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Meet the "characters" at the Dallas Cowboys press briefings
By Shawn Williams
Valley Ranch — I drive around in my car all day, and I listen to a lot of sports talk. A staple during the football season is the Dallas Cowboys Daily Press Briefing.
Now last year’s coach (who will remain nameless) really liked these things because the media members that were present stroked his ego. Many of them hung around as long as they could just to be in his presence.
With him gone, I thought maybe the line of questioning would change, but it didn’t. It’s the same crew and the same tired routine everyday.
So if you are able to tune in to Wade Phillips next media press briefing, listen for these characters:
Mr. Special
Mr. Special likes the feel good angle of every story. He starts out his questions with “Coach how special is it….”
Ex. “Coach, how special is it that you’re coaching in the city where you and your wife had your first kiss?” or “Coach how special is it that a rainbow came out over the practice field today?”
The Reacher
His questions would be considered a reach at best. Often times they are about positions and issues no one cares about.
Ex. “Coach how’s that backup punter battle going?” or “Coach are you aware that 30 years ago this week a game was played between two teams coached by men whose last names began with the letter Q.”
Doing a Story Dude
This guy has promised his editor a story, and needs a couple of direct quotes from the coach to make it work. There’s always an angle to the question, and all the questions he asks that day -even if they are not at the same time- are related to that one topic.
Old Smarmy
I imagine old smarmy sitting at the back of the press conference notepad in hand, pencil pressed up against his pursed lips. Old smarmy waits until the briefing is 2/3 over before he pipes in. He knows his question is the only good one that will be asked that day, so he bides his time. His questions are laced with sarcasm and always start with an observation.
Ex. Coach, you couldn’t have been pleased with the way your team responded to games on the road in the pre-season, how do you guard against that this week? (Coach - “I thought they responded pretty good clapping and cheering on the sidelines in the 4th game.”)
The Company Man
The Company Man’s checks are signed by Jerry Jones. He works for DallasCowboys.com or is on the Dallas Cowboys radio broadcast. He wants to be like the rest of the media, but sometimes his job as a Cowboy homer comes through in his questions. Even his negative comments have a positive spin.
Mr. Obvious
Mr. Obvious asks a question that my 5 year old knows the answer to, but he knows he needs to say something.
Ex. “Coach, was it good to pull out a win yesterday?” or “Coach, do you think you will line up 11 men on offense and defense on Sunday?”
2nd Joker
Second Joker likes to try to add his own sense of humor to a joke that’s already been made by someone else. Often the coach will make a zinger that will get everyone in the room laughing. Instead of letting it die and moving to something else, 2nd joker tries to get in the mix. The 2nd joke always falls flat and usually ends with courtesy laughter or uncomfortable silence.
Have No Idea Person
When you hear this person, you wonder if he (or she) has ever even been to a football game before. The questions don’t have anything to do with anything. You sometimes feel like someone should take them to the side to fill them in on just what football is all about.
Ex. “Coach it seemed like after you guys scored the game’s first touchdown you had a chance to get more points by going for a two point conversion. What was your logic there?”
or
“Coach did you think about going for it on 4th and 12 at your own 21 yard line when the score was 14-14 in the 2nd quarter?”
Concerned Guy
This is my press briefing kryptonite. There are a number of them who ask questions that start with “How concerned are you…” This is a terrible way to pose a question, because the coach will either lie, exaggerate, or downplay the situation.
Ex. “How concerned are you about facing Peyton Manning and the Colts offense this week?”
or
“Coach how concerned are you that you are going into this weeks game without your starting nose tackle, cornerback, and wide receiver?”
Do you think he’s going to tell you he was up all night under his bed sucking his thumb? Or do you think he might say “We’ve got a 53 man roster and everybody who goes on the field has a job to do.”
Keep your ears listening for these crazy characters at the next Dallas Cowboys Daily Press Briefing.
Meet the "characters" at the Dallas Cowboys press briefings
By Shawn Williams
Valley Ranch — I drive around in my car all day, and I listen to a lot of sports talk. A staple during the football season is the Dallas Cowboys Daily Press Briefing.
Now last year’s coach (who will remain nameless) really liked these things because the media members that were present stroked his ego. Many of them hung around as long as they could just to be in his presence.
With him gone, I thought maybe the line of questioning would change, but it didn’t. It’s the same crew and the same tired routine everyday.
So if you are able to tune in to Wade Phillips next media press briefing, listen for these characters:
Mr. Special
Mr. Special likes the feel good angle of every story. He starts out his questions with “Coach how special is it….”
Ex. “Coach, how special is it that you’re coaching in the city where you and your wife had your first kiss?” or “Coach how special is it that a rainbow came out over the practice field today?”
The Reacher
His questions would be considered a reach at best. Often times they are about positions and issues no one cares about.
Ex. “Coach how’s that backup punter battle going?” or “Coach are you aware that 30 years ago this week a game was played between two teams coached by men whose last names began with the letter Q.”
Doing a Story Dude
This guy has promised his editor a story, and needs a couple of direct quotes from the coach to make it work. There’s always an angle to the question, and all the questions he asks that day -even if they are not at the same time- are related to that one topic.
Old Smarmy
I imagine old smarmy sitting at the back of the press conference notepad in hand, pencil pressed up against his pursed lips. Old smarmy waits until the briefing is 2/3 over before he pipes in. He knows his question is the only good one that will be asked that day, so he bides his time. His questions are laced with sarcasm and always start with an observation.
Ex. Coach, you couldn’t have been pleased with the way your team responded to games on the road in the pre-season, how do you guard against that this week? (Coach - “I thought they responded pretty good clapping and cheering on the sidelines in the 4th game.”)
The Company Man
The Company Man’s checks are signed by Jerry Jones. He works for DallasCowboys.com or is on the Dallas Cowboys radio broadcast. He wants to be like the rest of the media, but sometimes his job as a Cowboy homer comes through in his questions. Even his negative comments have a positive spin.
Mr. Obvious
Mr. Obvious asks a question that my 5 year old knows the answer to, but he knows he needs to say something.
Ex. “Coach, was it good to pull out a win yesterday?” or “Coach, do you think you will line up 11 men on offense and defense on Sunday?”
2nd Joker
Second Joker likes to try to add his own sense of humor to a joke that’s already been made by someone else. Often the coach will make a zinger that will get everyone in the room laughing. Instead of letting it die and moving to something else, 2nd joker tries to get in the mix. The 2nd joke always falls flat and usually ends with courtesy laughter or uncomfortable silence.
Have No Idea Person
When you hear this person, you wonder if he (or she) has ever even been to a football game before. The questions don’t have anything to do with anything. You sometimes feel like someone should take them to the side to fill them in on just what football is all about.
Ex. “Coach it seemed like after you guys scored the game’s first touchdown you had a chance to get more points by going for a two point conversion. What was your logic there?”
or
“Coach did you think about going for it on 4th and 12 at your own 21 yard line when the score was 14-14 in the 2nd quarter?”
Concerned Guy
This is my press briefing kryptonite. There are a number of them who ask questions that start with “How concerned are you…” This is a terrible way to pose a question, because the coach will either lie, exaggerate, or downplay the situation.
Ex. “How concerned are you about facing Peyton Manning and the Colts offense this week?”
or
“Coach how concerned are you that you are going into this weeks game without your starting nose tackle, cornerback, and wide receiver?”
Do you think he’s going to tell you he was up all night under his bed sucking his thumb? Or do you think he might say “We’ve got a 53 man roster and everybody who goes on the field has a job to do.”
Keep your ears listening for these crazy characters at the next Dallas Cowboys Daily Press Briefing.
