Rolando McClain............RKG?

[CowboyRoy]

So here you have a guy that doesnt like to practice, has retired at least once already from football, and decides to get his offseason surgery in time to miss OTA's.

Now many have tried to claim that Garrett's RKG thing is ONLY about how they play the game on the field and nothing to do with off the field stuff. Which has laughably changed since Garrett has had to alter his own definition.

So all of you RKG wafflers, I pose Rolando McClain. Here is obviously a guy, based on his history, that is NOT the RKG based on your toned down version. A RKG loves to practice, practice hard, is always around the facility, and doesnt retire from football after a couple years.

Let the excuses begin.

 

[windjc]

So here you have a guy that doesnt like to practice, has retired at least once already from football, and decides to get his offseason surgery in time to miss OTA's.

Now many have tried to claim that Garrett's RKG thing is ONLY about how they play the game on the field and nothing to do with off the field stuff. Which has laughably changed since Garrett has had to alter his own definition.

So all of you RKG wafflers, I pose Rolando McClain. Here is obviously a guy, based on his history, that is NOT the RKG based on your toned down version. A RKG loves to practice, practice hard, is always around the facility, and doesnt retire from football after a couple years.

Let the excuses begin.

Why so many Ro threads today? The guy is AT mini camp.

Just need something to gripe about?

 

[EST_1986]

RKG is for .500. Give me attitude, athleticism, smarts and heart on the field, Ro does that.

 

[Vanilla2]

Imo RKG is the foundation on which this team is built.

That foundation allows for players like 55 to be brought in.

 

[Sportsbabe]

Why so many Ro threads today? The guy is AT mini camp.

Just need something to gripe about?

The same reason ESPN reports every time a Cowboy goes to the bathroom. Psssh.

 

[triplets92]

He's a low cost player with lots of upside. If he doesn't work out then we have the depth to replace him and not miss a beat. IF he does work out then we paid beans to get him. Win, win when you look at it.

 

[jnday]

So here you have a guy that doesnt like to practice, has retired at least once already from football, and decides to get his offseason surgery in time to miss OTA's.

Now many have tried to claim that Garrett's RKG thing is ONLY about how they play the game on the field and nothing to do with off the field stuff. Which has laughably changed since Garrett has had to alter his own definition.

So all of you RKG wafflers, I pose Rolando McClain. Here is obviously a guy, based on his history, that is NOT the RKG based on your toned down version. A RKG loves to practice, practice hard, is always around the facility, and doesnt retire from football after a couple years.

Let the excuses begin.

There are no excuses to his approach to football as a career.

 

[DC Cowboy]

Why so many Ro threads today? The guy is AT mini camp.

Just need something to gripe about?

Since the dawn of time ... well that is another story. Veterans have always found a way to skip an OTA/mini camp. But I won't rush to judgment w/o knowing ALL the facts. Did he stay in Ala. b/c that is where his doctor is? While he was in Ala. was he taking care of some personal business as well? Who knows. Is he at the mandatory mini camp? Yes! Tell me you never called in sick when you weren't!

 

[Idgit]

McClain is a guy who's the right kind of guy on Sundays, and seems to have some struggles the rest of the week. But I haven't seen any indication that he doesn't have a high football IQ or that the game is not important to him.

If they really liked him, they'd have extended him in the offseason. Clearly, they like his ability but have questions bout his character and commitment. How could you not, under the circumstances?

But, OP, if you can't see that the character of this team has changed since the Wade years, then there's really not any point debating it. Jason's done a pretty obvious job of bringing in smart committed players who can play football.

 

[JackOfNoTrades]

Blah....he'll be fine and if not, we'll miss him but be fine too....

 

[CowboyRoy]

Imo RKG is the foundation on which this team is built.

That foundation allows for players like 55 to be brought in.

LOL....Now that was funny.

RKG is simply coach speak mantra that every coach speaks to their team. Nothing different. Same as "were going to stack good days on top of good days" and "one day at a time getting better every day" They all say it all day long on every team. Or at least most do.

The only time it ever seems to mean anything, or people claim it does is when a team finally starts winning.

This team is absolutely NOT built on the RKG mantra because Jones has brought in anybody and anyone he thought could help this team regardless of on the field issues or off the field issues. Sorry, but McClain, the Kraken, and the drunk driving, quite football DT that killed his best friend has pretty much covered every kind of RKG there either is or isnt.

If all these cats are his "RKG", then he has completely used the wrong term. There is no way all those cats can be the RKG. No chance. Either that, or the term RKG means anyone and everyone. Which would disqualify it completely.

What this proves is that the Joneses and Will Clay are building this team and they finally have a system and a clue how to do that. And they are finally managing the cap and FA the proper way. And then Jones finally got two excellent coordinators to run both sides of the ball and got Garrett away from the offense.

Again.................Sorry, but you cant convince me that this has much to do with Garrett. Especially since his RKG mantra never even creeps into the equation obviously. Now them putting a preference on good people and team leaders more so then they did in the past in the draft? Ok, Im sure Garrett had some influence there. But that's about as far as I am going to go.

