Tuesday, October 13, 2009

My answers to a Q&A for Sporting News Today

What current Cowboy would you most want at your teammate?
Without question I would say Marion Barber. But then, I had the privilege to block for Tony Dorsett so I can’t complain. Barber has the tenacity to move the football. And, more importantly, he never gives up.

Are the Cowboys better or worse without Terrell Owens?
First of all, I still have a visual in my head of T.O. stomping on the Star at Texas Stadium so you may have asked me the wrong question. He should be on the field to play football and not be playing for the camera or applying lip balm. He should be at practice, voluntarily or not. But I will give T.O. this much; he is a gifted football player. But there are thousands of ‘gifted’ football players throughout the country. It takes more than talent to make it in the NFL. One must learn the ‘system’. The Cowboys need to come together as a team. So I’m looking for something positive to come out of next year’s team.

What’s the one thing the Cowboys need to become a contender again?
Perhaps what Jerry needs to do is this. There are 8 Cowboy players in the Hall of Fame and we all live in or near Dallas. Why doesn’t Jerry call on our talents, knowledge and leadership skills? Don’t you think Tony (Dorsett), Roger (Staubach), Mel (Renfro), Randy (White), Bob (Lily), Troy (Aikman), Michael (Irvin) and I could create a desire within the current team to win and to play the game like winners? Together, the 8 of us have close to (or more than) 100 years of football experience. Wouldn’t you call in that type of experience to help run your company? The Boys have amazing talent but they need to play for the TEAM. Not for the cameras. Not for themselves. For the team. All this talk about needing a team leader doesn’t make sense to me. We never had just one leader. We never had one captain. We had several co-captains who were motivators.

What’s your favorite new feature of the new stadium?
The Cowboy players in the Hall of Fame and in the Ring of Honor, along with some other dignitaries, were asked to sign the last concrete beam placed on the stadium. Knowing that my name is on a $1.2 billion dollar building is awesome. I’ll still have to buy my own tickets and parking pass to attend a game… so I suppose my name and autograph don’t always get me very far.

Do you think Tony Romo is the right answer at quarterback?
In my opinion, the offensive line must protect their QB in the same manner in which the Secret Service protects the President. Without complete and total protection, the best quarterback in the NFL will be unsuccessful without a talented line to protect them. Tony has talent…no question about it. Is he right for the Cowboys? I don’t have all of the elements of the equation to answer yes or no.

Do you think Jerry Jones is making the right moves to bring a title back to Dallas?
To be honest, I think Jerry needs to do whatever it is that Jerry does best. Now, I don’t agree with most of his football decisions but Jerry is a very likeable guy. As the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, he’s terrific. As the GM, perhaps not so terrific.

Ever catch yourself checking out the cheerleaders during a game?
Nope. Why should I? I have a lady who is funny, smart and more beautiful than all of the cheerleaders put together.