Insightful article on Jones blunderball, "Jerry Football."

[Doomsday]

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants to be known as football man

ON AT&T STADIUM'S revolving stage ablaze in blue light, country music legend George Strait is crooning the encore of his final concert. A capacity crowd of 104,793 -- the largest audience at an indoor concert in North American history -- sways and swoons and sings the anthem Strait made famous: All my ex's live in Texas, And Texas is the place I'd dearly love to be ...

Up in the darkened owner's suite, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is dancing with Kate Bosworth, a 31-year-old blond actress and model. Their hands clasped, they shuffle their feet along the suite's top step, giggling when they momentarily go cheek-to-cheek. What Jones may lack in rhythm, he more than makes up for in enthusiasm. Clad in a black cocktail dress, Bosworth sashays with her back to the action. With a lopsided grin, Jones, in a black suit and salmon-colored shirt, peeks over her right shoulder at the oval stage. Standing a few feet away are Tony Romo and Jason Witten, Cowboys veterans who steal sideways glances at this unlikely duo's jagged two-step. As Strait sings the final stanza, Jones guides Bosworth through a mini-twirl that careens into a hit-and-run half-hug. It all looks innocent -- or as innocent as 71-year-old Jones looks doing anything.

"Soooooooo awesome -- thank you, Mr. Jones," Bosworth says before scampering down the suite's steps to rejoin her husband. Winking, Jones retrieves a tall plastic cup -- emblazoned with the Cowboys' iconic star, filled with his usual drink this summer, Johnnie Walker Blue Label (always on ice) -- and savors a swig of the smoky-smooth whiskey.

Jones' last dance is the perfect capstone to a glittery, boozy celebration of the $1.25 billion pleasure palace that he built for his mediocre football team. Inside the owner's spacious suite, Jones' star-studded concert party offers all the trappings of a corporate retreat -- calligraphy name cards, a barbecue buffet and an open bar -- but it soon degenerates into something resembling a barnyard square dance.

"We knocked down a fifth in about 30 minutes already," Jones tells one-time billionaire Tom Hicks. "So we are ready to dance tonight."

"Good," says Hicks, the former owner of the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars. "I've never seen this many people spendin' so much money."

Jones winks. "This broke the Super Bowl record for money spent ... this concert -- biggest gate in the history of this stadium," he says.

Do keep reading at link. Fascinating article.

"Jerry Jones has become one of the biggest jokes in north Texas," says Dale Hansen, a venomous, 34-year veteran sportscaster on WFAA in Dallas and the critic Jones most despises. "He has one of the most important jobs in all of American sports, maybe in the world: He is the general manager of the Dallas Cowboys. And based on his record, there is not a single team in the NFL, Major League Baseball, NBA or the NHL that would hire him to be their general manager. Hell, he couldn't get a job in Major League Soccer as the general manager. ... It's almost tragic that he has allowed it to happen -- not only to the Dallas Cowboys but to himself."

 

[cmd34(work)]

Jerry will die a miserable failure just like Al Davis. His early successes in football, however great or innovative, will be completely overlooked and he will be remembered only for years of failure and his refusal to admit obvious defeat and relinquish control.

 

[Doomsday]

Jerry will die a miserable failure just like Al Davis. His early successes in football, however great or innovative, will be completely overlooked and he will be remembered only for years of failure and his refusal to admit obvious defeat and relinquish control.

He articulates just that, in this radio call-in clip:

What Jones really thinks about us.


Everyone should hear this.

 

[Doomsday]

From the article:

Without telling anyone, Jones scraped together airfare to fly to Houston to attend American Football League owners meetings. His hope was to meet and impress Lamar Hunt, Ralph Wilson and Bud Adams, the top team owners of the upstart league then attempting to challenge the mighty National Football League. "I'd do nothing but hang around the lobby," Jones recalls. "And just sit there and wait for those guys to come out of meetings, just to get to go up and talk to 'em or say hello to 'em. And just maybe thinking something might drop on the floor, I guess."

When hotel magnate Barron Hilton announced in 1966 that he was selling the AFL's San Diego Chargers, Jones, then 23, tried to buy the team -- with someone else's money. Hilton's asking price was $5.8 million. With far more chutzpah than cash, Jones managed to put together a group of wealthy investors (mostly bankers) who extended him a $1 million letter of credit to land a meeting with Hilton, who was stunned that a recent college graduate wanted to buy his team.

Jones had met with Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, who explained that, without substantial TV revenues, the league would continue to struggle in its bid to compete with the NFL. Still, Jones could have secured a 120-day option to purchase the Chargers, for $50,000.

