FWST JFE Blog: In Defense Of Bradie James/Monday Musings -- Part II

[WoodysGirl]

Cowboys linebacker Bradie James stepped into a mess Monday.

He went after us, your friendly neighborhood media types, and many of my good friends took him to task for said gaffe.

His "offending" quote was:

It's up to you guys to sell papers and to those other things and be negative. I thought from a media standpoint, we had a lot of local guys who were going against us, and we didn't understand that."
​

Just in case my "In Defense Of Bradie James" title failed to convey this, I have no problem with what Bradie said. I do not believe he was not trying to say the media was why the team lost to the Giants. He was being honest, saying kind of what T.O. said just without tears, about how Romo-Jess coverage had bothered them. Because, despite what many players and coaches say, they read.

Should Bradie have gone there? Probably not.

In black and white, without context, his comments sound a little like a Coach Wade excuse.

Therein lies my bigger problem with this Bradie backlash. He was at least out there, with his heart breaking on his sleeve, emotional, trying to answer questions that really have no answers because he understands that Cowboy fan want to know what went wrong. And yet we bash him for speaking his mind and I'm including everybody in this. I heard my favorite 3-6 sports-talk host cracking on Bradie a little during the Football Firing Line on Monday.
In reality, players like Bradie, Jason Witten, Greg Ellis, Pat Cratyon and a few assorted others deserve credit for speaking. You don't think PCrayton wanted to duck? He knew what was coming and he hung in anyway because that's what stand-up guys do.

Bonus points for Tony Romo and T.O. and Terence Newman and Marcus Spears and Leonard Davis, players who spoke after Sunday's game rather than gutlessly ducking what everybody knew were hard questions. This lead comes from Owners Jones, always willing to be face a firing squad of microphones. He understands accountability to fans.

If anybody deserves bashing for Monday, it was the guys who hid in the training room, leaving their teammates to answer for their screw ups. Yes, I'm talking to Roy Willy and Marion Barber and Andre Gurode, Ken Hamlin, Anthony, Henry, Julius Jones, DeMarcus Ware, Flozell Adams and on and on. So I have a really hard time having a problem with what Bradie said when so many said nothing.



Posted at 12:37 AM in Cowboys | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

 

[WoodysGirl]

Monday Musings -- Part II


Late-night sometime-funnyman Jay Leno devoted a little sliver of his monologue Monday to cracking on QB Tony Romo and his latest playoff misfortune.

Actually, playing footage of T.O.'s crying defense of Romo drew Leno's biggest laugh. If somewhat unintientionally. He explained T.O. had been defending Romo from accusations that his Mexican tryst with Jessica Simpson had hindered his performance.

"I've got footage of their vacation in Mexico," he joked, flashing to scenes from of a cheesy 1950s Gidgette-type beach flick featuring a goofy dancing dude with blonde eye candy.

It's official. Romo is a punchline.

And get ready, Tony, because Leno is just the beginning.

He is about to find what life under the microscope is like, what going from The Next Roger to Tony Romeo is like, what being kicked in the man-parts is like.

Until about 12 seconds ago, Romo had been a universal feel-good story: a Cowboy fan favorite as well as media darling because of how much playing football seemed to mean to him and how good he was at making this game look easy.

And as an added bonus, he helped this Cowboys team win. A lot.
His happy train screeched to a halt Sunday when he lost his second straight playoff game as a starter.

What happened a year ago in Seattle was hardly an indictment of his QBing skills, an unlucky bounce really. And this season's loss to NYG had many culprits with Romo being way down in the blame-game rankings.

BTW, I will release how I voted in the blame-game poll Wednesday. And Romo is nowhere near my No. 1.

I am pretty much alone on this. By Monday, Romo had become a favorite punching bag of many local media types as well as national sports blog joke fodder and a welcome break from Britney for celebugossip blogs.


Even Eva Longoria jumped in with a little bit of advice for Tony and Jess.
Is this fair to Romo? Hardly.

