WFAA Blog: What off-season? Romo speaks; Jerry called 'Big Dummy'

[WoodysGirl]

9:21 AM Thu, Jan 22, 2009 | Permalink
Aaron Chimbel
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I'm sticking with my thesis statement that no matter if the Cowboys lose in the first round of the playoffs or simply don't even qualify, there really is not an off-season for this team.

At almost the exact same time, Tony Romo spoke publicly for the first time since his post game comments after the season-ending loss the the Eagles when he said, "If this is the worst thing that ever happens to me then I'll have lived a pretty good life" and owner Jerry Jones was called "Big Dummy" by a major national columnist.

Now Romo, like head coach Wade Phillips, is vowing to change.

"I'm definitely going to take a more active approach with that as we move forward from last year to this season," he told The Dallas Morning News. "I'll be very excited to get back out there and be with the guys and figure out a way to improve and get better and do the things we need to do to win. Period."

In the article, beat writer Todd Archer wrote that Romo did not want to talk about his relationship with Terrell Owens, joking, "Haven't we been through that already?" or his practice performance, which sources questioned late in the season.

But Romo did promise to be better in 2009.

"This football team is going to be a good football team next year," he said.

As for the team's owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, well there is no nice way to describe what Jay Mariotti had to say about his work in the front office.

Heck the headline tells you it's not going to be soft on Jerry: "Football's Sharpest Mind Trumps Its Biggest Dummy"

He's referencing former coach Bill Parcells as the sharpest mind and Jerry as the biggest dummy. Ouch.

Mariotti describes the Cowboys as "the most chaotic, mismanaged, undisciplined sports franchise that we have the displeasure to follow."

Throughout the column, which goes over the usual litany of complaints about Jerry (stadium, undermines coaches, goes after problem players, thinks he's a football guy, etc.), Mariotti refers to Jerry as Big Dummy. Ouch.

Not that his wrong, but even someone with the ego of Jerry Jones has got to not like getting beat up so bad, over and over.

What off-season?

Read more from the Romo interview here.

And read more from Mariotti's column here.

 

[irvin4evs]

More lazy and generic reasoning from the Parcells is God mythology. Don't look at the facts, just look at LT's stats. Err, I mean, look at Parcells' super bowl wins.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

More lazy and generic reasoning from the Parcells is God mythology. Don't look at the facts, just look at LT's stats. Err, I mean, look at Parcells' super bowl wins.

If you go by that criteria than any coach in history doesn't deserve SB win credit because of your "facts".

Anyways. If you think Parcells isn't a brilliant football mind than you probably have just tuned in to watching football within the past year.

 

[Temo]

All things considered, it has to be the height of hypocrisy for Jay Mariotti of all people to talk about other people's egos.

You know, the Jay Mariotti who got called out by Roger Ebert (of all people) for demanding an all-expenses-paid trip to China for the Olympics by the Chicago Sun-Times-- only to come back and declare that "Newspapers are dead" and reneg on his multi-million dollar contract.

Yea, that Jay Mariotti. What a ******.

Link to Ebert's letter: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080828/COMMENTARY/808289997

Quote:

Dear Jay,

What an ugly way to leave the Sun-Times. It does not speak well for you. Your timing was exquisite. You signed a new contract, waited until days after the newspaper had paid for your trip to Beijing at great cost, and then resigned with only an email. You saved your explanation for a local television station. As someone who was working here for 24 years before you arrived, I think you owed us more than that. You owed us decency. The fact that you saved your attack for TV only completes our portrait of you as a rat.

Newspapers are not dead, Jay, although you predicted the death of the Sun-Times and the Tribune. Neither paper will die any time soon. Job-hunting tip: It is imprudent to go on TV and predict the collapse of a newspaper you might hope would hire you. Times are hard in the newspaper business, and for the economy as a whole. Did you only sign on for the luxury cruise? There's an old saying that you might have come across once or twice on the sports beat: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

......

I started here when Marshall Field and Jim Hoge were running the paper. I stayed through the Rupert Murdoch regime. I was asked, "How can you work for a Murdoch paper?" My reply was: "It's not his paper. It's my paper. He only owns it." That's the way I've always felt about the Sun-Times, and I still do. On your way out, don't let the door bang you on the ***.

 

[irvin4evs]

If you go by that criteria than any coach in history doesn't deserve SB win credit because of your "facts".

Anyways. If you think Parcells isn't a brilliant football mind than you probably have just tuned in to watching football within the past year.

I think Parcells is an overseer and a strong disciplinarian philosopher.

As far as tactics and talent recognition go, he is not good. He forces his teams to run head first into brick walls, strategically speaking. He does get them to run into that wall as hard as anyone can, for what that's worth.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

I think Parcells is an overseer and a strong disciplinarian philosopher.

As far as tactics and talent recognition go, he is not good. He forces his teams to run head first into brick walls, strategically speaking. He does get them to run into that wall as hard as anyone can, for what that's worth.

I agree with you on tactics but the talent part is absurd. Bill has a great eye for talent. He built the core of this team. You will see here in the next decade how the Miami Dolphins will be yearly contenders with BP as their GM.

