With each new disappointing end to the Dallas Cowboys' season, fans are left shaking their heads in disbelief. The expectations are always high, but the results are all for naught. Whether it's the defense, penalties, or the creative playmaking of Tony Romo the excuses are plentiful. Everyone has their own thoughts where the blame should be placed, but most fans agree that the biggest obstacle standing in the way of their success is the Cowboys' owner, Jerry Jones.
In February of 1989, Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys and immediately set the stage for years of controversy by firing the only coach this organization ever had - Tom Landry. This move was criticized by many as Landry was a Cowboys legend. He was an icon to this franchise and just like that, he was sent packing by this new owner. I have yet to come across a fellow Cowboys' fan that would agree that Landry should've been fired, but there are some that do believe his ability to help Dallas win had ran its course. And those feelings were validated when his replacement, Jimmy Johnson, helped build this team into a Super Bowl champion. So whether fans want to admit it or not, getting rid of Landry and bringing in Johnson was great for Dallas. Score one for Jerry.
Let's take a step back and look at what Jerry Jones' Cowboys accomplished in his first decade as the owner:
8 Playoff Appearances
6 Division Titles
4 NFC Championship Appearances
3 Super Bowl Victories
I don't care how high your expectations are - that's an impressive first 10 years. He helped bring more Super Bowl victories to Dallas in his first 7 years than they had gotten in their previous 29 years of existence. Of course people are so quick to give Jimmy Johnson all the credit and blame Jerry for his departure. I don't get that. For starters, Jerry hired Jimmy. Johnson didn't just show up out of nowhere like Patches O'Houlihan from the movie Dodgeball. And while Jimmy's coaching style had players just as skittish as they would've been if he was throwing wrenches at them, he was the right man for the job. And Jerry gave him that job. Jerry and Jimmy have a shared accountability for the successes and failures of the team. In the first ever draft of the Jerry/Jimmy era, they drafted a Pro Bowl player in each of the first 4 rounds of the 1989 draft (Aikman, Moose, Stepnoski, Tolbert). But the single biggest move that helped propel the Cowboys to greatness was the Herschel Walker trade. Four games into his first season Jimmy Johnson decided dealing Walker would be the best thing for this team's future. Jerry Jones helped market the idea to other owners in the league to get the most out of the deal. In the end, the Cowboys robbed the Minnesota Vikings of several draft picks which they used to draft players like Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, Russell Maryland, and Alvin Harper. Just like that you have the beginning of a dynasty.
The Jerry and Jimmy marriage came to an end after 5 quick years and once again Jones was to blame. People really didn't take into account the ego and stubbornness that Johnson himself had. The Cowboys had reached such a high level of success that both of them thought they could win without the other. They were both wrong. Although, the Cowboys did win another Super Bowl a couple years later without Jimmy, the success was still largely attributed to the players they had brought in together.
Since Johnson left, Jerry has gone through a multitude of coaches. He's brought in superstar showmen like Deion Sanders and Terrell Owens, who ultimately created turmoil within the team. This generated mixed reactions among the fans and the perception seemed to change based on whether or not the team was winning. When it comes down to it that is how Jerry is judged too. The Cowboys are not winning right now so Jerry is worthless. And those same people calling for him to step down probably don't remember what a genius they thought he was in the early 90's. You better just scratch your mad spot because Jerry isn't going anywhere. Instead of wanting him gone, how about we just have a little faith that he'll bring success back to Dallas. I know he's capable of it. I've seen him do it once already.
Author Dan Rogers has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. He became interested in the Cowboys because their quarterback, Roger Staubach, had a cool sounding name. He loved the color blue and thought stars were pretty. It was really inevitable. Follow him on Twitter @DannyPhantom24 or on Facebook.
SOURCES:
Football-Reference.com
Jeff Pearlman. Boys will be boys. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2008.
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