Jerry Jones has been in command of “America’s Team” since 1989 when he bought them for what was then an unprecedented $140 million. As SportsCenter reported last Sunday morning on a special feature about the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jones assumed ownership of the team when it had reached an all-time low financially and through their abysmal play.
His first act as owner and general manager, having fired former general manager Tex Schramm, was firing Hall-of-Fame coach Tom Landry, much to the disbelief of the National Football League. Jones did, though, elevate the Cowboys to its former seemingly immortal self in 1990s, as Dallas took home three Super Bowl championships with two head coaches.
Since its last world title, Dallas has completely fallen off its pedestal of excellence, having only won a single playoff game since 1996. The brand of the Cowboys has still remained at the pinnacle of NFL and of nearly all sports franchises in the entire world. The overall worth of the Dallas Cowboys, as reported by Forbes, is $2.3 billion, second only to the New York Yankees in the United States and fifth most valuable sports franchise in existence. So what has gone wrong with these Cowboys? How can such a respected sports franchise maintain such a status of mediocrity yet maintain such a status of value? Most fingers point to owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones.
Since the departure of the last great trinity in Cowboys history — Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin — Dallas has been mediocre at best. Tony Romo, the gunslinger in command since 2006, has had a long history in relation to the recent struggles and success of the Cowboys. Believe it or not, Romo is, in fact, statistically one of the best regular season quarterbacks in NFL history. His success, though, has been overthrown by his underwhelming performances in clutch/playoff scenarios. Jerry Jones has had a reputation for always sticking up for his quarterback and has since received much backlash as a result. Jones even rewarded Romo with an overwhelming contract extension, not knowing of his two oncoming back surgeries.
The controversial commitment with Romo has caused angst among Cowboys fans and has some wondering why he was rewarded with such a lucrative contract with such meager playoff success. With the up and down, almost soap-opera dramas that have occurred in Dallas, one could almost assume that Jones is more concerned with the outward extravagance of the Cowboys rather than their on-the-field play.
Most recently, Jones was criticized and cited for his interest (or former lack thereof) in the former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Cowboys had the opportunity to draft the young quarterback but instead drafted offensive lineman Zach Martin. In response to the pick, Jones stated that drafting Johnny Manziel was not even on the draft board when the situation was at hand. Months later, Jones went on record saying that he was “that close” to drafting Manziel and that the decision may end up haunting him. This could be seen either as a case of indecisiveness or good business. My belief is in the latter.
With Jerry Jones making this statement, he continues to keep the Cowboys brand and name into conversations all around the country. This is a prime example of how and why Dallas is one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world. They remain as a topic of conversation and are a prime marketing center in the United States.
Even though Jones is a great businessman, he has proven to be a poor leader to “America’s Team”. Seeming to be more concerned with the business aspect of the franchise, Jones has put his priorities in the wrong order in effort to create a successful football team. When he fired Super Bowl-winning head coach Jimmy Johnson, the appearance of Jones’s power hunger was obvious. Jerry Jones has and wants full control of his team.
It is obvious that Jones is one of, if not, the best owner in the NFL. His business mind is unparalleled in keeping the Cowboys at the top of the financial Mt. Everest of sports. His work as a general manager, though, is clearly not on par with his business abilities.
Perhaps it is time for Jerry Jones to hire a full-time general manager with complete control of football operations. Lately, it has seemed like Jerry Jones isn’t what’s best for the Dallas Cowboys from a standpoint of on-the-field performance.
The Pigskin Catch 