He actually played a fairly decent game in Sunday's loss. He had his ugly moments, most notably his final pass where he had time yet forced the ball to a blanketed Terry Glenn. Mostly, though, he had zero second-half protection and spent Sunday's crucial moments battling frustration and blitzing Giants and awful drops and a player quitting on a route and abysmal penalties.

I'd also argue that doubt about whether his mind is right with ball is misplaced. Anybody who knows Romo, even tangentially, understands how badly this kid wants to be good and how hard he works to be so.

"Tony's personality, if you don't really know him, you might say he's not putting everything in, he's worried about other things, he's a celebrity quarterback and all," his best friend and tight end Jason Witten said. "But that's the furthest from the truth. More than anybody I've been around, Tony had the competitiveness to win and want to win and he has the ability to put everybody else in positions to be successful."

He brought some of this on himself, though, and that is not a criticism of his bye-weekend vacation or blaming Jessica for 21-17 to NYG. This is just a byproduct of a famous person dating a famous-er person and creating a famous-est couple requiring name smooshing like happened with Bennifer.

Is this Jessomo?

Or Jomo? Or Tessica?

Who cares? Nobody would except the Cowboys did not win a game they absolutely should have seeing as they were the better and healthier team, and they were playing at home. Aikman summarized Romo's dilemma perfectly when he noted during the broadcast: "If they do not go on to win this game, he has opened himself up to a lot of criticism."

Romo has lost a little of his accumulated goodwill with many Cowboys fans who feel like he's become more interested in being famous than winning a Super Bowl. They are used to Aikman who seemed to burn with a singular focus until he had a ring which then led to his famous-dating days.
Romo, of course, has a right to his private life.

He can date whoever, wherever. He just has to realize by his very public doings during his bye weekend by putting himself out there he has added pressure to his already laden shoulders.

It wasn't wrong. It just was not smart.

And I blame Coach Wade for this a little. Sometimes the job of the coach is to save players from themselves. He probably needed to tell Romo that, while reality is reality, he probably does not want to create a perception that his mind is on anything except football.

Especially not a publicity hungry starlet.

He realizes this, I think. He seemed to tip his hand a little Sunday with his postgame remarks. He noted that he did not live with regrets and he's comfortable in his skin yet his word choice suggested he may choose differently if presented with such public plans next time.

He said "when I made the choice in those things, I felt like I was making a good decision."

I believe he really did think he was doing the right thing. It might have been, if they had won.

"I told you this was going to happen," Coach Wade said Monday. "If you lose, it's something like that. If you win, it wouldn't have been."

They did not win. And as usually happens, a lot of eyes turn to the quarterback. He is supposed to be the leader of the team and thereby held to a higher standard. He, along with the coach, is the guy everybody talks about when a team fails to win playoff games.

And it only gets harder from here for Romo.

Every year he doesn't win, the questions build about if he can, getting louder and louder until doubt itself becomes another thing he has to overcome. Just ask Coach Wade or Peyton Manning or John Elway. The monkey just shows up one day and everybody starts asking about him and wondering if the guy really can win the big one.

I have no doubt Romo can. And will.

What is frustrating is this year was set up perfectly for him and the Cowboys, with the bye and home-field and this is why the disappointment was so much worse than a year ago and why everybody is looking for reasons why this happened.

"It's been kind of bad luck for him that he can't win the big game," Witten said. "I don't think it's to that point with Tony. Obviously, he's put a lot of pressure on himself to like he has to be a leader and get us over the hump but I don't think that he feels like he can't win a playoff game."

And if Leno's perception comes to be seen as reality, the joke is he is too busy fawning over Jessica to care anyway.



Posted at 12:48 AM in Cowboys | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

 

[Chocolate Lab]

How in the world could you take what Bradie said as an excuse for losing? He just made an observation about the media's coverage of the team. He never connected that to what happened on the field.

 

[JPM]

The only thing her writings are good for is lining a birdcage.
Maybe the players didn't want to talk to you people. I know after losing to the Giants the last thing I'd want to see is your face, or Galloway. Of course your stupid questions don't make me want to talk to you nit-wits either.

