By Jonathan Krone
As a beleaguered Cowboys fan born four years after our last NFC Championship appearance, it’s not easy to cheer for the Cowboys. Rarely do the problems with an NFL team come down to one man, and while it’s probably an oversimplification, sometimes it does feel like all of our problems come down to Jerruh. Jerry Jones’ massive ego is the albatross around the Cowboys’ neck, and we will never succeed until he’s gone.
This is not a novel observation, nor a particularly controversial one. However, I think it’s worth breaking down the reasons why Jerry holds us back, because even when my wish comes true, we are stuck with Stephen Jones as the owner. I give Stephen a lot of credit (mainly for the Zack Martin pick), but he’s also a billionaire’s kid whose only qualification is his DNA, so he can’t necessarily be trusted. And if he doesn’t avoid his dad’s pitfalls, I’ll probably die before seeing my Cowboys in a Championship Game.
I’m not breaking new ground when I say that Jerry is egotistical, but I think we focus on the wrong elements of that ego. We spend way too much time breaking down every new stupid thing he says on the radio, and while these things are annoying, they rarely bear on the actual fortunes of the team. The Cowboys will always be in the spotlight because they drive engagement, but just reporting on every idiotic Jerry hot take doesn’t help us become a better football team; it just gets clicks.
Last season, we heard endlessly about the Cowboys’ practice facility being “like a zoo” due to the constant facility tours coming in and out ogling the players. While tours are annoying and probably somewhat distracting for the players, I’m not upset about them. Football is a business, and if tours make money and drive engagement, they’re going to continue, and honestly, they probably benefit the Cowboys long term. The problem is that this business focus does not extend to the actual business of football.
It’s a running joke that the Cowboys pay people way too late, and so we end up paying way too much. Other fans constantly yell about how overpaid Dak is (he’s not that overpaid, but that’s a different article), and he’s not the only overpaid Cowboy. We’re watching this movie yet again with Micah’s deal being delayed. I think this reluctance comes down to Jerry being both the negotiator and the person who signs the check, and the emotional connection that entails. I will never cut a nine-figure check, but I get why Jerry wants to nickel and dime and drag out the process to save himself money. You don’t become a billionaire by giving the stuff away. This is exactly why Micah has an agent (who Jerry carelessly insulted): to keep emotion out of it! But we don’t have a GM to give Jerry some distance from these decisions. I implore Stephen to have someone in mind for this position because I want a GM hired before Jerry’s body is cold.
The one thing I (and other Cowboys fans) have no right to complain about is the Cowboys’ drafting and development. For every Taco Charlton there’s a Micah Parsons, and for every Luke Schoonmaker there’s a Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, and hell, Dak Prescott! Finding Romo as an UDFA and Dak in Round 4 is genuinely a QB transition that should be celebrated on the level of Favre/Rodgers. Part of why our mediocrity is so frustrating is that we have had a lot of very talented players waste their careers here in Dallas. Zack Martin is just the latest Hall of Famer to end his illustrious Cowboys career without ever making a deep playoff run, and it stings to see him go with little to show for all his amazing play.
The problem lies in becoming emotionally attached to your own picks as a way to prove how smart you are. This is less of a problem for other teams whose GMs are at risk of actually losing their jobs, or just for GMs who are smart businessmen and don’t feel the need to constantly prove it. Brett Veach is the perfect example. Just like the Cowboys, the Chiefs make lots of great young draft picks. But unlike the Cowboys, they deal players like Tyreek Hill and Trent McDuffie at their peak value rather than letting Tony Pollard walk or handing Trevon Diggs a massive bag. Howie Roseman knows he’s smart, so he can let Mekhi Becton, Milton Williams, and Josh Sweat walk, knowing he got the most out of them and letting another team overpay them. He trusts his drafting to replace these guys, and we should too! But Jerry “loves our guys,” and we end up paying free agent prices just to retain our best draft picks.
When you get emotionally attached to the players you picked, you can’t negotiate dispassionately. If their being good reflects directly on your own ego (and pocketbook), you have a conflict of interest. Dragging every negotiation out because you want to pay your guys, but you’re too attached to your own money, costs the Cowboys time and time again. Just because you found a gem in a late round doesn’t mean you have to hold on to them forever and overpay to do so. Flipping those gems for a higher pick than you spent on them is the exact wheeling and dealing that got our division rival Eagles the Lombardi Trophy or kept the Patriots dynasty going so long.
The crown jewel of Jerry’s ego is thinking that only he recognizes the potential in Brian Schottenheimer, a long-time coordinator who hasn’t had coaching buzz for over a decade. In his press conference (hidden on a Friday afternoon to avoid embarrassment) it was crystal clear this hire was all about Jerry showing how smart and savvy he is. Out of his own mouth, “This is as big a risk as you can take. No head-coaching experience.” If that risk pays off, I’ll eat my words, but it seems like just another chance for Jerry to self-aggrandize about how he saw something no one else did and made some risky master stroke.
The Cowboys owner and GM being the same person means the Cowboys will never succeed in the modern NFL. I don’t know if having Stephen in charge will fix any of these problems, but until the Owner/GM role (and the man currently in it) are gone, the Cowboys will not compete for the Super Bowl.