 

[irvin4evs]

No, they won't. They'll fall back to earth next year just like we did after our 10-6, wild card loss year.

Parcells is NOT good at recognizing talent. he is good at managing rosters and giving himself good places in the draft, which makes his success rate higher than someone like Jerry, who is hit or miss at draft management (Trades from 2008 draft=awesome job, trade for Roy=horrible, for example).

However, you can't say the names Bobby Carpenter, Dewayne Robertson, Jacob Rogers, Stephen Peterman, Julius Jones, Skyler Green, Al Johnson, Bruce Thornton, Kevin Burnett, Marcus Spears (over Ware), etc. and pretend Parcells had a good batting percentage. He gives himself a lot of at bats, but he misses a whole hell of a lot.

 

[utrunner07]

Dear Tony Romo, We ALL know you play FOOTBALL, we ALL know the Cowboys are a FOOTBALL team, we all know you practice FOOTBALL, we all know you play FOOTBALL games, for the love of Landry quit saying FOOTBALL every other word. That is all.

 

[irvin4evs]

Dear Tony Romo, We ALL know you play FOOTBALL, we ALL know the Cowboys are a FOOTBALL team, we all know you practice FOOTBALL, we all know you play FOOTBALL games, for the love of Landry quit saying FOOTBALL every other word. That is all.

This is a problem, yeah.

 

[Bach]

No, they won't. They'll fall back to earth next year just like we did after our 10-6, wild card loss year.

Parcells is NOT good at recognizing talent. he is good at managing rosters and giving himself good places in the draft, which makes his success rate higher than someone like Jerry, who is hit or miss at draft management (Trades from 2008 draft=awesome job, trade for Roy=horrible, for example).

However, you can't say the names Bobby Carpenter, Dewayne Robertson, Jacob Rogers, Stephen Peterman, Julius Jones, Skyler Green, Al Johnson, Bruce Thornton, Kevin Burnett, Marcus Spears (over Ware), etc. and pretend Parcells had a good batting percentage. He gives himself a lot of at bats, but he misses a whole hell of a lot.

Yeah he sucks. I really long for the days of those 5-11 seasons in 2000, 2001 and 2002 over what we had in 2003-2006.

 

[Temo]

No, they won't. They'll fall back to earth next year just like we did after our 10-6, wild card loss year.

Parcells is NOT good at recognizing talent. he is good at managing rosters and giving himself good places in the draft, which makes his success rate higher than someone like Jerry, who is hit or miss at draft management (Trades from 2008 draft=awesome job, trade for Roy=horrible, for example).

However, you can't say the names Bobby Carpenter, Dewayne Robertson, Jacob Rogers, Stephen Peterman, Julius Jones, Skyler Green, Al Johnson, Bruce Thornton, Kevin Burnett, Marcus Spears (over Ware), etc. and pretend Parcells had a good batting percentage. He gives himself a lot of at bats, but he misses a whole hell of a lot.

What's wrong with Kevin Burnett? He might be a starting ILB next year.

Also, I find all this "Parcells wanted Spears over Ware" stuff to be dubious. I mean, Parcells compared Ware to Lawrence freakin' Taylor on draft day.

 

[Boyzmamacita]

I don't think our record would've been any better the last two seasons if Parcells was still here. We certainly wouldn't have been 13-3 last year. And December swoons and playoff losses were par for the course when he was here. It was time for BP to move on from coaching. Would he have made a great GM-type in Dallas? Who knows? The jury is still out on Miami. They played an easy schedule and snuck up on folks. Let's see what happens over the next few years before we anoint them. I wouldn't be surprised if they fell to the middle (if not bottom) of the pack next year and the Cowboys turn things around. Yes, I believe the Cowboys can right the ship with the proper changes in attitude and direction.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Jerry Jones - for all his greatness in business and greatness in wanting the get the Cowboys back to prominence.... IS A BIG DUMMY.


The man has singlehandedly cost us atleast one SB in the 90's.... and I will go as far as to say he is costing us one now. The talent on this team(as a unit) is 2nd to none.

 

[irvin4evs]

Yeah he sucks. I really long for the days of those 5-11 seasons in 2000, 2001 and 2002 over what we had in 2003-2006.

Feel free to actually quote me.

 

[CoCo]

Jerry Jones - for all his greatness in business and greatness in wanting the get the Cowboys back to prominence.... IS A BIG DUMMY.


The man has singlehandedly cost us atleast one SB in the 90's.... and I will go as far as to say he is costing us one now. The talent on this team(as a unit) is 2nd to none.

I'm not going to defend Jones as he truly is the one primarily responsible for this mess.

But this business about costing us SB's needs an "IMO" after it. SB's aren't won on paper and they aren't won on speculation.

People need to get over the fact that we lost to the Niners fair & square (a great team) in 1994 and enjoy the fact that we had the upper hand in 3 of those 4 years from 92 through 96.

If you want to blame someone for 1994 you should start with Aikman & Irvin for the TO's that created that 21-0 head start. I wouldn't, just because they brought us glory in 3 of those 4 years but if you need someone to blame lets go right to the source.

