CFZ Sports writers and media pundits covering the Cowboys I trust and those I don't

[CowboyChris]

i like the Musers podcast off the ticket, they do an excellent fake Jerry, I like some of the youtube videos of 105.3 the fan, and Voch….. best of all no commercials

 

[foofighters]

If you have any affiliation whatsoever to the Cowboys I don't trust you.

Jerry owns you.

I'd even take it as far as the general media in Dallas. I am very wary about them as well. The jones boys will come on 105.3 and those guys do nothing but lob them softballs and dance around the real issues. I get it though. The Fan needs Jerry to come on so they don't want to make him angry even though they should do their job by asking the tough questions.

 

[DallasEast]

 

[big dog cowboy]

D. All of the above.

 

[noshame]

Moose
I know he doesn't cover the Cowboys per se, but I do enjoy when he calls the games.
He pretty much just lays it out there good or bad.

 

[noshame]

Mickey, his head is so far up, well you know.....

 

[SinceDayOne]

I don’t know who you have followed over the years but there’s been some very critical local media members like Dale Hansen and Randy Galloway. Hansen was booted off radio broadcast of the Cowboys games because of his harsh criticism when Jimmy departed which he maintained until he retired a couple years ago. Hansen the sports anchor on WFAA TV for over 30 years after Verne Lunquist moved on to CBS was the most popular watched in DFW area.


Galloway also had the most popular radio show and columnist for DMN & Ft Worth Star Telegram. There’s been many others. And current beat writers and local columnist which you won’t see at Cowboys broadcast very often. Jean Jacque Taylor of Star Telegram and Tim Cowlishaw of DMN steadily rip our ownership to name a few.

There has been many others . If you are not in the local market following them or subscribing to these local publication newspapers then you might not ever hear or read them as the Dallas Cowboys don’t allow most of them at news conferences.

Drew Pearson and Charlie Waters radio show were huge critics. It was believed for years why Jethro refused inducting Drew into ROH. It wasn’t until Jethro wanted Staubach to become head of North Texas SB committee that Jethro finally inducted Drew by the insistence of Roger. Drew has been less critical since.

To suggest there’s no local criticism of our ownership isn’t totally incorrect and probably an indicator you aren’t following all of the local criticism. While the Cowboys have maintained their popularity and support locally our owner Jethro was still named the most hated sports personality in Dallas.

Yes, there is a group of coverage from some local columnist and media members which aren’t confrontational or consistent critics in order to gain more access. Most of which we don’t hold much validity .

Jerry Jones has a large group of people who like him and support him as an owner. They are in the minority but they are numerous. The vendors and the folks that rely heavily on the Cowboys business reasons. The fine arts crowd love his wife and the art hanging in the stadium. Still others like he and Steve simply because they are celebrities of a sort. And as I said above many in the local media rely on getting easy quotes and stories from the teams inner circle. Too many in the media IMO.

Absolutely no legit reporter or writer can do a fair and honest job of covering the Cowboys without being a strong critic of what has happened on the field with the team and coaching for the past three decades. My point is that far too many in the local media are too soft on the Joneses just for easy tidbits and stories.

 

[Rayman70]

If you have any affiliation whatsoever to the Cowboys I don't trust you.

Jerry owns you.

and if he doesn't, it is only because he chooses not to own you...ie controlled opposition and optics. Jerrah and Stevie have tentacles in every single media outlet in Dallas proper.

 

[Rayman70]

One other thing I want to throw out about Fisher. Well a couple things. That impersonation he does of Jerry makes my spine hurt. His singing is cringeworthy to the point of painful and his ADHD is off the charts. He takes forever to say something that would take anyone else a minute or two. He can stretch a story.

But the biggest reason I don’t trust him is because he goes so far out of his way to convince the audience that he’s unbiased. If he’s unbiased we would know that as the audience. So is he trying to convince us he’s unbiased or himself? But in my experiences people who try to convince you they are neutral or unbiased usually have an agenda.

Fish is STILL making money from the 90's glory days...Hes making a movie from what I can tell or a documentary or something. Its always about merchandising and making an easy buck. The issue with the older reporters is they are stuck in the 90's. They still think Jerry is a maverick and that is a joke. Now he needs a nursing home along with a few reporters.

 

[FiveSuperBowls]

This is obviously nothing more than my personal opinion. But in today’s glut of sports media that cover the Cowboys almost on an hourly basis, there are some I trust and many I do not. Most of those I trust treat their audience with respect and don’t insult our intelligence. They give credit when it’s earned and also constructively criticize when warranted.

Those I don’t trust seem to think Cowboys fans are mostly middle schoolers capable only of clicking constantly on a story based on how wild it seems to be or how blue the kool aid can be. They are usually willing to lose their credibility and objectivity by kissing up to the Jones family or willing to put out “team approved” story lines about what’s happening at the Star.

