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By Jean-Jacques Taylor
jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
Published 09 February 2011 11:09 PM
It's hard to believe a team with one playoff win since 1996 would enter a season with a sense of entitlement, but that's what Jerry Jones said happened in 2010.
The Cowboys felt too good about themselves throughout the organization. That would explain why Dallas didn't add anyone of significance in free agency and why the Cowboys felt OK talking about becoming the first team to play the Super Bowl in its own stadium, following after an 11-5 season and a 1-1 playoff record in 2009.
And that's why the Cowboys fell apart so quickly when things didn't go right at the start of the season.
“We read our press clippings,” Jones said last week. “I'm going to try to get our players to understand that real good. Certainly we didn't play, didn't coach, didn't general manage and didn't own up to our expectations.”
The way to prevent that is to eliminate every bit of entitlement the players on this team seem to have. Every job should be up for grabs.
What's wrong with that?
DeMarcus Ware should earn his spot. So should Jason Witten. And Tony Romo and Miles Austin.
And if they can't, for whatever reason, then so be it.
None of us expects that to happen. Each of those players is among the best in the league at his position.
But that's not the case with Anthony Spencer, Mike Jenkins, Andre Gurode, Orlando Scandrick, Terence Newman, Igor Olshansky and others.
You want to make this team tougher? You want to shake this team up?
Then get rid of the entitlement.
Make players earn playing time and starting positions.
jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
Published 09 February 2011 11:09 PM
It's hard to believe a team with one playoff win since 1996 would enter a season with a sense of entitlement, but that's what Jerry Jones said happened in 2010.
The Cowboys felt too good about themselves throughout the organization. That would explain why Dallas didn't add anyone of significance in free agency and why the Cowboys felt OK talking about becoming the first team to play the Super Bowl in its own stadium, following after an 11-5 season and a 1-1 playoff record in 2009.
And that's why the Cowboys fell apart so quickly when things didn't go right at the start of the season.
“We read our press clippings,” Jones said last week. “I'm going to try to get our players to understand that real good. Certainly we didn't play, didn't coach, didn't general manage and didn't own up to our expectations.”
The way to prevent that is to eliminate every bit of entitlement the players on this team seem to have. Every job should be up for grabs.
What's wrong with that?
DeMarcus Ware should earn his spot. So should Jason Witten. And Tony Romo and Miles Austin.
And if they can't, for whatever reason, then so be it.
None of us expects that to happen. Each of those players is among the best in the league at his position.
But that's not the case with Anthony Spencer, Mike Jenkins, Andre Gurode, Orlando Scandrick, Terence Newman, Igor Olshansky and others.
You want to make this team tougher? You want to shake this team up?
Then get rid of the entitlement.
Make players earn playing time and starting positions.