“Elevation:” U2 makes Jerry Jones rise to the occasion
Bono is a powerful man. Even Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones knows he had to accommodate the lead singer of U2.
In order for U2 to perform at Cowboys Stadium on Oct. 12, the world’s largest video screens that hang in the middle of facility have to be raised to accommodate a stage that includes “The Claw,” which is 164 feet high.
But will Jones raise the screens to accommodate the NFL?
Though soccer players and NFL punters have easily kicked balls off the bottom of the video structure, the screens will remain their current height of 90 feet (5 feet higher than the league requirement) until further notice.
Excuse me, but why all the debate on raising the screens?
Wouldn’t raising the video boards give the people in the cheap seats a more optimum view?
They’re the folks who need it, who deserve it. They’re the ones looking at all those ants playing football below their feet. Bring the big screen a little closer to the common man.
Raising the video screens would offer the best of both worlds at Jerry World.
These high-definition screens have 30 million pixels that stretch roughly 60 yards wide and 25 yards high.
Would raising the structure 30 feet or so suddenly make this monstrosity more difficult to see?
The rich folk already are close enough to see the field. They would simply have to crane their necks slightly higher to see the video board. They could also sneak a peek at one of the 3,000 flat screens mounted throughout the $1.3ish billion facility.
Most important, raising the video screens would help prevent a stoppage in play and potential injuries on the field.
Punts that hit the scoreboard are blown dead, the clock is re-set and the play is repeated.
Kick coverages are part-wind sprint/part-suicide mission. One sequence is exhausting and dangerous enough. No need for a do-over.
NFL officials said they are monitoring this jumbo-monitor situation, but what’s to think about?
Just have commissioner Roger Goodell pound his gavel and deem a structure’s new league-minimum height to be, say, 120 feet — effective Sept. 20, the Cowboys’ home opener against the New York Giants.
Equipment recently was installed that will lower the video screens for other events held at Cowboys Stadium, which falls under the category of “ongoing construction” at the facility.
The screens will be disconnected when they are raised for the U2 concert. Just figure out a way for those boards to remain connected after being raised for NFL games.
What goes down, must come up.
This doesn’t sound all that complicated to me.
Seriously, am I missing something here?
That’s why they call them ‘Line’ men
Despite their importance, football linemen are rarely noticed. Baylor offensive left tackle Jason Smith certainly will be noticed during Saturday’s opening round of the NFL Draft.
Linemen often deliver the best lines during interviews, and Smith certainly didn’t disappoint:
Would he be surprised if he was the No. 1 pick: “Obviously, no. I wouldn’t be surprised because it’s been talked about, they’ve mentioned it and I’ve also gone on a visit. If I’m the No. 1 pick, I’m not going to be surprised. I’m going to be privileged.”
Would he be disappointed if he were not the top pick: “I’m not going to be disappointed or happy if I’m not. I’m going to be happy that I’m at New York, so somebody likes me. At the end of the day, I’ll have a job. Those are things I can’t control. I don’t focus on the things I can’t control. I worry about the things I can control. I can worry about how I look when I’m in New York, those kind of things. How my suit fits my body. I can focus on the shoes I wear. I have no thought process on what team is going to take me, what pick I’ll get drafted, or how much money I’m gonna make.”
On the interview process leading up to the draft: “Just be yourself. You don’t put on a front because people can always tell who’s faking and who’s not.”
The biggest criticism of his game (run blocking): “Nobody ever questions my effort and my attitude because those are the things I can control. Over the years, there certain things I’m good at, and certain things I’m not good at. I focus very, very hard at things I’m good at so that I’ll be very great at them. And the things that I’m not good at, I’ll practice on those with a high intensity and high compassion toward them so I get good at them. You can be nitpicky about a lot of different things, but at the end of the day, I’m a football player.”
On joining the NFL: “I understand these are grown men. There are no boys in the NFL. There are only grown men. You have to be about business, 24/7. As a man thinketh, so shall he be. If you’re thinking good, you’ll be good. If you’re thinking bad, you’ll be bad. I’m a product now. I’m not somebody’s little son, I’m not somebody’s friend. I’m a product. I’ll be paid to do my job. If I don’t do my job, they’ll find a guy that can do that job and they can fire me. Obviously, I understand as a person that I don’t want a real job, so I like the job I’ve got.”
Who will join him in New York City: “I have a very, very tight circle. My circle consists of me, my two brothers, my two fathers, my two mothers, one of my coaches from high school, three coaches from Baylor and two friends who are alumni of Baylor. So that’s a very small circle. That’s how we roll — small, to the point, then back home. You don’t need 100 people to get one job done.”
Looking for Parcells of truth
More than a few current Dallas Cowboys — heck, perhaps every one of them — have commented on how much more relaxed they’ve been this season under new coach Wade Phillips than they previously were under coach Bill Parcells. Then again, life usually is good when you’re 6-1, atop your division and arguably the best team in your entire conference.
If the players are happier this year, how much happier is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones?
Jones was in Oklahoma City on Thursday to promote the marriage between Cox Communications and the NFL Network. Is he more relaxed for Jones with the coaching change?
“Not really,” Jones said. “Bill Parcells has a style. He came to the Dallas Cowboys. By the way, he solicited coming to the Cowboys at the time. I’ll never forget, I said, ‘Why does this mean so much to you, to coach the Cowboys?’ He said, ‘Picture going to Las Vegas. You walk in and there’s the lounge. That’s where the up-and-comers are, people who have been there and are on their way out. Then there’s the big room, the big showroom. That’s where Elvis played. That’s where Frank Sinatra played. That’s the Dallas Cowboys, the big showroom.’ He said, ‘We’ve got to win. Because my stuff grows old if we don’t win. My stuff will grow old. The way I do it and the way I push, wears. If there’s not success, it won’t work.’ That is and was the case. Wade Phillips is a terrific change of personality. Not that both don’t work, we know that. There have been a lot of different personalities that have coached championship football teams. But working with Bill directly on a day-to-day basis was a joy. He has a fantastic sense of humor and he respects the deal.
“Now he’ll use every human ploy known to get his way. He’ll pout, get mad, smile, charm, do anything to get his way. But when you finally make that decision, he buys into that and you get on down the road, and that’s what you want. It’s all up front. There’s nothing going on underneath or behind with Bill Parcells. I really respected that. He’s really helped our team.”
