The latest in a string of unnecessary distractions for the Dallas Cowboys. The sun. Jerry Jones defends the sun glare at AT&T Stadium as a home field advantage.
The Dallas Cowboys, a franchise plagued by off field distractions have once again found themselves in the spotlight, or sunlight in this case, for the wrong reasons.
The latest round of distractions comes after a second half play in the week 10 game against the Eagles, when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb seemingly lost the ball in the sun that peeks through the glass windows at AT&T Stadium.. Lamb later confirmed the sun blinded his ability to see the ball.
After the game, Jerry Jones, owner and GM of the team, dismissed with disdain the idea posed by a reporter suggesting the curtains be closed, which are in fact closed for many other events at the stadium. “Well let’s tear the damn stadium down and build another one! Are you kidding me?”
After the media had their fun with the latest of situations that continue to arise out of the Cowboys organization, Jerry doubled down on his weekly radio spot stating that it’s more of a” home field advantage” for the Cowboys.
While I don’t disagree with what he’s saying there, the problem is that this is not a “face value” type of advantage. For example, Hard Rock Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, is built in a way that the opposing team’s sideline is in direct view of the high Florida sun. In the early parts of the season the opponent’s sideline is sometimes 15 or 20 degrees higher than that of the home sideline where the shade of the arena keeps that sun from beating down.
At At&T stadium the sun beams through the glass and poses a disadvantage to the Cowboys when they field flips at the beginning of each quarter. Even if choosing to defend a certain side of the field first really isn’t enough to guarantee you won’t have to deal with the sun. So there really is no pure and correct strategic way to avoid it.
Another problem is posed even with that in mind. Regardless of which way the team is marching down the field either the quarterback has the sun in his face or the receivers for when looking back towards the quarterback and ball in an effort to make a catch.
It’s obvious that Jerry is scrambling for excuses to justify why the curtains were not closed instead of just accepting the fact that the “home field advantage” that he built into the stadium is flawed.
This, just the latest off the field distractions that have plagued the team dating back to the offseason.
To kick start the year there was the matter of the contract extensions of both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Both ultimately getting done just before the start of the regular season, and in the case of Prescott, the announcement coming morning of the week 1 game. Micah Parsons still has yet to receive his contract extension which will likely come this upcoming offseason, or at least before the opening kickoff of next season.
It should also be noted that head coach Mike McCarthy also did not get a contract extension which was also a talking point early in the season as has continued to be.
Beyond that, was the commentary surrounding the Derrick Henry deal or lack thereof. The back and forth banter between Jerry & the media lingered for weeks after Henry who ultimately signed with the Ravens for 2 years & $16 million, went on a tear to start the season and made any team that passed on him look like fools.
In the weeks that followed, Jerry then ensued in a back and forth heated exchange with a local Dallas radio host and exclaiming to him that it’s “not your job” to go over reasons with him why his team has been underperforming.
And the list goes on, just a few weeks ago a story was written regarding some former Cowboys players who were on the record as saying that public tours of the practice facility are a disturbance and made them feel like they were in a “zoo, " according to former tight end Dalton Schultz.
With all things considered, there’s always added attention, pressure and high stakes when you suit up for the Dallas Cowboys. So wouldn’t it then make sense to have your buttons buttoned up everywhere else? Can the Cowboys ever compete for another Super Bowl with the most important distraction perhaps being one that they can’t overcome?