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Thank the Titans for exposing a Cowboys Stadium circus
by George Robinson • August 29, 2009
Thank the Tennessee Titans for a sneak peak into the world of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' Billion-Dollar Stadium Circus.
The NFL has decided not to do a thing about the comical jumbo screens that hang directly in the middle of a billion-dollar facility that's supposed to be state of the art.
Actually, it is state of the art, but I'm wondering if bad karma has already attached itself to Jones' grand vision.
Grand visions are nothing new in our society. Remember in the early 1900s there was a vision to build the largest ever commercial cruise ship and sail it from England to America. The Titanic was supposed to be the ship that even God could not sink.
Despite Leonardo Dicaprio's best efforts, we all know what happened in the frigid waters of the north Atlantic in 1912.
Not that I wish any such tragedy to befall Jones' new stadium, but his reluctance to even attempt to move those screens seems about as arrogant as the Titanic builders not seeing a need to stock the ship with more lifeboats.
The Titans' Craig Hentrich warmed up before his team played Dallas in a preseason game last week. His booming punts ricocheted off the screens above. When it was suggested that the league look into solving the issue, the NFL made it known that any team that hits the screen will be subject to a "do-over."
That's funny.
A do-over.
Jones and the infinite wisdom of his stadium architects could build a mammoth arena and spend more money than a small country (during a severe recession), but couldn't figure out that maybe a jumbo screen in the middle of the field could pose a problem.
"I don't see it as ultimately an issue because punts rarely are kicked that high down the middle of the field because teams prefer pinning returners closer to the sideline," Jones said on a radio show in Dallas.
So when does it become an issue? When Dallas is looking for its first playoff win since Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were there?
I can almost assure you that during the course of this season, punters (if in position) will try to hit that video screen, and what will start out as an NFL game will, at times, look like something out of Vince McMahon's XFL.
This is going to induce laughter, agitation and eventually pain. The pain will be suffered from the fans who'll have to endure countless "do-overs" because it's just too important for Dallas to get good field position for its defense during a key, late-game moment in a tight playoff contest.
For Jones, this is only a minor hiccup. In fact, Jones compares it to punters facing a stiff wind outdoors or rain and snow.
A bit arrogant?
You decide for yourself.
George Robinson is the prep writer for The Leaf-Chronicle. His column runs every Tuesday and Saturday. He can be reached by telephone at 245-0747 or by e-mail at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20090829/COLUMNISTS19/908290317/1006
by George Robinson • August 29, 2009
Thank the Tennessee Titans for a sneak peak into the world of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones' Billion-Dollar Stadium Circus.
The NFL has decided not to do a thing about the comical jumbo screens that hang directly in the middle of a billion-dollar facility that's supposed to be state of the art.
Actually, it is state of the art, but I'm wondering if bad karma has already attached itself to Jones' grand vision.
Grand visions are nothing new in our society. Remember in the early 1900s there was a vision to build the largest ever commercial cruise ship and sail it from England to America. The Titanic was supposed to be the ship that even God could not sink.
Despite Leonardo Dicaprio's best efforts, we all know what happened in the frigid waters of the north Atlantic in 1912.
Not that I wish any such tragedy to befall Jones' new stadium, but his reluctance to even attempt to move those screens seems about as arrogant as the Titanic builders not seeing a need to stock the ship with more lifeboats.
The Titans' Craig Hentrich warmed up before his team played Dallas in a preseason game last week. His booming punts ricocheted off the screens above. When it was suggested that the league look into solving the issue, the NFL made it known that any team that hits the screen will be subject to a "do-over."
That's funny.
A do-over.
Jones and the infinite wisdom of his stadium architects could build a mammoth arena and spend more money than a small country (during a severe recession), but couldn't figure out that maybe a jumbo screen in the middle of the field could pose a problem.
"I don't see it as ultimately an issue because punts rarely are kicked that high down the middle of the field because teams prefer pinning returners closer to the sideline," Jones said on a radio show in Dallas.
So when does it become an issue? When Dallas is looking for its first playoff win since Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were there?
I can almost assure you that during the course of this season, punters (if in position) will try to hit that video screen, and what will start out as an NFL game will, at times, look like something out of Vince McMahon's XFL.
This is going to induce laughter, agitation and eventually pain. The pain will be suffered from the fans who'll have to endure countless "do-overs" because it's just too important for Dallas to get good field position for its defense during a key, late-game moment in a tight playoff contest.
For Jones, this is only a minor hiccup. In fact, Jones compares it to punters facing a stiff wind outdoors or rain and snow.
A bit arrogant?
You decide for yourself.
George Robinson is the prep writer for The Leaf-Chronicle. His column runs every Tuesday and Saturday. He can be reached by telephone at 245-0747 or by e-mail at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/article/20090829/COLUMNISTS19/908290317/1006
