Linda Cohn Speaks for the Average Fan
The Dallas Cowboys got thrashed (again) and, watching America’s team play, it’s apparent they have other things on their minds. A game as violent, and as cerebral, as football needs total focus in all areas in order to succeed. When it’s being played at the highest level, teams can get awfully embarrassed - which is what the Packers did last night to the Cowboys.
When intelligent fans tune into shows like SportsCenter, they appreciate analysis that a guy like Trent Dilfer brings. One reason is because he was in the thick of it. He was on bad, average and good teams, including the Baltimore Ravens squad he quarterbacked to a Super Bowl (XXXL) championship. Maybe he didn’t do for the Ravens what Drew Brees or Peyton Manning did in their championship years, but he managed the game well enough for his side to win it.
Linda Cohn has been lauded as a great anchor for SportsCenter. While I’m not sure what her background in football is (according to her bio, she excelled in hockey), I imagine it’s less extensive than Dilfer’s. During their recap of the Dallas-Green Bay game, Trent gave his post game thoughts, to which Linda replied (seemingly speaking for every fan out there), “OK, but you have to blame somebody. Who’s to blame?“ Dilfer made the comment that it started at the top and that head coach Wade Phillips was certainly to blame (which seemed to be the answer Cohn was looking for) but that there were a myriad of reasons Dallas lost - and continues to lose.
Mental, psychological and physical were three factors in a team’s makeup that Dilfer mentioned, and he stated he thought Dallas was lacking in all three. When responding to her obvious inference that Phillips be dismissed, Dilfer’s answer was that of a true pro. He said as far as what he’s observed in all his years in and covering the NFL that in-season firings don’t work unless the team has the guy they want to be their next head coach presently on the staff.
As far as last night’s ESPN coverage was concerned, viewers got to see two people showing precisely why they were hired - Linda Cohn representing the average fan and Trent Dilfer providing analysis for the knowledgeable one.
When Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones was asked to put his finger on his team’s troubles, his answer was:
“I don’t have enough fingers.”