Star power

[Dale]

If this is deemed another pure TO thread, please feel free to move it to the TO Zone. I'm posting it here because I feel it encompasses some components involving Parcells discussed here in the past.

Anyway...

It's been discussed here by some of us that one of this team's problems since Parcells' arrival has been the fact HE is the guy that is the face of this franchise. It changed a little bit last season with Bledsoe and Julius getting more hype, but his first two years here all we heard was "Parcells and the Cowboys."

It was fun at first -- mainly because Dave Campo was the least marketable individual in the civilized world, and going from that to "The Tuna" represented such a significant shift in this franchise.

But with the TO signing, I think these discussions become relevant again.

I was reading in a San Antonio Express-News article recently about how Owens' star power could clash with Jones' and Parcells'. And THAT is our problem. A lot of people are sitting around asking whether our new star player clashes with the star power of our coach and owner? For real?

I'm glad we finally have a new face of the franchise -- a face of an actual player, no less. And I think it's silly asking whether that interferes with Jones' and Parcells' egoes.

Now from a football side of things, sure, a lot of questions remain -- will Owens fit in? Will he accept Parcells' coaching? But those aren't the criticisms I'm referring to here.

Thoughts?

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I hear what you're saying, Dale... Not having a "face" probably means that you don't have many good players.

However, I hope Owens is never considered the face of this franchise, and I don't think he will be. A great talent? Yes. But I suspect he's seen by most NFL fans as more a self-absorbed mercenary than the face of the Dallas Cowboys.

 

[Portland Fanatic]

Honestly...I think if we are winning BP and Jones can go with what ever is working. If we start losing then all bets are off!

I personally do not like that TO will become the face of the Cowboys for the next couple years...have not thought about it in this context..but he will like it or not.

Personally give me Roy's Boys, or James gang again...but I hate that it WILL be TO.

 

[Dale]

Yeah, I'm not necessarily thrilled that Owens is the guy to possibly supplant Parcells in that sense.

I guess when I say the face of the franchise, I mean the guy who is always attached to us everywhere you look. Wait and see....Week 1's promo will be "TO and the Cowboys."

 

[DLK150]

I agree that Parcells has been largely the person that the Cwboys have been identified with recently, but signing Owens to a deal that could be as short as one year doesn't give me the sense of permanence that I associate with someone who is the face of the franchise. The same with Bledsoe. He's going to be here for another year or two and may even lead us to a Super Bowl, but they just feel too much like "rentals" to me.

Julius could be if he can stay on the field and reach his potential. Roy is the guy on defense at this point, but James has been emerging as well as far as players that you think of when you think of the Cowboys.

 

[Portland Fanatic]

Yeah, I'm not necessarily thrilled that Owens is the guy to possibly supplant Parcells in that sense.

I guess when I say the face of the franchise, I mean the guy who is always attached to us everywhere you look. Wait and see....Week 1's promo will be "TO and the Cowboys."

The media will make is so...there is no way around it...none.

 

[50cent]

I really don't think it would bother BP as much as it might bother JJ. JJ took a huge gamble in signing a guy that could explode on notice. BP has had to share the spot light with LT and JJ. I don't think TO will bother him one bit or another. JJ usually struggles with guys that outshine him, i.e. the other JJ.

 

[Cowboy4ever]

I think we are beginning to see why Jerry was all over TO and getting him to dallas. Sure if he acts right and stuff he will be a major asset to the team, but more than that, it get Cowboys on the front of every story from now til Feb. It guarantees sell outs, it increases team merchandising sales, and it makes the Dallas Cowboys even more Marketable,, and with a new stadium opening soon.. I dont want to know the advertising cost for companies that want to advertise there now, it just went up. Jerry knows that in one year, he could get rid of TO but the money he makes this year would be more than enough to justify it to the business man inside Jones. TO will be pushed this year like no player in recent memory and don't think for one minute Jerry didn't consider the business side when he was thinking about ways to help this team win.

 

[TonyS]

TO and Jerry are about the same things:

1) Money
2) Fame/Face Time (Give me the ball)
3) Winning

in that order.