 

[BigDFan5]

Thing is Bradie was 100% on target, many of the local media have been salivating all year for a reason to bash the Cowboys. I swear I have never seen so much negative coverage of a team that was as good as we were in the regular season. Forget the playoffs this was happening before then. we were getting bashed for not winning prety enough I mean give me a break.


And Gallowaste has just been waiting to say SEE WE SHOULD HAVE HIRED NORV!! hard to do that early in the season when we were doing great and Norv was floundering

 

[Apollo Creed]

Thank God for Sham or there would be no one capable of covering the Dallas Cowboys thats worth a ****.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

sounds like a winner

 

[sago1]

Hopefully this whole Jessica story will just go away. Romo is certainly entitled to a private life and at 27 and single he certainly needs one. I just happen to think Romo can do better then Jessica. Can't help wondering how the press find out where Romo was at and even got pictures. Somebody got tipped off so pictures could be taken; doubt Romo was the source unless he told some of his teamates where he'd be and they decided to play a prank on him. Frankly, I don't buy that; I'm inclined to believe Jessica's people got the word out.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

Hopefully this whole Jessica story will just go away. Romo is certainly entitled to a private life and at 27 and single he certainly needs one. I just happen to think Romo can do better then Jessica. Can't help wondering how the press find out where Romo was at and even got pictures. Somebody got tipped off so pictures could be taken; doubt Romo was the source unless he told some of his teamates where he'd be and they decided to play a prank on him. Frankly, I don't buy that; I'm inclined to believe Jessica's people got the word out.

Tony just needs to get it out of his system. Like Troy, he'll find a nice girl who cares little about publicity and football.

 

[DragonCowboy]

Yes, I'm talking to Roy Willy and Marion Barber and Andre Gurode, Ken Hamlin, Anthony, Henry, Julius Jones, DeMarcus Ware, Flozell Adams and on and on.

JFE, you're blaming players for not talking to you? Why should they talk to the media when the Dallas media is the most NEGATIVE local media I have ever seen. Most local media groups would be happy that a team is doing well. You, Galloway, etc sicken me.

And explain to me why Marion Barber would need to explain himself?

This is ridiculous.

 

[Chuck 54]

I like what she said. She defended the guys who faced the media regardless of what they said. She chastised the wusses for hiding.

It's one thing to take a while, compose yourself, and then face the media...it's another to duck out and hide.

It's not about how you feel. These guys are professional athletes making millions of dollars who have plenty to say when things are going well or when they think they've been wronged. I agree with JFE completely.

What if Romo and TO and Phillips and Garrett didn't show up after the game?

Fans would be going insane for something to read, something to hear, something about their team.

Unless a guy has been quiet all year, refusing to talk to the media, he should have been a man and faced the questions. It's not all about explaining yourself...it's giving your opinions on why things went wrong, how you feel, etc.

I'm sure someone would have asked Barber to talk about the great success he had in the first half. Then he'd have been asked why it was harder to find running room in the 2nd half. Then he'd have been asked if he thought he was run too much in the first half and if he was tired or if the holes just weren't there, about play action, about whether he thinks he earned the right to go into next season as the starter. Some of those answers are simple and obvious, but that's the media's job, to ask for explanations for the common fan and to probe for deeper responses. Yes, even MBIII should have faced the media.

 

[superpunk]

In summary:

I appreciate Bradie James taking the time to talk to us - even though he KNOWS that we're going to twist his words and make him look like a tool to the fans....BUT....I resent those members of the team who avoid us because they KNOW we're going to twist their words and make them look like a tool to the fans.

 

[ilovejerry]

Cowboys linebacker Bradie James stepped into a mess Monday.

He went after us, your friendly neighborhood media types, and many of my good friends took him to task for said gaffe.

His "offending" quote was:

It's up to you guys to sell papers and to those other things and be negative. I thought from a media standpoint, we had a lot of local guys who were going against us, and we didn't understand that."​

Just in case my "In Defense Of Bradie James" title failed to convey this, I have no problem with what Bradie said. I do not believe he was not trying to say the media was why the team lost to the Giants. He was being honest, saying kind of what T.O. said just without tears, about how Romo-Jess coverage had bothered them. Because, despite what many players and coaches say, they read.

