Bell Tolls: Talent trumps whatever moral compass exists with Dallas Cowboys
Ray Rice still can’t get another NFL job, and probably never will, after the world witnessed the former Baltimore Ravens running back knocking out his then-fiancé in a hotel elevator.
Yet Greg Hardy will line up for his customary seek-and-destroy mission for the desperate Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night – a little more than two days after graphic photos from his 2014 domestic violence incident were published by Deadspin.
"A second chance,” is what Cowboys owner Jerry Jones calls it.
In a perfect world, Rice, who was abruptly cut by the Ravens after TMZ dropped the video bombshell 14 months ago, might have ultimately resumed what was left of his football career.
Either that, or Hardy would have never played another down in the NFL.
Guess the Rice episode wasn’t the complete game-changer many believed it would be.
Sure, the NFL has a new domestic violence policy, has hired a battery of experts and has shed light on the issue with a massive PR campaign.
But the Hardy case illustrates a key fact of life with the Cowboys: Talent trumps whatever moral compass exists at Valley Ranch.
It should shock no one who has followed the franchise over the years that the Cowboys signed Hardy in the first place, and are now sticking by him after the photos emerged.
The Cowboys, under Jones, have a history of rolling with talented players carrying off-the-field drama. They have tried to manage, realizing that they are not playing with choirboys, and in the meantime getting more talent than with the high risks.
But this is a new chapter, in a new day.
This isn’t a self-inflicted drug issue or alcohol abuse. Not a matter of a guy getting into a brawl at a bar. Or a case of an egotistical diva who threatens chemistry.
It’s domestic violence, and it’s too bad the Cowboys have demonstrated that they will also roll with that.
At least when it involves a difference-maker that only one, maybe two, other NFL teams were even remotely interested in signing.
Jones didn’t see the photos before Friday, although NFL investigators had a glimpse that contributed to Roger Goodell issuing a 10-game suspension on Hardy that was reduced to four games.
But the Cowboys didn’t need to see the photos to know the gist of what they revealed: the physical toll absorbed by Hardy’s former girlfriend, Nicole Holder, which resulted in a bench conviction (the case was dropped on appeal after Holder reportedly reached a financial settlement with Hardy) and the NFL suspension.
The Cowboys knew another round of furor was coming. Is it really worth it?
Jones backed Hardy when he made tone-deaf remarks before his debut, then called him a passionate team leader after he knocked a clipboard out of special teams coach Rich Bisaccia hands during a sideline blowup. And the Cowboys are talking about signing him to a long-term deal.
This is the same franchise that cut Joseph Randle this week, days after Jones said they would be patient as team counselors helped the running back dealing with some off-the-field issues.
Randle is facing NFL discipline stemming from a domestic violence incident, and perhaps the Cowboys know of issues that are deeper than what’s been made public.
Still, the optics are bad.
Randle is no DeMarco Murray (returning to Dallas as the Philadelphia Eagles' running back for Sunday night’s game). The patience ran out in a flash.
Granted, Hardy’s domestic violence incident occurred when he was a member of the Carolina Panthers rather than the Cowboys. That’s apparently part of Jones’ reasoning for this second chance, the opportunity to rehabilitate an apparent domestic abuser.
Still, coach Jason Garrett has routinely talked of wanting “character guys” on his team.
And now Garrett’s credibility is weakened, too – especially after the coach didn’t come down harder when Hardy dissed an assistant coach.
It’s time for the Cowboys to redefine their image. When Hardy was signed, Jones’ daughter, Charlotte Jones Anderson, talked of bringing more awareness to domestic violence issues.
No doubt, the Cowboys, arguably the most popular franchise in the NFL, can do much for that awareness. But they’ll be hard-pressed to do a better job in that regard than the photos that were dropped on Friday, and all of the reaction fueled from it.
Winning cures all?
The Cowboys wouldn’t know. It has been almost 20 years since Dallas last won a Super Bowl. So it’s not like the chances that have been taken on one questionable character after another – undermining the good characters that are indeed on the team -- have not led to the big prize that Jones so desperately covets.
But the Cowboys are still the most valuable franchise in the NFL, and the fan base has grown despite the lack of a crown. Unless the fans revolt, maybe they will never fix the moral compass.
And that would be a shame. No team is better positioned to make a statement than the Cowboys.
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VIDEO: BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 9
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Other items of interest, as Week 9 rolls on…
Who’s hot:Charles Woodson. Look who leads the NFL in interceptions? It’s the oldest defensive back in the league, still balling hard in his 18th season. The Raiders safety, 39, has five picks and is providing quite a veteran example for a young team that is rebuilding – and at 4-3, is in the playoff mix – under new coach Jack Del Rio. Woodson’s durability has been amazing, and not just over the years. In Week 1, he suffered a dislocated shoulder that was expected to keep him out of the lineup. He missed one snap the following week. Another interesting development this season is his connection with Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, who re-joined the Raiders coaching staff this season. Imagine the brain power at work in Oakland’s secondary.