 

[CowboyRoy]

McClain is a guy who's the right kind of guy on Sundays, and seems to have some struggles the rest of the week. But I haven't seen any indication that he doesn't have a high football IQ or that the game is not important to him.

If they really liked him, they'd have extended him in the offseason. Clearly, they like his ability but have questions bout his character and commitment. How could you not, under the circumstances?

But, OP, if you can't see that the character of this team has changed since the Wade years, then there's really not any point debating it. Jason's done a pretty obvious job of bringing in smart committed players who can play football.

If RKG doesnt cover off the field stuff, and it doenst cover your love of the game, and all it covers is that you play hard on Sunday, then RKG means 90% of the league. If all a guy has to do is show up on Sunday, then big whoop. The RKG nonsense is a joke.

How is the RKG someone that hates to practice? Or has retired from the league because he obviously doenst enjoy the game enough? Yah, then that term is a joke.

The more logical conclusion is that Garrett wants good guys. Guys that are leaders and love the game of football. Smart players that practice the right way, work out the right way, play the right way, and keep clean off the field so as not to cause a distraction.

But its obviously impossible to have all guys like that on your team. And clearly Jones doesnt give a hoot about the RKG mantra. And since its his job to field the players on the team, he isnt stupid enough to think that you can have all RKG's. So when Garrett gets drilled on what is RKG really means, he has had to back track and tone down his definition because Jones has made his RKG preaching seem foolish. Considering the guys we have brought in here.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Since the dawn of time ... well that is another story. Veterans have always found a way to skip an OTA/mini camp. But I won't rush to judgment w/o knowing ALL the facts. Did he stay in Ala. b/c that is where his doctor is? While he was in Ala. was he taking care of some personal business as well? Who knows. Is he at the mandatory mini camp? Yes! Tell me you never called in sick when you weren't!

I would agree with you, but then McClain has a history of this and also of quiting the game only 3 years into his young career and retiring. So there are issues here. And there is no way anyone is going to convince me that this type of player is the RKG according to any definition. If so, then RKG is a complete joke.

But like Jerry Jones, I want this guy playing for me. Especially because we have no one at this time to replace him.

 

[John813]

IMO they brought him in last year purely as a low risk/high reward trade. Garrett knows Saban, and Saban coached McClain in Alabama.
IIRC Saban had some encouraging things to say about RM.
Last year his play was very good all things considered. There's no guarantee he makes the team this year, even with how well he played last year.

 

[DallasEast]

I have zero problems with coaches not commenting to the media. Whatever they say publicly is often misconstrued. "Often" is an understatement.

 

[Idgit]

If RKG doesnt cover off the field stuff, and it doenst cover your love of the game, and all it covers is that you play hard on Sunday, then RKG means 90% of the league. If all a guy has to do is show up on Sunday, then big whoop. The RKG nonsense is a joke.

How is the RKG someone that hates to practice? Or has retired from the league because he obviously doenst enjoy the game enough? Yah, then that term is a joke.

The more logical conclusion is that Garrett wants good guys. Guys that are leaders and love the game of football. Smart players that practice the right way, work out the right way, play the right way, and keep clean off the field so as not to cause a distraction.

But its obviously impossible to have all guys like that on your team. And clearly Jones doesnt give a hoot about the RKG mantra. And since its his job to field the players on the team, he isnt stupid enough to think that you can have all RKG's. So when Garrett gets drilled on what is RKG really means, he has had to back track and tone down his definition because Jones has made his RKG preaching seem foolish. Considering the guys we have brought in here.

I didn't say Jason's RKGs only play hard on Sundays. I said McClain does, and that that's most of the reason why he's here.

Look, it's not that hard to find the definition of what Jason Garrett has always said the right kinds of guys are. McClain doesn't hate to practice, so I don't really need to address that point. You don't know why he retired from the league, so there's that.

And maybe it is impossible to find 53 guys who are passionate and make football a priority who can also play. Or maybe teams try to find those 53 and sometimes miss. Or maybe sometimes they agree to make an exception for a guy who might get there, but who can play the hell out of a game of football in the meantime and who is inexpensive and a good value. It doesn't have to be as rigid as all that. But, as I said, this team's been rebuilt with a very specific emphasis on character, your interpretation of Rolando McClain's presence on the roster notwithstanding. I'm not seeing a lot of guys we've brought in who don't fit the mold, and I see a very active and obvious culture of smart young players who work hard and know what's expected of them. That includes guys like Greg Hardy and La'el Collins. McClain might not be one of my favorite players, but even Marinelli was talking last season about how hard he practices. I don't know what the truth really is. He looks like he's not fully committed to me, but we're on the outside, looking in and guessing.

They say that Deion Sanders used to make a point of not paying attention to the game plan implementations. Telling his coaches he'll just cover the top receiver and making a big show of relaxing and not focussing in meetings. Personally, I hate that. Personally, I'd have moved on from Sanders (I wouldn't have signed him in the first place), but the point is, if you're good enough on Sundays, even the really good teams will make exceptions. It doesn't mean they stop looking for the *right* kinds of guys along the way.

 

[Vanilla2]

LOL....Now that was funny.