Should Bradie have gone there? Probably not.

In black and white, without context, his comments sound a little like a Coach Wade excuse.

Therein lies my bigger problem with this Bradie backlash. He was at least out there, with his heart breaking on his sleeve, emotional, trying to answer questions that really have no answers because he understands that Cowboy fan want to know what went wrong. And yet we bash him for speaking his mind and I'm including everybody in this. I heard my favorite 3-6 sports-talk host cracking on Bradie a little during the Football Firing Line on Monday.
In reality, players like Bradie, Jason Witten, Greg Ellis, Pat Cratyon and a few assorted others deserve credit for speaking. You don't think PCrayton wanted to duck? He knew what was coming and he hung in anyway because that's what stand-up guys do.

Bonus points for Tony Romo and T.O. and Terence Newman and Marcus Spears and Leonard Davis, players who spoke after Sunday's game rather than gutlessly ducking what everybody knew were hard questions. This lead comes from Owners Jones, always willing to be face a firing squad of microphones. He understands accountability to fans.

If anybody deserves bashing for Monday, it was the guys who hid in the training room, leaving their teammates to answer for their screw ups. Yes, I'm talking to Roy Willy and Marion Barber and Andre Gurode, Ken Hamlin, Anthony, Henry, Julius Jones, DeMarcus Ware, Flozell Adams and on and on. So I have a really hard time having a problem with what Bradie said when so many said nothing.



Posted at 12:37 AM in Cowboys | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

He's is 100% RIGHT !!! Who is the Media that he needs to answer to ? I don't need or use the so called media to get my information especially the maggots who write propaganda to sell papers or idiotic fairy tales to sell papers. Its tabloid not sports and to have him stand there and answer questions that he doesn't want to is too bad for You or anyone who doesn't like it. I have no problem with what he did I just wish he could be honest and really say what he feels.

 

[ilovejerry]

Thank God for Sham or there would be no one capable of covering the Dallas Cowboys thats worth a ****.

I concur

 

[28bringinthewood]

Thank God for Sham or there would be no one capable of covering the Dallas Cowboys thats worth a ****.

I know thats right!!!

 

[burmafrd]

No one on the team owes the local media ANYTHING. They do not need the local media for ANYTHING. If I was a cowboy player, I would try and convince every single player to not say a single word to any local media at all.

 

[Dave_in-NC]

If you watched the game you needed no further explination.

 

[ilovejerry]

Because the networks pay big $ I assume the players are obligated to speak to the media ( maggots ). I can only fathom that's the reason, because I don't know why else they would want to to speak to these dreck.

 

[windward]

JFE, you're blaming players for not talking to you? Why should they talk to the media when the Dallas media is the most NEGATIVE local media I have ever seen. Most local media groups would be happy that a team is doing well. You, Galloway, etc sicken me.

And explain to me why Marion Barber would need to explain himself?

This is ridiculous.

Or DeMarcus Ware for that matter.

 

[LandryFan]

I'm sure someone would have asked Barber to talk about the great success he had in the first half. Then he'd have been asked why it was harder to find running room in the 2nd half. Then he'd have been asked if he thought he was run too much in the first half and if he was tired or if the holes just weren't there, about play action, about whether he thinks he earned the right to go into next season as the starter. Some of those answers are simple and obvious, but that's the media's job, to ask for explanations for the common fan and to probe for deeper responses. Yes, even MBIII should have faced the media.

I completely disagree with you. What the mediots would have asked is "how much did Romo/blondie's trip to Mexico influence the O-Line's inability to run-block in the second half?"
Since when (this year) have you seen any objective reporting out of the local sports media? They are all a bunch of hacks and I, for one, am proud that many of the players, through their actions (or inactions), told the local media to shove their nonsensical querries up their amateur journalistic a$$e$!