Post by prossman on Jan 6, 2009 7:46:38 GMT -7
MySa: Q&A: Marshall Faulk...talks Cowboys
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Web Posted: 01/02/2009 11:39 CST
Q&A: Marshall Faulk
Express-News - Former NFL running back Marshall Faulk, now an analyst for the NFL Network, was in town Friday to serve as a keynote speaker at a dinner for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Express-News staff writer Chad Peters caught up with Faulk to get his thoughts on all things football ¡X especially the drama in Dallas.
It¡¦s been said you might have a desire to pursue the head-coaching vacancy with one of your former teams, the St. Louis Rams. Is that true?
It¡¦s been said; not by me. I am not interested in coaching. It¡¦s not a desire of mine at all.
What role does the All-American Bowl play in preparing players for the next level?
I think for the players, it gives you a sense of what college is going to be like. You get an opportunity to be among other great athletes. On your team you might be the star, but you come here and you¡¦re playing with other people. I always look for in games like this who can play their role? Everybody can be the star. But who can play the role of what needs to be done to help the team be successful and win?
You mentioned the need for role players. The absence of such has been credited for creating a sour locker room and contributing to the Cowboys¡¦ fall. What went wrong with them?
I look at the Cowboys, and they¡¦re like the Yankees. Jerry Jones believes in buying a team, and you can¡¦t buy a team. You can put all the money in the world and put the parts there, but if they don¡¦t jell and play for one another, it¡¦s going to be hard. That¡¦s what I see wrong with them. There¡¦s a lot of divisive things going on in that locker room. You don¡¦t see it directly on the field, but it¡¦s the reason why things aren¡¦t good on the field.
Jones cites continuity in deciding to keep coach Wade Phillips and his staff around. Do you buy that?
If you want continuity in the coaching staff, you don¡¦t hire the replacement (Jason Garrett) for your head coach when the head coach is still there. We¡¦ve seen this before. I love Jerry Jones. I think he¡¦s a smart businessman, but he¡¦s proved to us he can¡¦t build a team. Jimmy Johnson built a winner; Jerry Jones tore it down. Bill Parcells built a winner; maybe (Jones is) about to bring down another empire.
How can a team get that continuity?
If Jerry could go to the local sporting goods store and buy continuity he would. He¡¦d spend all his money. He¡¦d mortgage the ranch on it. But you can¡¦t buy it. You can¡¦t make people get along, make guys be on the same page. You can¡¦t do that. It¡¦s something that¡¦s going to have to happen. We have to wait and see. The thing that made the Cowboys of the past, that 1-15 season that they had really put a bunch of guys together and say, ¡§Hold up. Wait.¡¨ Hopefully getting kicked in the mouth this year will maybe shut some people up and they¡¦ll go out there and play and do what they¡¦re asked to do ¡X play their role and not worry about being the star, and let the star on their helmets be enough.
Is Phillips the right guy to get the Cowboys to do that?
I don¡¦t think there¡¦s ¡§a¡¨ guy that can get this team back on track. If it¡¦s Parcells, or a guy like Parcells .ƒ|.ƒ|. he won¡¦t allow them to play the way they need to play to be successful. Now that it¡¦s Wade, well Wade allows them to play, but he lets them play too much and he can¡¦t be successful. There¡¦s no middle of the road. I think the (Tony) Romos, the T.O.s (Terrell Owens), the (Jason) Wittens, the DeMarcus Wares ¡X all those guys, when plays need to be made they¡¦ve got to make those plays. Not saying they don¡¦t, but they need to make those plays.
Romo and Owens both criticized Garrett¡¦s scheme over the last few weeks of the season. You were in the booth for the Cowboys¡¦ game against Baltimore. What was your take on their offensive struggles down the stretch?
When I said it (criticizing the Cowboys¡¦ lack of offensive adjustments) the week I was calling the game, I was crazy. But I know offensive football. I watched Jason the year before and I watched him this year. It¡¦s pretty much the same thing. I understand you run the same stuff, but what he didn¡¦t do was make adjustments to the adjustments people made to him. It showed, especially in the game against the Ravens. It was ugly. I wouldn¡¦t even talk about the game against Philadelphia because I would almost insult his ability as an offensive coordinator. I wouldn¡¦t want to do that because I know Jason. He¡¦s good at what he does. It¡¦s just when you¡¦re young in this game, and they talk about young players playing coming in, it¡¦s no different for a young offensive coordinator. There are bumps in the road. That was a huge bump for him ¡X how to make adjustments and attack things, especially in the heat of battle when they had to win games. He just didn¡¦t get it done.
Were you ever a part of a locker room like Dallas¡¦?
I¡¦ve never been a part of nothing like that. Never. Remember this here: We never did a show about our team on ¡§Hard Knocks,¡¨ either.
Who wins the Super Bowl?
