of the imagination.”

That isn’t to say in White’s opinion that Owens was blameless.

“Was his timing on some of his comments not very good? Yeah. I think he could have chosen some better words at critical times. I don’t think Tony Romo needed to have a veteran player hammering him on the sidelines,” White said. “I think from that standpoint it’s a good thing he is gone. He was a distraction. But he was a great talent and he was very competitive and wanted to win. I always liked that quality about him.”

Still, even with the issues around the Cowboys, White is optimistic about the 2009 season. He said he likes what Dallas has done this offseason, and thinks a bounce back closer to the 2007 season is possible.

“I think this team could be very successful. They definitely have a talented group. I think there’s areas they need to improve in, I think there’s areas they’ve improved themselves in this offseason,” White said. “The one thing I would say is talk doesn’t get it done. You can say all the right things in the paper and interviews, but the measuring stick is what you do on the football field. That’s something these guys have got to realize.”

 

[CrazyCowboy]

“I think this team could be very successful. They definitely have a talented group. I think there’s areas they need to improve in, I think there’s areas they’ve improved themselves in this offseason,” White said. “The one thing I would say is talk doesn’t get it done. You can say all the right things in the paper and interviews, but the measuring stick is what you do on the football field. That’s something these guys have got to realize.”

Manster kinda says what we all have been saying.....talk is cheap.

 

[Alexander]

“He wasn’t the only one. He received a lot of publicity, but there was other examples of that throughout the year,” White said. “I don’t think Terrell Owens was the Cowboys’ only problem. I don’t think Terrell Owens leaving is going to solve all the Cowboys’ problems by any stretch of the imagination.”

This stuck out as much as anything Randy said.

It is all too easy to scapegoat Owens but we had all kinds of other bad apples--Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, Greg Ellis.

The chemistry was all wrong. As much as Jerry Jones says it doesn't matter, it most absolutely does. Being a team needs to mean that everyone is on the same page and that everyone buys into the messages being directed from above. If there is no message or that message is muddled by double standards, it is no wonder you have issues.

There were so many inconsistencies that it created a bad environment. Some players were accountable, some weren't. Some, like those above, had their own agendas. There was no leadership, at least what I would consider leadership.

The cleansing of these and a rededication should help, but the pressure is on those remaining to get themselves squared away, both on the field and even greater than that, behind the scenes.

 

[THUMPER]

Owens wasn't the "only" one but he was the main one that needed to go. Getting rid of the other baggage was just as critical and we've done that. The whiners and complainers are gone, at least the ones I knew about, and that give me a lot of hope for this season.

Football is a TEAM sport and if you are an individual then you are not part of the team and therefore drag down the entire group. Superstar players don't win championships, TEAMs do.

 

[Hostile]

You know, every time I read or hear Randy White talking about football it just sticks out to me how much he really gets it. He is simply one of the smartest guys about football I have ever listened to or read who isn't being paid to share his ideas and thoughts on TV.

I love his no nonsense approach. He praised TO for the things he does right. His practice habits, drive, etc. He gave a thumbs down for the things he screwed up, the timing of his comments, sidelines tirades, etc. He avoided making TO the lone scapegoat.

Damn it's refreshing.

 

[notherbob]

Owens wasn't the "only" one but he was the main one that needed to go. Getting rid of the other baggage was just as critical and we've done that. The whiners and complainers are gone, at least the ones I knew about, and that give me a lot of hope for this season.

Football is a TEAM sport and if you are an individual then you are not part of the team and therefore drag down the entire group. Superstar players don't win championships, TEAMs do.

I agree. Jerry flushing the toilet this spring will be the best thing for improving this group of players and maybe even molding them into a team, which they clearly were not last year. The biggest problem all along has been Jerry's juvenile attitude and fascination with gloryhog individuals who are more interested in glorifying themselves than the team winning.

 

[Alexander]

I agree. Jerry flushing the toilet this spring will be the best thing for improving this group of players and maybe even molding them into a team, which they clearly were not last year. The biggest problem all along has been Jerry's juvenile attitude and fascination with gloryhog individuals who are more interested in glorifying themselves than the team winning.

Spot on.

All the credit seems to go to Jones for finally flushing the toilet, but he is the one who filled up the bowl to begin with.

 

[Seven]

I agree. Jerry flushing the toilet this spring will be the best thing for improving this group of players and maybe even molding them into a team, which they clearly were not last year. The biggest problem all along has been Jerry's juvenile attitude and fascination with gloryhog individuals who are more interested in glorifying themselves than the team winning.

Spot on.

All the credit seems to go to Jones for finally flushing the toilet, but he is the one who filled up the bowl to begin with.

My concern is the residual, lingering attitudes imprinted in the younger guys infected by what Jones brought in. Even some of the veteran guys buying into the 'i love me some me' garbage. I hear hints of #81 faithfuls roaming the locker room......

We NEED a leader right now, even more than last year, IMO, to squash any form of it's all about me attitude(s). I still couldn't put my finger on who that is. I don't think any of us could at this point.

#81 was a gamer. I will never, ever try and steal that from him. One of the best. I truly enjoyed his game when he was on. He just NEVER understood that it is absolutely impossible for him and a QB to do it alone.

 

[Alexander]

My concern is the residual, lingering attitudes imprinted in the younger guys infected by what Jones brought in. Even some of the veteran guys buying into the 'i love me some me' garbage. I hear hints of #81 faithfuls roaming the locker room......

If a player that is not even here anymore can still cause issues, then our leadership is even weaker than we could possibly imagine.

These players need to want to move on. If there are bitter individuals who might still hold a torch for Owens, they need to be identified and removed.