BP is about

1) Money
2) Winning
3) Fame

The only thing that will derail this relationship is if TO thinks he's not getting the ball enough. He's got (will get) his money. Now, he wants the ball and fame. If he doesn't get the ball after a couple of games....watchout.

 

[Chief]

mainly because Dave Campo was the least marketable individual in the civilized world

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I agree, Dale.

Players and talent win in the NFL. T.O. is the single MOST talented WR in the game today. We need players with talent to make the move into the upper echelon of teams.

 

[1fisher]

I would like to see Julius Jones become the "face" of the franchise.....

 

[Yeagermeister]

TO is the rear end of the frachise

 

[jterrell]

I hear what you're saying, Dale... Not having a "face" probably means that you don't have many good players.

However, I hope Owens is never considered the face of this franchise, and I don't think he will be. A great talent? Yes. But I suspect he's seen by most NFL fans as more a self-absorbed mercenary than the face of the Dallas Cowboys.

Jerry Jones tautly stretched face will always be the "face" of the Boys because he has never seen a camera he didn't like or a mic he wouldn't commandeer but TO is now our biggest star. The guy with the most talent and who draws the most attention.

I absolutely agree that not having higher profile folks is probably a bit of issue with talent.

TO has talent... and all that other stuff you'd rather not deal with.

The other component is personality and many of our guys are simply good guys with pretty boring styles. 'I love me some me' and 'who can make a play, I CAN' are not boring no matter how ridiculous they sound.

 

[chinch]

it boils down to the fact that we have not had one FEAR INDUCING playmaker for a long time.... until TO signed.

 

[Doomsday]

I think we are beginning to see why Jerry was all over TO and getting him to dallas. Sure if he acts right and stuff he will be a major asset to the team, but more than that, it get Cowboys on the front of every story from now til Feb. It guarantees sell outs, it increases team merchandising sales, and it makes the Dallas Cowboys even more Marketable,, and with a new stadium opening soon.. I dont want to know the advertising cost for companies that want to advertise there now, it just went up. Jerry knows that in one year, he could get rid of TO but the money he makes this year would be more than enough to justify it to the business man inside Jones. TO will be pushed this year like no player in recent memory and don't think for one minute Jerry didn't consider the business side when he was thinking about ways to help this team win.

I agree, that is exactly why I felt it was a no brainer for JJ to sign him, especially after seeing that over 60% of the 1 million polled on the official site were for TO being signed (poll taken prior to his signing). More than anything else JJ is about marketing his team and making money, yes he wants to win but he is a very polished businessman as well. TO's online jersey sales, increased season ticket sales etc.. have already started kicking in, plus TO and Dallas where on the front page of every single major sports media outlet all weekend, you cant buy hype like that.

 

[peplaw06]

I agree, that is exactly why I felt it was a no brainer for JJ to sign him, especially after seeing that over 60% of the 1 million polled on the official site were for TO being signed (poll taken prior to his signing). More than anything else JJ is about marketing his team and making money, yes he wants to win but he is a very polished businessman as well. TO's online jersey sales, increased season ticket sales etc.. have already started kicking in, plus TO and Dallas where on the front page of every single major sports media outlet all weekend, you cant buy hype like that.

I'm beginning to wonder how long the media will be all wrapped up in this story. History shows, and most mediots agree that TO could be a model citizen for a year, then the meltdown will begin.... If we're seeing this kind of media attention right now, and everyone knows we'll see it when Week 1 rolls around, how long do you think this might last??

What if JJ honestly thinks the 3 year deal will work out... Can you imagine the media hype if TO is on good behavior for more than a year?? It'll be like they're waiting for the explosion which could come at any moment. I guess what I'm trying to ask is do you think that the media hype will EVER die down as long as TO is in Dallas?? Is there a period of time where TO could be a good citizen when the media would stop talkking about it?? If not, this could be marketing genius that lasts for quite a while...

 

[1fisher]

TO is the rear end of the frachise