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Staying Ready
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Among the 32 NFL owners, less than half were in charge in 1987, the last time the league had a work stoppage. And of the players, more than a few weren't even born then.
An even greater number weren't around in 1982, when the league was forced to cancel half the regular season because of a strike. And certainly no current player remembers the offseason strike of 1974. It's a young man's game, of course, but here's the rub, in the immortal words of the American philosopher George Santayana:
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Consider past generations of Cowboys, the bearers of history for the team and the league, men who have seen this sort of thing before, the threat of the unknown currently bearing down on the 2011 season.
"Right now the guys are going through an experience where they're in limbo," says former tight end Billy Joe DuPree, who was with the team in both the '74 and '82 work stoppages. "I think right now the experience they're going through is probably a little frustrating."
In a summer where common ground has been difficult to establish, there's one thing on which everyone can agree: At some point, NFL football will return. So while the process plays itself out in the courts and at the bargaining table, the athletes are doing what they can to stay ready, which is precisely the advice their predecessors would give. It's the way Cowboys players have done things during times of labor strife in the past.
Even in the days when the league wasn't the year-round enterprise that it is now, the guys showed a willingness to come together for players-only workouts in the same spirit as those that more than 40 Cowboys have been attending during the current lockout, meant to replace the Organized Team Activities and minicamps typically held in the offseason. Almost four decades ago, quarterback Roger Staubach presided over practices similar to the secretive gatherings Tony Romo has been leading for the last month.
"We did the same thing in '74," Staubach says. "We went out and worked out together and practiced together and went out to the fields. So Tony's a great quarterback and he's a leader on offense, and we've got DeMarcus (Ware) and Bradie (James) and a lot of guys on defense. So they're taking over, and that could be really good for the team, actually, to have that little camaraderie, working out together. I'm glad to see them doing it. That's what they should be doing."
Early on in the workouts, Romo made it clear to the local media that his intention wasn't to bring the players closer together, but to be productive in a way that would help in the fall. The fact that the players are taking the reins for themselves makes the solidarity come naturally.
"It's a combination," Staubach says. "They're getting things done, but they're also out there together and they know it's different. The atmosphere is a little bit different. You bond a little bit more when you're in a different setting."
In order to keep their practices private, the Cowboys have been changing the location of each get-together. They've also arranged for athletic trainers not affiliated with the club to attend in case of injury, and Romo has hinted the players are even working toward videotaping their sessions, displaying a level of organization and sophistication that simply would not have been possible 25 years ago.
"In today's world with cell phones and everything else, you can be constantly in contact with your teammates," says safety Bill Bates, a member of the team during the '87 strike that included the use of replacement players. "So it's easier for guys to get together and work together. But if they don't live in Dallas, for instance, then it's kind of hard to do that."
In '87, Bates says, the players didn't come together to practice during the four-week midseason strike. In fact, there was quite a bit of dissension in the ranks, as nearly 100 players crossed the picket lines to participate in replacement games. Still, there was an onus on the players to stay ready for the end of the strike.
"I think the main thing about a professional football player is that if you're not driven to be great, then you're not going to be," Bates says. "We did not have organized workouts. So that means that the players, most of us, worked out and got ready and knew what we had to do physically to be stronger, and we came back ready to go.
"It's truly a team sport, but the individual is the one that determines the work that he does off the field when he's by himself."
Though reportedly not every Cowboys player has been in attendance over the last month, it's a good bet that they are all keeping themselves in shape, many working out at performance centers around the country. Those who are sticking to themselves risk falling behind their teammates, however.
Offensively, the veterans who return in 2011 will find the same system that has been in place under Jason Garrett since 2007. Essentially, the work the offensive players are doing is meant as a refresher course, with Romo sharpening the connections with his receiving corps.
But defensively, the veterans are charged with implementing Rob Ryan's defensive system. Luckily for them, the task probably isn't too great, according to Bates.
"I think it's probably a little tougher on the offense," Bates says. "You're either dropping into coverage, blitzing, zone blitzing or whatever. So a lot of those things are just putting the right term with whatever you're trying to do, and football coaches try to make things obvious. They want to keep it as simple as possible, so it's pretty easy for guys. Memorization is a lot easier, I think, on the defensive side."
Arguably, the level of play for 2011 could decrease the longer the lockout lasts, but each team can be prepared for the season in a relative hurry compared to other years. Garrett estimates he would need a minimum of three weeks to train his team in the X's and O's.
The mental side of the game will work itself out, and the Cowboys can have success, but only if the players are at their athletic peak.
"The basic thing they need to do, need to continue to do, is count on there being a season and prepare themselves to play that season physically," DuPree says. "You need to be in good condition so you can get through the season and hit the ground running, and that's what we were able to do in '74 and '82. In '82 we played for the NFC Championship and lost it to Washington that year. But what kept us in that mode is that we worked out on a regular basis."
