News: PFT: Will Allen says Cowboys atmosphere keeps Dallas from reaching potential

[NewsBot]

The Dallas Cowboys always have lofty expectations placed on their shoulders every September when the NFL season begins. The Cowboys franchise is one of the most prominent in the league and Jerry Jones is the league’s most visible and vocal owner. Championships are the expectation. Anything else is usually met with disappointment. As such, the…http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=profootballtalk.nbcsports.com&blog=&post=2225837&subd=nbcprofootballtalk&ref=&feed=1

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[Cowboys22]

Many of us so called haters having been saying this for years. There has been enough talent in Dallas for 4-5 years now to have playoff success. Probably not super bowl talent but certainly enough to be a playoff team every year and have 3 or 4 wins in the past few years. The lack of that success points to there being something wrong with the culture and atmosphere surrounding the team. The fact that it spans 3 completely different coaching staffs is just further proof. All the evidence points directly to Jerry and the circus with no accountability he has created.

 

[17yearsandcounting]

Bitter loser that got cut.

 

[Zordon]

i was waiting for this. i expect similar comments from ratliff soon and definitely hatcher next year if he leaves. i'm always curious how these guys who leave the team would compare their current situations to their time in dallas, and what the hell is the problem here.

“It was a very micro-managed atmosphere. Everything was heightened. Everything was very hyped. I didn’t feel the relationship and the bonding between players and coaches,” Allen said. “…I think that’s the rift that you get and everybody wonders why Dallas can’t win; why Dallas isn’t completing everything it needs to. The players are great. The players are tremendous. The coaches are some of the best in the business. You just need a cohesion there that allows players and coaches to really execute and do their jobs and it’s not something hanging over their heads.”

this is a big issue and something i've been harping on for years. there is a lack of cohesion/chemistry for some reason with this franchise every year. you also don't get the sense the team is ever having fun like the vibe i get from other teams.

 

[xvendettax914]

I certainly can see there being some truth to this.

 

[Nation]

I believe that there are certain aspects of the Cowboys atmosphere that keeps them from reaching their potential. I do not believe, for one solitary second, that it's because guys are afraid one mistake will get them cut or benched. The Cowboys are one of the last teams in the NFL where I'd believe that fear exists, because it just doesn't happen there.

 

[morasp]

Allen had an interception to seal the win for them this weekend. I don't know how it is for other teams but it sure seems like there is an awful lot of media events with the players, coaches, and front office.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

Ringmaster Jerry.

 

[birdwells1]

Many of us so called haters having been saying this for years. There has been enough talent in Dallas for 4-5 years now to have playoff success. Probably not super bowl talent but certainly enough to be a playoff team every year and have 3 or 4 wins in the past few years. The lack of that success points to there being something wrong with the culture and atmosphere surrounding the team. The fact that it spans 3 completely different coaching staffs is just further proof. All the evidence points directly to Jerry and the circus with no accountability he has created.

Yeah, I read this article and came away from it thinking that Allen quotes were more sour grapes than anything. I'm viewed as a "realist" here but I saw nothing in this article that would give any credence to anyone's argument, i.e. "country club atmosphere". He says that people are afraid to make mistake for fear of getting benched, to me that sounds personal because he was benched but that's sounds like accountability to me.

I'm not a JG fan but the environment that Allen talks about is the one that JJ has fostered, not the head coach.

 

[Zordon]

Bitter loser that got cut.

seriously dude? have you heard will allen speak? the guy is very eloquent and gave a well thought out answer here. i can sort of understand when people brushed off marty b's comments when he left and compared the giants to the cowboys but will allen is a respected vet my man, there is no reason for him to make up comments b/c he's scorned.

 

[CaptainMorgan]

Constant pressure that you always feel like if you make a mistake youre going to get cut?

That obviously only applies to the bottom 5% of the roster here so I seriously doubt that contributes to us not winning.

 

[perrykemp]

Bitter loser that got cut.

Of course -- anybody who might say anything remotely critical about the Cowboy is a "bitter loser".

