RKG isn't "guys who live and die football" or whatever.
That's pretty much exactly what it means.
March 26, 2012
Garrett describes 'the right kind of guy' and says ego is part of it
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said he wants players with ego. But the right kind of ego.
“Ego in the context of what we’re trying to accomplish as a team,” he said Saturday at a high school football camp at Cowboys Stadium. He was asked by reporters to describe the kind of player he is looking for in free agency.
“We’re looking for the right kind of guy,” he said. “The right kind of guy, to us, is someone who loves to play football, who is very passionate about it, willing to work hard at it, willing to be part of a team, willing to be part of something that is maybe greater than himself.
“We want a guy who has an ego. Egos are important. But ego in the context of what we’re trying to accomplish as a team. Guys who are willing to work, are great teammates – there’s always going to be a place for those guys.”
-- Carlos Mendez
http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/cowboys/2012/03/garrett-describes-the-right-kind-of-guy-and-says-ego-is-part-of-it.html
Cole Beasley wanted to retire his first training camp and the team chased him around trying to convince him to stay.
I don't know if Beasley fits the RKG definition or not. He seems to play with grit and determination, but ....
We signed Rolondo McClain who retired more times in his four year career than Brett Farve did.
The Cowboys were desperate to find someone, anyone, to replace Sean Lee, so they took a flier on McClain. Garrett spoke extensively with Saban about McClain. The Cowboys reported that they thought McClain had retired from football due to family issues and being so far from home. McClain claimed that "I still love the game like I’m an 8-, 9-year old kid."
I'm not convinced that McClain fits Garrett's definition of RKG. It isn't clear that the guy has a real passion for football. He's been quoted as saying that he doesn't like training camp. To me it isn't clear if he quit the team at the end of last season or if he really had a concussion. It wouldn't surprise me if the Cowboys decided not to re-sign him.
And even Josh Brent.... does a guy who lives and dies for football really get smashed drunk a day or so before a game and then proceed to kill a teammate as a result?
Michael Irvin once stabbed a teammate in the neck with a pair of scissors. Clearly, that's bad behavior. IMO, it is worse than what Brent did, really. Brent showed horrible judgement that resulted in an accidental death, but apparently Irvin intentionally stabbed Everett McIver. Of course Irvin was psycho about football and an otherwise excellent team leader. That made him an RKG. He was also sort of a scumbag.
During a training-camp melee within the team's facility at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, wide receiver Michael Irvin stabbed a teammate in the neck with a pair of scissors. The victim, an offensive lineman named Everett McIver, had refused Irvin's demand to rise from the barber's chair during a haircut. Following an exchange of shoves and punches, McIver found himself grasping his neck, blood shooting from a two-inch gash. "The whole scene was crazy," said Cowboys cornerback Kevin Smith. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I mean, we were on the same team."
Having already been on probation for an incident involving a motel room, drugs and strippers, Irvin was all but guaranteed jail time after this episode. So instead of letting the legal system run its course, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys' front office stepped in. McIver was paid handsomely to never report the stabbing, and when everyone involved later spoke of "horseplay" gone awry, McIver nodded and moved on with his life.
[url="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pearlman/081016"]Pearlman: Cowboys sweep trouble under rug - ESPN Page 2 [/URL]
Again, I don't blame anyone for not wanting to cheer for scumbags. There are some players that I don't like.
I do believe that over the years the Cowboys have had some teams that had too many apathetic players .... guys who really didn't give a crap about winning or losing (guys like Tank Johnson). Obviously it makes sense for the franchise to try to avoid apathetic players and to try to select players who care about their jobs and the overall success of the team. It is a good thing that Garrett pays attention to this.
It could be argued that the team should seek only the upstanding men types who are passionate about football (Sean Lee, Jason Witten, etc.). That is a pretty high bar, though. For example, DeMarco Murray apparently would not have cleared that bar, given the allegations of him banging his best friend's girlfriend/wife.
