-
-
-
2014-2015 Regular Season: Surreal In St.
Louis And A Deeper Dive Into Off-The-Field Hubris (?)
-
- September 28,
2014
At 11:45 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
-
- “America’s Team” was heading through
the “Gateway to the West” – fresh off their victory in Tennessee –
to face a young-and-promising defense expected to be among the NFL’s
best.
Cowboys Nation had – quite literally – been treated to runaway wins
the past two times Dallas faced the Rams . . . with DeMarco Murray
almost single-handedly leading the “Silence of the Lambs.”
The Rams were already without their starting QB Sam “Brittle”
Bradford for the rest of the year and – with a much better offensive
line to pave the way – chances were pretty good Murray,
prognosticators, and fans were expecting another mammoth production
day.
Dallas – of course – remained in no position to expect a win from
anyone. Just a couple of their repulsive mental mistakes – on
offense, defense, or special teams – could prevent them from
repelling the Rams enough to get ‘er done.
The Rams represented the latest opportunity for the Cowboys to “Play
60” . . . rather than waiting around for a St. Louis slip-up so risky.
The Cowboys – with Murray in their back pocket – would either view
the Rams as a game day nap . . . or show up expecting a defensive
trap.
Fleeced
The Rams were hoping their former third-string quarterback – Austin
Davis – would continue sparking their offensive attack . . . without
doing their latest opponent any fava’s.
The Rams were hoping their new defensive scheme and strengthened
line would derail Murray’s rushing design.
The Cowboys were hoping Marinelli’s Men – while still undermanned –
would continue to show incremental improvement . . . even with the
potential for secondary bereavement.
Leave it to the Dallas Cowboys to turn the game into an entirely
different test . . . rather than control the situation with their
very best.
Leave it to DeMarco Murray to fumble for the fourth regular season
game in a row (beginning with the final game of last year) – against
a defense already determined to give him nowhere to go . . . and
finally put him on his rear.
While it might behoove any quarterback – with an aggressive target
like Dez Bryant – to show a little more bravery through a little
less accuracy . . . leave it to Tony Romo to allow Janoris Jenkins’
pick 6 to suggest he still suffers from uncommon naiveté.
Leave it up to Marinelli’s Men to roll back to last season – even if
just for a half – to give everyone another laugh.
The Rams – “with a little help from their friends” – found
themselves up 21-0 and surging towards a potential halftime lead of
28-0 . . . until the Cowboys woke up – on both sides of the ball – to
play hero.
Murray transformed from a cough-it-up clown to collecting critical yards
and scoring a touchdown.
Henry Melton – one of a few Cowboys defenders still slowly
recovering from an offseason “Battle at Wounded Knee” – sniffed out
a center snap slipup . . . just in time for Dan Bailey to add
another three.
The Cowboys were down a more reasonable 21-10 at intermission, and
they needed more focus in all three phases of the game . . . to
prevent an ending so incredibly lame.
Fans – all of them – had no way of knowing what was really in store
for the second act . . . or how Dallas would keep its momentum
intact.
Fans got their answer – a little over two minutes into the third
quarter – when Romo found Dez Bryant way behind blown coverage for a
68-yard touchdown . . . to keep things in order and stop the Rams
from running them out of town.
Romo said he purposely under threw the pass on that score to ensure
a catch . . . even though – to Cowboys Nation – it looked like
another accuracy scratch. With no sign of a crisp, long-ball spiral,
fan concern will remain viral.
The Dallas defense further stiffened – like their quarterback’s
spine – and Dan Bailey came back with another laser on a line.
After holding the Rams to a 3-pointer of their own – Romo connected
with Terence Williams in the Rams’ end zone.
Marinelli’s Men continued to play harder . . . with a 25-yard
touchdown on an interception return by Bruce Carter.
The Rams were not about to go back to being the Lambs, and they were
determined to show the Cowboys comeback was nothing more than one of
the greatest game day scams. They scored another touchdown to pull
within three points of the lead, but the remaining time the Cowboys
were planning to bleed.
The Cowboys could not – of course – keep their drive going and did
not drain the clock. They were preparing to give Cowboys Nation
their near-weekly (anticlimactic) shock.
And – then – an unbelievable thing occurred. The Rams were making
their final run when Morris “QB-Cooked” Claiborne stepped in front
of Austin Davis’ final pass. Mo’s pick did the trick. Romo kneeled
down twice to officially put the Rams on ice.
The Cowboys’ victory was surreal in St. Louis. They were (and still
be may) the team that blew this. The Cowboys built big first half
leads last year – only to allow the Lions and Packers to come
roaring back . . . leaving the collective Cowboys Nation to cry in
its beer.
Incredibly – not this time. Rams fans were fleeced . . . once
typical mistakes by the Cowboys – in all phases – were decreased.
This victory seemed so un-Cowboy-like, it almost felt like a crime.
Almost lost in this comeback bliss . . . was the franchise record
Dan Bailey set with 28 consecutive field goals without a miss.
