Jan. 2--IRVING -- The Dallas Cowboys' season is less than a week old and judging by the e-mails, the pain will not go away for a long time. And it remains for the players, too. Or at least a lot of them.
But as the Cowboys go forward, owner/general manager Jerry Jones, executive vice president Stephen Jones, director of pro and college scouting Tom Ciskowski and coach Wade Phillips have to ask themselves this: How close are they?
The core of this team is signed to multi-year deals, but the team has consistently fallen short when it has mattered most.
Do the Cowboys need little changes or big changes?
Little change would be adding a safety, a linebacker, a defensive end and keeping everything else the same, hoping another year in the system will benefit everybody.
Big change would be altering the atmosphere in the locker room. It's way too comfortable. On a team that has missed the playoffs as much as it has made it the last four years, the Cowboys need big change.
Speaking at Keith Davis' birthday party Monday on a red-carpet interview before going into the Ghost Bar, wide receiver Patrick Crayton said "discipline" is needed. He said this after the Cowboys led the NFL in penalties and were second in turnovers.
There does not seem to be big enough penalties for poor play, continued mistakes, missed meetings or even a missed treatment.
Go back to Hard Knocks in training camp when linebacker Anthony Spencer blew off a rehab assignment because the power in his place went out. Phillips said he would fine him, but the coach said it with all the power of a substitute teacher.
Spencer needed to be jumped at that moment. And so did rookie tight end Martellus Bennett for his eyebrow-raising toward position coach John Garrett. Set a tone so the young players understand what is and isn't unacceptable. Phillips expects his players to be professional. What if they don't know what that means exactly?
Phillips has preached "family" since coming to the Cowboys. He even held a cookout at the facility last spring in which the families were on hand. It's a wonderful concept.
But at some point, the players need to be fearful, too.
One of the reasons why Tom Coughlin kept his job with the New York Giants after the 2006 season is that he promised to change. He still had his rules, but he did not sweat all of the small stuff. He was still demanding. He did not bend on the things that he believed helped win games. He stayed true to his core.
And the players responded, but let's not act like Coughlin turned into Mr. Nice Guy. He listened more to the players, but he was still the same guy. Cowboys linebacker Bradie James chuckled when he was told Phillips promised to be harder on the players.
It's difficult -- not impossible -- to go from Mr. Nice Guy to Mr. Tough Guy, and that's the road Phillips will have to navigate this off-season.
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