The Dallas Cowboys #1 Threat in 2016? Jerry Jones
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This is the comment of the obvious so probably I am beating a dead horse. Plus, I wanted to vent about this.
But before I begin, after seeing ownerships nearby where I live not invest a dime, bury franchises and up & move them elsewhere, I do applaud Jerry for at least a few things: 1. Creating AT&T Stadium (which I have been to on a tour and I would jump at the idea of going to a game, whether it is Cowboys or college). 2. At least caring for his team and trying to put his team in the forefront of the sports world.
That's about it though.
Looks like Jones wanted to strangle Johnson more than he wanted to hug him.
I could go into a giant post about how Jerry's ego caused the 90's Cowboys dynasty to collapse when he canned Jimmy Johnson, because Jimmy was getting all the love and Jerry wasn't. And if Jones did something while Johnson disagreed, it was World War III. So Jones hired a yes man in Barry Switzer who pretty much helped end the dynasty (not before the Cowboys won in 95).
But the end issue has always been what Jerry wants, Jerry gets. He really makes the key personnel decisions of the Cowboys players. Should they pick this guy up or that guy up? And from when the Dallas era of Aikman, Smith, and Irvin ended, not many found Jones as a man who made the best of decisions. Yes, he did come up with good players here & there and brought in the likes of Tony Romo, DeMarco Murray, Julius Jones, Terrance Newman, and Roy Williams, but since 1999 nobody has ever REALLY considered the Cowboys as a legitimate threat. Yes, they had some good years in 2007 when Romo and Terrell Owens tore up the NFC, 2009 when they made it to the Divisional Playoff and 2014 when they probably got screwed out of the playoff against Green Bay with the "no-catch" bit.
To me, it always seemed like in that run, Dallas was patchwork in some manner and it never felt like they were considered a major threat to the Lombardi Trophy again. Was Jerry to blame for all of it? Certainly not. But if you miss on major draft picks or make bad hires like Jerry did (i.e. the ones who are yes men like Dave Campo) or possibly have issues with your coaches about personnel decisions (Parcells), you have an uneasy franchise. Jones hired Wade Phillips because Wade comes off as a nice guy who isn't involved with confrontations. Wade worked pretty well for a short time until 2010 when Dallas started out 1-7. Jones didn't want to fire him because he was likable (yet would fire Johnson despite winning back-to-back Super Bowls) and brought in Jason Garrett, who has coached the Cowboys since. Again, Garrett doesn't come off as a combative guy and will handle what Jones wants.
Coaches haven't been the only issues. Jones, who has his hands firmly placed on the team. He brought in the likes of Terrell Owens, Greg Hardy, and others who have had checkered pasts while drafting others that never panned out. Quincy Carter in the 2nd round (when he was projected a 5th or 6th round pick), and the Cowboys fell really fast after that move. Felix Jones, to which Jerry loved from day one, was picked fairly early and never panned out. It has been those things that kept Dallas from going anywhere. Many have ripped Jones for giving Tony Romo a major contract when he has been either injured or underperformed in big games (on an opinion level, I think Romo is a good QB and they had to give him that contract after further review)
But hope has been restored. Jones hired his son Stephen to be the Director of Player Personnel. But that hasn't stopped Jones from doing things such as signing Hardy after he has been maligned with off-field issues such as beating girlfriends, disrespecting anybody and everybody, etc. which made nobody in the Cowboys locker room too thrilled with him. He also tried to make a strong push to draft Johnny Manziel in 2014, to which his son rejected to do and drafted Zack Martin, already a 2-time Pro Bowler. Jones was furious at the time, but had the Cowboys drafted Manziel, the bottom could have fallen out given how Manziel has fallen out as well.
After a lackluster 2015 where anybody and everybody was injured in Dallas, the Cowboys re-stocked, drafting Ezekiel Elliott from Ohio State to re-establish the run game after trading letting Murray walk and drafted later on Dak Prescott from Mississippi State. After Romo got hurt (again) in pre-season, the Cowboys turned to Prescott to run the offense and he has done it in a smooth manner, even without the help of Dez Bryant who has been banged up so far this season. Dallas is 4-1 and fighting Philadelphia in the NFC East, to many people's surprise. The offense is clicking and the defense is sound. What possibly could go wrong?
Oh yeah.
With Dak Prescott turning heads in Dallas and giving Cowboys fans hope for maybe a legit Super Bowl run alongside Elliott, Jerry Jones ran out in a radio interview still saying Tony Romo is still the #1 QB on the Cowboys.
Seriously?
Look, I get Romo is a good QB and top 10-15 in the league. But right now the Dallas offense is clicking with Prescott and Elliott and an argument can be made they might be the best team in the NFC. Why would Jones say that?
Because right now I don't see Jones having a lot of say-so in the Cowboys decisions. Stephen Jones looks like he is running more of the Dallas camp than Jones and I think it infuriates him. Jerry was livid at his son for not drafting Manziel and instead going Zack Martin (which has been the best move ever by the Cowboys). And it looked like that it was Jerry who wanted Greg Hardy in Dallas (and nobody else did), which ultimately backfired. I think it made people stop trusting Jones and his decisions and even Jerry realized it. And the thing is, Jerry is AWFUL at making decisions that is best for the actual team. And it BOTHERS him, the same way it bothered him when Jimmy Johnson was there. People are applauding the Cowboys, Stephen Jones, and Jason Garrett so far this season for their play. Nothing has really been mentioned with Jerry, and Jerry is a full-blown egomaniac.
Many consider Dak Prescott as the man in Dallas while Romo needs to move on. Jerry doesn't really think so.
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My theory is that Stephen Jones was the one who wanted to draft Dak Prescott and he is his baby. Jerry paid an arm and a leg for Romo and loves Romo. It is eating Jerry up to see that with Romo injured Dallas is succeeding greatly under Prescott who has looked as poised and cool like a veteran would look (maybe even more so than Romo). And I think what it is happening is that Jones wants to show HIS decisions, not his son's or Garrett's are the reason why Dallas is back atop the football world.
So the ultimate question is, what happens when Romo gets back? Does Jason Garrett say "thanks for your time at starter" to Dak and put back Romo? Or does he go "I have to use my hot hand" and keep Dak in? Will he get persuaded by Jerry to put Romo back in? Honestly, I can see Garrett caving into Jones and putting Romo in. And if Dallas slips when Romo is back, then Garrett, not Jones, will be grilled for doing it. But if Garrett doesn't listen, would Jerry can him after the season for not listening to him, even if Dallas gets into the playoffs and gets far? It is also feasible.
I applaud Jason Garrett for the job he has done for having Jerry watching over him at every corner.
Jerry Jones is the most talked-about owner in the NFL and it is the first person many think when we talk about NFL owners. His contributions to the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys are not unnoticed. But the issue is, Jones is way too much involved with the on-field stuff the Cowboys do. It is his ego that is getting in the way where HE, not the team, wants to be looked upon as the reason the Cowboys are great. You don't see Robert Kraft watch the Patriots and Bill Belicheck like a hawk, making those roster decisions and they have 4 Super Bowls to show for that. You didn't see Pat Bowlen when Denver won their first two Super Bowls on top of Mike Shanahan. Or Pittsburgh with the Rooney family or the Giants with the Mara family. They keep their distance away and trust who they have in place to do the right thing. It is that reason alone that could keep the Cowboys from hoisting a 6th Lombardi Trophy.
So if Jones REALLY wants the Cowboys to win a Super Bowl, he needs to leave well enough alone and shut up.
-Fan in the Obstructed Seat