RKG is simply coach speak mantra that every coach speaks to their team. Nothing different. Same as "were going to stack good days on top of good days" and "one day at a time getting better every day" They all say it all day long on every team. Or at least most do.

The only time it ever seems to mean anything, or people claim it does is when a team finally starts winning.

This team is absolutely NOT built on the RKG mantra because Jones has brought in anybody and anyone he thought could help this team regardless of on the field issues or off the field issues. Sorry, but McClain, the Kraken, and the drunk driving, quite football DT that killed his best friend has pretty much covered every kind of RKG there either is or isnt.

If all these cats are his "RKG", then he has completely used the wrong term. There is no way all those cats can be the RKG. No chance. Either that, or the term RKG means anyone and everyone. Which would disqualify it completely.

What this proves is that the Joneses and Will Clay are building this team and they finally have a system and a clue how to do that. And they are finally managing the cap and FA the proper way. And then Jones finally got two excellent coordinators to run both sides of the ball and got Garrett away from the offense.

Again.................Sorry, but you cant convince me that this has much to do with Garrett. Especially since his RKG mantra never even creeps into the equation obviously. Now them putting a preference on good people and team leaders more so then they did in the past in the draft? Ok, Im sure Garrett had some influence there. But that's about as far as I am going to go.

Blah blah blah.

 

[CowboyRoy]

I didn't say Jason's RKGs only play hard on Sundays. I said McClain does, and that that's most of the reason why he's here.

Look, it's not that hard to find the definition of what Jason Garrett has always said the right kinds of guys are. McClain doesn't hate to practice, so I don't really need to address that point. You don't know why he retired from the league, so there's that.

And maybe it is impossible to find 53 guys who are passionate and make football a priority who can also play. Or maybe teams try to find those 53 and sometimes miss. Or maybe sometimes they agree to make an exception for a guy who might get there, but who can play the hell out of a game of football in the meantime and who is inexpensive and a good value. It doesn't have to be as rigid as all that. But, as I said, this team's been rebuilt with a very specific emphasis on character, your interpretation of Rolando McClain's presence on the roster notwithstanding. I'm not seeing a lot of guys we've brought in who don't fit the mold, and I see a very active and obvious culture of smart young players who work hard and know what's expected of them. That includes guys like Greg Hardy and La'el Collins. McClain might not be one of my favorite players, but even Marinelli was talking last season about how hard he practices. I don't know what the truth really is. He looks like he's not fully committed to me, but we're on the outside, looking in and guessing.

They say that Deion Sanders used to make a point of not paying attention to the game plan implementations. Telling his coaches he'll just cover the top receiver and making a big show of relaxing and not focussing in meetings. Personally, I hate that. Personally, I'd have moved on from Sanders (I wouldn't have signed him in the first place), but the point is, if you're good enough on Sundays, even the really good teams will make exceptions. It doesn't mean they stop looking for the *right* kinds of guys along the way.

I guess my point is pretty simple. RKG is something that Garrett preaches, but he doesnt pick the players and Jones does. Jones, Clay, his son make the roster, not Garrett. Garrett is not the Chip Kelly of the Cowboys. He basically overseas the team, but he neither runs the offense or the defense anymore. Now certainly he has say and influence, but on a scale of 1-10 on control he is a 3. Game day coaching is no longer his responsibility, the offense is no longer his responsibility, and definitely filling out the roster isn't his responsibility. And the fact that Jones doesnt follow his RKG mantra is only further proof of that.

Its nothing more than coach speak. If I, or any coach on any team in the world could have their choice of what kind of players they would want it would be leaders on and off the field, smart, hard working, love the game types. This isnt some earth shattering new idea from Garrett and it certainly isnt any kind of culture on this team. The Cowboys have as many if not more troubled players than anyone. And that has little to do with Jason Garret.

In my opinion, Garretts best quality is the way he gets everyone to like him. He is a politician. And he is great at it. He can obviously make a great impression. In my opinion, he is the Obama of football. The best thing he ever did was get himself elected. But when it comes to running things, not so much. Although I will admit that having him be a walk around, leave the football to a real football mind thing I like much better. If he has to do something, let it be walk around and not much else. He seems more adept at doing that with his preaching and his likability. He can focus on that. Its what he does best.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I guess my point is pretty simple. RKG is something that Garrett preaches, but he doesnt pick the players and Jones does. Jones, Clay, his son make the roster, not Garrett. Garrett is not the Chip Kelly of the Cowboys. He basically overseas the team, but he neither runs the offense or the defense anymore. Now certainly he has say and influence, but on a scale of 1-10 on control he is a 3. Game day coaching is no longer his responsibility, the offense is no longer his responsibility, and definitely filling out the roster isn't his responsibility. And the fact that Jones doesnt follow his RKG mantra is only further proof of that.

You are far underestimating Garrett's control. You make it sound like he is nothing more than a bus driver and that simply isn't true.

 

[CowboyRoy]

You are far underestimating Garrett's control. You make it sound like he is nothing more than a bus driver and that simply isn't true.

Yah, well that is what he is in my opinion. What do you think he has control over exactly?