 

[dfense]

The Dallas Cowboys always have lofty expectations placed on their shoulders every September when the NFL season begins. The Cowboys franchise is one of the most prominent in the league and Jerry Jones is the league’s most visible and vocal owner. Championships are the expectation. Anything else is usually met with disappointment. As such, the…http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=profootballtalk.nbcsports.com&blog=&post=2225837&subd=nbcprofootballtalk&ref=&feed=1

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"Allen said he felt like there was a constant weight on all the players and coaches in Dallas that making a mistake would get you benched or cut. He feels that pressure can have a negative impact on the team"

Funny, that philosophy seemed to do well under Jimmy Johnson.

 

[17yearsandcounting]

Will Allen is the ont that copped attitude when he got benched right?

He was here for 3 months and got banished to a team with an even worse chance of making the playoffs.

I disregard anything he said when he called the coaches some of the best in the business.

 

[Alexander]

Yeah, I read this article and came away from it thinking that Allen quotes were more sour grapes than anything. I'm viewed as a "realist" here but I saw nothing in this article that would give any credence to anyone's argument, i.e. "country club atmosphere". He says that people are afraid to make mistake for fear of getting benched, to me that sounds personal because he was benched but that's sounds like accountability to me.

I'm not a JG fan but the environment that Allen talks about is the one that JJ has fostered, not the head coach.

That was not the entirety of his message though but rather a direct answer which probably was somewhat sour.

What he said before about the players and coaches meshing was what I took out of it as useful.

The things "hanging over their head" was the constant presence of the owner. The coaches can never get the respect of the players and the will from them to win "for them" and vice versa. Ultimately, they know who is really in charge. They also know that the entire operation is micromanaged.

I do not know how many of you have ever worked for small companies where the ownership interjects themselves often (and many times inconsistently) into the fray with the mid-management decisions and it causes issues. If you have, I think you might appreciate how it impacts morale and cohesion.

 

[Zordon]

"Allen said he felt like there was a constant weight on all the players and coaches in Dallas that making a mistake would get you benched or cut. He feels that pressure can have a negative impact on the team"

Funny, that philosophy seemed to do well under Jimmy Johnson.

yeah but those jimmy teams still looked like they were having fun. when will allen brings up "cohesion" he's basically talking about chemistry. the team lacks it btw the players and cohesion. chemsitry was never an issue for jimmy's teams.

 

[jobberone]

Will Allen says Cowboys atmosphere keeps Dallas from reaching potential
Posted by Curtis Crabtree on November 20, 2013, 2:39 AM EST

Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys always have lofty expectations placed on their shoulders every September when the NFL season begins.

The Cowboys franchise is one of the most prominent in the league and Jerry Jones is the league’s most visible and vocal owner. Championships are the expectation. Anything else is usually met with disappointment.

As such, the Cowboys have been incredibly disappointing for most of the last two decades. Dallas has just two playoff victories since winning Super Bowl XXX in January, 1996.

Safety Will Allen signed with the Cowboys this offseason and played the first five games of the season for Dallas before being released in October. The 10-year veteran of the Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers joined Alex Marvez and Bill Polian on Sirius XM NFL radio Tuesday and said he believes the atmosphere around the Cowboys makes winning incredibly difficult.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...osphere-keeps-dallas-from-reaching-potential/

 

[Cowboys22]

Yeah, I read this article and came away from it thinking that Allen quotes were more sour grapes than anything. I'm viewed as a "realist" here but I saw nothing in this article that would give any credence to anyone's argument, i.e. "country club atmosphere". He says that people are afraid to make mistake for fear of getting benched, to me that sounds personal because he was benched but that's sounds like accountability to me.

I'm not a JG fan but the environment that Allen talks about is the one that JJ has fostered, not the head coach.

I do think there are aspects of what he said that refer to his personal feelings about being benched but he did mention the micromanaged atmosphere. That is what many of us have said in the past. Jerry has given the players a direct line to him bypassing their coaches. That will never work or lead to success.

 

[SultanOfSix]

“It was a very micro-managed atmosphere. Everything was heightened. Everything was very hyped. I didn’t feel the relationship and the bonding between players and coaches,” Allen said. “…I think that’s the rift that you get and everybody wonders why Dallas can’t win; why Dallas isn’t completing everything it needs to. The players are great. The players are tremendous. The coaches are some of the best in the business. You just need a cohesion there that allows players and coaches to really execute and do their jobs and it’s not something hanging over their heads.”

This description is the very opposite of a country club atmosphere. Never has "micro-managed" been equivalent to "country-club". The former implies imposed pressure due to an overhanging accountability.

 

[jobberone]

Popcorn ready