Exposing lazy journalism

by Dave Halprin on Dec 29, 2006 10:28 AM CST in Dallas Cowboys News

I try not to spend too much time going after most of the ridiculous articles that come out about the Cowboys, especially ones written by guys who don't really follow the Cowboys. I don't write anything in-depth about other teams because I don't watch them enough and don't follow them during the week to really know what's going on.

But this article by Ron Borges for MSNBC is just the kind of lazy journalism that deserves derision and scorn. Here are just a few of its flaws.

He starts with the premise that because teams now have a library of film on Tony Romo, he's starting to struggle. That's actually a sound premise and one that I believe is part of the problem with Romo's recent struggles.

Late into the night, coordinators readied for Romo by watching his drops, his reads, where he was comfortable and where he was not. They came up with plans to take away what he liked and force feed him the things that made him suffer panic attacks. Ever since that remarkable torching of the Buccaneers, Romo has not been on fire. He's been toast.

OK, I buy that. But where's the beef? The article is devoid of any attempt to explain what defenses are doing to stop Romo. How are they utilizing the game tape to create game plans to slow Romo down? He has no idea, so he just throws in a bunch of stats to prove that Romo is struggling. Anybody could've done that.

Next, you have the inaccurate statements that are sprinkled throughout the article. For instance, he references the Terry Glenn quote after the Philly game about not being involved enough. Then he drops this line on us:

In other words, Romo needs to throw [Glenn] the ball more than once a game, as he did against Philadelphia.

Wow, how stupid. It's true that Glenn had just one catch. But off the top of my head, without going back to look for all instances, I can think of at least four passes Romo threw in that game in Glenn's direction, and there may have been more.

Borges also bombs on this statement about Owens:

The sooner they get it to him, the sooner he can drop it, drops being the only receiving stat in which Owens leads the league at the moment.

Umm...OK. I think Owens leads the league in another pretty important category, TD receptions. But really, who cares about that. I mean, it's not like scoring TD's is anything important.

Finally, if you're going to critique a specific passage from a game, at least get the basic facts right. Like the goal line failure by the Cowboys in the Eagles' game.

Take, for example, a first-and-goal situation at the Eagles' 1-yard line. Dallas had four shots at it. Four times they handed the ball to powerful Marion Barber, and four times he was stuffed like a Christmas goose. Soon after the rest of his team was feeling pretty much the same way.

Once again, no. The Cowboys didn't have four shots from the 1-yard line; they started that sequence with a first down at the seven. The first play was a pass to Fasano that gave Dallas a second down inside the 1-yard line. Then we ran MB3 three times and he was stuffed like a Christmas goose.

If you're going to write a critique of a team, and expect anybody with knowledge to believe it, it helps to get the basic facts correct.

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Comments

I can only imagine

how satisfying that must have been.

Hogs Haven

by Skin Patrol @ Blogging The Boys on Dec 29, 2006 11:06 AM CST reply actions

heh

Facts? Who needs those? It's way more fun to stir things up.

by Nelson @ Blogging The Boys on Dec 29, 2006 11:26 AM CST reply actions

I had a similar problem when

Grossman started having problems. Everybody said he couldn't handle the blitz, but that was it.

Just any ol blitz? Was the Bears line, so bad that every and any blitz was getting to him? Can our coaches now not reverse game plan to help hold off the blitz?

Of course nobody ever mentions it when maybe it isn't true. The last three games Grossman hasn't thrown an interception. So what now teams aren't blitzing? Did our O-Line just miraculously figure out how to block it?

Gotta have some meat and chesse mixed in with all that bun.

by Adam T on Dec 29, 2006 12:01 PM CST reply actions

About Borges

Good post, Grizz. I had never heard of Ron Borges, but apparently he is a columnist with the Boston Globe. Here is a Wikipedia entry on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Borges. The comments from other writers told me all I need to know. As you note, I very seriously doubt that he did much background work on this, other than to make broad assumptions.

Know Your Dallas Cowboys

by Kickholder on Dec 29, 2006 1:21 PM CST reply actions

MSNBC is lazy - period

They use a lot of stuff from other writers, particularly obscure Boston writers.
The last guy to critique the Cowboys and Saints was formerly a food critic. His website was a forgettable compilation of stats and know-it-all meanderings that doesn't even deserve a 2nd mention.

These goons know little about anything West of the Hudson. F'get about it.

by Doomsday on Dec 29, 2006 2:42 PM CST reply actions

Write the Globe about Borges

There's a link to Globe management at the top of this steamy anti-Borges article. Then go on to read the rest of that article, crazy stuff about how Borges hates Belichick.

http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=655&Category=5

CHF is riddled with it's own lazy writers so there may an ulterior motive in this Bean Town Civil War between sports writers.

CLIP:
Football fans dislike Borges because he's wrong about virtually everything, he lacks basic journalistic standards and he uses his forum with the Boston Globe to bully his subjects, especially those whom he personally dislikes, while currying the favor of his inside sources. In fact, there are many reasons why Borges is perhaps the most unpopular sports reporter in America. There are many reasons, in other words, why Borges should be fired.

by Doomsday on Dec 29, 2006 2:58 PM CST reply actions