Pacman suspended...again!
The Cowboys took yet another hit on Tuesday, losing cornerback Pacman Jones for at least four weeks. No, Jones isn’t injured like several other Cowboys, most notably Tony Romo, he has been suspended by the NFL because of the altercation he was involved in last week. The suspension, which could actually last longer than four weeks, was handed down by Commissioner Goodell. The Commissioner stated that Jones will have to earn his reinstatement by complying with NFL treatment plans and going for an “evaluation”. It is possible that Pacman may never play another down for the Cowboys this season.
And so it appears that Jerry Jones’s big gamble on Pacman Jones has blown up in his face. Everyone knew what a risk he was taking when he made the trade back in April. Even Jerry Jones must have known, but I guess he didn’t care. I guess all he saw was the incredible talent that Pacman has and the opportunity to add another big name to his prized possession, Dallas Cowboys. He saw what he thought would be another piece to the puzzle that has eluded him for years, an NFL championship. Heck, it’s been twelve years since the Cowboys even won a playoff game.
Yep, Mr. Jones must be getting really anxious, maybe even a little crazy with this protracted drought his franchise is going through. Perhaps not as nuts as Al Davis, but any objective observer would have to question his methods in trying to restore glory to the Cowboys. Just look at some of the characters he’s brought in over the past few years. Pacman Jones, Tank Johnson, and of course Terrell Owens top the list. They’re all extremely talented at what they do, but they have all created huge problems for themselves and their teams whether it was on or off the field.
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Pacman Jones had been arrested six times before finally being suspended for a year by the NFL. Sure his numbers were great, but you can’t tell me that the Titans weren’t glad to see him go. Tennessee got a couple lower draft picks out of the deal, but I bet they would’ve taken a few footballs and a Gatorade bucket if it meant getting rid of a player who had become a total nuisance. Jones signed Tank Johnson prior to the start of last year’s season, but couldn’t get any playing time out of him until eight games had already past. Johnson was serving a suspension because of his own legal troubles, getting caught with possession of firearms. And then there’s T.O., maybe the biggest problem child the NFL has ever seen. Owens proved to everyone a few years back with the Eagles that one man by himself can’t make a team, but could surely break one. His antics and selfishness have reared their heads time and time again and he’s always one bad game away from blowing up. And a bad game for T.O. could mean the Cowboys win, but he only gets five passes thrown his way.
It’s important to have great talent on your team, there’s no doubt about that. If you don’t you won’t go very far in the NFL. Just ask the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys have had talent and they still haven’t won in a dozen years. And perhaps that’s where the lesson is to be learned. Great talent alone won’t get you a championship. In the end it’s the “team” that comes home with the ring, a group of guys that play well together without the distractions and all the individual accolades. It seems that Jerry Jones has forgotten that or maybe he never really knew it to begin with. But who knows? The season still has a long way to go and maybe when it’s over the Cowboys will have won it all. Then Jones can boast that he has another Lombardi Trophy to add to his collection. If that doesn’t happen then Jones won’t capture that elusive championship. Instead he’ll have nothing but a bunch of characters, a bunch of paper champions and nothing more.
By Steven Mondelli
ProFootball-fans.com Dallas Cowboys Correspondent