- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 120,156
By Michael Lombardi 3h ago
When the NFL needs good public relations or great television ratings, they just need to dial up Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner and the greatest salesman since P.T. Barnum. And that’s exactly what the NFL and HBO did with their 20th season of Hard Knocks, choosing the Dallas Cowboys as their team to feature this summer. Dallas was one of five eligible teams to be selected, along with the Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos and Giants. It makes sense that the league chose the Cowboys: they’re a brand on their own, and they’ve got a marketable quarterback, a second-year coach and a lot of intrigue surrounding them. As Richard Deitsch wrote, last year’s series, which featured the Rams and Chargers, averaged a series-low 243,000 viewers. But it’s not as great news for the team itself: the statistics when teams appear on Hard Knocks are not necessarily favorable.
Over the last five years, only the 2020 Rams made the playoffs immediately after being featured on the show. In 2016, the Rams were coming off a 7-9 season with high hopes and crashed to 4-12. In 2017 the Bucs were coming off of a 9-7 season and after Hard Knocks went 5-11. The Browns were 0-16 before appearing on Hard Knocks in ‘18 and responded with a 7-8-1 record. And in 2019, the Raiders were coming off a 4-12 season and went 7-9.
Why do so many teams hate appearing on the show? One simple answer: You cannot hide expectations. Once the cameras appear, public expectations soar. One of the hardest jobs of the head coach is managing those expectations. Hard Knocks creates the perfect storm for players losing their focus.
This will be the third time Jones and the crew have appeared on Hard Knocks. In 2002, after a 5-11 season, the Boys were optimistic about Quincy Carter as their starting quarterback, celebrating Emmitt Smith’s final season and his pursuit to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and watching what impact first-round safety Roy Williams could make. But the season was a disaster, the last one for head coach Dave Campo. Late in the season, Jones flew to New Jersey to bring back Bill Parcells as the next coach of the Cowboys.
In 2008, with Parcells retiring and Wade Phillips taking over the head coaching duties, the Boys went 13-3 before losing at home in the divisional round to the New York Giants. The next season, the focus of Hard Knocks centered on Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones’ reinstatement to the NFL, his signing with the Cowboys, the expectations of a 13-win team, and how undersized wide receiver Danny Amendola would be able to compete for a roster spot. So naturally, Dallas went 9-7. They finished third in the NFC East, a major disappointment, after losing three of the season’s last four games.
The problem for the Cowboys is they had the chance to operate slightly under the radar, but now the spotlight will be back on them. Whether you love them or hate them, the Cowboys generate interest and could never go completely dark. But now there’s even more undue pressure onto a team that underachieved last season, dealt with injuries to star quarterback Dak Prescott, and had a huge mess on the defensive coaching staff. Opponents will now be able to watch the rehab of Prescott, evaluate the new defensive schemes and get a slight feel for how head coach Mike McCarthy is pulling it all together. Jerry Jones is likely not concerned about the effects of Hard Knocks or the challenges facing McCarthy as he attempts to manage personalities and expectations, keep players healthy and add a new defensive system. But when McCarthy heard the news about being on Hard Knocks, he had to think, don’t I have enough on my plate? Do we really need this to enhance our brand?
Yes, being the Cowboys head coach has wonderful perks, from the Cowboys bus to the fancy facility and awesome stadium. But once you get past the fluff, the job is hard. And the job is what matters most. Since 2000, the Boys are eight games over .500 with seven playoff appearances in those 20 seasons and they haven’t sniffed an NFC Championship Game. In addition, they’ve had trouble stringing two successful seasons together, and the last time they went to the playoffs in consecutive seasons was from 2006 to 2007. Clearly, the Cowboys have difficulty handling their modest success, and at times they struggle to block out the distractions, which can be self-inflicted.
McCarthy, along with new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, must fix the defense on every level, and the new scheme won’t cure all that ails the Boys. Last year, they allowed 158.8 yards rushing per game, ranking 31st in the NFL, were 30th on passing defense on first down, 28th on second down, and allowed offenses to convert third down at a 46.9% rate, ranking 26th overall. The Cowboys defensive numbers were staggeringly bad, almost as bad as the Falcons, where Quinn was the head coach and running the defense. Quinn relies on the Pete Carroll system of defense, which builds an eight-man front on every down, plays 90% zone in the back end, and relies on the strength of the defensive line to dominate the offense. When the defensive line is talented, this system can prove effective; when the line is not as talented, teams move the ball effortlessly up and down the field. Last year, many teams that employed the Carroll scheme struggled. Atlanta ranked 29th overall in defense, Seattle 22, and Jacksonville 32. San Francisco finished fifth overall in the NFL, and the Los Angeles Chargers ranked 10th overall and 23rd in points allowed. When you have a dominating defensive line like the 49ers and Chargers possess, then the system works; if not, watch out.
McCarthy is going to be more of a head coach this season than a play-caller and offensive coordinator. He hired former assistant and Giants head coach Ben McAdoo to help him on the offensive side of the ball, giving him another voice in the room with Kellen Moore, the coordinator. Jones wants his head coach to be the overseer; he wants his coordinators to handle the game’s operation, thus freeing the head coach to handle the important decisions of the game — which is foreign territory for McCarthy as even last year he struggled with not being the play-caller. The cameras capturing this transition in real-time could make it appear like McCarthy is struggling.
And the cameras can control the narrative. Hard Knocks allows fans to examine the coaches, the organization, and the staff, which is fun for the viewer and can be hazardous for those involved. Just ask former NFL head coaches Hue Jackson, Dave Campo, Herm Edwards, Joe Philbin, or Jeff Fisher, who played prominent roles on Hard Knocks and left their fans feeling as though their head coach was not as good as they thought. Do you remember when Edwards sat in his office debating whether to start quarterback Damon Huard or Brody Croyle? Do you remember the Hue Jackson staff meeting, where the only one in the room making any sense was an assistant and soon-to-be head coach Freddie Kitchens? Allowing the fans to see behind the scenes means they can draw their own conclusions of their leader, which in the cases above was not favorable. It was not intentional, nor was Hard Knocks trying to make anyone look bad — it just happened. The cameras revealed the dysfunction which eventually cost every one of the above their jobs, not solely from being on the show, but from losing the confidence from the fans and ownership. McCarthy must be on top of his game; he must demonstrate leadership skills, a commanding presence, smart interactions, and not appear as if he is just following Jerry Jones’ orders. He has to prepare for the role and cannot make a mistake (even though Hard Knocks never airs something the Boys don’t want to be aired). He has to seem natural, in control, and most of all confident in his ability to solve problems and manage expectations.
That all seems so simple, so easy for them to accomplish. But as I sit here in the early part of summer, I have my doubts that they will.
