Greg Isdaner probably made a mistake when he chose to leave West Virginia before his senior season so that he could enter the NFL Draft. He went undrafted, though, and wound up signing with the Cowboys. That was the young guard's second mistake.
Isdaner and other young offensive linemen got taken to the barber shop by their veteran teammates and the results aren't very flattering. It's a longstanding tradition at Cowboys camp, take note of the modified Larry Fine given to Pat McQuistan a few years back, and one that should make every incoming rookie think twice about shaving their head before getting to camp.
MJD at Shutdown Corner has a video with Isdaner and fellow rookie Travis Bright showing off their new looks and talking about how they came to be.
Isdaner definitely got the worst of the deal. Bright look ridiculous, obviously, but he also looks totally unnatural. Strange as that sounds, it works in his favor in the battle for a roster spot.
Isdaner, on the other hand, is trying to convince the Cowboys that he's a young guy with a bright future, except he's trying to do it with the hairdo of a middle-aged algebra teacher who has given up on the hopes of a brighter tomorrow. That's a hard image to shake, even if it's just for a week before he and the other rookies can go bald.
In that time, it's not hard to imagine the Cowboys coaches looking at him and looking at someone whose hairdo doesn't give off the vibe of a lonely, slightly creepy 47-year-old and choosing the latter.
In the general scheme of all things hazing, getting a goofy haircut for a week doesn't seem all that bad. It certainly sounds better than being violated with a broomstick or beaten with reeds or some other truly horrible thing. If Isdaner gets cut for someone with a more youthful look, though, he might have preferred a more violent greeting from the rest of the boys.