So Jones told his father about his desire to roll the dice despite the grim financial prospects. "This is my lifelong dream," Jones told his father.

"You aren't old enough to have a lifelong dream," Pat Jones replied. He then explained to Jerry that the sale's massive debt would put him "behind the eight ball." Financial recovery would be nearly impossible.

"The truth is," Jones says now, "he talked me out of it."

Shortly after Jones withdrew his interest, the AFL announced it was merging with the NFL. Instantly, the Chargers' value nearly doubled to $12 million. It was a story Pat Jones would tell for the rest of his life: how he talked his son out of making $6 million.

Despite the missed payday and opportunity, Jones insists he never felt even a momentary pang of resentment or bitterness toward his father. "I knew how much he loved me," he says, his voice cracking with emotion. "And so he was giving me advice selfishly as a father. I guess we're all selfish as fathers. But he certainly was doing it for my best interests."

Then after he bought the Cowboys his Dad said:

Pat Jones (who, this time, had not attempted to talk Jerry out of buying a pro football team) called his son. "Jerry, I had no idea," he said. "I don't care if it works or not, you gotta make it look like it does. You use mirrors, smoke screen or something, because if you don't, you'll be known as a loser the rest of your life."

Should have been a Omen to you Jerry.

 

[VTA]

"You aren't old enough to have a lifelong dream," Pat Jones replied. He then explained to Jerry that the sale's massive debt would put him "behind the eight ball." Financial recovery would be nearly impossible.

"The truth is," Jones says now, "he talked me out of it."

If only his dad had shut his trap...

 

[Doomsday]

"I mean, really -- am I so dumb that I don't know you don't fire a coach after y'all just won two straight Super Bowls?" -- Jerry Jones.

Yes. Yes Jerry, you are.

 

[VTA]

He articulates just that, in this radio call-in clip:

What Jones really thinks about us.


Everyone should hear this.

When is that from?

"where has that [writing out checks and handing it over to a football man] worked"?
Everywhere else for teams that contend for Super Bowls.

Without Googling, can anyone even name the owners of the Seahawks, Saints, Ravens, etc? Who cares about these old men?

This asshole isn't kidding any one, he knows his status as 'controversial GM' keeps this team at the top of football discussion, and relevance. He couldn't care less if it's Cowboy fans or opponents fans showing up and paying for tickets.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

If only his dad had shut his trap...

For real. As much as Jerry is called a marketing and business genius, I still say 90% of that is the Cowboys brand. Give him the Chargers and he'd be just another jagoff nobody owner.

 

[dbair1967]

For real. As much as Jerry is called a marketing and business genius, I still say 90% of that is the Cowboys brand. Give him the Chargers and he'd be just another jagoff nobody owner.

Some of it is, but not 90%

The Cowboys "brand" was stale and almost completely irrelevant in 1989 when he bought the team. Jersey sales of Cowboy players had collapsed and TV ratings (local and national) had fallen badly.

That said, we are headed to a repeated of 87-89 again with the way things are today.

 

[yimyammer]

He articulates just that, in this radio call-in clip:

What Jones really thinks about us.


Everyone should hear this.

I wish someone would knock him out Ray Rice style, I couldn't finish listening to that delusional fucking idiot, hearing his damn voice puts me in a rage

 

[yimyammer]

For real. As much as Jerry is called a marketing and business genius, I still say 90% of that is the Cowboys brand. Give him the Chargers and he'd be just another jagoff nobody owner.

There's nothing "genius" about jerri, he simply bought a phenomenal brand (which he had nothing to do with creating) at a deep discount and has been raping it for all its worth ever since. Anyone with half a brain for business could have milked the brand for money the way he has and even moreso if the primary mission was to create an organization that prizes competitive, winning football above all other goals.

All financial success stems from the original sustained success by the Landry era and the brief run in the early 90's

Would a guy like Kenny Gant have ever been a blip on anyone's radar if the team hadn't won all those games and Super Bowls?

Winning is like a tide that lifts all boats, he knows this but loves to live in denial

 

[Doomsday]

I wish someone would knock him out Ray Rice style, I couldn't finish listening to that delusional fucking idiot, hearing his damn voice puts me in a rage

El Bumpo. Glad you reminded me.

 

[yimyammer]

For real. As much as Jerry is called a marketing and business genius, I still say 90% of that is the Cowboys brand. Give him the Chargers and he'd be just another jagoff nobody owner.

Thats the biggest pile of horse shit ever used to describe jerri. A "marketing genius" would have some semblance of understanding of what good PR is and jerri fumbled his PR the day he bought the team and has dug a deeper hole ever since. The guy is a hard working gambler that was lucky to buy the best brand in all of American sports when the market was at rock bottom.