Cowboys still bring the buzz
OXNARD, Calif. – Nothing brings this sleepy place on the outskirts of Los Angeles to life quite like the arrival of the NFL’s most popular road show. The ’Boys are back in town and, as usual, the Cowboys training camp has the feel of a traveling circus.
Jerry’s here. Dak’s back. Zeke is in full effect.
And there’s always buzz about something in this place, like the firestorm that flamboyant owner Jerry Jones ignited on Wednesday when he reiterated his hardline stance regarding national anthem protests.
No, this team does not come or go quietly into the night.
On Saturday, they will christen the camp — the 39th time the Cowboys have trained in California — with a midfield ceremony. The mayor will show up. There will be a band, special effects and cheerleaders.
All of that for a team a team that finished 9-7 last season … yet nonetheless draws 10,000 fans to camp practice on a regular basis. Dallas still ranks as the NFL’s most appealing television draw, sells more apparel than any team in the league and ranks as the most valuable sports franchise in the world, checking in recently on the “Forbes” list at $4.8 billion.
It’s rather amazing in the context of production. The Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl — haven’t even been to a conference title game — in 23 years. But here they are, still cashing in as if the Triplets (Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin) were in the house.
“I don’t want to go any longer than I have, to not put the meat on the bone and get a championship,” Jones told USA TODAY.
Sounds good. But really, the fact is that the popularity measures and reve- nue attached to the Cowboys seemingly have nothing to do with winning Super Bowls.
“It should make your bar higher when you have that kind of interest,” Jones added.
Should’ve. Could’ve. Would’ve. With so many question marks for a young team — including how to replace Jason Witten and Dez Bryant — the Cowboys are nobody’s Super Bowl favorite.
But they sure can bring the buzz. It was no surprise that Jones sparked debate (and outrage, too) with his remarks about requiring players to stand for the national anthem, despite whatever policy the NFL and NFL Players Association might strike. He’s expressed the position before, and despite the sensitivity of the issue and talks with the players union — and the NFL’s apparent suggestion that owners not address the issue — he has long demonstrated a willingness to go against the grain.
Yet by Cowboys standards, drama is rather thin as camp begins. Shoot, last year there was the cloud hanging over star running back Ezekiel Elliott (ultimately suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy) and the bizarre circumstances that led to the release of Lucky Whitehead.
Sure, there are issues to watch in camp and beyond. Randy Gregory, once seen as a potential star pass rusher, is back on the field after missing more than a year due to a drug suspension. And emerging defensive tackle David Irving is absent, facing a four-game ban for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Yet by and large, when you take Jerry out of the equation, the drama is low. Granted, it’s still early.
“I guarantee you something will come up over the course of training camp for us, just like it does around the league,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said.
Let’s take his word for that. Garrett, who was once Aikman’s backup, knows. Stuff happens.
Garrett himself is a potential flashpoint as he tries to recapture the magic of two years ago, when the Cowboys claimed the NFC’s top playoff seed after a 13-3 regular-season finish but squandered home-field advantage by losing their playoff opener.
Someone asked Jones during the team’s camp-opening news conference whether this is a playoff-or-bust season for Garrett, entering his eighth full season at the helm.
“No,” Jones flatly responded.
Yet public votes of confidence can be tricky. Jones might change his mind.
In a private moment after the news conference, Jones allowed to USA TODAY: “Just because I show that kind of stick with Jason does not mean as we are strategizing, that it looks like he is in the family portrait forever. That’s not the way it works. The fact that we are candid is one of the pluses.”
Garrett (68-55, including a 1-2 playoff record) can’t sweat it. While he mentions an appreciation for the public support from his boss, he realizes the pressure cooker environment — heightened by the high-profile status of one particular team.
“That’s the nature of our job,” Garrett said. “You try not to focus on that. You try to wake up every day and do the best job you can do.”
After all, the circus must go on.