The Dallas Cowboys are entering the ‘danger zone’ of the offseason
By Reid Hanson
With the conclusion of the final minicamp of the offseason the Dallas Cowboys and their fanbase hold their collective breath until training camp. THIS is the danger zone…
Five weeks. That’s all they have to make it. For the next five weeks Dallas Cowboys players are free from team commitments and left to their own devises. The dead spot between spring minicamps and summer training camp is frightening for coaches and Cowboys Nation alike.
“The Danger Zone”, as I lovingly refer to it, acts as a spring break of sorts for young millionaires looking to cut loose one last time before the six month grind of the NFL season begins. If it doesn’t send shivers up your spine you must not fully understand how much fun the young and rich are capable of having.
For a team like the Dallas Cowboys, the stakes are high. Super Bowl aspirations abound, the team cannot afford trouble to fall on any more of their roster. After all, they already have three players potentially beginning the season on the suspended list. Randy Gregory is serving a one-year banishment for repeated violations of the substance abuse policy. David Irving is facing four games for allegedly using performance-enhancing drugs. And free agent acquisition, Nolan Carroll, has a DWI he must account for that may or may not lead to a suspension.
The link above summarizes the NFL’s substance abuse policy. If you take the time to review it you’ll quickly see positive tests are extremely avoidable – even for users. The only time the NFL cracks down and tests regularity is if a player has first failed a test. As I’ve said many times before, it’s hard to get caught and if you do you probably have a problem.
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But the Danger Zone precedes one of those rare scheduled NFL drug tests. NFL players are guaranteed a test at some point during training camp.
Poor and/or reckless behavior in the danger zone can lead to a positive test come training camp.
The five weeks of the danger zone affords NFL players the opportunity to travel back home, visit old friends, go to exotic locations, etc…
The sky is the limit. I think we may need Kenny Loggins to add a final verse reflecting the fear so many of us have as these kids embark on their last great vacation of the year.
So to you Dallas Cowboys players, who we have pinned so many of our hopes and expectations to, beware of the danger zone. Teams like this don’t come around very often and you may not get an opportunity for greatness like this again.
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Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go hold my breath and pray training camp arrives early. Because this is the NFL danger zone.