Scott Shanle says Dallas has too many "Me" players.

Staff Reports

Published: 09 April 2014 10:25 AM

Updated: 09 April 2014 10:43 AM

Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Scott Shanle said Tuesday that the team's biggest issue is individualism and the presence of too many "me" players.

Shanle's comments come on the heels of former Cowboys and Ravens defensive lineman Marcus Spears questioning whether the recurring scene of coach Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo hanging out promotes a team-first concept. Garrett and Romo were spotted in Jerry Jones' Final Four suite Monday night. The duo has also been seen recently at SMU and Duke basketball games.

"I believe Marcus had tweet of the day! I've been part of a team in (New Orleans). It works! (Dallas') biggest issue is individualism," Shanle (@scottshanle) tweeted.

Shanle played in Dallas from 2003-2005 and in New Orleans from 2006-2012.

"I can compare (the two) organizations. Night and day...," he tweeted.

Here are some more comments from Shanle as he interacted with readers on Twitter. Click here to read his full Twitter timeline.

"(You) has a fan deserve better. I live in Dallas and it's a great city. (I wish) fans didn't have to (accept) mediocrity. The star is a powerful symbol."

"Just know with (Saints) we were family and that bond helped us win a lot of games (2006-2013)."

"Getting players not the issue (it's) the environment that needs (to) promote team-first mentality, and that can do wonders."

"Turned into some ME guys. Need leaders. Never forget where you came from!"
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While I agree with him, why is he sounding off on this now? He hasn't been here for what, nine years? Why not speak up while he was here and be one of those leaders he's talking about.

Just be aware that this is a beacon call to Nors.



Oh and I agree. Not sure why he is relevant now.

Its the environment promoted by the owner. It will never change.

Not even Parcells could eradicate it.

Holy fuck.

He is talking out his ass. He has been gone since 2005. The team's personnel has essentially turned over as well as the coaching staff. How would he know anything about the situation with the team currently. He is just dog piling with his status as a former player.

L.T. Fan said:

He is talking out his ass. He has been gone since 2005. The team's personnel has essentially turned over as well as the coaching staff. How would he know anything about the situation with the team currently. He is just dog piling with his status as a former player.

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Probably true.

There are literally 2 players left from the time that he was on the team and no coaches, although he can speak to the way the team is managed.

It's relevant since Spears' tweet is trending.

Anybody can see the problem in Dallas, why the hell couldn't a former player speak on it?

The Shanle is right.

mcnuttz said:

It's relevant since Spears' tweet is trending.

Anybody can see the problem in Dallas, why the hell couldn't a former player speak on it?

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He can speak about management but he didn't address management. He talked about players and he doesn't know the players so I say he is talking out his ass.

L.T. Fan said:

He can speak about management but he didn't address management. He talked about players and he doesn't know the players so I say he is talking out his ass.

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Romo and Witten are the ones in Spears tweet and they are the ones that Shanle would know

L.T. Fan said:

He can speak about management but he didn't address management. He talked about players and he doesn't know the players so I say he is talking out his ass.

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He would know Witten, that's about it really. Romo was there then as well but that was before Romomania.

[h=1]Why I’m Filling Jerry’s Cowboys Suite With…Kittens![/h]Mike Fisher for 105.3 The Fan | CBSDFW.comApril 9, 2014 12:15 PM

IRVING, Texas (105.3 THE FAN) – It seems like such an entertainingly innocuous thing.

Jerry Jones owns a suite at AT&T Stadium, so he was both the “host’’ of Monday night’s NCAA championship game and the host of a party in his suite. His guests ranged from Presidents (Bill Clinton and George W. Bush) to high-profile former Cowboys (Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin) to participants of more recent vintage (coach Jason Garrett, Jason Witten, DeMarcus Ware, DeMarco Murray and Tony Romo) to business bigshots (Papa John’s Pizza founder John Schnatter) to Jones family members (wives, grandchildren and everyone in between).

TV glimpses and photos published from the evening are notable. They represent a sort of Who’s Who, and the people are stacked in their rows in such a way that all the celebrities look like they are on the set of “Hollywood Squares.’’

But those photos are causing “controversy’’ – either because controversy is Jerry’s stock-in-trade or because it is ours.

ESPN rushed to wonder: “Is Tony Romo Too Close To Jason Garrett?’’

