The National Football League kicks off the 2014 season tonight with the offensive juggernaut Green Bay Packers taking on the Super Bowl champs Seattle Seahawks.
All eyes, however, are on Dallas, where media savvy owner Jerry Jones reached into his bag of tricks and signed Michael Sam, the NFL's sole openly gay player, to the practice squad of the mediocre Cowboys. The move makes the Cowboys relevant for the moment.
The 'Boys, mired at 8-8 for each of the past three years, remain in football's top-tier due to past glories and Jones' ability to entertain the media.
Yesterday, the Washington Post described Jones as "a man who never met a media circus that he didn't like and a general manager with a depleted defense. "
The Post was too kind. Jones is more like the ringmaster of a three-ring circus.
Loquacious Jerry admitted to the hometown press that Sam isn't going to bail out Dallas' D.
"We hope that he can refine his skills. He’s not ready to go at all, but can he come in and learn," he told the Dallas Morning News' Dallas Cowboys blog. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Scouts rate Sam a hard-worker but neither tall enough to play defensive end (his college position) nor fast enough to play linebacker at the NFL level.
The St. Louis Cardinals, a woeful bunch that can only aspire to the mediocrity of the Cowboys, cut Sam from its roster to create Jones' low-risk PR bonanza.
The Cowboys open Sunday in the Arlington home monstrosity, a tribute to all things in excess. The team matches up against the high-powered Santa Clara 49ers, a team that went to the NFL title for the past three years as representatives of San Francisco
Good luck to Sam in his football career. He deserves the shot at history.
Tip of the cap to Jones for keeping the buzz alive in Dallas. It is too bad Jerry's NFL East division rival New York Giants will lasso the Cowboys this year.
One can't image the button-down Jints giving Sam a chance.
But the Jets, under Rex Ryan, that's a different story.
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