It's been a rough season for the Dallas Cowboys. A season that started with championship or bust aspirations has most definitely teetered to the bust end of the spectrum. As fans and media grasp for reasons why this immensely talented team is falling so short, a common excuse has been the volatile locker room and all of the “distractions” emanating from it.
On Thursday, RJ Ochoa and Bobby Belt spoke with James Washington, the former Dallas Cowboys safety who was an integral part of the 1992 and 1993 Super Bowl teams that had such a combustible group of players.
“You wanna talk about distractions,” Washington told us. “Start with Michael Irvin, Nate Newton, Charles Haley, to just name a few. I mean we had a distraction every year.”
So why were such large personalities not a problem for those teams? Washington says it comes down to personal responsibility and respect for your teammates.
“Those guys who played on championship teams … they play for each other. They don't play for the coaching staff, they don't play for the ownership of the team. They play for each other.”
Washington says that type of brotherhood is missing from this present Cowboys team. It's that sort of selfishness that Washington believes is more responsible for this team's struggles than simple public distractions.
“When I look at this current Dallas football team, they're trying to play for individuals. This particular team has a bunch of “I's” that don't care about the team.”
To hear more of James Washington's thoughts on the Cowboys and their locker room turmoil, be sure to check out Cowboys Cast tomorrow at 1 pm Central. Or download the Pigskin Hub – Cowboys News Android app from the Play Store to receive the update straight to your phone.
You can listen to this episode, out now, below.
https://soundcloud.com/cowboyscast/ep31
