And the Train Wreck Begins!
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MOBILE, Ala. – As they gather here for Senior Bowl scouting assignments this week trying improve their product on the field, the Cowboys officials also face significant issues off the field.
Multiple sources close to the team paint a picture of turmoil inside the locker room far greater than originally thought, and the organization is determined to solve the problems. Sources say there were many issues this season that call into question team discipline, commitment and accountability.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Monday night he would not discuss certain aspects of the team, including the status of wide receiver Terrell Owens, the coaching staff – specifically offensive coordinator Jason Garrett – and recently cut cornerback Adam Jones.
Jones did say he will talk about other issues regarding the organization Tuesday. Coach Wade Phillips wasn't available for comment Monday night. He declined to talk to reporters earlier in the day.
One of the key off-season disciplinary issues the team must address is tardiness.
The team charter left late for road games five times this season because players were late to the airport according to three sources. The total represented more than half of the eight regular season away games. Sources declined to name the late players. The Philadelphia trip was delayed by more than an hour.
The punishments left little incentive for promptness. Fines for being late or missing meetings and injury treatment sessions were far lower under Phillips than they were under former coach Bill Parcells.
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. During training camp, linebacker Anthony Spencer was featured on HBO's Hard Knocks after being fined $100 for missing a treatment session. But sources said Spencer was not alone in missing such treatments.
Owens was a repeat offender in being late for team meetings, sources said. With the Cowboys needing to defeat Philadelphia to reach the playoffs in the season finale, Owens was late for a Dec. 23 meeting, citing traffic problems two days before Christmas. Owens declined comment on his tardiness.
Meetings would sometimes start 10 to 15 minutes later than scheduled, those sources said.
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.
Jones acknowledged some players are late for meetings. However, he said sometimes a player is late because he has to meet his media responsibilities or had a legitimate excuse.
Compounding those disciplinary issues, was a growing problem of relationships between players and coaches. Sources said players lost respect for defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, who came across more as a player than a coach and made what they termed questionable play-calling.
Another source expressed concern that Phillips treated the offensive and defensive players differently, favoring the defense. It's not unusal, however, for a defensive-oriented coach such as Phillips to spend more time with one unit.
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.
Sources said Owens was upset that Romo directed more passes at tight end and close friend Jason Witten as opposed to the other receivers who he deemed open. Owens has declined to discuss that issue.
The relationship between Garrett and his offensive players will be an important issue for the unit to work out. Garrett was unsuccessful in his bid to land recent head coaching jobs in Denver, Detroit and St. Louis.
Specifically, the relationship between the mercurial Owens and Garrett is in question. Other receivers respect Owens and often share his sentiments.
When asked about his relationship with Owens, Garrett said Monday, "I have a lot of respect for him, certainly as a player, we'll just leave it at that, OK?"
Wide receiver Patrick Crayton said last week during an interview on ESPN that Owens' relationship with the coaching staff was a concern.
"By the end of the season, I would say maybe a little rocky," Crayton said, "A little rocky because I think sometimes when you sit down and you have man-to-man talks, I know Terrell is one of those guys who is not going to bite his tongue, and if you're not going to be straightforward with him, there's not going to be a respect there."
Romo, according to a source, was also personally offended when Garrett was critical of his play late in the season.
How Garrett deals with these communication issues is a concern going forward. Even Phillips, who rarely publicly singles out players for miscues, noted a late-season interception thrown by Romo was careless.
"We're going to talk about working hard and continuing to go forward with our team, and we have a great opportunity this off-season," Garrett said of the communication failures. "Guys are going to come back and we'll have a tremendous resolve about us trying to get better and work hard in the off-season."
