Whether or not it is, it's a sure bet that those who wish for less Cowboys talk are going to be disappointed.
This morning on The Musers, Junior was reviewing the ratings. The Cowboys-Lions game got a 48 share. This is not only astronomically more than the run-of-the-mill Mavs/Rangers/Stars(!) game would get -- a Mavs game the same day, not broadcast against the Cowboys game, got something like a 1.5 share, that general order of magnitude -- it is double what Mavs and Rangers playoff games bring in.
So anyone rationally programming The Ticket or any sports talker in DFW is not going to allocate much time to anything except the Cowboys during football season, and will liberally sprinkle Cowboys segments throughout the broadcast day even after the NFL season is a memory.
So if you're sick of Cowboys talk -- a perfectly understandable reaction -- it's off to NPR or two ticks down the dial to The Ticket's stablemate KSCS.
I'm a Cowboys P1 and I enjoy almost all of the Cowboys talk but I feel like what makes the ticket special is the non-sports segments.
ReplyDeleteIt does make sense that the station stays Cowboy-centric. But a comment Junior made yesterday morning had me wondering if his vacation was spent drinking....a lot. In his review of the game, he mentioned that the game plan reflected what Jason Garrett had always wanted to do. WHAT? What suggests that Jason Garrett EVER had this as a master plan? Heck, coaches should never hold back as their careers are over for any number of reasons-among them poor team management. Again, I have said that I am no fan of Garrett and that his assistants should receive the accolades. Yes, Garrett is doing a fine job of managing. But, since this is my rant against Junior and Garrett, I am going to also point out another odd comment: the players play hard for Garrett. In post game interviews, position players only mention position coaches. Witten has mentioned Garrett, and obviously Romo has, but my point in all comes down to this-what is with the radio hosts bending over backwards to exalt Garrett to genius status? I will drink the koolaid when he can do this without these amazing coordinators. And he may have a chance next season.
ReplyDeleteCelery, I must say that I'm with you on most of this. I give Garrett very little credit for this surge. The question is -- what's different? What's changed from the years of mediocrity? Two things: (1) draft choices working out for which I give Jerry little credit, and (2) position coaches for which I give Garrett little credit.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I will say that my own management style out here on the plains is to hire people smarter than me and get out of the way, so maybe I'm being too harsh on both. I suppose staying out of the way deserves some credit.
As far as this belatedly-lauded strategy of playing his fragile starters in near-meaningless games, here's my take -- Garrett is afraid of his players. He frequently alludes to injured or near-injured players demanding to play, and he always gives in. He'd rather avoid a fracas with his stars than give them an order and tell them to like it.
Having said all of this, I don't want this thread to get overly sportsy, and I don't want anyone commenting on the relative Cowboys/Niffle expertise of individual Confessors.
Respectful Cowboys/MTC talk, including opposite conclusions, will be published. Snotty Cowboys/MTC talk will not.
Celery: Junior's comment was not that Garrett has always had a "master plan," it was how Garrett's plan for the last month of the season built towards his going for it on 4th and 6. He said that Garrett started the aggressive mindset "plan" a month ago, leaving starters in games that were blowouts, going for it on more 4th downs, playing the Redskins game to win even thought they didn't have to, etc.
ReplyDeleteBoth George and Craig have said repeatedly that they have not seen a "master plan" from Garrett over the last four years, and said that Garrett never talked about drafting linemen and becoming a running team, like many in the national media have claimed was his four year plan.
I don't think any Ticket host "exalts" Garrett, in fact, it's the opposite. But, his team is 13-4, so can you blame them now for giving him SOME credit? They would sound like idiots if they didn't.
"In his review of the game, he mentioned that the game plan reflected what Jason Garrett had always wanted to do."
ReplyDeleteHe never had the personnel to do much of anything but stay afloat at 8-8. Now he has coaches and players he trusts and who can execute. Hosts (particularly Sturm) are going out of their way to say how much he's changed, e.g. "old Jason Garrett would've never done that onside kick at Washington, or gone for it on 4th and 6." But old Jason Garrett didn't have much of a team. If you know your team can't accomplish something, why put them in a position the fail?
"...I am going to also point out another odd comment: the players play hard for Garrett. In post game interviews, position players only mention position coaches."
