Ex-Eagles assistant's putdown ignores Cowboys' blue-collar past, present

Posted Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009 Comments   (0) Print Share Share Reprints
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By CLARENCE E. HILL JR.

chill@star-telegram.com

PHILADELPHIA — In a new book about the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who coached in Philadelphia from 1998-2007, had this little ditty about why the Eagles have been more successful than the Dallas Cowboys over the past decade.

"Why is that? Because what [Eagles coach] Andy Reid and his program stand for is the opposite of what the Cowboys stand for. The Cowboys are a star system. It’s all about building around individuals first and collecting talent, collecting great players," Harbaugh said.

"Andy has always been about building a team. And over the long haul, it’s a team sport, and one of the greatest examples of that is what’s happened with the Eagles and the Cowboys over the last 10 years. The Cowboys stand for everything that’s wrong with the NFL."

The excerpt from Game Changers: The 50 Greatest Plays in Philadelphia Eagles Football History surfaced days before Sunday’s showdown between the Cowboys (5-2) and Eagles (5-2) for first place in the NFC East.

Either Harbaugh doesn’t know the history of America’s Team, which in some circles is the story of the NFL, or he has no clue about the current makeup of the Cowboys.

Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo and breakout receiving sensation Miles Austin came to the team as undrafted free agents. Pro Bowl nose tackle Jay Ratliff, who might be the heart and soul of the defense, came to the team as an overlooked seventh-round draft pick.

And that’s not including lunch-pail free-agent pickups such as tackle Marc Colombo and linebacker Keith Brooking, who joined the Cowboys after being cast off by other teams.

Certainly, the Cowboys have their collection of top draft picks and superstars, such as linebacker DeMarcus Ware, a first-round pick who just signed a $78 million contract.

But no longer can these Cowboys simply be characterized as a star-studded and big-money team with no substance. This is "a blue collar team," said receiver Patrick Crayton, a former seventh-round pick.

And that’s the main reason why the Cowboys think they might have finally gotten it right and might finally get over the hump and end their streak of 13 years without a playoff win.

"You’ve got a bunch of guys that come from, I’d say, very, very humble beginnings and have actually been a little successful, and I think we’ve jelled pretty good," Crayton said. "The core of this team is pretty good, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve.

"You play this game for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to win rings. You want to enjoy the ride, the camaraderie and the guys, but the ultimate goal is to lift the Lombardi Trophy and put a ring on your finger."

If they do, it will be because of that blue-collar makeup that pays homage to the team’s glorious history and championship lineage.

Diamond search

The Cowboys and their five Super Bowls were about glitz, glamour and star players and high-draft picks, such as Tony Dorsett, Roger Staubach, Randy White, Bob Lilly, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.

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