Always a voice to be heard, Jerry shows he's willing to listen
11:43 PM CST on Friday, March 6, 2009
On the 20th anniversary of a tempestuous love affair with Dallas, Jerry Jones proves once again that you can't take him for granted.
Just when you think he's settled in his ways, he demonstrates that you're not married to Al Davis after all.
Whether you agree with the Cowboys' release of T.O. or not – and no athlete has polarized teammates, fans and media more – the decision went against all of Jerry's instincts. For everyone who said or wrote, as I did, that only one man makes decisions at Valley Ranch, Jerry showed it's a man willing to listen.
All evidence suggests that Jerry was looking for someone, anyone, to tell him he should keep T.O. All he needed was encouragement. Like most of us, Jerry doesn't like to be told he's wrong. Like all of us, he hates to admit it.
But he conceded as much with his actions, no matter how he tries to spin it.
And he did it to shore up a bigger mistake that had nothing to do with T.O.
When Jerry said he cut T.O. to give Roy Williams a bigger role, he told the truth, in part. Williams should be more interested now that Tony Romo can throw it to him without worrying if another receiver will throw a fit.
Besides Williams and Romo, Jason Garrett benefited, too. He won't have to worry about designing an offense around a receiver who's effective only when running away from the quarterback, so he can cradle the catch. Even if his numbers were down, 1,000 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns still sound impressive. But T.O. puts up A-Rod's kind of numbers. How often does he make a catch when his team absolutely has to have it?
Better question: If it's third-and-8 with two minutes left and you're down by five, would you put the game in the hands of a guy who drops as many passes as T.O. does?
But let's put aside the T.O. bashing and examine what's been building and was obscured by the news of the day.
The big winner in the Cowboys' off-season so far? Wade Phillips.
Phillips told us there were going to be changes, only we didn't believe him. No coach changes at 61. No one gets tougher, anyway. And that's the kind of coach the Cowboys needed to shepherd a locker room with the kind of issues that T.O., Pacman, Tank Johnson and others present.
But now Phillips doesn't have to get tough. Not only that, Jerry went out and got him a linebacker, Keith Brooking, who buys into Phillips' game. Scouts say Brooking is past his prime, but the Cowboys won't ask him to play outside linebacker. He'll be inside, where his diminished speed won't be as noticeable. What's more, he'll sell out for the head coach.
The same goes for Matt Stewart, another Phillips ex who might get a bit part, and defensive end Igor Olshansky, who played for Phillips in San Diego.
When Bill Parcells was the warden at Valley Ranch, everyone talked about the presence of the "Parcells guys." You couldn't turn around without bumping into some guy from Jersey.
But where were the "Phillips guys" on this roster? Jerry didn't give him the courtesy, just like he didn't let him hire his own offensive coordinator.
A take-charge coach wouldn't allow Jerry to dictate so much, which is why Dan Reeves didn't make it 48 hours. A take-charge coach might have been able to handle T.O.
Of course, a take-charge coach never lasts long at Valley Ranch. Come to think of it, no coach does.
But at least Jerry has made life a little easier on his latest one. Now it's up to Phillips to make the most of it. He'd better. Jerry doesn't cave in often. When he does, I'm thinking he expects something in return.
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