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
Among the 32 NFL owners, less than half were in charge in 1987, the last time the league had a work stoppage. And of the players, more than a few weren't even born then.
An even greater number weren't around in 1982, when the league was forced to cancel half the regular season because of a strike. And certainly no current player remembers the offseason strike of 1974. It's a young man's game, of course, but here's the rub, in the immortal words of the American philosopher George Santayana:
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Consider past generations of Cowboys, the bearers of history for the team and the league, men who have seen this sort of thing before, the threat of the unknown currently bearing down on the 2011 season.
"Right now the guys are going through an experience where they're in limbo," says former tight end Billy Joe DuPree, who was with the team in both the '74 and '82 work stoppages. "I think right now the experience they're going through is probably a little frustrating."
In a summer where common ground has been difficult to establish, there's one thing on which everyone can agree: At some point, NFL football will return. So while the process plays itself out in the courts and at the bargaining table, the athletes are doing what they can to stay ready, which is precisely the advice their predecessors would give. It's the way Cowboys players have done things during times of labor strife in the past.
Even in the days when the league wasn't the year-round enterprise that it is now, the guys showed a willingness to come together for players-only workouts in the same spirit as those that more than 40 Cowboys have been attending during the current lockout, meant to replace the Organized Team Activities and minicamps typically held in the offseason. Almost four decades ago, quarterback Roger Staubach presided over practices similar to the secretive gatherings Tony Romo has been leading for the last month.
"We did the same thing in '74," Staubach says. "We went out and worked out together and practiced together and went out to the fields. So Tony's a great quarterback and he's a leader on offense, and we've got DeMarcus (Ware) and Bradie (James) and a lot of guys on defense. So they're taking over, and that could be really good for the team, actually, to have that little camaraderie, working out together. I'm glad to see them doing it. That's what they should be doing."
Early on in the workouts, Romo made it clear to the local media that his intention wasn't to bring the players closer together, but to be productive in a way that would help in the fall. The fact that the players are taking the reins for themselves makes the solidarity come naturally.
"It's a combination," Staubach says. "They're getting things done, but they're also out there together and they know it's different. The atmosphere is a little bit different. You bond a little bit more when you're in a different setting."
In order to keep their practices private, the Cowboys have been changing the location of each get-together. They've also arranged for athletic trainers not affiliated with the club to attend in case of injury, and Romo has hinted the players are even working toward videotaping their sessions, displaying a level of organization and sophistication that simply would not have been possible 25 years ago.
"In today's world with cell phones and everything else, you can be constantly in contact with your teammates," says safety Bill Bates, a member of the team during the '87 strike that included the use of replacement players. "So it's easier for guys to get together and work together. But if they don't live in Dallas, for instance, then it's kind of hard to do that."
In '87, Bates says, the players didn't come together to practice during the four-week midseason strike. In fact, there was quite a bit of dissension in the ranks, as nearly 100 players crossed the picket lines to participate in replacement games. Still, there was an onus on the players to stay ready for the end of the strike.
"I think the main thing about a professional football player is that if you're not driven to be great, then you're not going to be," Bates says. "We did not have organized workouts. So that means that the players, most of us, worked out and got ready and knew what we had to do physically to be stronger, and we came back ready to go.
"It's truly a team sport, but the individual is the one that determines the work that he does off the field when he's by himself."
Though reportedly not every Cowboys player has been in attendance over the last month, it's a good bet that they are all keeping themselves in shape, many working out at performance centers around the country. Those who are sticking to themselves risk falling behind their teammates, however.
Offensively, the veterans who return in 2011 will find the same system that has been in place under Jason Garrett since 2007. Essentially, the work the offensive players are doing is meant as a refresher course, with Romo sharpening the connections with his receiving corps.
But defensively, the veterans are charged with implementing Rob Ryan's defensive system. Luckily for them, the task probably isn't too great, according to Bates.
"I think it's probably a little tougher on the offense," Bates says. "You're either dropping into coverage, blitzing, zone blitzing or whatever. So a lot of those things are just putting the right term with whatever you're trying to do, and football coaches try to make things obvious. They want to keep it as simple as possible, so it's pretty easy for guys. Memorization is a lot easier, I think, on the defensive side."
Arguably, the level of play for 2011 could decrease the longer the lockout lasts, but each team can be prepared for the season in a relative hurry compared to other years. Garrett estimates he would need a minimum of three weeks to train his team in the X's and O's.
The mental side of the game will work itself out, and the Cowboys can have success, but only if the players are at their athletic peak.
"The basic thing they need to do, need to continue to do, is count on there being a season and prepare themselves to play that season physically," DuPree says. "You need to be in good condition so you can get through the season and hit the ground running, and that's what we were able to do in '74 and '82. In '82 we played for the NFC Championship and lost it to Washington that year. But what kept us in that mode is that we worked out on a regular basis."