Another Cowboy Suspended

[Hardcore troubadour 12,642]

Randy Gregory, first four games next year. One more failed test away from a year. Didn't see this coming.......

[giraldi02 470]

He tested positive for marijuana at the combine. A lot of teams were said to have taken him off their draft boards as a result. To me, here's the interesting aspect per Rapoport's tweet:

 

 

Ian RapoportVerified account ‏@RapSheet Feb 19

Per @NFL drug policy, Randy Gregory failed 4 tests. 1st at combine -- in the program. Then 2-gm fine, then 4-gm fine, then 4-gm suspension

 

 

Some people just can't lay down the blunt or the booze to take advantage of their unbelievable skill-set. A shame too, because the kid did flash some talent. Unfortunately for him and the Cowboys, he's likely going to be another Josh Gordon

[weepaws 2,460]

Didn't he have some of the same problem when he played for Nebraska?

[the newb 23]

Didn't he have some of the same problem when he played for Nebraska?

yes

[Kent 228]

He's the dumbest human being on the planet. All of football knew this was going to happen. Yet he still kept smoking.

 

Dallas needs to pick up Johnny football. Just go all in with the crazies.

[weepaws 2,460]

I agree with the post above .

[sirensong 111]

i'd say this is more ricky williams than gordon.

 

williams and his manager used to come into a bar i worked in austin. incredibly nice guy, but just exuded social anxiety. pot was his refuge, and that kind of thing doesn't go away. doing a drug for fun is one thing, but doing it to get by is much, much more insidious. fun is an exercise in comparative economics--you give up some fun (drugs) in order to get other kinds of fun (money, fame, etc.).

 

but when the drug is the only thing that stabilizes your emotions, there's no acceptable tradeoff. it would be like letting go of a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. williams was that kind of guy--you could tell that he was an emotional stoner, not a party stoner.

 

based on this episode combined with a bipolar diagnosis, i get the feeling that gregory is in the same boat. damn shame.

[sirensong 111]

He's the dumbest human being on the planet. All of football knew this was going to happen. Yet he still kept smoking.

 

Dallas needs to pick up Johnny football. Just go all in with the crazies.

 

meh. it's not every day that you get a consensus top-10 prospect at pick 60. it could be worse.

 

jerry could have given up 3 firsts and a second to get him.

[weepaws 2,460]

This shows why he fell to become pick number 60.

[R8RMick 242]

i'd say this is more ricky williams than gordon.

 

williams and his manager used to come into a bar i worked in austin. incredibly nice guy, but just exuded social anxiety. pot was his refuge, and that kind of thing doesn't go away. doing a drug for fun is one thing, but doing it to get by is much, much more insidious. fun is an exercise in comparative economics--you give up some fun (drugs) in order to get other kinds of fun (money, fame, etc.).

 

but when the drug is the only thing that stabilizes your emotions, there's no acceptable tradeoff. it would be like letting go of a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. williams was that kind of guy--you could tell that he was an emotional stoner, not a party stoner.

 

based on this episode combined with a bipolar diagnosis, i get the feeling that gregory is in the same boat. damn shame.

 

 

Great post, concur with it entirely. What's more, I remember Ricky used to perform post-game interviews with his helmet on because he was so socially awkward. It's the weekend, but I hadn't heard a peep about this here in Dallas until it broke. I do know Gregory has been considered a bust so far, to some extent. I still feel the Boys made the right call on the pick. You've got to gamble on potential.

[Gepetto 985]

I still fell Gregory will help them get wins in the future.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,642]

I still fell Gregory will help them get wins in the future.

What choice do you have? At some point you have to figure that jerruhs idiocy has to pay off, but seeing as they dodged the bullet with Manziel, they may have used up their chances.

[sirensong 111]

 

 

Great post, concur with it entirely. What's more, I remember Ricky used to perform post-game interviews with his helmet on because he was so socially awkward. It's the weekend, but I hadn't heard a peep about this here in Dallas until it broke. I do know Gregory has been considered a bust so far, to some extent. I still feel the Boys made the right call on the pick. You've got to gamble on potential.

 

i think it's the casual fans who have been talking about gregory as a bust. people closer to the team point out that it took him a while to come back from the high ankle sprain (which is normal), but that he got decent pressure in very limited snaps down the stretch. this is pretty similar to lawrence, who didn't register a rookie sack until the postseason. then this season, he finishes out with 8 sacks in the final 8 games from the strongside. rookie pass rushers have a really hard time. ware was thought of as very special for posting 8 sacks as a rookie.

 

i fully agree that he was the right pick in terms of risk/reward. we fans usually operate on hindsight in order to determine what the "right pick" would have been. it's easy to evaluate gregory as a bad pick, while ignoring the fact that he came at a much, much lower cost than another troubled guy did.

 

dez has been a pretty decent player.

