Thank You, Patriots

I am about to break an unofficial rule here at Blogging The Boys. I am going to mention a name that the FPW have avoided like the plague, even though most websites, whether they are a bunch of fans like here or professional writers who get paid to do this, have for some time been looking for any excuse drop the name. It is an almost mystical combination of syllables. One that has a strange and sometimes frightening power to get people to click on your article. We have always kept it away from here in our continuing effort to provide the best Dallas Cowboys coverage possible, while leaving the irrelevant for others to fret over. But now, I have some things to say, and so, just this once, I will type that dreaded name.

Tim Tebow.

There. I will hereafter only refer that entity by the abbreviation TT. Any scatological jokes about that will have to be left to others. I'm not going there.

Why have I sullied myself and, in some ways, the entire site with a name that is the football equivalent of the Kardasians visiting Jersey Shore with Honey Boo Boo?

Because I have to thank the New England Patriots for the great boon they have done for Cowboys fans, and in truth, the Cowboys organization itself. Thanks to the rather strange fact that the Patriots signed TT to a contract, the burning question of who is calling the offensive plays in Dallas is no longer the biggest obsession in the league.

There were actually some other valiant attempts to divert the media glare from Dallas, including Adam Jones (the player formerly known as Pacman) getting arrested for a fight with a woman, and Chad Johnson (the player formerly known as Ochocinco) getting his sentence changed from no jail time to 30 days for patting his attorney on the hiney in court for a hearing on his domestic violence case. But when you are talking about media attention in the NFL, there is TT, and then there is everything else. Even the tabloid-worthy attention focused on the relationship between Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett pales when TT is in the news.

And there may be no team more guaranteed to lead to some media hyperventilation than the Patriots, because their head coach is the master of media smackdown, Bill Belichick. If you think the decision to hand the Cowboys' playcalling duties over to Bill Callahan seemed a bit opaque at times, well, the media may well be looking to hire seeing eye dogs to try to fine any shred of information about the reasoning behind the hiring of TT. Will Brinson of CBS Sports gave a subtle and nuanced sense of the first Belichick press conference after TT arrived. A sample:

Was there any consideration to the spectacle that Tebow brings with him?

"None. We try to do what's best for the team."

But what position will he play, Bill?

"We're going to do what we think is best for our football team," Belichick said when asked what position Tebow would play.

How about special teams? GIVE US SOMETHING, MAN.

"We'll see. I don't know."

It went on like this for nine awkward, awesome, f--- you minutes. Kind of. You could see when Belichick decided to flip the switch on the media and completely shut it off.

And as I said, that is just a sample. Brinson is of the opinion that Belichick is the perfect person to put the lid on T-mania.

Well, if the press in New England and nationally (because TT is a transcendent phenomenon, not limited to mere geographic regions) is anything like it is around Dallas, don't hold your breath. If this plays out in any way like the Great Play Calling Kerfuffle did in Dallas, expect some or all of the following story lines to emerge:

• TT gets into locker room scuffle after lecturing Tom Brady on the inappropriate amount of skin Gisele tends to show.
• Is Josh McDaniels really in charge in New England now after getting the quarterback he drafted as head coach of the Denver Broncos hired?
• TT to become first player to play all 22 positions plus punt, kick, and long snap in one game.
• Belichick cut off at the knees or emasculated: Which was it?

Now, if those kinds of stories don't come out of New England in the next few months, then we really do know that the press coverage of the Cowboys is a unique thing. But the odds are pretty good that things will develop. After all, Belichick was quoted in the Boston Globe just days ago, June 7th, as saying he "hates" TT as a player. "Hates". Now, either someone else was behind this decision, this is all just some weird diversion by the Pats, or Belichick is blatantly dishonest. That in itself is a nice, juicy thing for some muckraking sportswriter seeking to generate a lot of clicks to work with.

But then, as long as TT stays with the Patriots, there will be clicks. And here is wishing him and the Patriots a long and productive (in terms of fodder for the media) relationship. Although the contract allows TT be dumped with no cost to New England, Cowboys fans should all be hoping that he stays around. Let the overhype and speculation stay in the Northeast. The more the media focuses on TT and his role with the Patriots, the more we can keep out attention on how the Cowboys are performing on the football field, as at least some of the air should be sucked out of all the soap opera drama at Valley Ranch. In a perfect world, TT makes the team, gets into a game, and gets credit for making a key play, touching off a feeding frenzy about whether Brady is done and it is now TT's time to shine. Heck, even if this somehow all works out and looks to be a brilliant move down the road, it still will help divert some of the excessive scrutiny of Jerry Jones and company.

The unique and largely inexplicable fascination for all things TT is now in Bill Belichick's hands. The press conferences should be priceless, unless the head coach can get a mass gag order issued on questions about the subject.

It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

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