Nothing Will Change For Ezekiel, Being That He's In Jerry World
Most of you already know that Ezekiel Elliott, the #4 draft pick this year, and former national champion at Ohio State playing running back, is the latest football player to be accused of domestic violence. True or not true, it's not my place to judge or hold him accountable. That's for the court system to decide (and of course he's saying he's not guilty and four witnesses, who are likely Cowboy/Ohio State/Ezekiel fans are saying that as well). But maybe it's time we hold somebody else accountable for not caring about the quality of person on his roster, and he's the old white man in the cover photo, Mr. Jerry Jones.
Ezekiel Elliott is the latest of numerous Cowboys, or players who became Cowboys under Jones' tenure that have had off-field incidents. How about we start off by listing off the Cowboys currently suspended: DE Demarcus Lawrence, DE Randy Gregory and ILB Rolando McClain (who is facing his second suspension). The Cowboys, not surprisingly, lead the NFL in preseason suspensions. Then, you look at who he signed last year, DE Greg Hardy, after doing this to a woman http://tinyurl.com/hfpa484 and even though he will never go to jail for it, it's pretty obvious he was guilty. How about former RB Joseph Randle, who got arrested stealing underwear in a mall (and we all realize that this guy probably was doing something worse and the underwear covered it up). Or in the 2013 draft when he was about to take QB Johnny Manziel, only to be (thankfully) stopped by his son Stephen Jones. And we all know that WR Dez Bryant isn't completely right in the head either. G La'el Collins had a potential murder case, which was dropped, but still signed by Dallas.
Yeah, Randle got cut, and Manziel never played for Dallas, but both are guys Jerry Jones had and/or wanted. You can look at signing Terrell Owens in the past, and we all know that he had character issues. How about trading for Adam Jones in 2008 when he called himself Pacman, right after his altercation in Vegas? Adam Jones had numerous off field incidents, yet here comes Jerry to bring him to Dallas. We can even go way back to 1996, with former star and current TV analyst Michael Irvin and his hotel room incident.
Michael Irvin was charged with a second degree felony in 1996.
Okay, before I say that everybody on the Cowboys is a bad guy, they have had numerous great people on their team in the past and present, including QB Tony Romo and TE Jason Witten. Not everybody on the Cowboys is a bad guy, and I'm not saying that Jerry Jones is a bad guy either. Jerry Jones is clearly a risk-taker, but it hasn't paid off and maybe it's time for him to change his approach, or to step down as the general manager. He keeps bringing in guys with baggage and/or questionable character, and it has not paid off with a Super Bowl appearance in over 20 years. In fact, 18 different teams have made it to the Super Bowl since Dallas' last trip, including the rival New York Giants (who won twice) and the Philadelphia Eagles. And seventeen of those eighteen teams (I'm not counting the Patriots) have gotten there without all of the distractions and all of the negative personalities.
Every team has had those guys who either get drug suspensions, or face a murder charge, that's how the NFL works. But the Cowboys seem to get the most, and they also are not afraid to bring guys in who have been or might be convicted of anything. It's not a good management style to bring in guys who you know might get suspended or already are, because not only is that detrimental to the locker room, but it is detrimental to the on the field product as well. The three defensive players who will miss games this season might cost Dallas a game or two, and in the tightly contested NFC Least, it may mean the division. And now they are potentially without Elliott, meaning the backfield is once again a question mark for Dallas with the already injured Darren McFadden. it's time for the Cowboys to stop making splashes, and instead to focus on improvement, and not publicity.
