Is the road to Cowboys' Super Bowl success linked to Jerry Jones' departure?
As Jerry Jones lamented yet another Dallas Cowboys exit in the playoffs, many were asking if he was the reason for their underachievement in recent times. The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most storied franchises in American sports, and certainly the most valuable, with Forbes reporting their valuation to be close to 6 billion dollars.
But they have now gone a quarter of a century without any Super Bowl success, which some might consider a drought when looking at the team's history and the size of the sporting franchise.
This lack of Super Bowl success has coincided with Jerry Jones being at the helm. We look at his ownership thus far and whether or not he is the component that needs to change for the Dallas Cowboys to win the Super Bowl again.
Jerry Jones' time at the Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones took over the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 and it has been a rollercoaster ever since. Jones has shown the power of owning a brand, making America's team the most valuable franchise in sports.
But on-field success remains elusive. Jerry Jones presided over three Super Bowl wins at the start of his tenure, but they were teams built by Jimmy Johnson, where he had minimal input. In fact, right after Jimmy Johnson won his second Super Bowl, he was let go. Since winning another Super Bowl with that team in 1995, the Dallas Cowboys have won nothing and never gone close to being in the Super Bowl.
I hope everyone enjoyed their yearly reminder that Jimmy Johnson put Jerry Jones on his back and carried him to Canton. https://t.co/bsJWSrgMiY
This brings us to his decision-making process, something that has often left a lot to be desired. The firing of Jimmy Johnson made no sense after back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Just at it never made sense, on the other hand, to stick with Jason Garrett after years of mediocrity. Similarly, his most recent decision to stand by Mike McCarthy after such a harrowing loss in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs also appears to be a head scratcher.
Jerry Jones hired Mike McCarthy because of his Playoff and Super Bowl experience.
That was the worst coached playoff game from the Cowboys that I can remember.
But that is not all because as the general manager of the franchise, Jones has also made some shocking decisions in terms of playing personnel as well.
Jones' decision to pass up on Randy Moss, who stated a desire to play for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1998 NFL draft, is one he surely regrets. The 1995 and 1997 drafts as a whole were busts for the Cowboys as well. He also showed poor judgment in using high draft picks for the likes of Bobby Carpenter and David LaFleur, and signing controversial players like Greg Hardy and Nolan Carroll.
In recent times he has let existing players' potential wither away without stepping in, such as in the case of Dez Bryant's contract that they let run, or not intervening when Pro Bowl cornerback Byron Jones decided he wanted out.
Jerry Jones is the worst general manager in league history twitter.com/FieldYates/sta…
A clear and distinct image of Jerry Jones emerges from what has been mentioned above. This is a man who has made the Dallas Cowboys the most marketable team in America, but has failed as a general manager to hire the right players and coaches.
Hence, if the Dallas Cowboys want to win the Super Bowl again, as an owner, he must fire himself as the general manager and hire a fresh face to lead the front office.