Yesterday was a practice in the highs and lows involved with being a Dallas Cowboys fan. I was texting my dad, my brother anyone I could think of on how ecstatic I was about Dan Reeves coming on board to help the team. While I know he wouldn't be the only solution to our problem, it told me that at least Jerry knew something had to be done. Then it all came crashing down when the deal fell apart.
Our first instinct is to blame Jerry Jones. Some feel he may have been up to his "power hungry" ways, too stubborn to give up the amount of power Reeves felt necessary to do the job Jerry was asking of him. Some said it had to do with the actual job title.
Well, it turns out the dispute was over a few basic items in the contract that neither Reeves nor Jones would budge on.
Reeves, a former player and assistant coach with the Cowboys, wouldn’t disclose what language in the contract he objected to, saying only: "The deal was basically done. Then I got the new contract and there were things in there I felt I couldn’t live with. I talked to Jerry at noon [Wednesday]. He felt those things were important to him but I felt they were important to me. In the end, we thought it was best to move on."
It turns out those few things were items that hadn't been discussed until the actual contract was the table to sign. During a radio interview today Reeves elaborated.
"Well, I don't want to get into those things that were the sticking point," Reeves said on 103.3. "But let's just put it this way, in the 29 years that I've been coaching in the National Football League, I never had that in my contract. Well, he said it was important for him that it was in there."
I would love to know exactly what was in that fine print that caused all of this hoopla.
[UPDATE by Brandon Worley, 02/06/09 6:38 AM EST ]
It turns out the issue that caused the deal to fall apart was a clause in the contract that stipulated the amount of hours Reeves would be required to work.
Dan Reeves said he objected to having a clause put in his contract about the amount of hours he was to work at Valley Ranch."Oh, definitely, big-time," Reeves said when asked if he was surprised by the clause. "For someone to question how I've done [my time] for a lot of years, I've never been questioned. Plus, as a coach, how can you verify that? Nobody punches a clock."
When Reeves said he couldn't sign such a contract, he and Jones declined to work together.
So there you go.
Earlier today in another radio interview Reeves also gave his thoughts on the franchise as a whole.
"I see an organization that's awful close to getting things done the right way," Reeves said. "But I've also been in the league long enough to know that it's the little things that make all the different."
The little things. Like allowing consecutive 75+ yard runs to lose the last game ever in Texas Stadium.
Much, much more after the jump.
The Bob Hayes family tragedy continues...
Earnest Hayes, Bob Hayes' brother, has brought it to the attention of the national media that he claims Lucille Hester is not the Hall of Famer's sister.
"Bob didn't write that letter," Ernest Hayes said.
The Eastside of Jacksonville is where Ernest Hayes said his brother met Hester. Bob Hayes and his family lived on East Third Street. Ernest Hayes said Hester grew up just around the corner.
"After Bob won the gold medals in the Olympics, she began to follow him quite a bit," Ernest Hayes said. "When he died, she claimed him as her brother."
Ah yes, the letter. While the most conclusive course of action would be to have a court order a blood test, the cheapest route seems to be to focus on the infamous letter Hester read when Hayes was announced as being selected to the Hall. As Raul so diligently covered, the first uproar came about over the difference between a proven Bob Hayes signature and the one on the letter. While there are some clear discrepancies between the two, it's still left to subjectivity.
The Dallas Morning News however, has come across some hard evidence that could prove the letter fake.
But on Wednesday, the focus turned to the letter's typeface. At The Dallas Morning News' request, one of the world's most noted typeface designers examined a photo of the purported Hayes letter, which was dated Oct. 29, 1999. Dutch designer Luc(as) de Groot said the letter's typeface is "definitely Calibri," which he designed for Microsoft in 2003. It was not available to the public until the debut of Microsoft Office 2007. Hayes passed away in 2002. So if the designer of the font, who is in Berlin, independently determines the font of the letter didn't exist until after Hayes died then Hester's claim of being his sister is without a doubt questionable. I just wish this wasn't happening now. Bullet Bob deserves better. In the realm of what else can go wrong in the Cowboys universe, Terry Glenn was arrested on Jan. 25. Even though he was cut prior to last season, I'm sure this doesn't help the image of a floundering Cowboys franchise.
Nick Eatman has an article up saying that after Emmitt Smith, the next Dallas Cowboys to be inducted into the HOF will have to be put in the Ring of Honor first.
Todd Archer names five key players whose improvement will be the key to success next season. Here's one:
By the end of the season he was the starter, essentially, playing more than Greg Ellis. With Ellis' future uncertain, Spencer has to prove he wants the job. He needs to find the motivation to be a consistent pass-rush threat and the coaches need to keep him on the field to rush the passer. He faces a critical season, entering his third year. And he must deal with his off-field arrest that will likely cost him a game check for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Ellis was not the same pass rusher in 2008 as he was in '07. The Cowboys must have Spencer be a threat opposite DeMarcus Ware. Here's a video of DeMarcus Ware at the Pro Bowl. Don't forget! If you're a Dallas Stars fan and are looking for a place to talk about Texas' best hockey team head on over to Defending Big D.