This is crazy talk, and I don't even know how to reply to it. Have you heard any of the post-game talks the Cowboys are now releasing weekly? That team is behind their coach 110%. Of course players mention position coaches - they're the guys they work with the closest, and they definitely deserve accolades. And I've heard plenty of players speak to believing in Redball over this and past seasons. And as far as mentioning Garrett by name, how is it Witten and Romo don't count? They're the vets and leaders of the team. They count.
"I will drink the koolaid when he can do this without these amazing coordinators."
You mean the coordinators NO ONE believed in going into this season? "Linehan? He's a Garrett clone and won't run the ball." "Marinelli? He's Kiffen's lap dog and coached a team to 0-16." It's easy NOW to say the coordinators are made of rainbows and fresh nougat, but no one said that until a few weeks ago.
"I give Garrett very little credit for this surge. The question is -- what's different? What's changed from the years of mediocrity? Two things: (1) draft choices working out for which I give Jerry little credit..."
Well who gets the credit, then? Hint: it's the red-headed guy who has been trying to draft quality over flash for years. Jerry only recently got out of the way.
"...and (2) position coaches for which I give Garrett little credit."
You mean the positions coaches who report to Garrett? Cheesey Pete, this guy can't win. When he wanted OC duties, he was slammed for not being a "walk-around" head coach. Now he gets no credit for anything his staff or players do. It's absurd.
"Garrett is afraid of his players. He frequently alludes to injured or near-injured players demanding to play, and he always gives in. "
He was a player. He knows what it means to them, and most importantly, he trusts his guys. He's got his kind of players in there now and he trusts them. That's what's different. If a player tells him he can play, why shouldn't he believe him? It's worked pretty well, wouldn't you say?
Regarding "Cowboys, Cowboys, Cowboys" and other promotional spots that tout the Ticket's status as the original sports-talk station in the Metroplex...
ReplyDeleteI think this is a terrible strategy. I mean, does anyone care that Station A has been around longer than Station B? I doubt it. I doubt it very much. Listeners tune in to where they get what they want (whatever that is). If Station B were the Ticket, and it has only started in 2011, I guarantee I'd tune in to that rather than Station A that had been around since 1999.
The only people who care about the Ticket's history are P1s. They're preaching to the choir.
But as with most radio stations, there is little marketing knowledge or consistency at the Ticket*. Liners, promo spots, taglines, etc. are usually written hastily by whoever has some time or gets stuck witht he job. If there is a proper Promotions department, they are typically more involved in setting up remotes and cranking out t-shirts (and I assume doing social media these days). I've never seen one that has a Marketing Director or a decent writer on staff.
Anyway, that's why I suspect you get oddly untargeted promo spots like "Cowboys, Cowboys, Cowboys" and such. It's spray and pray without any expertise or market research.
(Call me, Cat! I can help!)
*I may or may not have honest-to-Norm insight into this for reasons I can't divulge.
One more point about Garrett. And let me PRE-say, I've always been decidedly lukewarm on the guy. I thought (and think) he's one of the only competent coaches out there who can work with Jerry, so he's pretty much the best we can do, and likely going nowhere.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the guy preaches about process and getting better every day. And we've laughed at that. But he's delivered on that. He's built a structured, disciplined team. Remember all those penalties a few years ago - gone.
More importantly, he applies his mantra to himself. Remember the vary valid complaints last year about game management and clock management in particular? What happened with that? I've seen every game this year, caught most of Norm & Donnie's post-games, listened to every Cowboys Monday recap... nothing. Not one time clock flub all season, and not one peep from the Cowboy fan about it.
The guy practices what he preaches, and - to extend my streak of cliches - puts his money where his mouth is. And now, he's stacking wins and getting better every day.
It's a process, guys.
Is there any phrase Bob Sturm loves more than "styles makes fights?"
ReplyDeleteI think the quality of these comments so far give us another reason why the Cowboys dominate coverage.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Junior's opinion about Garrett, as it was said earlier, I believe he was talking about the increasing of "aggressiveness" during the last month of so, as in, his reasoning to not pulling players, etc.
"The players play hard for Garrett" - this is nothing new as far as an opinion of Garrett by most Ticket hosts. Every other season, this was the one compliment they had about him.
@Chris K - I agree. That is what separates the Ticket from other sports radio stations, IMO.
Things haven't changed a bit in 2015. When BAD talks Mavs the producer feels like he has to take over the segment. We tune in to hear the stars not the spare JV team.
ReplyDeletePlease Please The Fan make this guy an offer.
