The Fallout Continues in Dallas

The behind-the-scenes of the 2008 Cowboys probably isn’t sexy/druggie enough to spawn a sequel to Boys Will Be Boys, but

paints the portrait of a team that, at worst, lacked order, discipline and respect, and at best, was in need of some serious time management training.↵↵Three sources claim that the team left for road games late on five different occasions, including departing more than an hour late for their trip to Philly -- one they probably wish had been cancelled altogether. Players, particularly Terrell Owens (naturally), were consistently tardy for team meetings, causing them to regularly begin 10 or 15 minutes later than scheduled. The cause of all this? An overall lack of punishment from the organization, specifically Jerry Jones himself:↵

↵↵⇥Under Parcells, players were fined $5,000 for being late to meetings, and as much as $12,000 for missing an injury treatment session. ↵⇥↵⇥This season, players were fined $100 for being late to meetings or missing a treatment.↵⇥

↵⇥↵⇥Phillips may not be completely to blame for the smaller fines. A source said Phillips asked Jones to raise the fine total but was rebuffed by the owner.↵⇥

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A hundred bucks. Really? It’s amazing these guys ever showed up at all. But it wasn’t just disrupted meetings that caused problems. Tony Romo and Jason Garrett should shoulder the blame for the team’s offensive struggles, according to five sources:↵↵⇥Several offensive players lost respect for Garrett for his failure to corral quarterback Tony Romo in practice. Romo, sources said, often forced throws in practice and often did not treat practice work consistently. ↵⇥↵⇥The quarterback’s practice habits were so bad, sources said, that they affected the way he played in games and could have factored into the offense’s problems.↵⇥

↵↵The bit about forcing throws in practice certainly translated to the way Romo played on Sundays. He is usually good for at least one awful interception per game. Perhaps this resulted from a lack of discipline during practice, which would be an indictment of Garrett. That, combined with Garrett’s extremely rocky relationship with T.O. (who the team may rid itself of anyway), and the sources’ claim that other offensive players lack respect for the coordinator, makes it hard to imagine the team going into next season with Garrett as the O.C. It’s not as if Garrett doesn’t want out anyway -- he interviewed for the head coach position with Denver, Detroit and St. Louis, but was turned down by all three.↵↵If nothing else, this continued fallout from another failed season in Dallas is sweet nectar for fans and is probably just what Jones wants. Drama, no matter what form it takes, positive or negative, seems to be exactly what the owner strives for.↵

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