If I could tell you that, I¡¦d be a smart man. I could make a lot of money off that information if I knew that. It¡¦s up for grabs. It¡¦s about as wide open as it¡¦s ever been. You want to say the (New York) Giants are dominant, but I look at the Giants and just the fact that Carolina was able to come into their backyard and, although they didn¡¦t win, but to run the football the way they did. When you can do that ¡X that¡¦s tough to do in Giants Stadium.
www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...all_Faulk.html
__________________
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Web Posted: 01/02/2009 11:39 CST
Q&A: Marshall Faulk
Express-News - Former NFL running back Marshall Faulk, now an analyst for the NFL Network, was in town Friday to serve as a keynote speaker at a dinner for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Express-News staff writer Chad Peters caught up with Faulk to get his thoughts on all things football ¡X especially the drama in Dallas.
It¡¦s been said you might have a desire to pursue the head-coaching vacancy with one of your former teams, the St. Louis Rams. Is that true?
It¡¦s been said; not by me. I am not interested in coaching. It¡¦s not a desire of mine at all.
What role does the All-American Bowl play in preparing players for the next level?
I think for the players, it gives you a sense of what college is going to be like. You get an opportunity to be among other great athletes. On your team you might be the star, but you come here and you¡¦re playing with other people. I always look for in games like this who can play their role? Everybody can be the star. But who can play the role of what needs to be done to help the team be successful and win?
You mentioned the need for role players. The absence of such has been credited for creating a sour locker room and contributing to the Cowboys¡¦ fall. What went wrong with them?
I look at the Cowboys, and they¡¦re like the Yankees. Jerry Jones believes in buying a team, and you can¡¦t buy a team. You can put all the money in the world and put the parts there, but if they don¡¦t jell and play for one another, it¡¦s going to be hard. That¡¦s what I see wrong with them. There¡¦s a lot of divisive things going on in that locker room. You don¡¦t see it directly on the field, but it¡¦s the reason why things aren¡¦t good on the field.
Jones cites continuity in deciding to keep coach Wade Phillips and his staff around. Do you buy that?
If you want continuity in the coaching staff, you don¡¦t hire the replacement (Jason Garrett) for your head coach when the head coach is still there. We¡¦ve seen this before. I love Jerry Jones. I think he¡¦s a smart businessman, but he¡¦s proved to us he can¡¦t build a team. Jimmy Johnson built a winner; Jerry Jones tore it down. Bill Parcells built a winner; maybe (Jones is) about to bring down another empire.
How can a team get that continuity?
If Jerry could go to the local sporting goods store and buy continuity he would. He¡¦d spend all his money. He¡¦d mortgage the ranch on it. But you can¡¦t buy it. You can¡¦t make people get along, make guys be on the same page. You can¡¦t do that. It¡¦s something that¡¦s going to have to happen. We have to wait and see. The thing that made the Cowboys of the past, that 1-15 season that they had really put a bunch of guys together and say, ¡§Hold up. Wait.¡¨ Hopefully getting kicked in the mouth this year will maybe shut some people up and they¡¦ll go out there and play and do what they¡¦re asked to do ¡X play their role and not worry about being the star, and let the star on their helmets be enough.
Is Phillips the right guy to get the Cowboys to do that?
I don¡¦t think there¡¦s ¡§a¡¨ guy that can get this team back on track. If it¡¦s Parcells, or a guy like Parcells .ƒ|.ƒ|. he won¡¦t allow them to play the way they need to play to be successful. Now that it¡¦s Wade, well Wade allows them to play, but he lets them play too much and he can¡¦t be successful. There¡¦s no middle of the road. I think the (Tony) Romos, the T.O.s (Terrell Owens), the (Jason) Wittens, the DeMarcus Wares ¡X all those guys, when plays need to be made they¡¦ve got to make those plays. Not saying they don¡¦t, but they need to make those plays.
Romo and Owens both criticized Garrett¡¦s scheme over the last few weeks of the season. You were in the booth for the Cowboys¡¦ game against Baltimore. What was your take on their offensive struggles down the stretch?
When I said it (criticizing the Cowboys¡¦ lack of offensive adjustments) the week I was calling the game, I was crazy. But I know offensive football. I watched Jason the year before and I watched him this year. It¡¦s pretty much the same thing. I understand you run the same stuff, but what he didn¡¦t do was make adjustments to the adjustments people made to him. It showed, especially in the game against the Ravens. It was ugly. I wouldn¡¦t even talk about the game against Philadelphia because I would almost insult his ability as an offensive coordinator. I wouldn¡¦t want to do that because I know Jason. He¡¦s good at what he does. It¡¦s just when you¡¦re young in this game, and they talk about young players playing coming in, it¡¦s no different for a young offensive coordinator. There are bumps in the road. That was a huge bump for him ¡X how to make adjustments and attack things, especially in the heat of battle when they had to win games. He just didn¡¦t get it done.
Were you ever a part of a locker room like Dallas¡¦?
I¡¦ve never been a part of nothing like that. Never. Remember this here: We never did a show about our team on ¡§Hard Knocks,¡¨ either.
Who wins the Super Bowl?
If I could tell you that, I¡¦d be a smart man. I could make a lot of money off that information if I knew that. It¡¦s up for grabs. It¡¦s about as wide open as it¡¦s ever been. You want to say the (New York) Giants are dominant, but I look at the Giants and just the fact that Carolina was able to come into their backyard and, although they didn¡¦t win, but to run the football the way they did. When you can do that ¡X that¡¦s tough to do in Giants Stadium.
www.mysanantonio.com/sports/c...all_Faulk.html
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