Murray – for the third straight game – broke the century mark . . .
but another fumble has left some fans feeling dark.
Domestic Abuse Noose
The NFL has done a wonderful job – since late 2007 – of promoting
their "Play 60" national youth health and fitness campaign. The
NFL's (practically non-existent) domestic abuse policy, however, has
demonstrated plenty of destruction about which fans and greater
society are sure to (increasingly) complain.
-
-
- The very latest event - involving Baltimore Ravens starting running
back Ray “Dirty” Rice being anything but nice - suggests a growing
number of NFLPA members may have no (immediate or long-term)
incentive to relent.
(An allegedly drunk) Rice first spit on Janay Palmer – his
(allegedly drunk) fiancée – then, he punched her in what could only
be described as a major league attempt to swing away. As shown on
security video, her head glanced off an elevator railing . . . with
her body falling limp to the floor with mental alertness instantly
failing.
“Beat 60” seems aggressively on the way to supplanting “Play 60” as
the most well-known “NFL Movement . . . for an Abusive Generation,”
and it is making for a particularly painful business equation.
-
-
- When it comes to sponsors (network TV, hotels chains, amusement
parks, auto manufacturers, international food and drink brands, high
fashion, watchmakers, banking, toys, and so, SOOO much more) . . .
the NFL is "too big to fail” and too complex a business vehicle on
which to slam the door. There is too much (filthy) skin in the game
for everyone (NFL, NFLPA, current-and-would-be sponsors) to lose . .
. even in the haunting shadow of domestic abuse. What will the
networks do with a sudden open schedule glut? If they give up game
day, they have to fill Sunday, Monday, and Thursday. It is
challenging enough for them to maintain their primetime,
original-content lineups . . . that (one would think) they would
most assuredly say “NO WAY!”
Any sponsors who have raised objections to recent player behavior
are only doing so after careful consideration of potential damage to
their own brand (from potential threat of an ignorance-fueled,
fan-flamed boycott) or further damage to their preeminent cash cow:
“Pro Football Land.”
Anheuser-Busch? They gave the NFL a staged slap on the tush. They
seem unflinching in the face of a NFL fanbase – from reliably
hardcore to newcomer fringe – that (once sufficiently saturated)
might just conflate "drink responsibly" with "think irresponsibly
and beat domestically."
Other sponsors – like Proctor & Gamble – are taking the approach of
focusing on individual players whose extremely poor decisions are
causing sponsors (for the first time in years) to seriously
scramble. Sponsors that target bad apples (selfishly – perhaps –
even obliviously) determined to spoil the bunch . . . are really
just buying time for the NFL to straighten up their act before bent
player behavior truly gets out of hand and the shroud of
Congressional intervention ruins everyone’s lunch.
The NFL – at the end of the day – still grants its member teams the
mandate to draft and sign practically any player they wish to hire .
. . in accordance with the current CBA (Collective Bargaining
Agreement) and (almost entirely) regardless of a given player’s
personal dumpster fire. Talent still rules NFL game day and – if a
team can continue to find a way (to avoid making enough fans
collectively say “THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!”) – players of ill
repute will still be given one or (in some cases many) more chances to play.
The NFLPA? They have a hard-enough time developing and maintaining a
spine during most negotiations with the NFL. While the union has
hundreds of career-protecting and sponsor-encouraging reasons to look in the mirror,
consider the long-term impact of their actions, and answer the maturity bell . . . their
recent (and growing?) inability to self-police will be a key detail on which fans
and media members alike may, MAY continue to dwell.
While NFL players (by incredible leaps and bounds) are not the ONLY
people in the world to engage in domestic violence . . . they are
among the most MAGNIFIED, publicized, and prime-time televised
figures (in all of pro sports, entertainment, and politics) who are
uniquely positioned to receive far more (social media) attention
that – even long after their careers are over – simply never
quite
relents.
After receiving a(n unsavory) taste of the limelight, some
celebrities decide that fame – and the potential fortune that
follows – outweighs the (ever-present and growing) burden of
specifically bypassing people and activities that maim and leave
their livelihoods never the same . . . or to generally navigate awful allegations and belligerent blame.
Others try to find a way to possess “the title without the
responsibility” . . . while still others fail to display the
necessary maturity to steer clear of hand-cuffing authority.
-
- Former NBA superstar – "Sir Charles"
Barkley – was spot on when he stated (rather darkly) that parents
can encourage their
children to look up to pro sports stars at
their own risk. Barkley was prophetic and reality has been brisk.
(Sometimes mindless) Hero worship heeds no such warning . . . with
the less-than-model behavior of a growing number of NFL players
leaving parents disappointed and particularly-alert, younger fans in
mourning.
An increasing number of the 47 public game day faces of 32
privately-owned NFL teams . . . are ignorant to the fact that they
can remain perfectly private citizens only in their dreams.
