SportsGirl

I suppose the signing of defensive lineman Tank Johnson to the Cowboys was inevitable. The loss of Jason Ferguson leaves a big hole at nose tackle, one that Jeremiah Ratliff probably can’t fill all season. And this is a defense that’s already suffering from the loss of Terrance Newman and Greg Ellis, which was painfully evident at multiple times during their last two games. Plus, I have actually found myself thinking that Terrell Owens is not creating a circus around the team this year so we’re well over-due for our next head case. (more on that scary fact later)

About the best thing I can say on this signing is that, when he’s eligible to play in November, Johnson might actually be pretty good and create a large impact on the defense at a time when even the best teams need a shot in the arm to stay competitive. And the Boys will only be on the hook for about $250,000 this year and as little as $600,000 next year so it’s not like it will kill them in the salary cap if he flames out, or gets arrested on new weapons charges thus prompting a fresh suspension from Commissioner Goodell.

Now for the potential down-side…just re-read the above sentence. Any time a player has to get permission from a judge to be able to travel out of state for the Super Bowl, that’s probably evidence of a slight character issue. But this is a franchise that’s been willing to overlook some character issues, as long as the W’s keep piling up. And to some extent, I’m ok with that. Because to me, there are two kinds of character issues. There’s the kind where someone has a few off-the-field incidents that show poor judgement on their part but that don’t really distract from the team or the player’s overall productivity. Then there’s the Leonard Little “I killed someone while I was driving drunk” or the Terrell Owens “I destroyed an entire locker room and potentially indirectly lead to the demise of a true big-time quarterback’s career” type of character issues. (And Pac Man Jones gets lumped in there too, I don’t care if he’s never actually been charged with murder or assault. Guilty by association buddy. Your parents got it right all those years ago when they warned you about this) Those big types of character issues are going to carry increased ramifications in the Goodell era of the NFL, especially if you’re exhibiting a pattern of bad behavior. They have the potential to set a franchise back several years, especially when they sink TO-type money into a marginal-character player. And I don’t think we know yet which group Tank Johnson belongs to. He says he’s not worried about this go-’round; that he’s not even thinking about whether or not this is his proverbial last-shot. That’s great that he’s so confident but I’m not sure I trust the judgement of a man who, while serving an NFL suspension for his weapons charges gets arrested for drunk driving. What is it with these athletes getting popped for drunk driving? Seriously, if I can afford the $20 cab ride home when I think I’ve had too much, I’m guessing the multi-million dollar athletes ought to be able to scare up a few bucks to get a limo for the night. For goodness sake, pay someone to be part of your entourage and their sole function is to be your designated driver. How difficult is that? I think that the ones that get arrested for this truly just believe they’re above the law and they believe nothing is going to happen to them. And sadly it doesn’t take the mega-bucks to see this type of attitude in mainstream society. But I digress…

Bottom line: I’m not thrilled with the Tank Johnson signing but I’m not going to lambaste the Cowboys just yet. Because if Johnson can fly on the straight and narrow and he helps cover some of the holes in the defense, then Jerry Jones might start looking pretty smart. At which point I may have to move, but again, I digress…