No Combine for Old Men? Not here
Published: 2/22/2008 8:16 PM
Last Modified: 2/22/2008 8:16 PM
An offering from the NFL Scouting Combine (sort of):
Having dinner at a dowtown Indianapolis steakhouse, I spy Dallas owner Jerry Jones and his son and VP Stephen at a nearby table. Across the room, behind a wall, I see Gil Brandt, the guru who built the original Cowboys dynasty under late owner Bum Bright alongside Tom Landry.
I marvel at the irony. Jones, of course, became infamous for immediately and unceremoniously firing Brandt and Landry when he bought the team from Bright in 1988-89.
I figured Brandt and Jones hadn't seen each other and probably wouldn't. I vizualized a sort of civilized geriatric smackdown if they did.
Then I saw Brandt get up to leave. He was walking toward Jones' table. Here it came.
I never really pictured anything violent. Brandt has for years been the senior writer for NFL.com, so he's been to plenty combines, senior bowls, shrine games and drafts in Jones' vicinity. I didn't think Brandt would be carrying an air-powered cattle gun with Jones' name on it (see ''No Country for Old Men'' if you don't get that one).
But surely Brandt would wave the one-fingered hello, throw a go-to-Hades look or at least ignore Jones.
Instead, Brandt strolled right up to Jones' table and shook his hand. Warmly. Jones stood up and reciprocated. They stood there for some five minutes, laughing and talking and telling stories.
Wow. Didn't see that coming.
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
