Dallas Cowboys: Relax, Jerry Jones No Longer Calls Shots

Dallas Cowboys fans can relax and enjoy this season; owner Jerry Jones has proven in recent years he’s no longer in total control.

For years the hardest thing about being a Dallas Cowboys fan was knowing that owner and general manager Jerry Jones was seconds away from ruining any momentum the team ever had. Whether it was orchestrating a terrible trade or overpaying someone else’s discarded player, Jones was a master of the team-killing deal.

Jones was the man who drafted Georgia quarterback Quincy Carter and thought he would be the next star player for Dallas. He also made the infamous deal for wide receiver Roy Williams in which they paid him about $9 million a year to do pretty much nothing.

Then there was of course the 2009 draft disaster. Jones began trading down, like he loves to do. His foolish belief that stockpiling picks would result in success was at an all-time high as the team selected 12 players that season.

Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News pointed out that after the 2012 season, none of those guys remained on the team. That draft was an absolute nightmare for fans, but something good came from it. Change.

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That change wasn’t announced and still hasn’t been acknowledged by the team, but it can be seen. The Cowboys entire draft philosophy shifted and the first proof can be seen in 2011. After it became apparent how bad Jones had gotten at building a team, his son Stephen Jones stepped in.

The younger Jones took more control of the team and began working closely with head coach Jason Garrett and personnel man Will McClay. Their first draft together, they did something Jerry had never done: They took an offensive lineman in the first round.

With the ninth-overall selection, the Boys took tackle Tyron Smith out of USC. His arrival signaled a new philosophy which has seen three guys now drafted in the first round. For those who think he is still the shot-caller, let this sink in. Jones owned the team since 1989 and never drafted an offensive lineman with their first-round pick. Since 2011, they have drafted three.

Other proof of Jones stepping back came following the 2014 draft. Media experts expected Dallas to go out of their way to draft Texas A&M lightning rod Johnny Manziel. The watch was on as the quarterback remained on the board and Dallas’ pick approached.

Would they trade up? Would he fall to them? Then, with Dallas at pick 16 on the clock and Manziel available, they selected Notre Dame guard Zack Martin. That selection was made not by Jerry, but Stephen Jones. Sure, the title still says general manager for the owner of the team, but he was vetoed on that one.

And according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, he wasn’t happy at all about it, saying:

"“I’m still so damn mad at Stephen,” Jones exclaimed. “… I get madder, every day, about missin’ (Manziel).”"

That comment doesn’t sound like it came from a man who is in charge, but one who had his opinion ignored. For those who still don’t believe that Stephen put his father out to pasture, it happened again this past draft.

According to Drew Davison of the Star Telegram, Jones lamented about not “overpaying” for a player. In the first round Dallas was interested in Paxton Lynch, the quarterback from Memphis. Stephen Jones said talks were good, but the team was unwilling to pay the price teams wanted to get back into the end of the opening round. So he waited and Jerry Jones got mad.

"“I was still mad about it,” Jones said. “Actually thought we had it done.”"

Again the elder Jones sounds nothing like a man who calls the shots here. In his world he would have overpaid. He said as much in Davison’s article. In that same world, they also would have missed out on current quarterback Dak Prescott and taken Lynch instead, along with having fewer picks.

Then again, in Jerry’s world they would have never needed either because Johnny Football would have been running around back there slinging the ball all over the field. That was his “fairytale.”

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Now instead, Will McClay, coach Garrett and Stephen Jones are working together as a smart unit. A unit that’s okay with Jerry Jones speaking to reporters and playing the part of the general manager. His words won’t hurt, as long as he allows them to handle the roster moves.

So take heart Cowboys fans, this success is sustainable because Jerry Jones has finally holstered his six-shooter. Thank goodness, you no longer have to live in Jerry’s World—we only have to hear him talk about it.

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