Dak To Report To Cowboys Camp: 'Gone With The Wind'?
FRISCO - One of Jerry Jones' all-time favorite films is the sprawling Civil War epic "Gone With The Wind.'' It was an Oscar success, with 13 nominations and 10 Academy Awards, including "best picture.'' It is also forever quotable. From "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn'' to "As God is my witness, I'll never go hungry again!,'' the classic is filled with dialogue that is the stuff of 80 years of meme-like recall.
And then there is,"After all, tomorrow is another day!,'' Scarlett O'Hara's ridiculously optimistic end-of-film view of survival in her war-torn world.
Which brings us back to Jones' Cowboys, and to the front office's failed dealings with QB Dak Prescott, where "Tomorrow is another day!'' is an eminently applicable mantra.
Should Dak supplement his "grateful and blessed'' feelings about the $31.409 million one-year deal with the competitive on-field drive to seek an even better contract a year from now? You bet. Should the Cowboys organization celebrate its retention of a player central to its Super Bowl hopes while also looking forward to mapping out a plan to keep him in 2021 and beyond? Of course.
"Tomorrow is another day!''
So Prescott's anger, assuming a bit exists, must be funneled not at the Joneses, but rather at the Eagles, Giants and Washington. The Jones' ire, assuming a bit exists, must be funneled into continuing to build a roster that helps Dak win - ironically, a result that will result in having to give him an even larger "piece of the pie'' in 2021 negotiations.
Prescott has proven to be highly skilled at putting on blinders, on not letting "the white noise'' (former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett's teaching tool) distract him from the task. He's handled the adversity of personal tragedy and the adversity of professional obstacles.
The smart bet is that, to some degree, anyway, he'll do the same in 2020.
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn''? That is the wrong approach for anybody in this building; the negotiations-gone-awry must be shelved. All involved need each other.;
"As God is my witness, I'll never go hungry again!''? The Joneses are wealthy. Prescott is now wealthy. Most of the people involved in this process are wealthy. DeMarcus Lawrence is touching on real-life COVID-19-related issues when he questions the wisdom of training camp right now, but beyond that, this isn't real life; this is football fun. Injury risks are real. But so are the financial rewards.
"After all, tomorrow is another day!''? That's the one. That's the meme. That's the theme. The rookies reported to "stay-at-home'' camp at The Star on Tuesday. The full squad is scheduled to report, COVID-19 and any CBA amendments permitting, next Tuesday.
And today at The Star? Dak and the QBs and injured players report.
There are other tomorrows for Prescott to battle with the Joneses, other tomorrows for the Cowboys to question their QB's value. But today, as it regards the concerns and conflicts?
"Tomorrow is another day!''