Which is odd. Because it was just yesterday (late December, technically) when ESPN was reporting that there existed “tension and friction’’ between the quarterback and the coach.

This round of over-analysis was fueled largely by a tweet from thoughtful ex-Cowboy Marcus Spears, who suggested there (and then expounded on 105.3 The Fan’s “New School”) that it might not “send the right message when your head coach is hanging out with one particular guy.’’

Spears deserves the benefit of the doubt in the sense that while he wasn’t in that suite (and I’m only half-joking when I say this would be less of a controversy had Marcus received an invite), he was in that locker room. As a former Cowboys defensive lineman and team leader, he would be able to speak directly to whether the Garrett/Romo relationship or the Witten/Romo relationship.

And so …

“It never affected me to see Romo and Garrett hanging out,’’ Spears said.

Oh.

The Cowboys are constantly battling perception issues that an end to 8-8 seasons might or might not sure. Is there a suite seating chart America would’ve approved of? Why wasn’t President Barrack Obama there? Why were there so many white players there and so few black players? (This was actually a frequent social media reaction because some of the photos failed to reveal Murray sitting right next to Witten). Why were so many star Cowboys there but so few lesser lights?

Spears wondered aloud: “I just wondered if any of the other guys felt like they should be there or if they ever were invited to any other events. . . . When you’re building a team, when you’ve got a team concept — as many young guys as the Cowboys have on the team right now — I just felt like it would have been a good situation for all of them to try to get together and hang out and build that team camaraderie with the guys.”

Again, if this is a football problem inside the Cowboys locker room being revealed by Spears, it has great merit. But he seems to be addressing an issue that cannot be solved due to logistics.

There are approximately 100 “guys’’ affiliated with an NFL team’s locker room. That’s 200 folks once everyone brings their dates (as the aforementioned players did). While you certainly want to make sure Romo is bonding with young, black teammates like Dez Bryant and Tyron Smith (and for that matter, backup safety J.J. Wilcox and punter Chris Jones and the assistant equipment managers, too) … there are only so many seats.

A P.S. to this non-issue: Dez Bryant and Tyron Smith are about to earn contracts worth $10 million annually. They could, conceivably, rent their own suite right next to Jerry’s. And invite Romo and Garrett and Jerry and Presidents Bush and Clinton on over!

Football teams truly can find themselves divided by cliques born of differences in race, religion, geographic background, salary, age, and most of all, position. It is a responsibility of Jones, Garrett and Romo, by virtue of their job titles, to try to bridge those gaps whenever possible.

Inclusion, not exclusion.

But not every day. Not every event. And no, not even on the days and the events when TV cameras are pointed at the Cowboys.

This weekend, Bryant attended a function and posed for a photo with Michael Jordan. The fact that no other Cowboys are in the photo isn’t necessarily an indictment of Dez’ leadership skills.

This weekend, cornerback Orlando Scandrick was photographed on a beach vacation with his celebrity girlfriend. The fact that no other Cowboys are in the photo isn’t necessarily proof that Scandrick lacks commitment to team.

To me, it appears that the Jones family threw a fascinating basketball dinner party. But for some, the get-together is “controversial’’ because we crave controversy.

Jerry’s suite solution for next time? No presidents we might argue about. No businessmen we don’t like. No coaches we might disfavor. No QBs who throw interceptions.
Just kittens. At Jerry Jones’ next televised party, he should fill his personal AT&T Stadium suite with kittens.
Because everybody loves kittens.

Spags better be watching his back

jsmith6919 said:

Romo and Witten are the ones in Spears tweet and they are the ones that Shanle would know

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How does that equate to too many me players? His inference is that is is a problem with many players

L.T. Fan said:

How does that equate to too many me players? His inference is that is is a problem with many players

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I think he's speaking more to the culture that nurtures the "me players" than the number of them at any given time

L.T. Fan said:

He is just dog piling with his status as a former player.

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A guy whose opinion has been partially shaped by the fact he was cut and who would do anything to stay in the public eye now that he's out of football.

the scary thing is he was here when Parcells was coach. it is probably even way worse now.

ravidubey said:

A guy whose opinion has been partially shaped by the fact he was cut and who would do anything to stay in the public eye now that he's out of football.

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Yeah. He is obviously so sour grapes.