Cowboys 'Haters' Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy 'Attend' Practice: Here's Why
Few have been more cartoonishly critical of the Dallas Cowboys recently than the co-hosts of FS1's "Speak," Emmanuel Acho and LeSean McCoy. Both former NFL players, are trying to make TV names for themselves by sitting in a Los Angeles studio and saying outrageous things.
Recently came a challenged from critics to actually watch a Cowboys practice in person.
"When the fans speak, I listen,'' Acho wrote in response. "They said if you’re gonna talk about the Cowboys, you better show up to practice. So show up we did!''
Indeed, to their credit, the amateurish shock-jock hosts drove to Oxnard on Tuesday, ostensibly to take in some football, thereby advancing their analysis.
Unfortunately, that's not quite what went down. McCoy, the former NFL running back who spent time with the Cowboys' NFC East rival the Philadelphia Eagles, followed up his most controversial statement from last season when he called Prescott "ass" by repeating the evaluation while again asserting that the locker room doesn't respect Dak following the viral video of his trash talk exchange with cornerback Trevon Diggs.
WFAA's Mike Leslie challenged him on both takes on the air on Tuesday; again, to his credit, "Shady'' made himself available for a couple of media visits. ... and did not show the verbal agility to deal with those.
McCoy defended his hot takes with an alarming lack of eloquence. And Acho explained the appearance with some unfortunate mistruths.
In a trio of tweets, Acho revealed that the duo "drove three hours'' from L.A. to Oxnard to take in the Cowboys practice. We're not sure why it took "three hours''; we've made the drive often, and 90 minutes usually covers the 50 necessary miles.
Additionally, after their claim that they "watched practice,'' a number of those in attendance pointed out that they actually did something less than that - that they made a quick appearance starting at 11:08 a.m., talked to virtually no players or coaches, and then departed at 11:45 a.m.
That's when, four hours after Acho's initial boast, he altered his story, noting that they watched "45 minutes of practice'' before needing to return to L.A. to film their show.
But in fact, the pair mostly just observed the Cowboys during stretching - a major portion of what happens on the field starting at 11 a.m. - before their departure. Nevertheless, McCoy seems to have come away impressed, now saying that the "first thing I noticed'' is that Dallas "a top-three most-talented team in the league - sheesh!''
Additionally, McCoy later popped on Colin Cowherd's show to offer an example of the talent he saw on display (during stretching).
"Tony Pollard? He looks good!'' McCoy exclaimed, which would be a helpful observation from having attended the Tuesday workout ...
Except as CowboysSI.com reported, Pollard just became a daddy for the second time and was therefore absent from the practice that McCoy said he "looked good'' at.
Was the trip really just for a photo opp? Sure, and that's OK. Was it to milk more attention by attaching themselves to the Cowboys brand? Sure, and that's OK, too. But here's what else it is, in two bites:
One, they have access; they don't do shows on the weekends and could come to Oxnard on any Saturday or Sunday, and with less traffic! The Cowboys PR department likely fielded a last-minute request, and allowed them credentials, no easy thing to get. And with that access and power and flexible schedule, with some forethought they could've likely wrangled an interview with any of their daily Cowboys targets.
Nope. That's right. The fellow NFL'er who called Dak "ass'' came "all the way'' to Oxnard but didn't have the balls to approach Prescott, or Diggs, or Jerry Jones, or any of their network's frequent on-air targets.
And two, they have acumen. Acho and McCoy played in the NFL. They could gain insight from their peers and pass it on to their audience. From "trash-talk'' discussions to X's-and-O's breakdowns, imagine the useful conversations they could've had by showing up to Oxnard to work!
In the end, Cowboys fans should not be upset that FSI - which pays the disreputable Skip Bayless as the hub of its wheel - is in the business of insulting the Cowboys. NFL fans should be upset because "access and acumen'' is being wasted on the gimmickry of the empty-headed.
COWBOYS FISH REPORT … now a podcast! Join us inside The Star, ANY TIME!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Cowboys?
Follow FishSports on Twitter
Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook
Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live reports!
