Cole Beasley has been boxed-in for the entirety of his athletic life. Labeled. Categorized. Diminished. Dissed. Somehow Beas manages to jack all the boxes the world squeezes him into. The NFL and its fans have come to learn that Cole packs some Houdini Sauce...and features an uncanny habit of busting out...and breaking through.
The little kid from Little Elm Texas repeatedly surprises everyone, making big impact plays on America’s largest stage.
What follows is a CowboyZone exclusive...a multi-installment thread discussing Cole and the boxes his world imposes—past, current and future. This thread demands extra time and attention and I intend to give it some love.
Perhaps the toughest boxes Cole must escape are the ones not fully acknowledged...the traps newly conceived and those just lurking around the corner. This won’t be pure fan-fest. I’ll document my doubts from the past...explore the day he deserted the team...and be frank with skepticism about his future.
Day 1...tomorrow...the kid from a small school in a nothing conference...and how he managed to get even that far.
The following is intended to be somewhat humorous but also as accurate as possible.
I find name references to players to be an interesting topic.
I can't really explain how athletes quickly get a defacto name (first or last or both or nickname).
Beasley's defacto name as referenced by Cowboys fans is Beasley not Cole which is what prompted my reply. About 95 of 100 people use Beasley.
Marion Barber was Barber, Barbarian or Marion Barber but never Marion.
If I see somebody refer to Tony Romo as Tony, then they either know him personally or they are not a Cowboys fan.
Somewhat reversed with Dak. If he is referenced as Prescott it's likely not by a Cowboys fan.
Examples
Sean Lee: Lee or Sean Lee (not Sean).
Darren McFadden: McFadden
Travis Frederick: Frederick
Jonathan Cooper: Cooper
Brice Butler: Butler
Terence Newman: Newman
David Irving: Irving
Dak Prescott: Dak
Dez Bryant: Dez
Ezekiel Elliott: Zeke
Emmitt Smith: Emmitt
Bob Lilly: Bob Lilly or Mr. C
Randy White: Randy White or Sir.
John Wayne: John Wayne (never John or Wayne)
(Real name Marion Morrison).
Calvin Johnson: Megatron
Vidauntae Charlton: Taco
This one is interesting in that draft guides/info
use the name Taco.
Vincent Edward Jackson: Bo Jackson
Drew Pearson: Drew or Drew Pearson
Common first name but Preston Pearson teammate.
Jaylon Smith: Jaylon
Last name more common than first.
Terrance Williams: TWill or Terrance Williams
Both names common.
Demarcus Lawrence: Lawrence or DLaw
La'el Collins: La'el or Collins
More references to La'el because of Maliek Collins.
Roger Staubach: Roger or Staubach or Roger Staubach