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

[WV Cowboy]

Just saying, I just don't find what he said all that compelling.

Maybe what he said is not compelling, .. but that he said anything at all kind of is.

Most guys leave a team, they are just saying the PC stuff, ... "Good guys, good experience, .. I realize it's a business, wish them well".

Most of the time they keep their real opinions to themselves.

Guys like Allen who just come in, and then leave, end up thinking, "what is wrong here, why aren't they winning?"

He gave his opinion, and he is not the first or only one to say similar things.

 

[17yearsandcounting]

Maybe what he said is not compelling, .. but that he said anything at all kind of is.

Most guys leave a team, they are just saying the PC stuff, ... "Good guys, good experience, .. I realize it's a business, wish them well".

Most of the time they keep their real opinions to themselves.

Guys like Allen who just come in, and then leave, end up thinking, "what is wrong here, why aren't they winning?"

He gave his opinion, and he is not the first or only one to say similar things.

There are probably 45 other players that I would take seriously if they said something like this.

Hey Will, we arent winning because your sloppy rear end spent your time here chasing shadows around the secondary.

I dont think he even got cut, he just got lost somewhere on the east coast in pursuit of hakeem nicks.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Hey Will, we arent winning because your sloppy rear end spent your time here chasing shadows around the secondary.

LOL, ... yea Will, our D is at the bottom of the league and it's all your fault.

16, 17, 18 seasons of mediocrity and it's your fault Will.

Be sure to stand up occasionally to clean the sand out of your ears.

He wasn't bad-mouthing the team, he was questioning the culture, ... something we all have done.

 

[17yearsandcounting]

LOL, ... yea Will, our D is at the bottom of the league and it's all your fault.

16, 17, 18 seasons of mediocrity and it's your fault Will.

Be sure to stand up occasionally to clean the sand out of your ears.

He wasn't bad-mouthing the team, he was questioning the culture, ... something we all have done.

Dont forget he contributed to this worst in the league defense.

How does he even know about the culture? He was here for how long? What has he won? He was awful until he got cut. This is pure sour grapes from a terrible football player.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Dont forget he contributed to this worst in the league defense.

How does he even know about the culture? He was here for how long? What has he won? He was awful until he got cut. This is pure sour grapes from a terrible football player.

You said it, .. "he was here for how long?" But yet you say he contributed to the worst defense. We were bad before he got here, while he was here, and still after he left.
And you blame Allen?

Sour grapes?

Like I said, .. Be sure to stand up occasionally to shake the sand out of your ears.

 

[Nova]

Seems like every Cowboys player that leaves here says the same thing.

Brandon Jacobs leaves the Giants for a super bowl contender but was dying to get back to New York.


Just admit it. Something wrong with the atmosphere in Dallas. Don’t think it will go away until Jerry is gone.

 

[Idgit]

I love this sort of insider view of the organization. Especially when the player has no vested interest in pulling punches anymore. It's just his opinion, so there's no reason to take it personally, but it's useful insight you don't get to see very often.

Judging from this, it's clear he liked the players a lot and high regard for the coaches. This is a subtle organizational criticism that's probably directed at the Jonses, though it's fair to make the argument that it's Jason Garrett's job to challenge that and to change it if the team is going to get where it needs to get to.

 

[StarBoyz83]

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.

Disagree. His talent was obviously not evaluated properly or he would land back with the stealers. Theyve had one of the best defenses for how many years now?! They know who to have on the roster we dont. plus coaches for that matter. Plus id say the steelers have a better chance at the playoffs than we do!!!

 

[Nirvana]

This is simply part of the secret sauce. Carry on. Nothing to see here.

 

[StarBoyz83]

Disagree. His talent was obviously not evaluated properly or he would land back with the stealers. Theyve had one of the best defenses for how many years now?! They know who to have on the roster we dont. plus coaches for that matter. Plus id say the steelers have a better chance at the playoffs than we do!!!

