Cowboys offering roster spot on reality TV

by JasonB on Jan 22, 2009 2:00 PM EST in News Comment 15 comments

Jerry Jones still doesn't get it. Clearly he thinks the route to a winning football team is spectacle. He has stated that he likes having guys like TO and Pacman Jones because they get people talking about the Cowboys and that's a good thing. It may well be a good thing for his bottom line... but if the past decade has proven anything the more people talk about the Cowboys, the worse the team gets.

Being the lead story on ESPN doesn't translate to winning football games.

Last season in addition to packing his squad with whatever malcontent he could find, Jerry Jones invited HBO to cover the antics of his team during training camp on the show "Hard Knocks." This season, he's having a reality show determine one of his roster spots.

The first time Michael Irvin watched "American Idol," he loved the concept of giving undiscovered singers the chance to become stars. Now Irvin is doing the same for NFL wannabes.

The Hall of Fame receiver is launching a reality TV show in which 12 "football neophytes" will compete for an impressive grand prize: a spot on the Dallas Cowboys' training camp roster.

When a radio host asked Irvin the obvious question that every will think when they read this story, whether this will be a sideshow and a detriment to the team, host of the show Michael Irvin repeated the Cowboys mantra.

"I don't see how you can make this a negative for the Dallas Cowboys," he said. "We all talk of doing good things for the community, for people, giving people opportunities. Jerry has stepped up and said, 'OK, let's do it.'"

You aren't "doing something for the community." You're playing to the cameras just like you always do. You're placing media coverage and publicity over winning football, which is exactly what you've done for the past decade. For that, I can't thank you enough. The Cowboys can spend another offseason with reality shows and attention starved stunts, while the rest of the NFL focuses on building winning football teams.

The NFL has yet to comment on the show, but I can't help but wonder if this is how they want teams treating their rosters...

Oh and when the Eagles find players off the street, they don't make reality shows about... they make feature films.

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i see no way this could end badly… let’s get on over/under going on how many of these clowns have heart attacks trying out.

"I tried to run him over but Eli had his big boy pads on and he kind of stopped me from getting in the end zone. The next time I’ll try to jump over his head.’’ - Asante Samuel

by foos05 on Jan 22, 2009 2:12 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hahahaha…I’d love to try out for the Eagles just have access to the training facilities. But the first time I got hit I would die.

This will probably be less interesting a show than they want it to be, too. instead of everyday joes being trained and competing for a roster spot, I bet its just another shot for recent undrafted free agents. (That all the contestants are guys who were good college players in the last 2 years or so).

I wonder if I can bill Jeff Lurie and Peter Angelos for the years of therapy their teams are going to put me through.

by BrianS on Jan 22, 2009 2:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Matt Mosley is fucking great.

Irvin’s timing on this is impeccable. Just last night, I was telling my wife that the one thing the Cowboys organization desperately needs is a reality TV show. The other 31 teams in the league released a collective statement upon hearing about Irvin’s new show:

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,” said the teams.

Destroyer of Subject Lines :3™

by yomjoseki on Jan 22, 2009 2:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

From here http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfceast/0-7-185/Cowboys-hand-Irvin-a-reality-check.html

Destroyer of Subject Lines :3™

by yomjoseki on Jan 22, 2009 2:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I wish

I was really good at football, and if so this would be my master plan: I would win this contest, go to training camp, get on the regular roster, be really good for the Cowboys, and then in a critical situation against the Eagles in December I would grab a pass, and go into the opposite end-zone and give the ball to a defender and then rip off my jersey to show an Eagles jersey underneath.

by ajay on Jan 22, 2009 4:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Destroyer of Subject Lines :3™

by yomjoseki on Jan 22, 2009 4:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I like this idea.

by mestupsh0w0ff on Jan 22, 2009 6:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

that is so funny ha ha good idea

"My first and foremost goal is to win a Super Bowl. I also set goals in terms of having a type of year to make the Pro Bowl. If I'm going to the Pro Bowl, I know I'm making plays for the team." Brian Dawkins

by EAGLE_MAN71 on Jan 23, 2009 1:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If there are reasonable cowboy fans, I don’t know why their heads don’t just spontaneously explode…

by cavortingEagle on Jan 22, 2009 4:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This fan's head is

There are many reasonable Cowboys fans. Stereotyping fans is just absurd, for every good fan, there are hundreds of bad ones, goes for every franchise I have ever seen.

by witten82 on Jan 22, 2009 6:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

question to a cowboys fan

what do you think of T.O on your cowboys keep him get rid of him ?

Terry Glenn was awesome i found this -Glenn was released by the Cowboys on July 25, 2008 due to health concerns on his right knee, and not signing an injury clause. so is his NFL career over ?
looks like it, i thought he played better than T.O in my opinion

by EAGLE_MAN71 on Jan 23, 2009 2:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Im for keeping TO

as long as its not at the expense of JG. If we cut TO I wont be upset, because people who know more about it than me will be making the decisions. But in terms of on feild production, TO would definately make us a better football team.

On your comparison of TO to Glenn, the only year they both played was 2006, and these are their stat lines.
Owens: 85 Catches,1180 Yards, 13 TDs
Glenn: 70 Catches, 1047 Yards, 6 TDs.
So TO had better stats even though he was facing more double teams and better cbs. Glenn was a pretty good WR, but he was never on the same level as Owens.

"Ask Philly was it hard tryin' a stop TO, he da main reason that the fans would come fo'."

by aussie_cowboy on Jan 25, 2009 9:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs