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While in the process of devouring a ham sandwich (seriously) last week in his suite at the hotel where the Dallas Cowboys are staging training camp, Jerry Jones paused to get a glance at the image on a television screen across the room.
He stopped to watch, well, himself. Earlier that day, in the aftermath the Lucky Whitehead fiasco that made the Cowboys appear so cruel for cutting a receiver who was misidentified by police in a shoplifting arrest, Jones delivered a passionate statement about his empathy for players.
Jones, criticized over the years for backing players to a fault, beamed as he saw the replay.
Yet this moment hardly made up for the image hit the franchise took for its handling of Whitehead. It was like Whitehead took it on the chin as a suddenly-tough response for so many other off-the-field embarrassments that keep popping up with the Cowboys.
“Somebody might say, ‘You might have had a little sensitivity in all of that,’ “Jones told USA TODAY Sports, trying to explain why the team didn’t give Whitehead his job back after police in Prince William County, Virginia, publicly admitted its mistake. “But the basis of making a decision often times is highlighted by some kind of thing relative to the individual.”
Jones wouldn’t elaborate, but one plotline circulating in the Cowboys camp was that Whitehead had a series of off-the-field episodes that concerned the team -- but makes you wonder why he was even brought to camp in the first place if the issues were so deep.
What’s also relative, though, is that Whitehead isn’t the talent that, say, reigning NFL rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott embodies. Talent has long represented a ticket to more leeway. But in Whitehead’s case, the Cowboys apparently drafted his replacement as the punt returner with the fourth-round selection of Ryan Switzer.
It’s just that when pressed to explain why they were moving on from Whitehead, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett came off as rather condescending in repeating his “best interest of the team” reply. That’s the same Garrett, hailed last season as NFL Coach of the Year, who often preaches about standards and accountability. Suddenly, though, he couldn’t go beyond the company line. Bad look.
Then on Friday, another suspension. This time -- amid anticipation that the NFL will announce a decision on whether Elliott will be suspended after being under investigation per the domestic violence policy -- it was Damontre Moore. The defensive end was suspended two games for violating the substance abuse policy.
Moore is the fourth Cowboys player (including since-released receiver Shaquelle Evans) to draw an NFL suspension this year. The Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl in more than two decades, but they surely lead the NFL in suspensions again.
Bungling the Whitehead release is one thing. The pattern in play with the suspensions represents an even bigger stain on the franchise. According to an analysis by The Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have had an NFL-high 15 suspensions since 2014. And the 100 games lost from suspensions are nearly double the next-highest total during that span (Baltimore, 55).
Imagine the energy, resources and adjustments in dealing with this. And the tally could rise this year, given the Elliott investigation, Nolan Carroll’s offseason DUI arrest and aggravated assault charges facing linebacker Damien Wilson.
Still, Jones insists there is no philosophical shift with how the Cowboys will conduct business, which includes taking chances on some risky players that other teams in the NFL won’t touch.
While the Cowboys have had glaring misses in gambling on risks in recent years (including Greg Hardy, Rolando McClain and currently-suspended Randy Gregory), Jones often points to examples from the Super Bowl teams of the 1990s. He’s mentioned Michael Irvin and Charles Haley as players they worked through issues with.
The Cowboys haven’t won big – at least not when considering the ultimate prize – since capturing the Super Bowl XXX crown following the 1995 season. In fact, coming off a franchise-record-tying 13 victories last season, they are hoping to post double-digit wins in backto-back seasons for the first time since 1995-96.
No, the consistency hasn’t been there. Maybe the Cowboys logic just doesn’t add up anymore. (USA Today/TNS)