'If, If, If!' Is 'Cowboys To Fire McCarthy to Hire Belichick' News Or Gossip?
FRISCO - As we have detailed, there are unlikely scenarios that could end in a divorce between the Dallas Cowboys and coach Mike McCarthy, who has led “America’s Team” to a playoff spot for a third straight season.
But given what we know from here inside “The Star,” “unlikely” is the keyword. And those who continue to “report” that Bill Belichick is in line to replace McCarthy are ignoring that “keyword” … while leaning on a dictionary full of thin and wobbly “keywords” of their own.
The latest “report” comes courtesy of ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio, who has a weak spot for conspiracy theories - many of his own making.
Allow us to parse Florio’s recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan … on the subject of McCarthy being dumped in favor of Belichick …
Clutchpoints
“It could all fall apart … “It depends” … If and when there's a failure in the playoffs” … “It feels like it’s going to be over.”
That’s not a “report.” That’s a version of Tourette’s Syndrome, with the word “if” and its synonyms stuttered out repeatedly.
And Florio on Belichick to Dallas?
"I'm going to tell you guys something that's not a report. It's just something to keep an eye on. … If the Cowboys flame out” … People I talk to about it say there's no way in hell that it would ever happen. But if” … “As crazy as it sounds … “If, if, if.” … “It’s not impossible!”
Florio literally said, “If, if, if.” No parsing from us.
And he uttered all of these "if's'' and "crazy's'' and "maybes'' over the span of just a few radio minutes.
We have covered in this space, in-depth, ever angle of this concept, from Belichick's tenuous relationship with Pats owner Robert Kraft to the Jones family and Belichick both being accustomed to captaining their own ships to the Jones family's true and positive feelings about McCarthy.
And yes, we've also covered the "what-if-Dallas-disaster-strikes'' scenarios, too. And once that information is gathered? We're not wasting much time on the admittedly juicy but largely made-up "If, If, If'' Game.
This isn’t “reporting,” and Florio (who has repeated this idea frequently all year) is sharp enough to know this.
When host Shan Shariff sharply tried to pin down Florio as to any actual insight, Florio added, “I have no idea what’s going to happen.” And that marks by far the truest thing the PFT boss said in the segment.
Florio speaks a CYA truth when he says, “It’s not impossible.”
We respond with a stronger truth by saying, “It’s not a story.”
