The Difference between Talent and GREATNESS

[BulletBob]

It’s a down week after the loss, and with the board pendulum swinging in the negative direction, I thought I’d hop on for a ride. As a precursor, I am generally a glass-half-empty type of person. I am fortunate enough to have lived through the successes in the 70s and 90s, and have wanted nothing more than for my now-14-year-old son to experience a taste of what it’s like as a fan to experience success under The Star.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I actually thought that things had changed and we were primed to make a Super Bowl run this season (there, I said it). When I told my son this, he was thrilled.

Now 2-2 at the end of Q1 has shaken my confidence. So, I (like a bunch of other fans) am taking this checkpoint and examining the team’s conscience to figure out why we have wallowed in mediocrity over the past decade plus.

We see a lot of talk around here and by commentators about the level of talent we have on the team. The consensus seems to be that our Cowboys are one of the most talented teams in the league, loaded with weapons (that assessment seems to point to coaching as the main culprit for the mediocre bottom-line results).

I have always wondered if we are as talented as everyone thinks. After chewing on this for a while, I came to the conclusion that we are indeed loaded with talent across the team. The gap, I think, is between talent and greatness.

How many times in your life have you come across people that are wickedly talented, but never quite reach a level of greatness, either because they don’t completely apply themselves, or just seem to fall short at times, especially when you need them to shine the most?

I think we have plenty of players on the team with God-given talent. But when you look at bottom-line results, I think maybe more often than with other great teams, the talented players on the Cowboys are not able to play at a consistently great level. They tend to be sidelined with injuries, or make mistakes at critical points which leads to inconsistent (and as a result mediocre) results. Yes, I am also rolling the “consistency” theme into this thread.

I think what separates the great teams from the mediocre ones is not as much “talent” as people normally perceive. I think the talented players on great teams simply apply that talent on a more consistent and more frequent basis. In other words, the talented players on great teams make less mistakes at critical junctures or are healthy and on the field more of the time. This directly influences the perception that a great team “takes advantage of opportunities” and “consistently comes through in the clutch.”

So, let’s take a look at some of our most talented players and test the theory that when they fall short of applying all that talent at close to 100%, they hold the team back from becoming truly great:

· Tony Romo – Start with the lightning rod. I don’t think that anyone denies that this kid is talented. He has flashed greatness. But if you examine your conscience, can you think of times (so far, not any this season) when Tony has made a mistake at a critical juncture and cost us a game? It doesn’t take that much recall power.

· Dez Bryant – No one denies that this kid is a beast and can take over a game. At times he can’t be stopped. But he also falls short of his personal greatness (and becoming league MVP as Michael Irvin predicted) when he drops a critical 3rd down ball last Sunday and an almost sure touchdown against the Chiefs. Dez might be the most talented receiver in the league, but is he among those that make the least mistakes?

· Miles Austin – Again, the talent is obvious. However, Miles’ hamstring has prevented him from reaching personal greatness and I think has contributed heavily to the team’s inconsistent results.

· Jason Witten – One of the most talented Tight Ends in the league, and probably to ever play the game. Dropped a key 3rd down pass up the seam Sunday. How many times has he jumped offsides and killed drives? Of all the talented players we have, he probably makes the least mistakes and is closest to achieving personal greatness.

· Demarcus Ware – Will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest pass rushers ever to play the game. But right now, and over the past 2 years, has he truly been able to apply his talent close to 100%? I think injuries have prevented it. He jumped offsides Sunday in a critical 3rd and 2 situation (not the first time), and completely disappeared against a backup offensive line. He has prevented us more than perhaps any other player from becoming a consistently bad team on defense, but has he avoided enough mistakes or injuries to help enough for us to become a great team?

· Brandon Carr – I think it could be argued that this dude has all the talent and has avoided enough mistakes to help make us a truly great team. We need more Brandon Carr’s.

· Sean Lee – Undeniably talented, and I would argue that he is in the same class as Brandon Carr with regard to mistakes (although we did see one on Sunday covering Gates). The only thing that has held Sean back from consistently applying his talent was the injury last year.

· Bruce Carter – Fast, smart, rangy, excellent in coverage … and had one of the worst performances we’ve ever seen by a linebacker in a Cowboys uniform this past Sunday. Injuries and recent mistakes have prevented Mr. Carter from applying his talent on a consistent basis.

So, to wrap up this long-winded, rambling stream of consciousness … I don’t think there is a question of talent in Big D. I believe that this team has attracted VERY talented players over the Garrett era (and prior), and the Front Office deserves credit for doing so.

I think we are faced with the fact that these very talented players are not able to apply their talent on a consistent enough basis, either because of injury or mistakes at a higher frequency than you see on the upper-echelon teams.

That’s what separates talent from greatness (I think).

How do you fix it? Well, that’s a topic for another long-winded thread, my brethren under The Star …