Pressure’s on:Andrew Luck. His coordinator (Pep Hamilton) was just fired. His coach and GM (Chuck Pagano, Ryan Grigson) are at odds. He’s been hurt, injured, allegedly fractured, and then some. He leads the NFL in interceptions. Now the icon he replaced with the Colts, Peyton Manning, comes to town with the undefeated Broncos and a chance to set the NFL record on Sunday for most victories as a quarterback. These are Hard Luck times.
Key matchup:Adrian Peterson vs. Todd Gurley. The NFL may be a passing league, but running backs will be the treat when the Vikings host the Rams. Ok, this “matchup” doesn’t involve the usual mano-a-mano test. But let’s see if one of these runners can seize the show. Peterson has been the most dynamic runner of his era, while Gurley has the promise to become the best NFL back since…well, Peterson. Averaging an NFL-best 115 rushing yards per game, Gurley is just the second player in NFL history to top 100 yards in four of his first five games. The first? Peterson. Also striking is that Gurley is sizzling while coming off a torn ACL – just like Peterson did in producing a 2,000-yard season in 2012…which Gurley says inspired him while on his comeback trail. Seems like just the man to one-up Peterson on his own turf. Unless Peterson goes off.
Next man up:Mike Mularkey. Nothing says stop-gap like the situation in Nashville, where Mularkey – who was 2-14 in his last head coaching gig with the Jaguars in 2012 – fills in for the deposed Ken Whisenhunt. Of all the stunning coaching moves during the first half of the season, Whisenhunt’s firing after just 1 ½ years on the job was the most surprising. Sure, the results were awful. Whisenhunt was 3-23. Given his track record in developing quarterbacks, though, it seemed sensible that he’d be given more time to groom the new face of the franchise, Marcus Mariota. But with Amy Adams Strunk demonstrating that there is indeed a pulse as the new ownership structure takes shape, there will be new direction. It’s just odd timing. And Mularkey, who also tanked in two years as Bills coach, will be hard-pressed to erase the “interim” tag from his role as they open up a wide search. The half-full view: The Titans (1-6) are just 1 ½ games out of first place, given their existence in the lowly AFC South. The more relevant, half-empty view: Mularkey, who last week was assistant head coach/tight ends coach, inherits an O-line that has allowed 28 sacks, tied for third-most in the NFL. Mariota (5 games, 19 sacks) is expected to return from his knee injury just in time to face a surging Saints team in the Superdome. Here’s to hoping Mularkey finds a way to better protect him.
Rookie watch:Jameis Winston. Since throwing four interceptions in a Week 4 loss to Carolina, Winston hasn’t thrown a pick in three games and 87 pass attempts. That reflects steady progress for the No. 1 pick overall, whose debut season began with some hard-knock lessons. Now he gets to face a Giants pass defense that ranks dead-last in the NFL, and was burned to a crisp last weekend by Drew Brees. Don’t blame Winston if he’s licking his chops.
If the playoffs were today…The Raiders would be in. There’s plenty of football left, but with Oakland – which finished 3-13, 4-12 and 4-12 the past three seasons -- currently possessing the AFC’s top wild-card slot this is nothing to sneeze at. Sunday’s game at Pittsburgh could have some serious tie-breaker ramifications. There’s also a whole generation of young NFL fans who have never lived a day with Oakland in the playoffs. It hasn’t happened since the 2002 season, when the Raiders went all the way to Super Bowl 37. Well, know this, kids: There was once a man, Al Davis, who liked to say, “Just win, baby.” And he hated the Tuck Rule.
Did you notice? Almost halfway through the season, and Denver’s dynamic, No. 1-ranked defense is the only unit in the league yet to allow a point in the first quarter. This fuels a circle-of-success theory: By not allowing opponents to score early, the Broncos build leads that create more situations to aggressively rush the passer, one reason they lead the NFL with 29 sacks.
Stat’s the fact: In scorching the Giants for 505 yards and 7 TDs last weekend, Drew Brees also became the first player in NFL history pass for a touchdown in 50 consecutive home games. The next-longest current streak in that category belongs to Ben Roethlisberger, at 34 games.
Say what? “I can’t see why we can’t go undefeated the rest of the way out.” – Steelers cornerback Antwon Blake, whose 4-4 team must play the rest of the season without star running back Le’Veon Bell, who went down last weekend with a torn MCL.
Fantasy vs. Reality: A big reason why Marion Motley Crew (6-2) is in the playoff mix for the 20-team super league is the consistency of Philip Rivers. The San Diego star has passed for at least 300 yards and 2 TDs in five consecutive games, and heads into Monday night’s game against Chicago with a chance to join Drew Brees, Peyton Manning and Steve Young as the only passers in NFL history to hit those marks in six consecutive games. But while Rivers has helped MMC stay relevant in the fantasy universe, his Chargers (2-6) are sitting in last place in the A-West, riding a four-game losing streak. In the real world -- with Rivers on pace to break the NFL single-season passing record that Manning set in 2013 (5,477 yards) – perhaps one of the greatest passing campaigns ever is being squandered.
PHOTOS: Ranking Week 9's matchups