Unlike most things I say on the radio, my suggestion Tuesday of an Occupy Valley Ranch movement gained almost universal support. In the aftermath of another disappointing season, it seems like Cowboys fans are more vigilant than ever in their opinion that Jerry Jones should give up his title of general manager and stick to hawking Party Passes.
Some listeners to the show were ready to move into a tent village on the hills surrounding Valley Ranch, although there's talk that Jones is in the process of building a moat around the sprawling complex. This movement, which will never happen because of my lack of interest in sleeping outdoors, is fueled by the belief the Cowboys will never return to the Super Bowl (or even the playoffs) as long as Jones is calling the shots.
There was a brief glimmer of hope last offseason when Jones assured everyone that new head coach Jason Garrett would have "final say" on anything involving his coaching staff and roster. Even longtime Jones observers believed he might keep his word because of his respect for his highly intelligent former backup quarterback.
But any hope of Garrett actually having that type of power vanished the moment Jones showed up on the sideline during the most recent Eagles game to "advise" his head coach. At least the late Al Davis had the good sense to send his suggestions from the press box. It's hard to imagine any other owner in the history of the league who would actually feel compelled to walk up to his head during live action and voice his opinion. The problem of course is that Jones long ago learned how to tune out the wishes of the media and the organization's loyal fan base.
He seems to relish his bad-guy role and has no intention of tweaking the process. His explanation for remaining head of all football operations at Valley Ranch was as convoluted and short-sighted as always.
"The thing you've got to realize is that when you have an owner that is full time as the owner, then you create a situation where you have as much turnover at GM as you do at coaching level," said Jones on the Cowboys' flagship station, 105.3 FM. "And I think that just deters from the mix."
That's right, folks. Why turn your football operations over to someone else when you can screw it up yourself? Basically, Jones is saying that he's already had to fire enough coaches over the years and he doesn't want to have another big expense. He tried to hire Dan Reeves as a consultant after the '08 season, but Jones bungled the process by demanding the longtime coach "punch the clock" like he was working in a factory. Reeves told Jones to stick it, and went back to enjoying retirement.
And honestly, that's why the thought of Jones firing himself as GM is such a farce. Even if he did bring someone in like the recently fired Bill Polian, Jones would still have his hands on everything. It's something that's fun for fans to dream about, but it will never become a reality. In Jones' warped mind, he has access to the best minds in football, so why would he spend $2 million or so to hire one of them full-time.
"I'd call on the very same kinds of influence and people and the information that someone like Bill Polian does," Jones went on to say. "They we're structured and the way it is, our fans need to understand that I have the ability to go get anybody and any bit of information that there is, sports or football, and I do. I go get it. We get it from a lot of sources."
And wouldn't you love to know which "source" advised Jones to sign cornerback Orlando Scandrick and safety Gerald Sensabaugh to long-term contracts this season. Were personnel experts across the league waiting to swoop in and sign these players to lucrative deals?
Jones may force Garrett to make a sacrifice in the form of secondary coach Dave Campo or maybe even respected offensive line coach Hudson Houck. But he'll never make the one change that absolutely needs to happen.
Even if you camp out on his lawn.
Some listeners to the show were ready to move into a tent village on the hills surrounding Valley Ranch, although there's talk that Jones is in the process of building a moat around the sprawling complex. This movement, which will never happen because of my lack of interest in sleeping outdoors, is fueled by the belief the Cowboys will never return to the Super Bowl (or even the playoffs) as long as Jones is calling the shots.
There was a brief glimmer of hope last offseason when Jones assured everyone that new head coach Jason Garrett would have "final say" on anything involving his coaching staff and roster. Even longtime Jones observers believed he might keep his word because of his respect for his highly intelligent former backup quarterback.
But any hope of Garrett actually having that type of power vanished the moment Jones showed up on the sideline during the most recent Eagles game to "advise" his head coach. At least the late Al Davis had the good sense to send his suggestions from the press box. It's hard to imagine any other owner in the history of the league who would actually feel compelled to walk up to his head during live action and voice his opinion. The problem of course is that Jones long ago learned how to tune out the wishes of the media and the organization's loyal fan base.
He seems to relish his bad-guy role and has no intention of tweaking the process. His explanation for remaining head of all football operations at Valley Ranch was as convoluted and short-sighted as always.
"The thing you've got to realize is that when you have an owner that is full time as the owner, then you create a situation where you have as much turnover at GM as you do at coaching level," said Jones on the Cowboys' flagship station, 105.3 FM. "And I think that just deters from the mix."
That's right, folks. Why turn your football operations over to someone else when you can screw it up yourself? Basically, Jones is saying that he's already had to fire enough coaches over the years and he doesn't want to have another big expense. He tried to hire Dan Reeves as a consultant after the '08 season, but Jones bungled the process by demanding the longtime coach "punch the clock" like he was working in a factory. Reeves told Jones to stick it, and went back to enjoying retirement.
And honestly, that's why the thought of Jones firing himself as GM is such a farce. Even if he did bring someone in like the recently fired Bill Polian, Jones would still have his hands on everything. It's something that's fun for fans to dream about, but it will never become a reality. In Jones' warped mind, he has access to the best minds in football, so why would he spend $2 million or so to hire one of them full-time.
"I'd call on the very same kinds of influence and people and the information that someone like Bill Polian does," Jones went on to say. "They we're structured and the way it is, our fans need to understand that I have the ability to go get anybody and any bit of information that there is, sports or football, and I do. I go get it. We get it from a lot of sources."
And wouldn't you love to know which "source" advised Jones to sign cornerback Orlando Scandrick and safety Gerald Sensabaugh to long-term contracts this season. Were personnel experts across the league waiting to swoop in and sign these players to lucrative deals?
Jones may force Garrett to make a sacrifice in the form of secondary coach Dave Campo or maybe even respected offensive line coach Hudson Houck. But he'll never make the one change that absolutely needs to happen.
Even if you camp out on his lawn.
