Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Cowboys played great in their preseason “win” over the Cincinnati Bengals last Saturday. There’s no arguing that and Cowboys fans have reason to be cautiously excited about the upcoming season. But team owner/general manager Jerry Jones is talking up his players as if they’re Hall of Famers, which is typical for him this time of year, especially after a solid exhibition performance; he compared Tony Romo to Sean Payton and called Doug Free “amazing”. Things like this are usually the beginning of a negative string of events for Dallas.
Romo was sensational in one half of play against the Bengals, completing 13 of 18 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Is that what any team wants to see from its franchise quarterback in the final dress rehearsal before the season starts? Absolutely. Is that enough to start comparing said signal-caller to a Super Bowl-winning head coach? Heck no.
Folks, Romo has no excuse not to have his best pro season in 2013, but comparing him to some of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL at this point would be a stretch, much less comparing him to arguably the best coach in the league. But such is typical for the unique mind of Jerry, to put it politely.
But that wasn’t all of the media gold Jones provided on Tuesday.
The Cowboys’ colorful owner said Free “was nothing short but amazing” in his preseason work at guard. Now Free certainly wasn’t bad against the Bengals, but to say he was amazing is a stretch. He’s getting work at this new position to be ready in case Ronald Leary isn’t ready for the season opener following a minor knee surgery. Free was certainly a pleasant surprise while taking his first snaps on the interior offensive line, but he didn’t make anyone think he’s going to become a Pro Bowler at guard…with the exception of Jones.
Again, Jones has reason to be cautiously excited about the upcoming season based off the Cowboys’ preseason performances, but he’s got to keep from making outlandish comments like this while the team is on an uptick. For a mentally weak team like Dallas, any sort of wacky behavior from a person in position of authority can derail any momentum in a heartbeat, which is why the Cowboys have been a .500 team or worse for the better part of the last 20 years.
The Cowboys look good now and no one is arguing that, but tap the brakes a bit, Jerry. It’s still really early.
Jeric Griffin is the Director of Content for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JericGriffin, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
