GMENHQ Exclusive: 5 Questions for a Dallas Sports Anchor
By Joe Tufaro
Timm Matthews was kind enough to visit us here at GMENHQ.COM and answer some questions about the Giants Cowboys showdown this Sunday night. Timm has been a sports anchor/reporter/editor in Dallas/Ft. Worth for 25 years. Timm was a sports anchor at KXAS-TV NBC-5 and then at KTVT-TV CBS-11 for 21 years. More recently he’s served as Editor-in-Chief of Scoreboard Magazine, the only sports/lifestyle magazine in Dallas/Ft. Worth. In addition Timm is an anchor/host for Fox Sports Southwest, hosting Mavericks, Stars and Rangers shows. Timm is the host for the ESPN Golf Connection show on ESPN radio in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Throughout his career Timm has hosted numerous local television programs covering the Dallas Cowboys, NASCAR, golf, tennis and high school sports. He’s also served as an emcee for various charity and business events.
1. Jason Garrett was touted for years as the “next hot assistant” and a great Head Coach in waiting. In the short time he has had the job what is your take on the job he has done, and what is the general take of fans?
I think he still has a lot to learn as a head coach…he’s not sure if he wants to be aggressive and unpredictable like his former coach/mentor Jimmy Johnson or play it safe to keep Jerry happy, so he’s a little of both. Most fans are thinking that Princeton is over-rated for brilliance.
2. Dez Bryant is one of the most talented athletes we have seen in years. Of course, he has also been one of the most injured, and perceived as a knucklehead at times. Is he soon to be the dangerous weapon he can be, or is he a disaster waiting to happen?
Dez fits right in with the “diva” status of NFL wide receivers. For some reason that position draws most of the head cases in the league. I think Dez will be an all-pro receiver for many years but he doesn’t need to return punts, even though he is very good at it he (like most star players at other positions) doesn’t have the heart to be a returner. They don’t pay him millions to return punts and he knows that.
3. In recent years your running game has been underused in my opinion, and has gone through tremendous changes in personnel. What is your take on the state of it presently, and for the next few years?
The running game is part of Garrett’s dilemma, he wants to have the balance of Romo and a running game and clearly DeMarco Murray has opened a lot of eyes to his ability and what it means to the success of the offense. Murray, like many good/great backs, needs consistent carries so Garrett will have to commit to 20 carries a game for him even when there’s nothing there early in a game. You can’t give him 6 carries in the first quarter and then 6 more for the rest of the game.
4. Tony Romo is a talented and creative player. I have seen Jon Kitna be more conservative, work within the system, and be successful when he has played. Do you think Tony sometimes tries to do too much? What is the confidence factor in Tony these days?
My opinion is that the elite quarterbacks (Rodgers, Brady, Brees, Peyton when healthy) have 13 games a season where they play at that top level and have 3 off games. Romo is more like 9-7…maybe 10-6 so he’s Matt Ryan, Schaub, Rivers. He will never stop trying to make plays because that’s his personality and he can often buy time to make a play. Does the desire to win “burn” inside of him? That is often the difference between really, really good and elite.
5. Jerry Jones, and family, are by far the most visible and active owners on football. From giving injury updates to seemingly running the draft singlehandedly, Jerry’s hands are on everything. Do fans feel at times he could back off a little, and more importantly, is there confidence that his kids can have any success when his time comes to leave?
Cowboy fans have learned that there is no back-off in Jerry. He will stay active and hands-on till he quits or dies. His kids have different personalities and the feeling is that they will be more willing to bring in a GM to run things, however that may not be for 20 more years…(Al Davis).
We want to thank Timm for his time and for giving us his insight into the Dallas Cowboys.