Playing in the NFL is a privilege.
Playing for the Dallas Cowboys is an even greater privilege.
If Randy Gregory figures that out, he could become one of the best second-round draft picks in franchise history.
The average salary in the NFL is $2 million. For that, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones asks his players to do two things — be good citizens and win championships.
Both are reasonable requests.
His Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in all of football and one of the most valuable sporting franchises in the world. At a valuation of $2.3 billion, the Cowboys rank fifth behind three European soccer teams — Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Manchester United — and the New York Yankees.
Man U has been around since 1878, FC Barcelona since 1899, the Yankees since 1901 and Real Madrid since 1902. The Cowboys have only been around since 1960, so this franchise has come a very long way in a very short period of time.
By requesting that his players become good citizens, Jones is asking them not to diminish the Dallas Cowboys brand. By requesting that they win championships, Jones is asking them to enhance the brand.
Gregory is in position to enhance the brand. He was arguably the best pass rusher in the 2015 NFL draft, and his arrival at Valley Ranch addresses the team’s most pressing offseason concern — an inability to pressure the quarterback.
But Gregory also is in a position to diminish the brand. A player with his talent and skill slid all the way to the tail end of the second round where the Cowboys snatched him at 60. That’s because Gregory failed two tests in one at the NFL scouting combine — the drug test and intelligence test.
Gregory tested positive for marijuana, an NFL no-no. That February weekend in Indianapolis represented the most important job interview of his life. It would afford him the chance to become an instant millionaire with selection in the top 10 of the 2015 draft, which is where he was projected to go.
By testing positive for marijuana, Gregory failed that simple intelligence test. How can you be that stupid as to risk a lifetime of financial security for a few tokes off a joint?
There have been reports of failed drug tests in 2014 at Nebraska as well. Is marijuana more important to Gregory than football? The other 31 NFL teams did not want to have to answer that question with Gregory in their locker room.
The Cowboys had Gregory rated high enough on their draft board to select him with the 27th overall pick of the first round. But like the 26 teams before them, the Cowboys elected to let him slide and chose unheralded defensive back Byron Jones of Connecticut instead. The 27th pick of a draft is too valuable to risk on a player you cannot trust.
But the Cowboys determined the potential reward was worth the risk at 60.
The 2015 draft cemented the holes in the depth chart. Jones gives the Cowboys size, speed and playmaking ability in the secondary. Third-rounder Chaz Green gives them depth on the offensive line, fourth-rounder Damien Wilson supplies some much-needed size at linebacker, fifth-rounder Ryan Russell gives Rod Marinelli another quality body for his defensive line rotation and seventh-rounder Geoff Swaim returns a blocking tight end to the offense.
The Cowboys are a better team, a more complete team, than they were one week ago. They stuck to their board, letting the players dictate the flow of the draft, not any team need. Which is why there was no running back in the mix.
“We let the draft come to us … in a good way,” said Stephen Jones, the club’s director of player personnel. “We felt we had a great three days.”
Which brings us back to the pass rush. If the Cowboys are to become a Super Bowl team in 2015, the pass rush must become a catalyst.
With two bold moves, the Cowboys have put together what can be a Super Bowl-caliber pass rush. But there was a downside. Greg Hardy represented a brand hit and character risk with his arrival in free agency. Gregory represents a character risk with his arrival in the draft.
The upside is the potential for a pair of double-digit sackers. But the focus needs to be what they do on the field — not what they do off it. Can they be trusted to be good citizens? Both need to earn the trust of their teammates, their coaches and this town.
Over at Valley Ranch, there’s a large sign on the wall leading from the practice field to the locker room. It’s impossible to miss as the players come trudging off the field. It reads:
“It’s a privilege, not a right, to play and to coach for the Dallas Cowboys.”
It was there before Gregory and Hardy arrived. It has more meaning now.
Listen to Rick Gosselin at 10:50 a.m. Tuesdays on Sportsradio 1310 AM/96.7 FM The Ticket with Norm Hitzges, and follow @RickGosselinDMN on Twitter.
