This won't come as a shock to longtime fans of the Dallas Cowboys: The entire franchise is undisciplined.
And it has been since a certain Hall of Fame Head Coach was run out of town after the 1993 season.
That lack of discipline is the primary reason why the team has failed to play in a Super Bowl after 28 seasons.
It begins right at the very top with the team's owner, Jerry Jones. He has set the tone for nearly three decades of frustration for Cowboys' fans.
It was his lack of discipline – with a large side order of his ego – that led to his parting ways with Jimmy Johnson.
That particular train wreck likely cost the Cowboys at least one, if not two, more Super Bowl rings in the mid-1990s.
It reared its ugly head in the form of several years of draft errors. Reaching for players instead of making the smarter picks.
Passing over better players for fellow alumni in one notable case.
Making trades that not only failed to pan out, but put the team into deep holes in future drafts.
The Joey Galloway (Seattle) and Roy Williams (Detroit) trades that threw away valuable first round picks with little gained in return come to mind.
Letting quality free agents go to other teams while signing free agents that ultimately – with few exceptions – did little in Dallas.
A disciplined owner hires a disciplined General Manager. With a solid GM, these mistakes are not made.
But Jerry Jones is anything but a disciplined owner and — as in the case in any organization – what the head does, the rest of the body follows suit.
Coaches Were Lacking Too
After Barry Switzer realized that the team Johnson had built was old and fading, he wisely bailed out.
What followed were coaches that failed for the most part to re-instill the discipline of Johnson and Landry's championship-winning eras.
Neither Chan Gailey nor Dave Campo did. Bill Parcells managed to move the Cowboys slightly back in the right direction.
But even he couldn't quite succeed.
Wade Phillips and Jason Garrett could not get their players to quit making mistakes, much less themselves, at critical times.
Mike McCarthy is also coming up short in that department – especially in the playoffs.
And here's the problem: It's not an easy fix. There's no magic wand any coach can wave to instantly make their team more disciplined.
Especially when the players don't seem to want to buy in.
Three Decades Of Undisciplined Play
The last 28 seasons are littered with undisciplined plays made on the field – along with “what were you thinking?” decisions by the coaches.
Troy Aikman's epic sideline rant in the late 1990s when he'd finally had enough of what he was seeing out on the field stands out.
Since then, the problem has only worsened.
Critical penalties to kill offensive drives – or extend opponents' drives. Patrick Crayton's inability to catch an easy pass that would have secured a win over the Giants.
Tony Romo handling the ball on a field goal attempt like it was a greased up bowling ball.
Dak Prescott throwing two first-half interceptions in each of his last two playoff games — leading to 20 points for the opponents.
Late hits. Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Running into the kicker. Late hits.
The list goes on and on.
The Cowboys need to start drafting players who can play smart football, disciplined football, and more so when the team makes the playoffs.
And if the players currently on the roster cannot improve in the area of self-discipline then they need to be wearing some other team's uniform.
Zimmer Is A Good Start
Bringing back Mike Zimmer as the Defensive Coordinator is a great start.
Zimmer will prowl the sidelines on gameday, instead of hanging out in the coaches box high above the field.
When an error is made, and a strong hand is required, Zimmer will deliver it.
But even this hire was tainted slightly by a lack of organizational discipline. The hire was originally announced last Thursday.
But over the weekend it was still in limbo over “contractual issues” before finally becoming official on Monday.
In the interim, it got out that the Cowboys had reached out to Rex Ryan again on Sunday, just in case.
Sloppy. Shoddy.
Undisciplined.
An Organizational Change Is Needed
The entire organization needs a hard shaking up. Everyone, from Jerry Jones on down, needs a “Come to Jesus” talking to.
The Front Office needs to be better – an actual GM would be helpful.
The coaching staff needs to be better. And the players need to be better.
Anyone who cannot improve – especially when it comes to being a disciplined professional – needs to be shown the door at The Star over in Frisco.
And yes, that means anyone. From the owner right down to the guy that runs the parking lot sweeper after the lots are empty.
You want the sixth Lombardi? A seventh, eighth, ninth and beyond?
Becoming a disciplined franchise from the top on down is step one.