Wouldnt have landed back with the stealers. Freaking phone typing.
Granted he wasnt playing that great here but he was the best safety we had. It wouldnt matter if he was here anyway. The only things saving this d are a firing of kiffen a switch back to the 3-4 and a draft of dlineman

 

[Nation]

The bloated contracts of Doug Free, Miles Austin, Ken Hamlin, Terence Newman, Terrell Owens, Jay Ratliff, Gerald Sensabaugh, Marion Barber, and Roy Williams (x2) would like to have a word with Will Allen in reference to the team making players feel like when they don't perform well something bad might happened.

 

[munkee]

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.

This part was strange. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like this is the first year that bad play will get a player benched or cut. Everything else made sense.

 

[khiladi]

So the coaches and players don't get along with each other? You think?

 

[khiladi]

When Wade was here, they said it was all jolly, never take anything seriously... Nobody was accountable... When Garrett came, MG3 had to wear a tie and controlled this lockerroom. Now, everything is micro-managed and the coaches themselves can't work....

This trips me up...

 

[khiladi]

Seems like every Cowboys player that leaves here says the same thing.

Brandon Jacobs leaves the Giants for a super bowl contender but was dying to get back to New York.


Just admit it. Something wrong with the atmosphere in Dallas. Don’t think it will go away until Jerry is gone.

cause it's NY... many people prefer the Big Apple to Mid-West towns...

 

[Nation]

This part was strange. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like this is the first year that bad play will get a player benched or cut. Everything else made sense.

And bad play should get you benched. If the option is a veteran playing poorly, or a young guy that can play equally poorly and develop, or perhaps even play better, why the hell wouldn't you bench guys. The bottom of the roster in the NFL is meant to be churned, not secure. They call it the Not For Long league for a reason.

 

[Idgit]

This part was strange. Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like this is the first year that bad play will get a player benched or cut. Everything else made sense.

He's very likely saying that because of his personal experience here, where he was let go rather quickly.

Garrett's wanted to have a roster where he can cut or penalize players' PT for poor play since he took over. He's just this year gotten the depth across most position groups to do so. He said as much in a training camp interview before the season started, and I thought it was really interesting at the time.

 

[khiladi]

Please show anywhere, as an aside, where Allen implicated Jones?

He said the WHOLE atmosphere was micro-managed. He said that this atmosphere of micro-managment did not allow players and coaches to bond. He said that this attitude made people feel that if they did something wrong, they would get cut. Nobody is on the same page because of this attitude per Allen.

Funny, when we were camp cupcake, we went 13-3.... Per all the Wade critics and Garrett lovers, everything was just too laid back and Jerry just wanted to build Jerry's world and earn money and have his team on Hard Knocks laughing it up. Now suddenly, the Garrett defenders are prancing around telling us it's Jones fault for doing what they claim Garrett was doing, making this team better, the last couple years. What happened to Garrett changing the culture?

Maybe the Garrett homers in the media were just feeding guy BS during his tenure. Now, he can't cover it up anymore...

 

[Idgit]

Please show anywhere, as an aside, where Allen implicated Jones?

He said the WHOLE atmosphere was micro-managed. He said that this atmosphere of micro-managment did not allow players and coaches to bond. He said that this attitude made people feel that if they did something wrong, they would get cut.

Nobody is on the same page because of this attitude per Allen. BTW, when we were camp cupcake, we went 13-3.... Per all the Wade critics and Garrett lovers, everything was just too laid back and Jerry just wanted to build Jerry's world and earn money and have his team on Hard Knocks laughing it up. Now suddenly, the Garrett defenders are prancing around telling us it's Jones fault for doing what they claim Garrett was doing, making this team better, the last couple years. What happened to Garrett changing the culture?

Maybe the Garrett homers in the media were just feeding guy BS during his tenure. Now, he can't cover it up anymore...

Can't speak for everybody, but for my part, the actual quote from Allen:

"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.”

Makes it clear that he's both got respect for the coaching staff, and that the missing cohesion is coming from someplace other than the players and coaches, and that's what's making it hard for them to do their jobs. It's hard to hang something over your own head, after all.

 

[Nirvana]

Allen misses the point. The coaching style does not result in winning seasons. There is something missing, and what Allen does say that sheds some light on it is the lack of bonding on the team. That's key. I don't know the answer but neither does Garrett.