Switzer didn't cause those TO's and Jimmy wouldn't have prevented them.

 

[Bach]

I'm not going to defend Jones as he truly is the one primarily responsible for this mess.

But this business about costing us SB's needs an "IMO" after it. SB's aren't won on paper and they aren't won on speculation.

People need to get over the fact that we lost to the Niners fair & square (a great team) in 1994 and enjoy the fact that we had the upper hand in 3 of those 4 years from 92 through 96.

If you want to blame someone for 1994 you should start with Aikman & Irvin for the TO's that created that 21-0 head start. I wouldn't, just because they brought us glory in 3 of those 4 years but if you need someone to blame lets go right to the source.

Switzer didn't cause those TO's and Jimmy wouldn't have prevented them.

And you're assuming that if Jerry hadn't run Jimmy off in March of '94 that everything would've been the same. Now it could've been, or we could've been more disciplined and actually earned home field in '94 and played the 49ers in Texas Stadium.

And we could've been more disciplined and had better drafts from '94-96 and had more talent going into '96 and made a more serious run at a SB that year.

I agree it is speculation, just as much on your part as it is on anyone else's.

 

[Jon88]

I'm not going to defend Jones as he truly is the one primarily responsible for this mess.

But this business about costing us SB's needs an "IMO" after it. SB's aren't won on paper and they aren't won on speculation.

People need to get over the fact that we lost to the Niners fair & square (a great team) in 1994 and enjoy the fact that we had the upper hand in 3 of those 4 years from 92 through 96.

If you want to blame someone for 1994 you should start with Aikman & Irvin for the TO's that created that 21-0 head start. I wouldn't, just because they brought us glory in 3 of those 4 years but if you need someone to blame lets go right to the source.

Switzer didn't cause those TO's and Jimmy wouldn't have prevented them.

In 1994 the line judge didn't call pass interference when Irvin grabbed Deion's arms right in front of him. Then Jerry's puppet ran onto the field and bumped one of the refs and ended our drive. And I don't think we start with a 21 point deficit if Jimmy's the head coach. We could have probably won 4 or 5 straight, but instead Jerry's ego made us settle for 3 out of 4. Thanks, Jerry.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

I'm not going to defend Jones as he truly is the one primarily responsible for this mess.

But this business about costing us SB's needs an "IMO" after it. SB's aren't won on paper and they aren't won on speculation.

People need to get over the fact that we lost to the Niners fair & square (a great team) in 1994 and enjoy the fact that we had the upper hand in 3 of those 4 years from 92 through 96.

If you want to blame someone for 1994 you should start with Aikman & Irvin for the TO's that created that 21-0 head start. I wouldn't, just because they brought us glory in 3 of those 4 years but if you need someone to blame lets go right to the source.

Switzer didn't cause those TO's and Jimmy wouldn't have prevented them.

I can appease.

IMO.... I STRONGLY believe that Jimmy would NOT have allowed that bleeding to go on long enough to spot the 49ers 21 points. Furthermore, I dont believe that a Jimmy Johnson-led team collapses out of the gate like that in the first place.

Jimmy would have been LIVID on the sidelines if that was happening in the firs quarter.

 

[AMERICAS_FAN]

Jay Mariotti calling Jerry Jones the Biggest Dummy? PLEASE!

I live in Chicago; Marioot was a sports writer in Chicago (for the Sun Times paper) and was RUN OUT OF TOWN - meaning he quit as to not get publically fired by the paper - because he was, ahem, a BIG DUMMY!

He's the Skip Bayless version of Chicago sports journalists. That's all you need to know to dismiss anything he has to say about anything sports related.

Cary on... :cop:

 

[TellerMorrow34]

First I take a majority of what Jay says with a grain of salt cause he's proven himself, over and over, to be one of those journalists who just says whatever thing he can to make the most waves. He's a funny guy to listen to, or to laugh at, but not someone I put a whole lot of stock into what he thinks.

2nd of all it's nothing but speculation on whether or not those turnovers happen to spot the 21-0 lead to the Niners or not. I have no doubt that Jimmy would have been livid, and he'd have stomped and cussed, and spit, and everything but do you really think all that would have kept Irvin from fumbling after getting hit?

Was all that really going to keep Aikman, cause there is NO WAY you can tell me he wasn't prepared or was not focused going into that game, from throwing that ball that Eric Davis jumped and returned to the house?

And exactly what about Jimmy's tirade on the sidelines would have kept Kevin Williams from fumbling on a kickoff return?


I liked Jimmy, a lot, and he may or may not have delievered us more than a 12-4 season and homefield advantage, I'll never know.

But I honestly can't say that if you just change Barry, with Jimmy, on the sideline that day that the Niners wouldn't have gotten the same 21-0 lead. I mean it's not like Jimmy was going to pull Aikman, or Irvin, for their mistakes.

That game, in particular, is actually pretty good proof for the people who believe it's not really as much the coachs, as it is the players, when games go wrong. Back then, even with poor coaching and slacking on disapline like Barry did, that team was able to fight back and execute and never give up.

Now days our team doesn't have that sort of fight and ability to execute.