[Hardcore troubadour 12,642]

 

i think it's the casual fans who have been talking about gregory as a bust. people closer to the team point out that it took him a while to come back from the high ankle sprain (which is normal), but that he got decent pressure in very limited snaps down the stretch. this is pretty similar to lawrence, who didn't register a rookie sack until the postseason. then this season, he finishes out with 8 sacks in the final 8 games from the strongside. rookie pass rushers have a really hard time. ware was thought of as very special for posting 8 sacks as a rookie.

 

i fully agree that he was the right pick in terms of risk/reward. we fans usually operate on hindsight in order to determine what the "right pick" would have been. it's easy to evaluate gregory as a bad pick, while ignoring the fact that he came at a much, much lower cost than another troubled guy did.

 

dez has been a pretty decent player.

You went a long, long way to find that one. If Gregory even just flashed a 1/4 of the talent that Dez has you might have a point. Just wow. Maybe you don't realize just how good Bryant is.

[Kent 228]

Is it 8 games after his next failed drug test or a year? That's all Dallas fans should be looking into because he's going to keep failing.

 

Nice pick.

[ZeroTolerance 582]

Joseph Randle meanwhile picks up his fifth arrest in seventeen months.

[PJ_Abyss 0]

Another cowboy suspended? What else is new

[Cruzer 1,992]

Well we knew what we were getting when we drafted him - so not a shock... What does suck now (though) is that this makes it much more likely Stephen resigns Hardy - not happy about that.

[sirensong 111]

You went a long, long way to find that one. If Gregory even just flashed a 1/4 of the talent that Dez has you might have a point. Just wow. Maybe you don't realize just how good Bryant is.

 

this is selective memory and hindsight talking.

 

both players were considered top-10 talents, and gregory was considered by many scouts to already be the best edge rusher in the draft, with tremendous upside because he was still raw. bryant was seen as a guy who succeeded at the college level with raw physical talent, but who was deficient in mental game, attention to detail, discipline, integrity, and maturity. he wasn't even considered to be the best WR prospect on his college team. when he was drafted, most of the league (and this board) expected him to implode immediately (like blackmon eventually did). on the other hand, you have a quiet, respectful kid who had a problem with a non-addictive drug popular among students.

 

long story short, both players were universally recognized as elite talents, and both came with substantial baggage. dez went 27th. gregory went 60th.

 

when the potential payoff is high enough, and the cost is low enough, you get your chips in. sometimes it doesn't work out, but when you hit, you hit huge.

[sirensong 111]

Well we knew what we were getting when we drafted him - so not a shock... What does suck now (though) is that this makes it much more likely Stephen resigns Hardy - not happy about that.

 

heard on 105.3 that team insiders are still saying the organization is "done" with hardy, even after the gregory suspension story broke.

 

let's hope that's true.

[thePRO 78]

Is it 8 games after his next failed drug test or a year? That's all Dallas fans should be looking into because he's going to keep failing.

 

Nice pick.

You don't like that pick!?

[giraldi02 470]

Is it 8 games after his next failed drug test or a year? That's all Dallas fans should be looking into because he's going to keep failing.

 

Nice pick.

 

From what I can tell, Gregory is in Stage Two and this is his first suspension. So he'd be subjected (I believe) to a six game suspension next if he remains in stage two, and then a year after he goes to stage three (Where Josh Gordon and Justin Blackmon were).

 

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/PDFs/Player%20Development/2015%20Policy%20and%20Program%20on%20Substances%20of%20Abuse.pdf

[R8RMick 242]

 

heard on 105.3 that team insiders are still saying the organization is "done" with hardy, even after the gregory suspension story broke.

 

let's hope that's true.

ESPN 103.3 Ben and Skin show reporting that Hardy yelled or disrespected Garrett in front of the team last year. I'd not heard that, and on their show Dennis and Frito said they hadn't either. Source may have been Jeremy Mincey, who was responsible for claiming Hardy 'fractured' the locker room.

 

Heard anything? Don't see how they can let him get away now with all the injuries and the Gregory suspension.

[thePRO 78]

ESPN 103.3 Ben and Skin show reporting that Hardy yelled or disrespected Garrett in front of the team last year. I'd not heard that, and on their show Dennis and Frito said they hadn't either. Source may have been Jeremy Mincey, who was responsible for claiming Hardy 'fractured' the locker room.

 

Heard anything? Don't see how they can let him get away now with all the injuries and the Gregory suspension.

 

They just asked him about Hardy and all he replied with was, "He's a FA."

 

So I pretty sure they're done with Hardy. No reason to be vague there.

[sirensong 111]

ESPN 103.3 Ben and Skin show reporting that Hardy yelled or disrespected Garrett in front of the team last year. I'd not heard that, and on their show Dennis and Frito said they hadn't either. Source may have been Jeremy Mincey, who was responsible for claiming Hardy 'fractured' the locker room.

 

Heard anything? Don't see how they can let him get away now with all the injuries and the Gregory suspension.