THOSE I TRUST (and why)

• Jon Machota- covers the Cowboys for the Athletic and his work is fact based, uses actual quotes, understands how the cap works, is not a sensationalist and is not afraid to ask a tough question to the Jones.
• David Moore- a traditional beat writer for the DMN who just reports the facts. He’s knowledgeable, fair, but also doesn’t drink the team koolaid. He’s respected by the players and team for being fair and is usually the first reporter called on by Mike Mac at his pressers.
• Bob Sturm- a radio host for Dallas’ best sports talk radio station “The Ticket”. He is very knowledgeable about the game, studies Cowboys game film diligently and writes a Substack column on-line about his film study. Not afraid to call the Jones boys out or give them credit as well.
• Troy Aikman- does a very interesting 15 min spot on “The Ticket” usually the Tuesday after games. He is completely objective and fair to all teams, coaches and players. He has been one of the fairest and best critics of the Jones front office. He is very knowledgeable of the NFL and how the game has evolved. Fans who don’t like him seem to expect him to be “pro-Cowboys” in his commentary role which would be completely inappropriate.

THOSE I DON’T TRUST (and why)

• Skip Bayless- a sports huckster rather than journalist; Bayless lost all credibility with me when he was covering the Cowboys in the 90s for the old Dallas Times Herald newspaper. He wrote about hearing “rumors” that Troy Aikman was gay, and never produced a shred of anything to back his story. He made it up to sell papers. His pathetic TV show is basically the “National Enquirer“ of sports. He has ZERO credibility with players and coaches. Ask Charles Haley what he thinks of him. Or Troy.
• Mickey Spagnola- because he is employed by the Cowboys, “never is heard a discouraging word” about the team. His articles are usually the fluffiest of team fluff although occasionally he writes an ok piece. I can forgive him for his team loyalty because of his employer but his famous rude and condescending attitude to other people covering the Cowboys makes him one of the biggest jerks in Dallas.
• Mike Fisher- a guy who used to be a pretty good sports writer has slowly turned into a Skip Bayless wannabe. His off-season stuff is usually pure click bait with more gossip and innuendo than fact. It’s kind of sad because at one time he was pretty good.

There are more on my TRUST and DON’T TRUST list. I’m sure many will disagree which is cool.
Who do you trust and not trust? And why?

You are right on with Spagnola, but as you wrote his articles are an “ok”.

I have to state that his articles are very well written and I actually enjoy. There are many Dallas Cowboys writers that I simply stop reading after a paragraph or two.

 

[Rayman70]

Mickey, his head is so far up, well you know.....

Can I vote for ALL of the Above? Each are equally punch able. Fish is mostly tolerable in very short doses. Mickey is instant cringe when he speaks. Skippy just screams Pedo....then to make matters worse, his little tiny cringy lady body coupled with his phony fandom, is just flat appalling and eye opening. This guy is delusional to a point that it makes you worry for him. Wearing the chains, the all black weird Heavens Gate garb&Vibe...so YEAH. Maybe I just talked myself into Skip being my true vote lol.

 

[shabazz]

I don't like Ed Werder. He just gives me sleezy vibes! Lol

Isn't he kin to Jeffery Toobin?

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I don't like Ed Werder. He just gives me sleezy vibes! Lol

 

[Corso]

That's fine. He can Loki Spags.

 

[Bobhaze]

You are right on with Spagnola, but as you wrote his articles are an “ok”.

I have to state that his articles are very well written and I actually enjoy. There are many Dallas Cowboys writers that I simply stop reading after a paragraph or two.

There is a difference between Spagnola the writer and Spagnola the radio/TV personality. He is a decent writer. He’s an absolute pom-pom waver on the air. To the point of losing credibility.

In the early 2000s, Spags worked a few years at the radio station “The Ticket” when it served as the flagship station for the Cowboys. Jerry eventually moved the team’s flagship station to the Fan, 105.3 when the Ticket hosts stopped tossing softballs at him. Spags to this day is hated by Ticket staff for his rude condescending behavior toward other staffers who refused to play along with the cheerleading.

 

[dogunwo]

Add to those I trust:

Jean Jacques-Taylor.

Those I would if they weren't retired:

Randy Galloway

Some like JJT because he takes every opportunity to rip the organization. That's why I wouldn't trust him. He's not balanced. He's catering to the so-called realists.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Can I vote for ALL of the Above?

I did.

 

[Cowboys5217]

There is a difference between Spagnola the writer and Spagnola the radio/TV personality. He is a decent writer. He’s an absolute pom-pom waver on the air. To the point of losing credibility.

In the early 2000s, Spags worked a few years at the radio station “The Ticket” when it served as the flagship station for the Cowboys. Jerry eventually moved the team’s flagship station to the Fan, 105.3 when the Ticket hosts stopped tossing softballs at him. Spags to this day is hated by Ticket staff for his rude condescending behavior toward other staffers who refused to play along with the cheerleading.

https://web.archive.org/web/2023070....usave.it/media3/rec-d4A6OagNafB1YrdxdIDk.mp3

This was the beginning of the end for Jerry on the Ticket. This same phenomenon is why he closed his own forums down. Jerry's ego can't take it.

 

[Bobhaze]

https://web.archive.org/web/20230701030908/https://aws2-media.usave.it/media3/rec-d4A6OagNafB1YrdxdIDk.mp3

This was the beginning of the end for Jerry on the Ticket. This same phenomenon is why he closed his own forums down. Jerry's ego can't take it.

100% true.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Some like JJT because he takes every opportunity to rip the organization. That's why I wouldn't trust him. He's not balanced. He's catering to the so-called realists.

I always found JJT to have the realistic view. Pretty much doesn't have to cater to the realists, because he is one.