I'd sacrifice "talent" for better chemistry right now. Keep the 52 who want to be here and want to get on board. Dump the rest and quick.

If there are torch bearers still around and we hear about it, it will be a tell-tale sign how dysfunctional and powerless our coaching staff is.

We NEED a leader right now, even more than last year, IMO, to squash any form of it's all about me attitude(s). I still couldn't put my finger on who that is. I don't think any of us could at this point.

It has to be Romo as far as I am concerned. I might be guessing here, but I believe I am correct. He wasn't completely disassociated from our problems late last year. I remember the excitement caused when he returned to Washington ("We got our QB back!"), but something was different later in the season and melted down in Philadelphia.

#81 was a gamer. I will never, ever try and steal that from him. One of the best. I truly enjoyed his game when he was on. He just NEVER understood that it is absolutely impossible for him and a QB to do it alone.

He never understood what battles were worth fighting for and what weren't. He's simply too insecure to ever be with any QB who isn't perfect. He still seems to be that sad little child who got picked on in his youth when he deals with adversity. He was frustrated often last season and instead of refining his game to make up for that, he blamed others and did his usual campaigning. He had his chance to develop a little humility and failed. I also think he was thinking he'd never be released after he renegotiated. Well, he was wrong.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

This stuck out as much as anything Randy said.

It is all too easy to scapegoat Owens but we had all kinds of other bad apples--Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, Greg Ellis.

The chemistry was all wrong. As much as Jerry Jones says it doesn't matter, it most absolutely does. Being a team needs to mean that everyone is on the same page and that everyone buys into the messages being directed from above. If there is no message or that message is muddled by double standards, it is no wonder you have issues.

There were so many inconsistencies that it created a bad environment. Some players were accountable, some weren't. Some, like those above, had their own agendas. There was no leadership, at least what I would consider leadership.

The cleansing of these and a rededication should help, but the pressure is on those remaining to get themselves squared away, both on the field and even greater than that, behind the scenes.

Like I've said, I didn't like that Owens was released and part of me still doesn't. But when they released Ellis, who was being a bigger headache than Owens IMO, then it showed me that the organization is serious about getting rid of disruptions on the team.

I think if anything it gives some players and coaches 'no excuses' type of year. Garrett really disappointed me last year and came off to me like a guy that passed the buck which was more frustrating than stale playcalling. Bruce Coslet passed the buck as well. Somebody like Sean Payton (who I'm not even a big fan of), Tony Sparano, and Andy Reid hold themelves accountable. So this year he had better buck up, because he's running out of Terrell Owens' to blame.

Unfortunately, there's always Roy Williams and Tony Romo there to be scapegoats.





YAKUZA

 

[big dog cowboy]

I’m just a fan like everybody else

No Randy your not.

Thank God!

 

[Chief]

The biggest problem all along has been Jerry's juvenile attitude and fascination with gloryhog individuals who are more interested in glorifying themselves than the team winning.

Very true.

Maybe his fascination with "gloryhogs" is because he is one himself.

And his insistence last year that chemistry doesn't matter shows he doesn't get it. The education of Jerry continues.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Randy hit this one perfectly.

 

[Alexander]

I think if anything it gives some players and coaches 'no excuses' type of year. Garrett really disappointed me last year and came off to me like a guy that passed the buck which was more frustrating than stale playcalling. Bruce Coslet passed the buck as well. Somebody like Sean Payton (who I'm not even a big fan of), Tony Sparano, and Andy Reid hold themelves accountable. So this year he had better buck up, because he's running out of Terrell Owens' to blame.

Where did Garrett specifically show he was "passing the buck"? In fact, he's been fairly quiet throughout most of the turmoil. So he's laying low and letting others take the fall? I don't see that. Perhaps I missed something.

 

[Idgit]

This stuck out as much as anything Randy said.

It is all too easy to scapegoat Owens but we had all kinds of other bad apples--Tank Johnson, Pacman Jones, Greg Ellis.

The chemistry was all wrong. As much as Jerry Jones says it doesn't matter, it most absolutely does. Being a team needs to mean that everyone is on the same page and that everyone buys into the messages being directed from above. If there is no message or that message is muddled by double standards, it is no wonder you have issues.

There were so many inconsistencies that it created a bad environment. Some players were accountable, some weren't. Some, like those above, had their own agendas. There was no leadership, at least what I would consider leadership.

The cleansing of these and a rededication should help, but the pressure is on those remaining to get themselves squared away, both on the field and even greater than that, behind the scenes.

The thing about chemistry is that winning, or losing--and maybe how you win or lose--affect chemistry as much as the players do. Time for a weird metaphor: a GM assembles the ingredients for his team in the offseason when he decides which players to keep and which new ones to get. What a coach decides to make with the ingredients is the recipe for the season. You can start out with the right set of ingredients for a given recipe, and the right recipe, but still fall down in preparing the meal. A child coming along and cranking up the temperature on the oven (thanks, TO) could do it. Not preparing the ingredients properly or adding them in the wrong order can do it, too. Forgetting to add in a key ingredient in the first WAS game altogether (thanks, JG) can have an effect.

Who knows how the season might have turned out had Romo not been taken out in the AZ game, or had Pacman not been suspended for fighting his own bodyguard when we needed him, or had Stewart had play calling responsibilities removed earlier in the year. Yes, pretty clearly there were chemistry problems for the team last year, but that doesn't mean we hadn't assembled a group of players capable of getting it done. In the right circumstances, the 08 team might well have won a championship. In the wrong circumstance, they couldn't make the playoffs.

That's why I like what we've done this offseason. We've taken talent from the team, but we've done so specifically in order to increase the number and types of circumstances in which the remaining players can be successful. And we've still got a talented group left to work with.