A recent WFAA poll showed that 78 percent of respondents blamed the current state of the Dallas Cowboys on owner and G.M. Jerry Jones. Jones called it “very fair” to put the onus on him.
It’s also very safe.
It’s easy to have responsibility with no accountability. Jones faces no consequences for mismanaging a franchise that hasn’t been to an NFC Championship game since 1995.
Sure, blame me. What are you gonna do about it?
Michael Holley and I unpacked the situation on Wednesday’s PFT Live. While talking it through, something occurred to me: Where’s Stephen Jones in all of this?
A decade ago, Stephen (and others) successfully nudged Jerry away from drafting quarterback Johnny Manziel. Since then, what has Stephen done to point his father in the right direction, or to steer him away from the wrong direction?
Jerry has made bad decisions. He waited too long to pay receiver CeeDee Lamb and to re-do the Dak Prescott deal. Last year, Jerry applied the franchise tag to running back Tony Pollard, paying him well over $10 million as he recovered from a broken ankle. Before that, Jerry gave receiver Michael Gallup a five-year, $57 million deal as he recovered from a torn ACL.
What was Stephen doing at the time Jerry made those decisions? As to Lamb and Prescott, was Stephen trying to get Jerry to realize that delay wasn’t going to help the cause of winning football games, or was he telling his dad to hold firm? As to Pollard and Gallup, was Stephen insisting that Jerry was paying too much?
By shouldering the blame, is Jerry protecting Stephen? It’s not as if Stephen, who is now officially the chief operating officer and co-owner, would be fired by Jerry. But Jerry needs the fan base to accept Stephen, when he eventually takes over. If Jerry takes the blame for the current state of the team, Stephen will have more of a clean slate when his own time comes.
Regardless, Stephen surely has influence over Jerry. In taking the fall for the failing franchise, Jerry mentioned that he receives a “huge amount” of “very influential” input.
How many of Jerry’s decisions were the product of Stephen’s influence? Where does Stephen stand on the various things Jerry has done?
These are fair questions. Stephen will be in charge of the team, someday. Unless he has been persistently trying to get Jerry to make decisions other than the one he’s making, Stephen is as responsible for the current mess as Jerry is.