Playing for the Dallas Cowboys is an even greater privilege.
If Randy Gregory figures that out, he could become one of the best second-round draft picks in franchise history.
The average salary in the NFL is $2 million. For that, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones asks his players to do two things — be good citizens and win championships.
Both are reasonable requests.
His Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in all of football and one of the most valuable sporting franchises in the world. At a valuation of $2.3 billion, the Cowboys rank fifth behind three European soccer teams — Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Manchester United — and the New York Yankees.
Man U has been around since 1878, FC Barcelona since 1899, the Yankees since 1901 and Real Madrid since 1902. The Cowboys have only been around since 1960, so this franchise has come a very long way in a very short period of time.
By requesting that his players become good citizens, Jones is asking them not to diminish the Dallas Cowboys brand. By requesting that they win championships, Jones is asking them to enhance the brand.
Gregory is in position to enhance the brand. He was arguably the best pass rusher in the 2015 NFL draft, and his arrival at Valley Ranch addresses the team’s most pressing offseason concern — an inability to pressure the quarterback.
But Gregory also is in a position to diminish the brand. A player with his talent and skill slid all the way to the tail end of the second round where the Cowboys snatched him at 60. That’s because Gregory failed two tests in one at the NFL scouting combine — the drug test and intelligence test.
Gregory tested positive for marijuana, an NFL no-no. That February weekend in Indianapolis represented the most important job interview of his life. It would afford him the chance to become an instant millionaire with selection in the top 10 of the 2015 draft, which is where he was projected to go.
By testing positive for marijuana, Gregory failed that simple intelligence test. How can you be that stupid as to risk a lifetime of financial security for a few tokes off a joint?
There have been reports of failed drug tests in 2014 at Nebraska as well. Is marijuana more important to Gregory than football? The other 31 NFL teams did not want to have to answer that question with Gregory in their locker room.
The Cowboys had Gregory rated high enough on their draft board to select him with the 27th overall pick of the first round. But like the 26 teams before them, the Cowboys elected to let him slide and chose unheralded defensive back Byron Jones of Connecticut instead. The 27th pick of a draft is too valuable to risk on a player you cannot trust.
But the Cowboys determined the potential reward was worth the risk at 60.
The 2015 draft cemented the holes in the depth chart. Jones gives the Cowboys size, speed and playmaking ability in the secondary. Third-rounder Chaz Green gives them depth on the offensive line, fourth-rounder Damien Wilson supplies some much-needed size at linebacker, fifth-rounder Ryan Russell gives Rod Marinelli another quality body for his defensive line rotation and seventh-rounder Geoff Swaim returns a blocking tight end to the offense.
The Cowboys are a better team, a more complete team, than they were one week ago. They stuck to their board, letting the players dictate the flow of the draft, not any team need. Which is why there was no running back in the mix.
“We let the draft come to us … in a good way,” said Stephen Jones, the club’s director of player personnel. “We felt we had a great three days.”
Which brings us back to the pass rush. If the Cowboys are to become a Super Bowl team in 2015, the pass rush must become a catalyst.
With two bold moves, the Cowboys have put together what can be a Super Bowl-caliber pass rush. But there was a downside. Greg Hardy represented a brand hit and character risk with his arrival in free agency. Gregory represents a character risk with his arrival in the draft.
The upside is the potential for a pair of double-digit sackers. But the focus needs to be what they do on the field — not what they do off it. Can they be trusted to be good citizens? Both need to earn the trust of their teammates, their coaches and this town.
Over at Valley Ranch, there’s a large sign on the wall leading from the practice field to the locker room. It’s impossible to miss as the players come trudging off the field. It reads:
“It’s a privilege, not a right, to play and to coach for the Dallas Cowboys.”
It was there before Gregory and Hardy arrived. It has more meaning now.
Listen to Rick Gosselin at 10:50 a.m. Tuesdays on Sportsradio 1310 AM/96.7 FM The Ticket with Norm Hitzges, and follow @RickGosselinDMN on Twitter.
