FRISCO — The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.
Author and speaker Stephen Covey didn’t have the Cowboys specifically in mind when he wrote those words. But some fans of the franchise have adopted it as their mantra.
ESPN posted a story Wednesday that asks whether the fan tours that take place at The Star during the team’s work day are a hurdle to winning. Former Cowboys players are quoted in the story that comes seven months after former Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz said about the atmosphere at The Star on The Pat McAfee Show that, “it’s literally a zoo, dude.’’
Does any other team in the league do this? No.
Can you file this away under reasons the Cowboys don’t win titles these days? Absolutely not.
Let’s cut through the righteous outrage here. Unless you’re a doctor performing surgery or in another profession engaged in a life or death task, this shouldn’t generate concern. Having people stroll through your workplace falls somewhere between amusing, a minor annoyance or a pain in the butt.
Where a player lands on this scale depends on his personality and approach.
Those who find it odd are quoted for the story. It’s a perfectly valid and legitimate response. But so is one of the two posts from Micah Parsons, who stated on X Wednesday that, “Some people just ain’t meant for the lights and that’s okay!!!’’
No one on the tours can approach the players. They have no access to the locker room or meeting rooms when occupied. Most of the interactions come walking by the players and coaches in hallways or watching the players lift from outside of their enclosed weight room.
None of this is meant to suggest the comments of past players and others who consider this strange should be dismissed. It’s part of a bigger conversation about the culture of distraction that swirls around this franchise and the impact it could have on success.
But in and of itself, does it rise to the level of a distraction that prevents the Cowboys from winning?
Please. This team was 12-5 in each of the previous three seasons. Does the distraction only take hold in the postseason?
In the words of Parsons in his first post on the topic, “Sometimes you gotta call bull s--- when you see it!’’
To emphasize his stance, he ended with two poop emojis and a thumbs down.
Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.
Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN
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