If you caught the exciting game between the Cowboys and Lions (Dallas has been in some instant classics this year), you probably saw Cowboys' receiver Dez Bryant's tirade on the sidelines. At one point he seemed to be arguing with Tony Romo, and later he got into some sort of spat with veteran tight end Jason Witten.
It was an emotional game and a tough loss, and Dallas has had a couple of those already this year. As a fantasy owner, you'll deal with some tough losses as well. But if you respond like Bryant, you might cost yourself a trip to the playoffs.
I've seen fantasy owners cut a player outright after a particularly-frustrating week, as if that hurts the guy in question. More often I've seen them trade a player away as part of an emotional reaction to a tough loss or a bad couple of weeks (on the other side of that coin, there was an opportunistic owner who took advantage of their frustration). And how many times have we all "shaken things up" to get out of a perceived slump, only to weaken our starting lineup?
I've been there, too. I understand the frustration. But there's a difference between proactively making a change and simply being reactive to some tough losses. If you have good numbers but keep running into the week's high scorer, that's not a slump. That's bad luck. If your guy came up just short of a badly-needed touchdown, that's not a reason to panic. That's football. Most leagues have five or six weeks left in the regular season. If you have at least a couple of wins, you're probably still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Make sure you know the difference between needing to make a change, and needing to feel like you're "doing something" about losing.
Of course, Bryant didn't even have that excuse. The Cowboys are just 4-4, but they're in first place in their division. Meanwhile, the Giants, who have looked hopeless at times and started out 0-6, are just two games out of first with eight more to play. Even under the bright lights of the New York media they haven't really wilted. Considering how the rest of the AFC East's teams are playing, with a couple more wins they'll be legitimately in the division title discussion.
Now, I'm not saying that's going to happen; they're not very good. But now would be the wrong time to panic or melt down. And for a first-place team, it's absurd. I understand that Bryant is a young, talented player and he's fired up. He cares, which is a positive in itself. Maybe he thought he needed the ball more. Maybe he didn't like being shown up by Calvin Johnson, who had more than four times his receiving yardage. Or maybe he just doesn't like losing. Who does? But nothing good happens when you lose your focus and get angry. It simply hurts your chances to right the ship. Even it's not broadcast on national television, fantasy owners should know better.
That includes me, even though I don't always follow my own advice. Remember when I said I've seen owners cut someone out of frustration? Years ago I was on a losing streak, and really unhappy that DeAngelo Williams was doing basically nothing for me. One week I taught him a lesson: I cut him. Would you believe Williams had the nerve to go on a tear the last half of the year? Some loser with waiver priority nabbed him, of course, and you can guess how the story ends. That loser turned into a winner, and I became the loser. That's fine. I didn't want to play in week 15, anyway.
Sour grapes aside, if I had really thought about it I would have realized that Williams had more upside than whatever waiver scrub I picked up at the time. Better focus would have led to better decisions, and I think the same could be said for other fantasy owners, Dez Bryant and most people in general. As we hit crunch time in the schedule, owners need to maintain that focus and put themselves in position for a nice run.
Oh, one more thing: That game wasn't even over when Bryant was jawing with Witten. There was still time on the clock (I think Witten was trying to point that out) and the Cowboys still had timeouts left. Better clock management -- like not trying to advance the kickoff and preserving a few seconds -- might have allowed them to work the middle of the field for a long play, especially considering they have a great wide receiver. Maybe that gets them a really long field-goal attempt. I'm not sure if Bailey could nail a 60-yarder, but in a dome it's possible. Better than those embarrassing laterals, and definitely better than throwing a tantrum on the sideline. I hope if (when, really) you're put in that position you handle it right. The playoffs might depend on it. Good luck this week.
Have you ever made a rash decision that ended up costing you? Ever stay calm in the face of adversity and have it pay off? Share your thoughts below.