 

haven't heard specifics, other than the "he's a FA" comment from garrett today. i have heard that he was consistently late to meetings all season, and was flippant about the possibility of being disciplined.

 

they pretty much have to let him go if they don't want to wreck the culture. a guy like mcclain is a bit different--a case of "we'll tolerate you until we can replace you". but mcclain is just a flakey guy, not a toxic one. it's unfortunate that there isn't a top-flight edge rusher in this year's draft, and i suspect the 4th pick will turn into ramsey or jack (either of whom would make me happy).

[Gepetto 985]

Von Miller was suspended before too.

[Kent 228]

Is it 8 games after his next failed drug test or a year? That's all Dallas fans should be looking into because he's going to keep failing.

 

Nice pick.

Annnd it looks like they just checked him into a treatment facility.

 

Nice pick.

[Cruzer 1,992]

No team is better at focking up and wasting 2nd Round picks than us. (Escobar, Gregory, Smith)...

[oldtimer 84]

On the bright side, at least they waited until Round Two. There was some concern Jerry was going to take him in Round One. That said, when a kid fails drug tests in college, then again at his Pro Day, then again his rookie season, then again while suspended for failing a drug test...... Well, you may have to wonder how much this kid wants to play the game.

 

At least the second rounder this year (Smith) will be a stud. Ohhhhhh, wait, he won't play this season. I can joke. Die hard Cowboy fan since the Landry days. What the hell happened to their ability to draft??? Remember when Jimmy Johnson seemed to hit on most of his picks every year? The good 'ol days.... At least his players didn't go to jail until the offseason or after they retired.

[R8RMick 242]

Wonder if they'll change their tune about Hardy? I mean, dude hasn't beaten up any women lately.

[sirensong 111]

no they won't.

 

they're not going to add ray lewis in FA, either.

[weepaws 2,460]

Why do you think this keeps taking place on the Cowboys ?

[ROCKFORD 134]

Some people just can't lay down the blunt or the booze to take advantage of their unbelievable skill-set.

 

i suffer from this, as well.

[ROCKFORD 134]

 

i think it's the casual fans who have been talking about gregory as a bust. people closer to the team point out that it took him a while to come back from the high ankle sprain (which is normal), but that he got decent pressure in very limited snaps down the stretch. this is pretty similar to lawrence, who didn't register a rookie sack until the postseason. then this season, he finishes out with 8 sacks in the final 8 games from the strongside. rookie pass rushers have a really hard time. ware was thought of as very special for posting 8 sacks as a rookie.

 

i fully agree that he was the right pick in terms of risk/reward. we fans usually operate on hindsight in order to determine what the "right pick" would have been. it's easy to evaluate gregory as a bad pick, while ignoring the fact that he came at a much, much lower cost than another troubled guy did.

 

dez has been a pretty decent player.

 

[sirensong 111]

Why do you think this keeps taking place on the Cowboys ?

 

 

what do you mean? every team has substance violators. seattle had 6 different players violate the policy in only 2 seasons. the only reason this is a big deal is because everyone pays attention to the cowboys. if it was the chiefs or the giants, no one would have noticed.

[weepaws 2,460]

what do you mean? every team has substance violators. seattle had 6 different players violate the policy in only 2 seasons. the only reason this is a big deal is because everyone pays attention to the cowboys. if it was the chiefs or the giants, no one would have noticed.

Yea that's true it does happen on other teams , but why do you think this is hapening on Cowboys ?

[sirensong 111]

that's pretty obvious. never very good to begin with, DAL has lost a lot of talent on the defensive side of the football (ware, hatcher, season without lee, season without scandrick, crawford badly hurlt last season, carr and claiborne underperforming, wilcox never learning). out of desperation, DAL had to go bargain shopping for impact defenders. the best bargains were guys with issues.

 

the team added 4 guys with issues over the last 2 seasons. every one of them broke bad (hardy's bad attitude, plus the 3 suspensions). this suggests that DAL's support system for substance abuse is questionable. another possibility is that by tolerating hardy and mcclain's attitude problems, DAL enabled those guys to set a bad example for lawrence and gregory.

 

i'm seriously annoyed with jones over the mcclain deal. belichick would have cut him on the spot, regardless of cap consequences. there comes a point where you have to forget about the money if it jeopardizes your entire investment. by keeping him around (and by ever signing hardy to begin with), jones undermines garrett's RKG emphasis.

[weepaws 2,460]

Didn't Gregory come into the league already having some kind of issues in college ?

 

I think he played at Nebraska right ?

[redsrback 30]

Why do you think this keeps taking place on the Cowboys ?

No need to run to the border

[Kent 228]

Didn't Gregory come into the league already having some kind of issues in college ?

 

I think he played at Nebraska right ?

Yes. And he was the biggest knucklehead in the history of football. 32 teams knew this. One team decided to throw their pick away.

 

Pretty sure he skipped his pre draft invitation to the Raiders for a look. Just told them no thanks. Psychotic.