Uh oh Dallas Cowboys fans. Cowboys owner and self-appointed general manager Jerry Jones spoke with Peter King of MMQB at last week’s NFL owners’ meetings and advised that, while there is a succession plan in place in Big D, the ‘Boys owner doesn’t intend to quit his role with the organization anytime soon.
“My succession plan has been in place almost from the first interview we had,” Jones said when speaking with King. “I don’t ever want to quit, I just don’t want to quit. In this case, familiarity hasn’t bred contempt; it has bred optimism. I’m not quitting.”
JERRY JONES AS COWBOYS GM DOES NOT MAKE SENSE
Jones has owned the Cowboys since Feb. 1989 and to say he’s been really involved with the organization ever since is a gross understatement. The 73-year old is not only the owner, he’s the team’s general manager, which means he has far too much say in personnel decisions.
Some would say that Jones is only a pseudo general manager and maybe head coach Jason Garrett or the owner’s son Stephen have a lot of say in what happens within the organization, particularly personnel wise. But one thing is for sure. Jones assuming at least the label of general manager and having way too much input is not working and he needs to hire general manager.
The Cowboys enjoyed an enormous amount of success in the early and mid-90s, winning three Super Bowls (1992, 1993 and 1995 seasons). However, since their last Super Bowl victory, Dallas is 162-158 in the regular season and they have made the postseason eight times and posted just three playoff wins.
There have been questionable personnel moves in Dallas in the last decade plus: Promoting Garrett to head coach, signing defensive end Greg Hardy, letting running back DeMarco Murray walk in free agency and signing kicker Mike Vanderjagt, among many others.
One of the reasons I have rooted against the Cowboys for years is because I’m not a fan of Jones, but one thing even I can’t deny is that the Cowboys owner is a great business man. He just isn’t equipped to be heavily involved in certain aspects of a football organization, like personnel decisions. The Cowboys clearly mean a lot to Jerry Jones, but if he wants the team to truly compete for Super Bowls he needs to let go of his ego and hire a general manager. The best leaders/CEOs/owners know how to delegate and if Jones wants his team to be successful he needs relinquish some control.
It’s great that Jerry Jones loves football, his job and the Cowboys, and we should all be so lucky to love our jobs/careers as much, but there is a reason that #JTONTFJTGM (stands for Jerry the owner needs to fire Jerry the general manager) is a hashtag that Cowboys fans use on Twitter.
Main Photo: SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 12: Owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys gives the ‘thumbs up’ to some Cowboys fans before the game aagainst the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field on October 12, 2014 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