@Ragonk Dykes-I think you bring up valid points; however, I do not buy into the excuse that they lacked personnel. You can make that argument if they attempted, for example, a solid running game. They dedicated nothing to a running game for the last several seasons. Voila-coordinator changes, philosophy changes, AND some personnel changes, and you get this team. I know this will be debatable, but personnel does not completely dictate game philosophy at the NFL-the coaches do (case in point, Tampa 2, 3-4 vs. 4-3). The opposite argument, though can be made (but since I am arguing against Garrett...).
ReplyDeleteLook, this team is awesome. There is no doubt that Jason Garrett may be the best head coach in the league that can work with Jerry Jones; however, for those of us who doubt his abilities, skepticism will continue until he has a body of work that has his signature on it. The last four seasons suggest that THIS season is not so much his doing.
Man I am going to miss football when the season is over. No more sports from this confessor today.
The Ticket promos do indeed preach to the choir, but the choir does a whole lot of evangelizing, so it makes sense. I never would have become a P1 if I was not friends with a bunch of guys who kept telling me I needed to listen to The Ticket.
ReplyDelete@Jack Kemp
ReplyDeleteCome on man! I'm not a Jake Z P1, but the Producer also does the Mavs postgame. That's his wheelhouse.
"They dedicated nothing to a running game for the last several seasons. Voila-coordinator changes, philosophy changes, AND some personnel changes, and you get this team."
ReplyDeleteThe last couple of years they didn't have the O-line necessary for a strong run game, combined with the fact Murray was dinged up. This year, they got the last piece they needed (Martin) and their previous year's pick (Frederick) had another year under his belt to grow. It all just came together this year. Now, do I believe they were putting together a running game? No, I believe they were trying to get protection for Romo. In my opinion, they just kinda lucked into a dominant runnign game. Credit Garrett for going with it.
"The last four seasons suggest that THIS season is not so much his doing."
Man, I so disagree with this. I believe this is the FIRST year to have Garrett's stamp on it. This is the first time he's got a roster with a majority (or at least plurality) of his own picks on it. He's also been trying to excise the laziness of previous administrations while instilling his, ummm... process.
I know some folks will never accept Redball. That's OK, but give the guy credit when his team excels.
It's so nice to hear The Musers and The Hardline talk college football, Mavs and anything else non-Cowboys. Mike's mind is great as well when it isn't Cowboy related.
ReplyDeleteReally looking forward to Cowboys getting eliminated by GB this weekend so things will go back to normal.
1 - As for the "we've been around forever" promos....all companies tout how long they've been around if they have any kind of history at all. It's just what they do. Is there really something in an ad that would suddenly make you listen to the Ticket more?
ReplyDelete2 - As for Jake-Z taking over in Mavs segments and not hearing from the stars....Do you really want to hear what Dan thinks of the Mavs? How many games do you think he's watched this year? And even uber-sports Bob is way more focused on football and hockey than he is on the Mavs right now. Jake is your resident expert when it comes to the Mavs, deal with it.
E-News is always better when the lead story is "backdoor teen mom".
ReplyDeleteWhen will the media start up the guy went to an ivy league school again. I remember his first season or two that is all we heard about. Now it should start back up again. Just like local sports stations comparing the 14-15 Cowboys to the Triplets era. We need more Tony Romo or Troy Aikman, Dez of Prime, Demarco or Emmitt.
ReplyDeleteThe foundation repair commercials - -
ReplyDeleteWhen it rains the ads say the wet ground can be bad for the foundation.
When it's dry the ads say the dry ground can be bad for the foundation.
How long until we get ads about checking the foundations for earthquake damage?
When talking about what is different this year from last, especially with the D, it seems like the coordinator gets the credit because they talk about all the talent that was lost from last season. But I was living in Det when Rod was a head coach there and remember how awful it was. Maybe he should just remain a coordinator and not a head coach.
ReplyDeleteBut my question is this: is he really that much better than Kiffen? While I think Kiffen was too old, and the game passed him by, I remember hearing/reading how Rod was running things, etc. Maybe last year's struggle had more to do with changing from Rob Ryan's scheme (which is struggling in NO)? Maybe we give Jurra a little credit in that he brought in the "old guy" to take the fall for the rough season of transition?
theoldgreywolf: 12:15pm via Twitter Web Client
ReplyDeletethe grey wolf: dead...3:30 on the Ticket
Huh? Thoughts? Let the conspiracies begin!
Rhyner LIVES!
ReplyDeleteJake is an expert may be the funniest thing ever written on this site.
ReplyDelete