Nonetheless, playing in the NFL is a privilege, not a right . . .
and that fact should never be more obvious than when ANY player
causes – in particular – a brutally-one-sided domestic abuse fight.
What was that? “The NFL never used to have this issue?” You may want
to clear your vision with a surprisingly-durable reality tissue.
NFL and NFLPA representatives can state – until they are blue in the
face – how only the smallest percentage of players (not to mention
executives, coaches, and other team members up and down the
organizational ladder who) have historically
been involved in domestic violence. A few minutes every month of
“press coverage” – from a diligent journalist rather than a
cornerback – will potentially result in a pro football heart attack
. . . possibly exposing a fault line within the
fan / sport dalliance.
Disparities in upbringing, economies, and cultures should be recognized and understood (through continued,
often-painstaking research no one should
besmirch) to help more players avoid becoming unglued . . . but
those differences do not and cannot excuse a long-overdue change in
attitude.
Every NFL organization has a (near) 24-7 private security team with
an investigative lead (or – GASP – fixer) like the
stoic-but-very-effective character "Nico" from the USA network TV show
"Necessary Roughness" . . . that could-and-should be an
increased PART of a new
WHOLE, league-wide plan used to “discourage” players from further
pursuit of the wrong targets upon which to apply their grid iron
toughness.
-
-
- The NFL and NFLPA can also – GASP – collaborate . . . on an
improved
rookie symposium that introduces still more immediate AND long-term
tools to help new, (inevitably?) less-grounded generations of
NFL players to better control their own fate. Identifying reliable
money managers and warning players to leave “some” of their
childhood friends or troubled / gravy-training family members behind . . . clearly is no longer (or
never was)
enough to halt a noticeable maturity grind.
(Familial) Blood and (friendship)
bonds are so much thicker than water for some . . . and may always
blind a portion of the NFLPA membership from seeing the edge of the
cliff and
sidestepping decisions so incredibly dumb.
Gold-digging blind dates turned
"Dangerous Liaisons" . . . can convert the seemingly streetwise,
companion-craving among us
into major morons.
"Money changes (or, really,
exposes) you" . . . especially those who survive a
hard existence (from broken homes to soul-shaking tragedies) before enjoying the thrills of so, sooooo many dollar
bills. Being suddenly transformed from a "have not" to a "have" is
simply too much for some and – before they know it – they are
through.
YES, NFL players – while exceptional
in the learned skill or natural talent that society holds in such
high regard – are (still) part of the human race. While it may
appear unfair that they cannot simultaneously indulge notoriety and
anonymity . . . players can be confident that reporters, the
paparazzi, and the fan base they collectively feed will be doing
their breakneck best to keep pace.
Should the NFL be responsible for solving a societal problem –
within just their own league – with a zero-tolerance policy against
domestic violence and spousal abuse?
No . . . so long as the NFL (and it's squeaky-wheel,
public-perception-driven infrastructure of affiliates and sponsors) does not complain that increasing media
scrutiny is causing business fatigue rather than taking (deeper and
more) responsible steps in partnership with the NFLPA to help loosen
their bad behavior, bad-for-business noose.
Will They Or Won’t They?
The New Orleans Saints lit up the Dallas Cowboys like a Christmas
tree last year in the Superdome . . . leaving fans and players alike
desperate to hide their heads in "Who Dat?" bags and scurry home.
The Cowboys had all the injuries in the world and kept the contest
close until midway through the second quarter. Logic dictates that a
healthier team, a slightly better defense, and more robust schemes
would improve the Cowboys’ chances, maintain the peace, and keep
order.
-
- The Saints (one year later) come marching into AT&T Stadium for a
Sunday night prime time game and – everyone (from fans to
prognosticators to network executives) – are praying for a result
that is NOT the same.
Cowboys Nation – fresh off last week’s mere “Quieting of the Rams” –
would be wise to view this latest Cajun-flavored contest . . . as no
more than another great opportunity for “America’s Team” to show
what they have learned to settle fan unrest.
Rob Ryan may well be completely over his unexpected (and unfair)
dismissal from the Dallas Cowboys but – like his father before him –
he will only be focused on creating devastating defensive noise.
Will an improved but still unproven Dallas team be more competitive
against New Orleans . . . or will the Saints merely deliver a
continuation of their ability to beat them by any and every means?
Will Morris Claiborne continue to be a secondary tease . . . or will
he do everything he can – in spot duty – to prevent Drew’s latest
Dallas experience from being a total Brees?
Will the Brothers McClain both return to active duty in time to
cause the Saints offensive pain?
Will Marinelli’s Men do enough to prevent Saints fans from turning
AT&T Stadium into their own personal den?
Will Romo, Linehan, and Callahan be able to collaborate on the right
package of plays towards one of their best Sundays?
Will the NFL enjoy a little post-Ray Rice peace and
quiet . . . or will their (growing?) kiddy contingent continue
gorging themselves on poor public performances rather than
entertaining a more mature diet?
We shall see. We always do.
|
